Mix condiments with nonfat yogurt to create tasty, low-calorie, creamy dressings, dips and sauces.

While flavored mustards, pestos, salsas and savory chutneys are delicious low-calorie flavor-enhancers by themselves, transforming them into a creamy sauce adds versatility to your dishes.

Using nonfat yogurt for a sauce base adds few calories compared with cream or sour cream. However, yogurt will separate when heated, so if you want a warm sauce, have the yogurt at room temperature and warm it ever-so-slightly.

• Check out more yogurt ideas.

This low-calorie citrus-yogurt dip is a better
choice for crab cakes than a fat-filled, mayo-
based dip. Photo courtesy of Zabars.com.

Zero calories, great chocolate flavor.
Photo by Hannah Kaminsky | THE NIBBLE.

Metromint Peppermint water launched in 2004. People who love a vibrant, minty water are fans. The company then developed additional flavors with less mint intensity to appeal to a broader market, and last year introduced a game-changer: Metromint Chocolate Mint.

Made with cocoa essence and real mint, this is a water any chocolate lover will want by the case. With zero calories, it fills the need for a chocolate treat; once you’ve tasted it, you’re hooked. (In fact, at this moment it’s sold out on the Metromint website due to holiday demand, but you can still order it; more will be in stock soon.)

Chocolatemint is one of a mint water family that includes Cherrymint, Lemonmint, Orangemint, the original Peppermint, and Spearmint. Everyone from mintaholics to those who like just a bit of mint in their water will find flavors to love.

Metromint is great for gift-giving to help a friend or family member start—or stay on—a calorie-controlled diet. You can send a four-pack, a six-pack or, for just $38 and free shipping, a case.

• Read the full Metromint review and definitely buy a bottle to taste.
• You can save 55¢ on Metromint with this coupon.

Coffee may become the next health food craze. Some articles touting the antioxidants in coffee put it up there with green tea, whole grains and cruciferous vegetables. But, a recent article in the Wall Street Journal notes, “While there has been a splash of positive news about coffee lately, there may still be grounds for concern.”

Coffee contains traces of hundreds of substances, including potassium, magnesium and vitamin E, as well as chlorogenic acids that are thought to have antioxidant properties. These may protect against cell damage and inflammation that can be precursors to cancer, diabetes, neurological disorders and cardiovascular disease.

Have another espresso—it may be
good for you. Photo courtesy SXC.

COFFEE IS GOOD FOR YOU

• Osteoporosis: Caffeine lowers bone density, but adding milk can balance out the risk.
• Alzheimer’s: Moderate coffee drinking appears to be protective.
• Cancer: Earlier studies implicating coffee in causing cancer have been disproven; it may instead lower the risk of colon, mouth, throat and other cancers.
• Diabetes: Many studies find that coffee—decaf or regular—lowers the risk of developing Type 2 diabetes; however, caffeine raises blood sugar in people who already have diabetes.
• Heart disease: Long-term coffee drinking does not appear to raise the risk and may provide some protection.
• Mood: Moderate caffeine boosts energy and cuts depression, but excess amounts can cause anxiety. 

  And more good news: Coffee is ubiquitous, affordable, calorie-free and beloved by many. Some 54% of American adults drink coffee regularly—an estimated 400 million cups per day.

  COFFEE IS NOT GOOD FOR YOU

   

   

• Cholesterol: Some coffee—especially decaf—raises LDL, the bad kind of cholesterol.
• Pregnancy: Caffeine intake may increase the risk of miscarriage and low birth-weight babies.
• Sleep: Effects are highly variable, but avoiding coffee after 3PM can avert insomnia.
• Hypertension: Caffeine raises blood pressure, so sufferers should be wary.More bad news: Coffee can aggravate anxiety, irritability, heartburn and sleeplessness; caffeine has also been linked to benign breast lumps and bone loss in elderly women.

  So, coffee may or may not be your personal “health food.” But if you don’t fall into any of the risk groups, enjoy that double espresso.

   

Roquefort mustard Laurent du Clos is one
of our passions.

Flavored mustards can transform a dish, adding almost no calories but intense notes of tarragon, basil, Roquefort or lemon to your sandwich, vinaigrette, potato salad or charcuterie. Or create a delicious crust on chicken, fish, beef, lamb or pork.

Think of classic Dijon as “plain vanilla” and start to expand your mustard horizons. We love the Laurent du Clos line of French mustards, and the Anton Kozlik line from Canada is a truly eye-opening experience as to the heights mustard can ascend.

The alarming trend we’ve been noticing lately, though, is that some fancy flavors include sugar. (We’ve tasted them—sugar mustard is yuck!) We don’t even have to mention (but we will) that this adds calories—45 calories a teaspoon instead of 5 calories, not to mention more hidden sugar in our diet.

Check the label: Unless it’s a honey mustard, a fruit mustard or a mustard dip/sauce, shun the sugar.

• Find reviews of our favorite mustards.

1. Cardamom. Intensely aromatic with a strong flavor, cardamom will find a home in more than just ethnic fare. Cosmic Chocolate recently launched a chocolate bar flavored with cardamom and oranges. (Hmm…not exactly news to chocolatiers. We’ve been enjoying Donnelly Chocolates’ Five Spice chocolate bar with cardamom—and other chocolatiers—for years. And, along with lots of people, we’ve been baking cookies with cardamom—not exactly “ethnic fare.”)

2. Sweet Potato. Candied, fried, baked or boiled, sweet potatoes are not just a delicious snack or side dish. Mintel predicts that they will become known as the new functional food: rich in dietary fiber, beta carotene and vitamins C and B6. (Is this news? Can we have another bag of North Fork Sweet Potato Chips, please?)

3. Hibiscus. The USDA has said that consuming hibiscus tea can lower blood pressure. In the future, expect to see it become a common ingredient in the beverage market. Premium Essence Water from Hint now offers Hibiscus-Vanilla flavored water. [A couple of beverages, including the OOBA line of hibiscus-flavored sodas, do not a galloping trend make. The real hibiscus is very tart; bottled beverages use a bit of hibiscus and round it out with other red fruit flavors. With the small amount of real hibiscus in any popular drink, it’s best to stick with the teas as a remedy.]

Honeydew-hibiscus unsweetened water
from Hint. Will hibiscus be the next pomegranate?

5. Rose Water. Rose water is no longer just a fragrance. You can look forward to finding it as a common flavor in ethnic foods or, like Ghalia Organic Desserts in Los Angeles discovered, you can add it to your brownie recipe for a subtle rose water flavor. [Not news: rose water is a very popular ingredient in Middle Eastern and Indian foods, and has been adopted by fine pastry chefs and chocolatiers for quite some time.]

6. Latin Flavors. Latin spices will be heating up our palates next year, and you won’t have to dine out to get these exciting flavors. Whole Foods Market now offers a Mayan Ceviche; meanwhile, Icelandic Salsa Shrimp Cocktail features a spice packet loaded with the popular Latin flavor of cilantro. [Hasn’t Latin food been the biggest trend of the decade? Peruvian food—predicted by Mintel a few years back, hasn’t quite made it to the forefront, though.]

We wish you many gustatory adventures in the new year.