Cranberry-apple crumble bars delicious and crisps

Cold pea salad adds color to menu

Dear Jeanne, I found this recipe in a magazine, and the picture looks so yummy, but the ingredients put me off. I need to watch my cholesterol. Can you make something like this, only better? Thank you. — Deborah, Santa Barbara, Calif. 2 cups all-purpose flour 1 teaspoon baking soda 1 teaspoon salt 1 teaspoon cinnamon 1 1/4 cups brown sugar 1 cup unsalted butter 1 egg 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 2 cups rolled oats 3/4 cup finely chopped toasted walnuts

1 can (14 ounces) whole-berry cranberry sauce

Combine the flour, baking soda, salt and cinnamon. Add the brown sugar and butter, and stir until thoroughly combined. Mix in the egg and vanilla extract, then the oats and walnuts. Press half the dough into a 9-by-13inch greased pan. Spread the cranberry sauce over the bottom, then crumble the remaining dough over it. Bake for 40 minutes at 350°F. Makes 24 servings. Dear Deborah, When I made the revised version of this, I felt like the crumbles would make a great fruit crisp, but I made this recipe as a bar, like the original (and added a little more fruit). These bars are more tender and delicate than the original. If you would like to make a delicious crisp, you could use 4 to 5 cups of cranberries and apples that you have sweetened to taste, and top the fruit with these crumbles. 1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour 1 teaspoon baking soda 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon 1/2 teaspoon salt 1 cup brown sugar 2 cups rolled oats 1/3 cup finely chopped toasted walnuts 1/3 cup canola oil 1/4 cup unsweetened applesauce 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 1 can (14 ounces) whole-berry cranberry sauce 1 apple, grated 1. Preheat the oven to 350 F. Spray a 9-by-13-inch pan with nonstick baking spray and set aside.

2. Combine the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, salt, brown sugar, oats and walnuts. Add the canola oil, applesauce and vanilla extract. Stir together until crumbly.

3. Press half of the crumbles into the bottom of the pan. Spread the cranberry sauce all over the bottom. Grate the apple over the top of the cranberry sauce. Evenly distribute the rest of the crumbles on top of the filling, and lightly press down to adhere them to the filling.

4. Bake for about 40 minutes; crumbles will be lightly browned. Makes 24 servings. Each bar contains approximately: Original Recipe: 214 calories; 11 gm fat; 30 mg cholesterol; 228 mg sodium; 27 gm carbohydrates; 3 gm protein; 1 gm fiber. Revised Recipe: 146 calories; 5 gm fat; 0 mg cholesterol; 102 sodium; 24 carbohydrates; 2 protein; 2 fiber.

My gluten-free column of the month is this easy-to-make and tasty salad. It is perfect for entertaining because it can be made well ahead of time. In fact, it is even more delicious served two or three days after it’s made, when the flavors have had a chance to marry. It can be served either as a first-course salad or as an accompaniment with an entree. I particularly like it with a traditional holiday feast because it blends well with the flavor range, and it adds brilliant color to the menu. Green peas are second only to lima beans as a fresh-vegetable source of protein. A three-fourth-cup serving contains more protein than a whole egg or a tablespoon of peanut butter, yet it contains less than one-half gram of fat. The common garden pea, or English pea, is grown to be removed from its pod and eaten fresh. However, fresh peas are not available year-round; when they are available, it is extremely time-consuming to remove them from their pods. For this reason, I usually make this salad with frozen petit peas. Just be sure to thaw them completely before using them in this salad.

2 cups fresh or frozen green petit peas, thawed completely 1/3 cup light sour cream 1/3 cup nonfat plain yogurt 3/4 cup chopped scallions 1/4 teaspoon seasoned salt 1. If using fresh peas, steam them until tender but still firm. Remove from the heat, and place the steamer basket under cold water to stop the cooking and to preserve the color. If using frozen peas, which have already been slightly cooked, it is only necessary to thaw them completely.

2. Combine the sour cream, yogurt, scallions and seasoned salt, and mix well. Add the peas and carefully fold to combine.

3. Cover tightly and refrigerate until cold before serving. Makes 8 servings. Each 1/3-cup serving contains approximately: 40 calories; negligible fat; 1 mg cholesterol; 55 mg sodium; 7 gm carbohydrates; 3 gm protein; 2 gm fiber.

Jeanne Jones is the author of 33 cookbooks, most recently “Cooking From the Cupboard” (Rodale Press). For more information, you can go to her website, jeannejones.com. Send your recipe for revision to: Cook It Light (Name of Newspaper) P.O. Box 1212 La Jolla, CA 92038