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Top Secret Recipes Fat-Free Version of Kellog's Rice Krispies Treats

It wasn't long after the cereal's 1928 introduction that Kellog Kitchens invented a way to mix Rice Krispies with melted marshmallows and butter to produce an alternative, nonbreakfast use for the product. In the early forties the Rice Krispies Treats recipe was printed on boxes of Rice Krispies cereal and became a great recipe for kids since it was very easy to make, required no baking, and could be eated almost immediately. The popularity of these treats inspired two additional cereals in the early nineties: Fruity Marshmallow Krispies, and Rice Krispies Treats Cereal. And at the same time, Kellog came out with individually packaged Rice Krispies Treats, for those who wanted instant satisfaction without having to spend time in the kitchen. But that product, just like the popular recipe printed on the cereal box, contained 2 grams of fat. And since the packaged Treats are small, it's tough to eat just one (tell me about it).

By using the Butter Buds Sprinkles and making some other important changes to the recipe, I have come up with a treat recipe for bars that taste like the packaged product, at considerably less cost (the recipe makes the equivalent of three boxes of the real thing), and with not one gram of fat.

non stick cooking spray
7 cups miniature marshmallows
3 tablespoons Butter Buds Sprinkles
2 tablespoons water
? teaspoon vanilla
? teaspoon salt
6 cups Rice Krispies cereal

Lightly coat a large nonstick saucepan or pot with cooking spray.
1. Add the marshmallows, Butter Buds, water, vanilla, and salt to the pan and set over medium/ low heat. Stir the mixture constantly while cooking until the marshmallows are completely melted. Turn off the heat.
2. Add the Rice Krispies and stir until the cereal is completely coated.
3. Spray a 9 x 13-inch baking pan with a light coating of the cooking spray. Pour the Rice Krispies mixture into the pan. Moisten your hands and press the mixture into the pan until flat.
4. When the mixture cools completely, cut four times down and four across, making 25 bars.

? Makes 25 Bars

Nutritional facts (per serving)Serving size: 1 barTotal servings: 25

Calories:Lite 90 Original 90

Fat: Lite 0g Original 2g


Top Secret Recipes reduced-fat version of McDonald's? Big Mac?

When the first Big Mac was served by a McDonald's franchisee in 1968, it was a time when all food in America was prepared with little attention to the amount of fat. Some low-calorie products had been developed, but they were not hugely popular, and most Americans ate and prepared food using whatever ingredients made it taste the best. Around 27 years later, McDonald's responded to the public's rapidly changing, health-conscious eating habits with the McLean Deluxe, a burger with a significantly reduced amount of fat. But the McLean Deluxe was not a commercial success; it never even came close to selling as fast as the other McDonald's burgers. Soon the McLean Deluxe was history. And today, as reduced-fat products in supermarkets are selling faster than ever, McDonald's has not replaced the McLean Deluxe on its menu. The Big Mac is still king, with its 31 grams of fat. Here's a clone to make a version of the Big Mac at home with less than half the fat of the original.

FAT-FREE "SPECIAL SAUCE"
? cup fat-free mayonnaise
1 tablespoon fat-free French dressing
2 teaspoons sweet pickle relish
11/2 teaspoons finely minced white onion
? teaspoon white vinegar
? teaspoon sugar
dash salt

2 sesame seed hamburger buns
2 additional top buns
? pound super-lean ground beef (7 percent fat)
dash salt
dash pepper
2 teaspoons finely diced white onion
1 cup chopped lettuce
2 slices fat-free American cheese
dill pickle slices

1. Prepare the sauce by combining all of the sauce ingredients in a small bowl and mixing well. Cover and chill until needed.
2. With a serrated knife, cut the top (the rounded part) off both the extra top buns. This will create two double-faced middle buns for your double-decker hamburgers. The part you cut off,-the part with the sesame seeds, can be tossed.
3. Brown the faces of all the buns-including both sides of the two middle buns-in a frying pan or griddle that has been preheated to medium heat. Keep the pan hot.
4. Divide the meat into four 1/8 pound portions. Roll each one into a ball and press down onto wax paper to approximately the same diameter as the bun. Peel the beef patties from the wax paper and cook them in the hot pan or on the griddle. Lightly salt and pepper each patty and cook them for 2 to 3 minutes per side.
5. While the meat cooks, prepare the rest of the sandwich by spreading about a tablespoon of the sauce onto the face of the bottom bun, and the same amount onto the top face of the middle bun.
6. Sprinkle about ? teaspoon of white onion onto the sauce on each of the four buns.
7. Divide the lettuce into four even portions and spread it on the onions on each of the sauce-covered buns.
8. Place a slice of American cheese on the lettuce on each of the two bottom buns.
9. Place two dill pickle slices on the lettuce on each of the two middle buns.
10. When the meat is done, place the patties on each of the bottom and middle buns on top of the other ingredients, then assemble the burger by stacking the middle buns onto the bottom buns, and finish it off with the top bun. Microwave the burger for 10 to 15 seconds, if you would like it to have that just-out-of -the-wrapper heat.

? Serves 2

Nutritional facts (per serving)
Serving Size: 1 burger
Total servings: 2
Calories: Lite 500Original 560
Fat: Lite 13g Original 31g