(EHD) Healthy Recipes/Cooking Lesson

Healthy Recipes/Cooking Lesson

Rachel Ray, Sandra Lee, and Julia Child have all made a substantial living off of instructional cooking shows. These shows feature tasty food, but the question is, is it healthy? While most of the television programs are geared to the masses, some chefs have chosen to educate us on the healthier aspect of cooking.  Check out Chef Jamie Oliver. Links to an external site.

Whether you are watching a cooking show or reading a cookbook, your daily diet is the most important aspect of your health. There are many ways to eat a healthy diet and cook for health. Many times it is as easy as looking in your pantry to see what you have on hand. Other times, it is a matter of choice. When purchasing items at the store, always look for the most healthy option.

In fact, your ingredient substitution talents can help transform many unhealthy recipes into healthy recipes — without diminishing the taste or texture of the foods you enjoy.

When a substitution is not available, reducing or eliminating some items is a healthy choice. Review the simple suggestions below.

Fat Calorie Saving Notes Image Reads: 1. Toppings: Eliminate items you generally add out of habit or for appearance., such as frosting, coconut or whipped cream toppings, which are all high in fat and calories. 2. Condiments: Cut condiments, such as pickles, olives, butter, mayonnaise, syrup, jelly, and mustard, which can have large amounts of salt, sugar, fat and calories. Use less soy sauce than a recipe calls for to degrease the amount of salt. 3. Cheese: If a recipe calls for 1 cup of shredded cheddar cheese, use 1/2 cup instead.

 

Healthy Substitutions - Recipe Practice

Take a look at the original recipe below for Cheesy Chicken Enchiladas. Then, review the makeover version, made with healthier ingredients.

 

Recipes Cheesy Chicken Enchiladas *Original --2 cups sour cream --1 can condensed cream of chicken soup --1 can chopped green chilies --1 can sliced ripe olives, drained --4 cups cubed cooked chicken --3 cups shredded Monterey Jack cheese, divided --3 cups shredded cheddar cheese, divided --12 flour tortillas, warmed --4 green onions, thinly sliced Cheese Chicken Enchiladas *Makeover --1 1/2 cups reduced fat sour cream --1 can reduced fat reduced sodium condensed cream of chicken soup, undiluted --1 can chopped green chilies --1 can sliced ripe olives, drained --4 cups cubed cooked chicken breast --1 cup shredded reduced dat Monterey Jack or Mexican cheese blend, divided --1 cup shredded reduced fat cheddar cheese, divided --12 fat free dour tortillas, warmed --4 green onions, thinly sliced

 

The original recipe has about 1000 calories per serving of 2 enchiladas. The makeover recipe boasts 500 calories per serving of 2 enchiladas. So, the calories and fat content was cut in half.

 

 

Now, lets take this one step further and clean it up a little more.

  1. Instead of sour cream, use plain Greek yogurt. This substitution adds both protein and healthy probiotics. It is also very low in fat and calories.
  2. Use low sodium cream of chicken soup or half of the can.
  3. Use only 1 cup total of cheese.
  4. Substitute fat free tortillas for whole wheat. Fat free tortillas are low in fat and high in fiber.
  5. Use herbs like cilantro to add additional flavor.
  6. Consider adding flavor by adding some salsa in the mix. This addition will make up for the omission of some of the cheese.

 

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