[photo courtesy Sacramento Bee]

As I continue to cook and demonstrate recipes from the book, I inevitably make some variations. Sometimes it's a matter of not having the exact ingredient on hand. Other times, as when I teach at LifeStyle Rx in Livermore, CA, I'm trying to reduce the fat content of a recipe. Recently, for example, I substituted evaporated 2% skim milk for the cream in the Ricotta-Pesto Souffles with great success. The texture was still light and the souffles were still flavorful, but without the extra fat.

I've been making a lot of the Chilled Avocado-Tomatillo Soup lately, since it's peak avocado season here in California. My husband suggested we use some leftover soup as an enchilada sauce and it worked well. We rolled corn tortillas with cooked, shredded chicken, sliced onions, and fresh chard. Then we poured on plenty of soup as the sauce and topped it with some shredded Cheddar. Thirty minutes at 350 degrees and it was hot through and bubbling. Tasty and quick--and still Hands Off!

As I demo the recipes from the book more and more, I find lots of delicious variations on the written recipes. Recently, for instance, I substituted phyllo dough for the puff pastry in the Greek Leek and Greens Pie. That was to reduce the fat since I was teaching the class with a dietitian. But the funny thing is that the recipe I based mine on originally WAS made with phyllo. I just thought it was more difficult to work with than puff pastry for the average home cook.

But if you make sure to thaw the phyllo completely in the refrigerator and then keep it covered with a towel or plastic wrap while you work, you'll do fine. I simply unrolled the phyllo, removed one sheet, and covered the rest. Then I laid the phyllo sheet on top of the leek and greens filling and sprayed it with olive oil spray (or you could used melted butter, which is more traditional). I repeated this with three more layers of phyllo and oil, then sprinkled the top with some sliced almonds and additional fennel seeds. It took less time to bake (only about 30 minutes), until the phyllo was crispy golden brown and the filling was heated through. Delicious!

I've also gotten some great tips on recipe variations from readers. Mary Hoyle, from Georgia, wrote to me that she's been making the Rosemary Yorkshire Pudding in a lot of different ways. She says, "I've made this recipe in every imaginable shaped pan and served it with countless different meals. Twice now, I've made the recipe in a large round skillet, and once out of the oven, I plated it on a beautiful serving platter and filled it with herbed scrambled eggs. All it took was some nice sliced cheese and fresh fruit with a good bottle of champagne and the brunch guests were mightily impressed!" She has even baked the batter in a sheet pan with sides (like a jelly-roll pan) and used the resulting flatbread to wrap around chicken for a sandwich. She just substituted chopped oregano for the rosemary, but you could use whatever fresh herb you have on hand.

So once you get the hang of the Hands-Off recipes, feel free to try variations as you please. The idea is to make your time in the kitchen more delicious and less stressful!