Itti CI‘e ete it iO Celebrate Shabbat With Healthy Cholent By LESLYE MICHLIN BORDEN Jewish homemakers throughout the world always had to grapple with the dilemma of how to celebrate Shabbat with a hot meal after Saturday synagogue services when they couldn't light a fire to heat the food. Wherever they lived — in Eastern Europe, North Africa, the Middle East — they solved this problem by preparing a slow cooking bean- and meat-based dish, called cholent in Eastern Europe, skhina in North Africa, and hamim in Israel. Traditional recipes all contain meat and schmaltz or other animal fat, foods high in cholesterol, saturated fat, and fat in general, items generally regarded as unhealthful for almost everyone. One serving of "traditional" cholent, for example, made without kishka or schmaltz, still contains at least 850 calories per serving, 50 percent of which come from fat. So what's a good Jewish homemaker to do — give up cholent for Shabbat? No way! Happily, you can make cholent, without all the fat that accompanies popular "traditional" recipes. LOW-FAT, LOW CHOLESTEROL EAST EUROPEAN CHOLENT 1 cup dry lima beans, washed and sorted 1 cup dry small white beans, washed and sorted 1 /2 cup non fat chicken broth 3 large onions, coarsely sliced 12 boned chicken breast fillets, skin and obvious fat removed salt, pepper, paprika, garlic powder Low-Fat Spicy Stuffing 2 /3 cup pearl barley, washed 1 /2 cup dry lentils, washed and sorted 3 cloves garlic, chopped 2 bay leaves 6 red potatoes, unpeeled 2 large carrots, peeled and cut into chunks 7 1/2 cups non-fat chicken broth (or water) Place the lima and white beans in a large pot. Cover them completely with water and bring the pot to a boil. Boil 2 minutes and then remove the pot from the heat. Let them soak 1 hour. Drain before adding to the other ingredients. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. While the beans are soaking, heat 1/2 cup non-fat chicken broth in a pot large enough to hold the rest of the ingredients. Add the onions. Cook them over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until the broth has boiled away and the onions start to brown. While the onions are browning, lay the chicken breasts flat on the counter. Season them to taste with salt, pepper, paprika and garlic powder. Add the drained soaked beans to the pot with the sauteed onions. Arrange the rolled chicken breasts on top of them so the pretty side is up and the overlapping edges touch the beans. Then add the barley, lentils, garlic, and bay leaves. Season this with additional salt, pepper, and paprika if desired. Cover the top with the whole potatoes and then the carrot chunks for color. Add the remaining broth and enough additional water so the ingredients are almost completely covered. If using a crock-pot, bring to a boil. Cook on medium heat for 1 hour. Then cover tightly, lower the heat, and cook slowly overnight. OR bring to a boil on top of the stove. Then cover tightly and place in the oven. Bake 1 hour at 350 degrees. Then turn the oven down to 225 degrees. Bake it overnight. To serve, place a potato half and a chicken roll in each person's bowl. Ladle the bean/barley/lentil soup over it. Garnish with a carrot chunk. Serves 12 generously. LOW-FAT, LOW-CHOLESTEROL MOROCCAN CHOLENT (SKHINA) 1 pound dry garbanzo beans, washed and sorted 1 pinch saffron 1 teaspoon salt 1 /2 cup non-fat chicken broth 10 gloves garlic, whole and unpeeled 1 cup seedless raisins 1 cup raw long-grain rice 3-pound turkey breast half, skin and obvious fat removed salt, pepper, paprika and garlic powder 2 pounds whole potatoes, peeled 2 pounds sweet potatoes, peeled 2 cinnamon sticks 3 green onions, chopped 1 teaspoon turmeric 1 /2 teaspoon allspice 1 /2 teaspoon nutmeg 4 whole cloves salt and pepper to taste water 12 dried apricots Place the dry garbanzo beans in a large pot. Cover them with water and let them soak overnight. The next day, drain them. Remove any loose skin. Preheat oven to 225 degrees. Place the prepared garbanzos in the bottom of a large casserole or oven-proof pot that has a tight-fitting lid. Add the saffron, 1 teaspoon salt, the garlic cloves, the raisins and the rice. Season the turkey breast with salt, pepper, paprika and garlic powder to taste. Add it to the pot, bone side down, so the rice can fill up its cavity. Top this with the whole, peeled potatoes. Bury the cinnamon sticks in the casserole. Then combine the remaining spices with the chopped green onions. Sprinkle this mixture over all. Add salt and pepper to taste. Arrange the dried apricots in the spaces between the potatoes. Add boiling water almost to the top of the potatoes. If using a crock-pot, put on the lid and bring it to a boil. Cook on medium for 30 minutes. Then reduce the heat and cook slowly overnight. If using the oven, bring the pot to a boil on top of the stove. Let it simmer for 30 minutes. Then place it in the oven to cook slowly overnight. To serve, take the potatoes out of the casserole. Next, remove the turkey breast. Let it cool slightly, then shred or slice it across the grain. Place a piece of each potato and some turkey into each person's bowl. Ladle the garbanzo/rice soup over it. Serves 12 generously. VEGETARIAN CHOLENT 1 pound dried white beans, washed and sorted 2 tablespoons olive or canola oil 2 large onions, sliced 2 cloves garlic, chopped 1 pound mushrooms, washed and cut in half salt, pepper, paprika to taste 2 bay leaves, crumbled 1 /2 cup pearl barley, washed 6 red potatoes 3 large carrots, cut in chunks 6 celery stalks, cut in chunks (including leaves) 2 cups fresh green beans, trimmed 2 red or green peppers, seeded and cut in chunks 1 teaspoon dried basil 1 cup fresh parsley, chopped water Place the beans in a large pot. Cover with water and bring to a boil. Boil for 2 minutes and remove from the heat. Let them soak for 1 hour. Then drain. Preheat oven to 225 degrees. Heat the oil in a large pot. Add the onions, garlic and mushrooms and cook until the vegetables wilt and begin to brown. Add the soaked beans and salt, pepper and paprika to taste. Carefully layer the other ingredients into the pot. Cover with water. Bring to a boil, cover tightly. Simmer on top of the stove 30 minutes. Then transfer to oven. To serve, ladle into bowls. Serves 8. SOUTHWESTERN STYLE CHOLENT 1 pound dry red, pinto, or black beans, washed and sorted 2 tablespoons oil 3 onions, sliced 3 cloves garlic, chopped up to 1 tablespoon crushed red pepper 1 cup brown rice 3-6 whole dried red peppers salt to taste 1 teaspoon cumin 1 /2 teaspoon dried oregano water 6 ears of corn, broken in half, fresh or frozen 2 acorn or other orange squash, cut in pieces. Place the beans in a large pot. Cover them completely with water and bring the pot to a boil. Boil 2 minutes and then remove the pot from the heat. Let the beans soak 1 hour. Drain before adding to the other ingredients. Preheat oven to 225 degrees. Heat the oil in a pot large enough to hold all the ingredients. Saute the onions and garlic until they start to brown. Add the crushed red pepper. When the vegetables are ready, add the soaked beans and then the rice. Combine the remaining seasonings and sprinkle over all. Add salt to taste. Add enough water to go at least 2 inches above the mixture in the pot. Cover and bring to a boil. Simmer 1 hour. Arrange corn and squash on top. Bring to a boil again. Cover the crock-pot tightly and cook slowly overnight. Or, bring to a boil on top of the stove. Then place in the oven and cook slowly overnight. Leslye Michlin Borden is a former Detroiter who specializes in low-fat kosher cooking. THE DETROIT JEWISH NEWS L-7