Recipe ideas, tips and tricks!

My cooking tip would be....don't be afraid to experiment with substitutions/omissions when following recipes.

Unless it's specifically labeled as a lower-cal, "healthy" recipe, most don't hold back on calorie-dense ingredients. I have learned to recognize where I can make changes to the ingredients without sacrificing too much of the flavor or my enjoyment of the dish.

For example, I will usually reduce the amount of butter or oil recommended. After browning meat, I'll drain at least some of the rendered fat. For a soup or stew, I'll use less potatoes than recommended, and add extra lower-calorie vegetables instead. For a creamy sauce, I'll use half-and-half instead of heavy cream.

These substitutions can sometimes make the dish less flavorful, so I amp it up with herbs and spices, which have virtually no calories but add a ton of flavor. Soy sauce or fish sauce instead of salt can also add some nice flavor.

As I said, you have to experiment a little. Some ingredients are critical to a recipe's success, but others can easily be swapped out/left out.

Samichans wrote: »

I think one of my favorites was a trick from Julia Child when she make beef bourgignon (French beef and wine stew) to make it the day before and store overnight in the fridge, the excess fat will come to the surface and solidify and you can easily remove it before reheating on the stove or in the oven.

Oh, yeah, I made coq au vin once (French chicken and wine stew). We ate half of it right away, and I put the other half in the fridge for the next day. When I went to reheat it, there was a layer of solid orange fat on top that I definitely removed. It was kind of gross, haha!

Hey there, I'm a Gorge gal myself! (Columbia River Gorge but now living East Coast) One food I've been trying to make palatable for the omega 3 benefits is canned sardines. They're Cheap, high protein, low mercury and full of essential nutrients- total power food. But I'm not a big fan of fishy flavor. A friend of mine suggested I make a Tuna Salad but replace the tuna with sardines. It was so good! Also instead of using crackers or bread to eat it (carbs are a downfall for me) I just got an endive from the store (Their leaves are like chips) and dipped and enjoyed. I also had it with celery sticks and it was just as good.

For the sardine salad I basically take a can or two of sardines and mash em up with a tbsp of brown mustard, a chopped or diced red onion (optional) juice of half a lemon or to taste, salt and pepper to taste and what ever other seasonings I'm into at the time. Just delicious and filling!