Healthy Substitutions
Dinner last night came out fabulously. I used garlic and herb infused olive oil to coat the asparagus and used candied bacon. YUM! I was going to take pictures to post but it was a bit hectic last night and I just wanted to eat.
Today my friend Becca gave me a baking tip to replace oil in baked goods with apple sauce. She makes FABULOUS cupcakes pretty often and apparently does this almost every time. YUM! This got me to thinking what other sorts of substitution can/do you make while cooking. (And by healthy I mean lower fat but I’m also a believe in more natural, less chemicals READ:In Defense of Food.)
Here is the list I came up with:
1. Apple Sauce for Oil in Baked Goods. 1:1 (Upon a little research you can also use prune puree, although I can’t vouch for that)
2. La Tortilla Factory Low Carb Tortillas instead of Flour or Corn. They are healthy and still have a great flavor. I never feel the need for regular tortillas again in my life. Brand matters, we’d tried quite a few- these are the best. And actually the best for you.
3. Instead of salad dressing use balsamic vinegar and a squeeze of lemon, lime or some extra virgin olive oil. I also recommend pomegranate vinegar by Spindel Farms. (No high fructose corn suryp and crap added in)
4. Substitue half of your normal flour required for a recipe with whole wheat pastry flour. Note: Whole-wheat pastry flour is less dense and works well in softer products like cakes and muffins.
5. Substitute ground beef for ground turkey (watch the fat percentage-aim for the 7% one) in recipes that have lots of spices such as spaghetti and tacos. You could even try the soyless, meatless stuff for whole foods that is mushroom based… but that would be a bit more adventurous! (Texture is good and with sauce i can’t tell the difference except less fat.)
6. brown rice quiche crust instead or normal flour crusts.
7. Fresh or frozen veggies instead of canned goods.(They taste better too!)
What substitutions or tips do you have?
Ooo if you must buy prepackaged fruit (say pineapple chunks, pear chunks etc) use fruit packed in 100% juice, not syrup
use lime juice on your corn on the cob instead of butter. Its really good!
instead of lots of salt use fragrant herbs (like basil), red pepper flakes, even lime or lemon juice to enhance flavor (a salmon or chicken broiled/baked with just some olive oil, dill and lemon slices needs little to no salt)
bake instead of fry, steam instead of boil
fancy up salads with apples, pears, dried fruit, or a small amount of nuts rather than cheeses or creamy dressings. Or use a small amount of a strong cheese rather than a lot of a mild cheese.
instead of breaded fried chicken try some almond crusted baked chicken
Did you mean substitute ground turkey for ground beef? It’s a great replacement because usually the food flavor dominates the meat flavor, and turkey is like half as much money and less fat.
yes yes. that is what i meant. damn my brain. lol