Calling Healthy Cooks: how do you modify recipes?

behind_blue_eyes_83
behind_blue_eyes_83 Posts: 85 Member
edited October 6 in Food and Nutrition
I love to cook healthy food from fresh ingredients and for me there is a fine line between making food tasty and making it healthy. I want to eat food that is both nutritious and delicious. I think there are three types of recipes - some that are low in calories and fat naturally (salads, veggie soups etc), some that can be higher in calories but which you can modify to be healthier (most foods for me), and some which you just shouldn't try and modify and therefore have to be eaten in moderation (eg. you can't make shortbread without using real butter!).

What are you favourite modified recipies - ie how do you cook standard meals and make them healthier? One I plan to make this weekend is roast chicken for Sunday lunch - I will have the chicken breast with no skin, some potatoes roasted in olive oil, and lots of steamed veg - broccoli, carrots, kale, sprouts. I'll skip the stuffing - but I will have some homemade bread sauce, probably. I make it with skimmed milk, low fat creme fraiche (instead of cream) and wholemeal breadcrumbs.

What are your most successful meals that you've 'healthified'?

PS. I'm always looking for healthy cooking inspiration/tips, so please add me if you want to!

Replies

  • skateboardstef
    skateboardstef Posts: 164 Member
    Instead of beef I use chicken in tacos, and sometimes I'll make a salad with the chicken instead of a taco.
    Use quinoa instead of rice, great for stir fry
    Try to season with spices instead of salt
    Use olive oil instead of butter for sauteing
    Instead of fries make baked sweet potato fries seasoned with cinnamon (so good!)
    I always use whole wheat pasta instead of the regular kind (love it with homemade pesto)
    If I want a burger and not all the fat, I use veggie burgers. You can also make burgers from ground turkey.
  • neanderthin
    neanderthin Posts: 10,222 Member
    Just to let you know I'm a chef. My personal view is that healthy doesn't equate to calories and if your using natural ingredients it's can all be considered healthy regardless of calories. Saying that, I generally look to recipes that are lower in calories for purposes of weight loss, for example I may eat more lean selections of protein and skip the starch on the plate a few times a week. Smaller plates help control portions, change snacks like cheese and charcuterie to maybe hummus or plate of vegetable antipasta. Removing fat which I think is where your going, can be done, but I generally find the alternative dissapointing, and would rather use portion control or consume less frequently.
  • pfeiferfit
    pfeiferfit Posts: 138 Member
    I like less starchy alternatives - like giving my family mashed cauliflower instead of mashed potatos. :) And I love ground turkey!!
  • asyouseefit
    asyouseefit Posts: 1,265 Member
    Just to let you know I'm a chef. My personal view is that healthy doesn't equate to calories and if your using natural ingredients it's can all be considered healthy regardless of calories. Saying that, I generally look to recipes that are lower in calories for purposes of weight loss, for example I may eat more lean selections of protein and skip the starch on the plate a few times a week. Smaller plates help control portions, change snacks like cheese and charcuterie to maybe hummus or plate of vegetable antipasta. Removing fat which I think is where your going, can be done, but I generally find the alternative dissapointing, and would rather use portion control or consume less frequently.

    ^^^This.

    I used to be a compulsive "subber". Low fat for full fat, milk for cream, applesauce for oil, splenda for sugar... Well, it's not as good as the real thing! Now I try to cook healthy meals with fresh ingredients the majority of the time (fish with veggies, chicken with tomato-based sauce, hearthy soups...). And when I decide to make cookies or lasagna, I make the original and eat less of it!
  • ShrinkRapt451
    ShrinkRapt451 Posts: 447 Member
    I use ground buffalo for things where I really want a beefy flavor (chili, for example). Lentils and garbanzo beans (chickpeas) seem to be good alternatives to starchier, higher-glycemic items like potatoes.

    My recipe for French Onion Soup uses pumpernickel instead of French bread. Makes a MUCH heartier soup that is a meal in itself, you just need a small side salad of baby greens to finish it. :)
  • goddesshanna
    goddesshanna Posts: 69 Member
    Most saute recipes call for something like 2 tbsp of oil. If you are using a non-stick pan, you only need about 1 tsp of oil or less. It's crazy how many calories that saves.
    Rocco Dispirito's Now Eat This books have a lot of recipes and tips for healthing up regular meals.
  • behind_blue_eyes_83
    behind_blue_eyes_83 Posts: 85 Member
    Thanks for this!

