Don Mauer
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Impress your guests this fall with caramel-glazed ginger applesauce cakeOct 22, 2025 5:42 am - Spoiler alert: This recipe for Don Mauer’s version of Ruth Reichl’s Gingered Applesauce Cake with Caramel Glaze is not low-calorie, low-fat, or low-carb. It is just ... well ... sensational.
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33 years and counting: How Don Mauer’s cooking has changed over the yearsOct 08, 2025 5:57 am - Today, this column celebrates its 33rd anniversary. And, wow, how things have changed. Fat is no longer the total devil it once was; sugars and highly processed foods now play that nasty role, meaning my cooking has evolved quite a bit over the years.
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Brownies with no flour, no eggs and no butter? Believe itSep 24, 2025 4:58 am - Oats, peanut butter, and maple syrup take the place of flour, eggs and sugar in these soft and chewy brownies.
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There are tasty, easy alternatives to ultra-processed foodsSep 10, 2025 5:09 am - My guess: You’re going to see a lot about ultra-processed foods during this year and possibly beyond. Yes, ultra-processed foods provide convenience. But a salad with fresh organic vegetables and a bottled organic dressing doesn’t take that long to make. And this Summertime Pasta Salad is packed with “real” ingredients.
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The secret to going gluten-free? A great rice pastaAug 27, 2025 5:32 am - For Don Mauer, tasty food items made with wheat — like cookies, bread and pizza — trigger a strong desire to eat more. It’s like one cookie is too many and a dozen is not enough. His solution: stop eating wheat in any form. No trigger, no hunger, no problem. Luckily, cutting out wheat does not have to mean giving up pasta.
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Bacon gives sweet corn a Southern sensibilityAug 13, 2025 6:00 am - Thoughts of Illinois sweet corn inspired Don Mauer to put his own spin on this side dish from Millie Peartree using ingredients he already had on hand.
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Fewer ingredients makes a simple broccoli salad even easierJul 23, 2025 5:30 am - In 2018, Don Mauer shared his favorite broccoli salad recipe. It included 11 ingredients and several steps, such as blanching the broccoli as well as cooking and chopping bacon before it’s added to the salad. This version trims it down to seven ingredients. Bonus: No stove required.
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Rethinking hard-boiled eggs, againJul 09, 2025 4:57 am - Readers have lots to say about hard-boiled eggs and the best ways to prepare and peel them, Don Mauer found in this Best of Lean and Lovin’ It column from 2022.
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Poppy seed dressing an instant time machineJun 23, 2025 6:00 am - For a very special occasion, Nana would take her first grandson, Donny, all dressed up, to lunch at The Dominion Room in Evanston, a “charming colonial-style tearoom.” All-grown-up Don Mauer clearly remembers their poppy seed dressing, so he decided to build a time machine and make his own version.
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What makes a good brownie great? Quality ingredientsMay 28, 2025 4:29 am - The ingredients in most brownie recipes are pretty similar, though the quantities may differ. But using quality ingredients like natural high-fat cocoa and einkorn flour can take your brownies from basic to melt-in-your-mouth.