I love to cook, serve a nice meal and most of all, eat a well cooked meal. I decided to share some thoughts and ideas with you and hope you will share yours with readers of this blog.
My maternal grandma was from “the old country”. My mother learned to cook from her and I learned to cook from my mother. Grandma had diabetes. She lived in California and I was in New York so I didn’t see her too often. My few memories of her are, of course, associations with food. She was a good cook and of course, expressed love through food. Using fresh and wholesome ingredients in her cooking was passed down to my mother and to me. I am very grateful for being raised with this awareness.
Fresh fruits and vegetables are always in the fridge. I love summer when there is a variety. At the end of summer I am saddened when cantaloupe will no longer be available. Ever notice how cantaloupes purchased in January have no flavor?
Herbs and Spices
Salt, I seldom use it. I love using spices-curry, ginger, lemon pepper, cinnamon-so many to choose from. I buy garlic powder and onion powder, not garlic salt or onion salt, they generally have salt or MSG added to them. Here’s a hint-if you have a local health food store that sells herbs and spices in bulk, you can buy what you need and not have a jar of paprika that is 5 years old. You can buy tiny amounts if it’s a spice you may not need again. Another joy of bulk spices-if you can’t find a mixed spice for an exotic recipe-you can make your own. I had to do that recently when making an eastern Indian dish.
I love using cooking spray, a healthier option to oil. You can buy different “flavors”, I stick with the plain. The mega store sells it in a package of three cans.
If you want to steam fresh veggies, and not overcook them, a vegetable steamer is a good way to go. Steaming them just the right amount of time leaves them crunchy and brings out their colors. The veggie steamers are inexpensive.
I treated myself to 3 different size non-stick frying pans, 16”, 12” and 10”. They get used regularly, for sautéing and stir frying. They are great for sautéing vegetables with added ingredients (meats, pasta, rice).
Smart substitutions
The information below was going to be in 2 columns. Due to a formatting issue, the replace with choices are italicized.
Eat less and replace with
Whole or 2% milk Skim or 1% milk
American, cheddar , brie cheese Low fat cheese, skim ricotta, low moisture mozzarella
Ice cream Ice milk or frozen yogurt, fruit bars
Sour cream Non-fat yogurt
Vegetable oil, corn oil, peanut oil Canola oil or Olive Oil
Tuna packed in oil Tuna packed in water
Bologna, salami, pastrami Turkey or chicken cold cuts, tuna fish, lean roast beef
Cream based soup Bouillon, broth based soup
Small steps, easy changes when cooking and baking
· Roast, bake, broil or grill instead of frying-place meats on a rack in the pan so the meat is not sitting in fat as it cooks
· Steam: vegetables, fish
· Microwave more-no need to add fat. Purchase a plastic steamer cover for the microwave, it also protects the microwave from splatters and explosions of food. Helps steam foods. They are inexpensive.
· Instead of frying, sauté or stir fry using a small amount of oil or cooking spray.
Hidden saturated fats:
· Self basting turkey
· Non-dairy creamers
· Tofu based frozen desserts
· Commercial meat based spaghetti sauces, make your own sauce and control the fats
A thought to ponder: When you see low-fat, fat-free in a recipe, the food manufacturer substitutes something else to compensate for the flavors and textures. So, low fat ice cream may be higher in sugars. Read your labels.
“Diet Wars” PBS DVD, http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/diet/view/
Invest in a few good healthful eating cookbooks. the American Diabetes Association and The American Heart Association put out fine cookbooks with recipes specific to healthy eating.
If you are using regular cookbooks, many recipes lend themselves to the healthier substitutions of skim milk, canola oil, less sugar, fat free broths. My favorite banana bread recipe calls for ½ cup melted butter or margarine, since it’s melted, I just use canola oil, I can’t tell the difference in flavor, consistency and it does get devoured when I bake it. When I am making a soup that calls for cream I always change the recipe, frankly, the rich cream based soups and I don’t get along anyway. I use half skim milk and half, half and half and it works fine, or try 2% milk and skim, fat free half and half. Don’t be afraid to experiment. There’s generally at least one person in the house who will eat it!
“Applesauce is a terrific substitute for oil or butter. Anywhere from 3/4 cup to 1 cup of applesauce can be substituted for 1 cup of oil or butter. However, there isn’t a specific formula that I can give that guarantees success — finding the right ratio can often be trial and error. I find that most recipes really suffer from substituting 100% of the fat with applesauce. I often try using half of the fat called for and replacing the remaining half with applesauce — you get good results and still save quite a bit of fat per serving.
Here are a few tips for low-fat baking success:
- Replace the 1 cup butter or oil with 3/4 cup applesauce, drained crushed pineapple, mashed ripe bananas (great in chocolate desserts) or a fruit butter, such as apple or pear.
- Use cake flour or pastry flour instead of all-purpose flour. It will make cakes and cookies lighter in texture.
- When a recipe calls for baking powder or soda, be sure to use the full amount and be sure it is fresh. Be very careful not to over mix the batter. Over mixing will make the final product dense and tough.” From: foodfit.com’s Ask the Chef-Bonnie Moore
Experiment, you may hit upon the best recipe ever, make sure you write it down as you go along. Caveat: if you are planning on experimenting for company, prepare a trial meal before the actual event, just in case.
"Food is our common ground, a universal experience" James Beard
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