    I do agree for the most part about subbing - as I said, most baked items such as biscuits or cake should not be fiddled with! And I also do not use artificial sweetener or oil spray instead of olive oil (mostly not). But I do use low fat dairy products, which I know can have baddies like sugar or sweeteners in - but low fat creme fraiche is so insanely versatile in cooking and I would never be able to add double cream all the time and stick to my calories!

    My concern for the long term is about health and nutrition rather than calories - but until I lose the weight it has to be about calories too! I was thinking along the lines of the tips about chickpeas or wholewheat. I did hummus and crudites for a party last night, so I definitely agree there! I will check out 'Now Eat This', thanks.

    I never tried ground turkey - is the texture OK? I don't think we can get ground buffalo in the UK....:)
  • asyouseefit
    asyouseefit Posts: 1,265 Member
    If you can get your hands on ground quorn (I think you can in UK), it's a pretty decent substitute for ground beef. I usually sub one half of the ground beef for quorn in lasagnas, spaghetti sauce, chili, soups... That way you keep the taste but save some calories.

    I agree with you on low fat cream. Although now, I prefer to use 18% cream instead of 5% because I find the 5% too watery. It also really depends on the recipe!
  • behind_blue_eyes_83
    behind_blue_eyes_83 Posts: 85 Member
    Thanks, never tried Quorn. I'm not a big fan of cream anyway, so don't really care about losing taste there - but yeah, some recipes need a thicker consistency. That's why I love creme fraiche!
  • fiberartist219
    fiberartist219 Posts: 1,865 Member
    To be honest, I cook to taste, rather than following the recipe.

    For example, I looked up a recipe for apple pie filling. I wanted to make it with less sugar. I originally tried making it with splenda, which was ok, but it did seem a little fake. So, I tried just using half the amount of sugar that the recipe called for, and not adding in any substitutions. It actually tasted BETTER, because I could taste more of the apples and the texture was a little less sticky. Now it's like a fun game to see how little sugar it takes to make it still sweet and thick, but not overwhelmed in sugar.

    My mom taught me how to cook not following recipes anyway. I do look up recipes online to see how things are made, but the measuring part is generally thrown out the window. Obviously, if you are counting calories, you want to measure, but I rarely count calories these days. I just mix things up so they are the right color, consistency and taste. I don't always use as much butter or sugar that most recipes ask for. I tend to switch beef and pork for ground turkey whenever I can get away with it.
  • theflyingartist
    theflyingartist Posts: 385 Member
    P.S. You can make shortbread without butter. Use coconut oil ;)

    My favorite modifications for healthy cooking is going from non-vegan to vegan ingredients.
    The infamous flax egg is a tried and true method to replacing eggs - full of cholesterol, sodium, and artery-clogging fats-- that involves buying brown or golden flax seeds in bulk, and grinding up 1 TB of the flax seeds in a Magic Bullet, food processor, blender, ect. Add in 2 TB of hot water and let it sit. The meal will coagulate and become gummy like an egg. It's wonderful for baking!
    Another great replacement is using applesauce in place of some oil in baking. You can do 3/4 applesauce, 1/4 oil successfully. Some recipes (muffins love this!) don't need oil at all. Imagine that! :)
    Google searching healthy substitutions is the best place to start, really. You can type in anything like "vegan alternative to butter," or "low-fat baking" and tons of pages will come up!
    *edit/rant* Also, QUIT STIR FRYING YOUR VEGETABLES! Eat them raw when you can, or steam them/blanch them. They taste really NICE when you don't fiddle with them with ridiculous add-ins like soy sauce, Bragg's, SALT in general, and other flavors like tomatoes or olive oil. Herbs are great if you really need another flavor in there. Curry powder can save your life here, too.*
  • alisonrose01
    alisonrose01 Posts: 34
    For an even more nutritious mashed sweet potato recipe, go half carrots/half sweet potatoes and mash them together! It's super good!
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