Fondue Is Back: This Time It's Healthy

The bubbly pots of avocado green and fiery orange; the forks with color
coded handles, the compartmentalized plates -- it's all fun again, and
healthier too, says dietician Vicki Saunders, MS, RD, Nutrition Educator at
Transformations, St. Helena Center For Health's weight and lifestyle
management program in the Napa Valley of Northern California.

The 'old' fondue staples were primarily fat, rich melted cheeses or
boiling oils for dipping cubes of meat, poultry, or fish," says Saunders,
"delicious, but not always good for you -- especially people who are
overweight, have heart-related problems including high cholesterol, or who are diabetic."

Saunders says that with a little creativity, virtually any sauce can be
turned into a delicious, healthy fondue. "Today we're more adventurous in
terms of tastes and food choices. We're more health-conscious too."
Included in her palette of healthy, tasty fondue sauces are fat-free
refried beans, creamy garlic with fat-free cream cheese, roasted red pepper tomato -- even off the shelf tomato-basil spaghetti sauce.

On the sweeter side, think concentrated fruit juice, even dark cocoa.
"Cocoa is a defatted chocolate," says Saunders. "Dark cocoa is not
alkali-processed, so it has more flavinoids. Mixed with a sugar substitute
like Splenda you have a reduced-fat and sugar fondue that is sure to satisfy
anyone with a sweet tooth."

This time around, you don't need to rely on the sterno-fired fondue pots,
says Saunders, although they're fine, too. "I often use glass casserole dishes heated in the microwave. Single electric burners are also useful."

Other pointers:

• -- Use the largest table you have. You want your guests to have plenty of elbow room.
   
• Encourage guests who bring their own fondue forks to wrap the handles in self adhesive return address labels. This eliminates ownership  confusion.
   
• Rule number one: guests can't sit down. Saunders encourages her guests to "Push the chairs back from the table, keep moving around the table, and eat until you drop out. It's not just about eating healthy, it's about having fun too."

Contact:

Elizabeth Zima, +1-707-967-5677, or zimaee@ah.org
Web site: http://www.shhtransformations.com/recipes/