By Sheldon Margen, M.D., and Dale A. Ogar Health and Fitness News Service

If you like twice-baked potatoes but aren't willing to use up a whole day's fat allowance by mixing them with cheese and butter, here's a suggestion

Bake potatoes as usual in oven or microwave. When cool enough to handle, cut both in half lengthwise.

With a fork, fluff the potato flesh inside and transfer to a bowl, leaving enough potato attached to the skin to form a sturdy shell. Add the cottage cheese, buttermilk, cream cheese, scallions, 1 and 1/2 teaspoons of the jalapeno pepper and the black pepper to the scooped-out potato. Mix well to combine, then spoon back into the potato shells.

Return to the oven and bake until the stuffing is piping hot, about 20 minutes. Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, mix together the tomatoes, bell pepper, red onion, cilantro, vinegar, sugar, salt and remaining 1 and 1/2 teaspoons of jalapeno pepper.

Spoon salsa over the potatoes and serve. Makes 4 servings, each of which has 151 calories, 2.3 g fat, 6.6 mg cholesterol, 254 mg sodium, 62 mg vitamin C, 57 mg calcium, 3.4 g dietary fiber. Judy "MsChile" Howle