Because Kyleen Rogers and her sister, Kara, complained once too often about their mother's cooking, Mom issued them a challenge: "If you don't like it, then you cook it." Challenge accepted. At least once a week Kyleen and Kara prepare dinner -- lightly. "I don't like to eat things that are high in fat," says Kyleen. But there's one family favorite that no one can resist: a recipe for Texas corn bread containing copious amounts of sour cream, cheddar cheese, oil, and butter. "It's my dad's favorite," Kyleen says. "He's not from Texas. He doesn't even remember where the recipe came from. But he cooks it every time he needs a dish to take somewhere.

Unfortunately, it's very heavy." So Kyleen issued us a challenge: "Make it light." We did just that, trimming 266 calories from each serving, and cutting the fat by a Texas-sized three-quarters. Kyleen and her dad tried out the lightened recipe, and they both gave it a cheer.

Before and After

Serving size
1 piece

Calories per Serving
407 | 141

Fat
34g | 4.6g

Percent of Total Calories
75% | 29%

Cholesterol
131mg | 29mg

To the Rescue. Do you have a favorite recipe that needs a healthy makeover? Maybe we can lighten it up. Send it to us, along with your reasons for wanting a healthier version and any interesting stories or traditions about the recipe. Include your name, address, and daytime phone number with the recipe, and send it to CL_Web@timeinc.com with "Lighten Up" in the subject line. We can't lighten every recipe we receive, but if we adapt yours, we'll send you a Cooking Light cookbook. We reserve the right to edit all recipes. All recipes submitted become the property of Cooking Light and may be republished and used for any purpose.