Tips To Make Your Favorite Recipes Healthier
1) To reduce the amount of fat:
a. For muffins, sweet breads, and cakes you can usually cut back on the
amount of fat by ½ and use unsweetened applesauce, mashed banana, or
pumpkin puree for the other ½.
b. Use nonstick pans or use cooking spray to coat pans instead of butter.
c. Sauté foods in water instead of oil.
2) To switch to healthier types of fat:
a. Canola oil works well as a butter substitute in most moist desserts.
However, it does not substitute well in desserts like cookies or pie crusts
that are meant to have a bit of crunch or flakiness.
b. Use nuts to give a crunchy texture to crisps or muffin tops instead of butter
and sugar.
c. Make cashew cream (there are many recipes for this on the Internet) to top
desserts and pancakes instead of whipped cream.
3) To reduce sugar:
a. When baking, you can usually reduce the amount of sugar by 1/3 to ½ of
the amount that is given in a recipe.
b. Spices such as cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, allspice, and flavorings, such as
vanilla extract, will help increase the sweetness of a reduced-sugar dessert
or smoothie.
c. Use fruit instead of syrup on pancakes or waffles.
d. Add fruit to plain yogurt to sweeten it naturally for parfaits or smoothies.
Sweet, juicy fruits like bananas and peaches work especially well.
4) To reduce salt:
a. You can completely eliminate salt in most recipes.
i. One exception: Homemade yeast breads need salt to help the bread
rise correctly.
b. Make sure your recipe has lots of spices, herbs, or other flavors (fruits and
vegetables) so that it does not taste bland without the salt
5) To add fiber:
a. Use whole-grain pasta, brown rice, etc. in recipes that call for white pasta
or white rice
b. Experiment with different whole grains. You may not like brown rice
stuffed peppers but you may enjoy quinoa stuffed peppers (quinoa is also a
whole grain).
c. Increase the amount of vegetables and fruit in any recipe. Start by adding
an extra ½ cup and experiment with adding more if you like the flavor. This
works especially well in soups and casseroles.
6) To use less cheese:
a. Use low-fat cheese if possible (such as part-skim mozzarella or Swiss).
b. If you must consume full-fat cheese, try to use extra-strong flavored cheese
(like sharp cheddar) and you will usually be able to use less.
c. Buy extra-thin slices of cheese and only use one or two on a sandwich or
burger.
d. We eat with our eyes. Sprinkle most of the cheese on the top of a casserole
or lasagna dish and cut back on the amount of cheese you add to the middle
layers.
Extreme Recipe Makeover:
Banana Crumb Muffins
Original Ingredients
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 bananas, mashed
3/4 cup white sugar
1 egg, lightly beaten
1/3 cup butter, melted
Healthier Ingredients
1 ½ cups whole wheat flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
OMIT salt
3 bananas, mashed
1/3 cup packed brown sugar
1 egg, lightly beaten
¼ cup canola oil
¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/3 cup packed brown sugar
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 tablespoon butter
¼ cup packed brown sugar
2 tablespoons wheat germ, toasted
2 tablespoons minced walnuts
¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
½ tablespoon butter
Nutrition Facts (1 muffin):
219 calories
4 g saturated fat
32 mg cholesterol
293 mg sodium
22 g sugar
1 g fiber
Nutrition Facts (1 muffin):
174 calories
1 g saturated fat
17 mg cholesterol
155 mg sodium
8 g sugar
3 g fiber
Healthier Banana Walnut Muffins
12 servings
Ingredients
Muffins:
1 ½ cups whole wheat flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
3 ripe bananas, mashed
1/3 cup packed brown sugar
1 egg, lightly beaten
¼ cup canola oil
¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
Crumb Topping:
¼ cup packed brown sugar
2 tablespoons lightly toasted wheat germ
2 tablespoons finely chopped walnuts
¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
½ tablespoon butter
Directions
1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Lightly grease 12 muffin cups, or
line with muffin papers.
2. In a large bowl, mix together 1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour, baking soda, and
baking powder. In another bowl, beat together bananas, brown sugar, egg, canola
oil, and cinnamon. Stir the banana mixture into the flour mixture just until
moistened. Spoon batter into prepared muffin cups.
3. In a small bowl, mix together brown sugar, wheat germ, walnuts, and cinnamon.
Cut in 1/2 tablespoon butter until mixture resembles coarse cornmeal. Sprinkle
topping over muffins.
4. Bake in preheated oven for 18 to 20 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into center
of a muffin comes out clean.
Extreme Recipe Makeover:
Lasagna
Ingredients
1 1/2 pounds lean ground beef
1/2 onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon chopped fresh basil
1 teaspoon dried oregano
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 (29 ounce) can diced tomatoes
2 (6 ounce) cans tomato paste
12 dry lasagna noodles
2 eggs, beaten
1 pint part-skim ricotta cheese
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
2 tablespoons dried parsley
1 teaspoon salt
4 cups mozzarella cheese, shredded
2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
Nutrition Facts (1/12 of a pan):
443 calories
10 g saturated fat
112 mg cholesterol
1267 mg sodium
9 g sugar
3 g fiber
Healthier Ingredients
OMIT beef
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 pound fresh mushrooms, sliced
1 bell pepper, diced
1 tablespoon chopped fresh basil
1 teaspoon dried oregano
OMIT brown sugar
OMIT salt
2 (26 ounce) jars low-sodium marinara sauce
12 dry NO BOIL lasagna noodles
OMIT eggs
1 ½ packages firm tofu (~20 ounces)
½ cup grated Parmesan cheese
2 tablespoons dried parsley
OMIT salt
4 cups part-skim mozzarella cheese, shredded
OMIT Parmesan cheese
Nutrition Facts (1/12 of a pan):
334 calories
5 g saturated fat
23 mg cholesterol
605 mg sodium
8 g sugar
6 g fiber
Tofu Vegetable Lasagna
12 servings
Ingredients
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 pound fresh mushrooms, sliced
1 bell pepper, diced
1 tablespoon chopped fresh basil
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 ½ (16 ounce) packages firm tofu
½ cup grated Parmesan cheese
2 tablespoons dried parsley
2 (26 ounce) jars low-sodium marinara sauce
12 dry no-boil lasagna noodles
4 cups part-skim mozzarella cheese, shredded
Directions
1. Heat olive oil in large pot and add onion and garlic and cook until they are soft
and translucent. Stir in mushrooms and bell pepper and cook until they are soft.
Stir in basil and oregano and cook for 5-10 minutes to blend flavors.
2. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
3. In a medium bowl, mash tofu with wooden spoon or potato masher until it spreads
like ricotta cheese. Mix in Parmesan cheese, parsley and 2 cups mozzarella cheese.
4. Spray the bottom of a 9x13 inch baking dish with canola or olive oil spray. Lay
1/3 of the lasagna noodles on the bottom of the pan. Cover noodles with 1/2
sautéed vegetables, 1/2 tofu/cheese mixture, and 1/3 of the sauce. Repeat. Top
with remaining noodles and sauce. Sprinkle the other 2 cups mozzarella cheese on
the top.
5. Bake in the preheated oven 30 minutes or until cheese on top is lightly browned.
Let stand 10 minutes before serving.