Subscribe now

Hash In A Flash Is Low In Fat Calories

Merri Lou Dobler Correspondent

While shopping in a grocery store recently, I spotted a can of corned beef hash. It seemed like an interesting alternative for a quick meal, until I read the nutrition label.

Yikes and more yikes. There’s a total of 30 grams of fat in only one cup of this particular brand. That figures out to 55 percent fat calories, too much for me to eat.

Still craving a meal of beef hash, I started checking cookbooks. The first goal was to find a recipe that was easy to make, one that didn’t require precooked potatoes or beef.

The second goal was to find an recipe meeting the American Heart Association guidelines of less than 30 percent fat calories.

I lucked out with this low-fat recipe. Ground turkey substitutes for beef or corned beef, and frozen or refrigerated hash browns substitute for precooked potatoes. Onions and a variety of spices flavor up the hash.

I’ll take 16 percent fat calories over 55 percent any day for an entree for the family. I’ll also take a turkey hash that’s flavorful and fast.

Prepare this entree and you won’t go back to the canned stuff.

Turkey Hash In A Flash

Adapted from “Stop Dieting & Lose Weight Cookbook” (Rodale Press)

8 ounces ground turkey

1 cup chopped onions or 1 teaspoon onion powder

2 cups refrigerated hash browns or nofat frozen hash brown potatoes

1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

1-2 teaspoons garlic powder

1/2 teaspoon ground sage

1/2 teaspoon ground thyme

1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

In a medium no-stick skillet, cook the turkey and onions over medium heat about 5 minutes until turkey is no longer pink and the onions are tender, stirring occasionally.

Add the potatoes. Cook and stir for 5 to 10 minutes or until potatoes are tender. Stir in the cheese and spices. Heat to blend flavors.

Yield: 4 servings.

Nutrition information per serving: 174 calories, 3 grams fat (16 percent fat calories), 38 milligrams cholesterol, 157 milligrams sodium.

The goal of Five and Fifteen is to find recipes where you can do the shopping in five minutes and cooking in about fifteen. Merri Lou Dobler, a registered dietitian and Spokane resident, welcomes ideas from readers; write to: Five and Fifteen, Features Department, P.O. Box 2160, Spokane, WA 99210.

The following fields overflowed: SUPCAT = COLUMN, RECIPE - Five and Fifteen