Q. I have an old cookbook that has this recipe for crab strata. It calls for 8 eggs and half a stick of butter, so I'm hoping you can do your thing and lighten it up in time for the New Year.

A. This is a nice crab casserole that can be served any time of day, as a brunch or dinner dish. The 4 tablespoons of melted butter are used to line the bottom of the dish and to coat the croutons that are added next. I cut out the whole shebang and coated the dish with canola cooking spray and used seasoned croutons (possible flavors: garlic and butter flavor, garlic and herb, caesar) that have 1 gram or less of fat per 10 gram serving of croutons. I used a little less of the croutons than the recipe called for.

Instead of 2 cups of regular cheddar, I used 1 1/2 cups of reduced-fat sharp cheddar; and instead of whole milk, I used fat-free half-and-half (but you can use whatever milk you have in the refrigerator). For the 8 eggs, I used 4 higher omega-3 eggs and 1 cup of egg substitute. I used a bit less crab than the recipe called for, mainly for cost reasons, and I added in some chopped red pepper and green onions, both adding welcome flavor, color and nutrients. The light and tasty version has 40 percent fewer calories, two-thirds less fat, 70 percent less saturated fat and half the cholesterol of the original.

Original recipe contains 527 calories, 32 grams fat, 17 grams saturated fat and 430 milligrams cholesterol per serving.

LIGHT CHESAPEAKE CRAB STRATA