Alternatives to olive oil for RECIPES

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rosequoll
rosequoll Posts: 27
in Food and Nutrition
I have no issue using a bit of oil in a pan (I use cast iron so rarely need more than a half tablespoon to keep things smooth!) when cooking, but when it comes to recipes I'm stuck!

I made a wonderful vegetable and lentil soup tonight for dinner (yeilds about 9 cups so it'll be dinner for a few days) but over 1/2 the calorie content of the final result is the large amount of olive oil required in the recipe.

So I'm looking for an alternative that is lower in cals that I can use. The final result for my soup was 213 calories a cup, not bad, but lower would be better!

Replies

  • AnnieeR
    AnnieeR Posts: 229
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    But olive oil is super good for you - you need good fats in your diet!
  • rosequoll
    rosequoll Posts: 27
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    I love olive oil, I use it sparingly, often. But when a recipe calls for a 1/2 CUP of it and that adds over 1000 calories to a recipe I'm happy to look for other good oil alternatives that may be a bit better? Alternately I'll try it next time with 1/2 the oil. It just seems excessive. =)
  • Seb83
    Seb83 Posts: 18
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    But olive oil is super good for you - you need good fats in your diet!

    This is true. I think the reason it was worth 50% of the calories is because vegetables and lentils barely carry any calories at all anyway. I don't think you need to find an alternative really (unless you drink the stuff!)

    Otherwise you could try that LowCal stuff? The spray oil that's something like 1cal per spray or something?
  • fitterpam
    fitterpam Posts: 3,086 Member
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    I think of all the oils, olive oil is probably the best for you. The others will have similar calories (remember, it's fat and that's got the highest caloric content of the macronutrients). I know sometimes you can substitute "oils" for avocado, but I don't know how that would turn out and avocado would still have the fats in them.......so same issue with the calories.

    Sounds like the real solution here is to make it an occasional soup with smaller portions....Sounds like it would fill you up quickly. How many portions does that 1/2 cup of oil make? If it's 4 or more, that's actually not terrible.....Most meals should be around 300-400 calories and that would put it probably within that range (depending on the veggies you use).
  • sammys1girly
    sammys1girly Posts: 1,045 Member
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    I have a lentil soup recipe without any olive oil that my family loves. I hear ya though. I try to use olive oil instead of stick
    butter or margarine, but don't like using too much or the calories pile on quickly. For baking, you can substitute applesauce.
    My family does that for things like pancakes and muffins.
  • melaniecheeks
    melaniecheeks Posts: 6,349 Member
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    1/2 a cup is an awful lot! What exactly does it do in the recipe?

    I like to cook with canola oil, and if I'm using it cold, say in a dressing, I love hemp oil.
  • DoReMiFaSoLaTiDo
    DoReMiFaSoLaTiDo Posts: 296
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    I use extra virgin coconut oil... I also use sunflower oil
  • jalara
    jalara Posts: 2,622 Member
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    Olive oil is the kind of thing you really want to eat, but I understand your concern given that we are all counting calories. With that said, if you find anything that you can use something as a substitute, it will likely be full of chemicals since it's aiming for calorie count) as opposed to natural ingredients, which will end up impeding your diet even more.
  • rosequoll
    rosequoll Posts: 27
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    For anyone interested, here's the recipe:

    2 medium carrots
    2 onions (red)
    1/2 teaspoon majoram/oregano
    1/2 teaspoon thyme
    1/2 teaspoon salt
    1/4 teaspoon pepper
    3 cups water
    2 cups chicken broth/stock (okay to replace with low sodium or vegetable stock if wanted)
    1/2 cup olive oil
    1 cup lentil

    chop carrots, onion, majoram and thyme and cook in the oil in a large pan. only enough to make the onions go clear, not brown.

    Add everything else, bring to a boil and then back down to a simmer for an hour or until lentils are soft.

    EAT!

    I added an extra cup of water at the end and got 9 total cups of soup with a calorie count of 214 calories per cup. Not too bad, but I may try it with half the oil next time and see how it tastes.
  • chris0912
    chris0912 Posts: 242 Member
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    Based on what I see from the recipe, there is no way that much oil is needed! I don't do a lot of cooking with fresh onions (UGH), but I'm thinking 2 Tb MAX!!
  • rosequoll
    rosequoll Posts: 27
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    I'm with you. Going to try it with half next time. If still good, I'll drop it down again on the next go and see how it tastes.
  • melaniecheeks
    melaniecheeks Posts: 6,349 Member
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    Definitely scope to reduce the oil if that's all it's doing, sauteeing and softening veg. Put a lid on the pan while they're doing that and they'll cook in their own steam, but watch they don't burn.
  • Pebble321
    Pebble321 Posts: 6,554 Member
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    Yup, I would definetely cut the oil in that recipe - about 2 tbsp. should be plenty. I use olive oil often but just pay attention to how much I use at a time.

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