Shortcuts: Not in the burger mood? Try a lean chili dog

Chili dogs or coney dogs? Whatever you call hot dogs smothered in tangy tomato meat sauce, topped with chopped sweet onions and spicy mustard -- I call them good!

I'm always looking for ways to cut fat. Using ground bison (buffalo) meat to make the chili sauce and baking the "fries" (coated with seasoned egg whites) trims the fat on both these recipes.

The demand for buffalo meat is growing in the United States. A 3-ounce bison rib eye steak con-tains 140 calories, is low in cholesterol and contains only two grams of saturated fat. Buffalo meat is an excellent source of zinc, iron and vitamin B12 (healthyeats.com). It tends to have a richer flavor and deeper red color than ground beef because there is no marbling from layers of fat. Be alert: meats low in fat cook faster and can easily be overcooked. (Ground bison meat is available at BJ's, Giant, and some Safeways.)

The bison sauce has a lengthy list of ingredients. Don't sweat it; you probably keep most of them on hand. If you have to leave out a pinch of this or that, no harm no foul. Make a double batch and freeze one for another day. Of course you have the option to substitute ground beef or ground turkey.

BISON SAUCE

1 pound ground bison

1 onion chopped, fine

2 cloves garlic, minced

8 ounce bottled chili sauce

1 cup water

2 tablespoons yellow mustard

1 tablespoon steak sauce

1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper (optional)

2 teaspoons chili powder

1/2 teaspoon celery seed

1/2 teaspoon ground cumin

1/2 teaspoon black pepper

1 tablespoon paprika

Brown the bison in a skillet, adding chopped onion halfway through. Add minced garlic when meat is nearly done. Add remaining ingredients and stir well. Simmer over low heat 15 minutes uncov-ered. (Before simmering, I process sauce in a food processor for a finer consistency.)

CRAZY FRIES

4 large baking potatoes, peeled, rinsed

Vegetable oil cooking spray

2 egg whites

1 tablespoon BBQ rub (see below) or other seasoning

Preheat oven to 400 F. Cut potatoes lengthwise into thin sticks 1/4-inch wide. Pat dry with paper towel for crispness and to allow seasonings to stick. Spray a baking sheet liberally with cooking spray. In a large bowl, mix together egg whites and seasoning. Add the dry sticks and toss to coat well. Place them on baking sheet in single layer. Bake about 45 minutes turning them with a spat-ula every 15 minutes until crisp and brown. Makes 4 to 6 servings.

BBQ RUB

Two tablespoons each of the following: salt, white sugar, brown sugar, cumin, chili powder and black pepper. Mix with 1 tablespoon cayenne pepper and 1/4 cup paprika. Makes about 1 cup of rub great for all kinds of meat. Store in shaker in dry place.

--Both recipes adapted from Dr. BBQ's Barbecue All Year Long Cookbook (St. Mar-tin's Press/copyright 2006)