Instructions: Spring is here and many of us may be thinking of getting back into swimsuit shape. There are other reasons to look for low-fat recipes: Theyre also heart-healthy. Here are some heart-healthy cooking tips:

Roast vegetables in a hot oven to caramelize their natural sugars and bring out flavor.

Use a nonstick skillet to cook with a minimum of oil, or use vegetable oil spray.

Add a drop of lemon juice to the water in which you cook pasta, and leave out the salt and oil.

Sprinkle vinegar or citrus juice on food to give flavor a wonderful boost, but add them at the last minute of cooking so the flavor stays at its strongest.

Cut down on saturated fat in creamy dressings by stirring in nonfat or low-fat yogurt.

For a more healthful crust on baked meats, fish, fruit or vegetables, grease the pan with vegetable oil and add ground nuts or crumbs.

Pasta, rice, dried beans or peas and lentils are great substitutes for meat when preparing casseroles, stews or soups. Theyre excellent protein sources and very economical.

Toast seeds, nuts and whole spices to bring out their full flavor. Cook in a dry skillet over moderate heat or bake on a tray at 350 degrees, stirring frequently to toast evenly and prevent burning.

For breakfast, substitute two egg whites to one whole egg in omelets. Eat as many egg whites as you like - they dont contain cholesterol and are an excellent source of protein.

Rev up flavor on sweets

To improve the nutritional balance of sweet dishes:

Because many recipes include more sugar than necessary, you can usually reduce the amount of sugar by one-quarter to a third.

If you try cutting the fat in a recipe, add sweet spices like cinnamon or nutmeg; or use 1 1/2 times the amount of spice called for. Or try doubling the amount of vanilla, or use half again as much citrus zest or almond extract as the recipe specifies.

In fruit recipes, a touch of fresh mint adds a blast of flavor.

To intensify the rich flavor of chocolate desserts, add half to one teaspoon of instant coffee granules to the recipe.

Instead of a high-fat pie crust, try a meringue shell. Make sure your bowl and beaters are completely clean when you beat egg whites.

Use fat-free evaporated milk instead of cream when making whipped topping.

(The evaporated milk must be well-chilled first).

Dining out? Choose wisely

Some heart-healthy tips for eating out:
If you choose a baked potato, add a tablespoon of sour cream, which is lower in fat and sodium than margarine. Heap on the chives, but avoid cheese, bacon and margarine.

At the salad bar, remember that prepared salads, such as potato or pasta salad, often contain lots of mayonnaise and salt. Avoid pickled items such as olives, peppers and pickles, which are high in sodium.

Remove the breading, topping or sauce from your entree.

In Mexican food restaurants that serve complimentary fried tortilla chips, ask your waiter instead for soft corn tortillas to dip into the salsa. They have much less fat and fewer calories.

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