People ask me all the time to help them “healthify” a recipe and I’m happy to do it. Apparently I’ve had enough experience messing up recipes that I know the pitfalls to avoid when substituting.
While some recipes cannot be redeemed - Deep-Fried Snickers Bars, for example - most can either be made healthy or can be re-worked to keep the same flavor elements you love, but in a new recipe.
Here are a couple of practical suggestions:
Make it healthier and smaller. Grandma’s cheesecake can be made with 1/3 less fat cream cheese, half the sugar, topped with real fruit, and made in a half-batch when having company over. Everyone enjoys a big piece, and then it’s gone.
Rework the proportions. Use the largest amount of the healthiest ingredient and the smallest amount of the unhealthiest. In a cheesy chicken and broccoli casserole, use a huge amount of broccoli, then a reasonable amount of brown rice, then some chicken, and top with a little cheese. This concept works in most casseroles and soups.
Experiment with new brands to use. There are tons of pastas, breads, crackers, and cereals made with whole grains. The ones with the most nutrition have “whole” wheat or oats, etc as the first ingredient in the list. They all have a different taste and texture, so experiment until you find ones you like and then use whole grains.
If you have a favorite recipe that you would like to “healthify” but can’t figure it out, email it to me and I’ll be glad to tell you how I would do it.
I constantly challenge myself to learn. Whether about being a better mother, wife, Christian, or healthy cook. Not only do I want to know more information, I want to apply it practically. One of my favorite ways to learn about healthy foods is my library.
When I have a client for whom I am creating recipes, I tend to study what they like or need in their diet. Recently I have learned more about Columbian food, gluten-free food, and diabetes-friendly food. And when I don’t have something specific I’m trying to learn more about, I just go for generally nutritious and natural foods and healthy cooking methods.
I typically go to my library’s section on cooking and start browsing titles. Ones that sound like my style of cooking and eating, I pick up and thumb through. If I find ingredients that are too expensive (black truffle mushrooms), things my family wouldn’t like (squid), or cooking methods I wouldn’t use (deep-fried) then I put it back. Otherwise, I look further. If I find it in line with what I believe is healthy, or see several recipes we would probably like, I check it out and take it home.
I read it in my spare time (ok, I have to TAKE time), write down any recipes I’d like to try and then return it. I always keep the name of the author with the recipe in case I like it and pass it on so they get the credit. Well, I’ve got to get back to looking through the small stack I brought home from the library yesterday…
I thought I’d give you a peek onto my cookbook shelf. But honestly, there are two resources I use more than anything in print - the internet and the library. A quick google search for the ingredients you want to cook with - like “healthy recipe chicken, red pepper, brown rice” returns thousands of recipes instantly. Then you can open ones that sound appealing until you find one that has ingredients you would use and seasonings that you know you enjoy. The library has a huge and varied collection of cookbooks. You can check out several and keep them for 3 weeks. During those weeks, write a stack of recipe cards for dishes you’d like to try and then return the cookbooks. Once you try the recipes, keep only the cards for the ones you enjoyed.
Now let me give you a tour of what books are on my cookbook shelf and why. Some books are there because they helped establish my foundation and outlook of a healthy diet. Those include Jordan Rubin’s ‘The Maker’s Diet’ and his ‘The Great Physician’s Rx for Children’s Health’, and ‘Country Life Natural Foods Cookbook’. Initially, I used them daily, now I look up something occasionally or loan them out.
Then there are books I use for information and for brainstorming good ingredient blends - like ‘The Herbarist’ and ‘Foods that Harm Foods that Heal’.
I also have a section of books I keep because they have several recipes I love or they are sentimental. Like the wedding gift ‘Betty Crocker Cookbook’ (that I desperately needed) which is now held together with a large rubberband because the spine is completely gone. Also in this section are ‘Southern Living’s Party Cookbook’, ‘Giada’s Family Dinners’, ‘The Popular Potato’ , and a few church or society cookbooks. When I use these books, I substitute whole grains and reduce or substitute fats and sugars to “healthify” the recipes. I write those changes in the book with a pencil, so next time I can follow my version of the recipe. Other times, I just glean ideas of ingredients that work well together to create my own recipe.
The last section of cookbooks I keep are marketed as healthy cookbooks. However, I still tweak these recipes to fit my idea of healthy. Included in these books are ‘The Sneaky Chef’, ‘Secrets of Fat-Free Cooking’, ‘The Olive and the Caper’, and my newest addition, ‘Fix-It and Enjoy-It’. Here is what I tweak in recipes from these types of books:
If the recipe calls for rice, pasta, or flour, I use a whole grain version.
If it calls for egg substitute, I use real eggs.
If it calls for margarine or shortening, I use butter or canola oil (in small amounts) and add unsweetened applesauce if more liquid is needed. (Butter for cookies, oil for muffins or cakes.)
If it calls for sauteeing, I use a small amount of olive oil, Olivio spreadable butter, water, or broth.
If it calls for splenda or other sugar substitute, I use turbinado sugar, dark brown sugar, or even white sugar all in small amounts (ex. 3-4 T per recipe).
If it calls for chicken stock, I use Herb Ox chicken bullion without msg.
If it calls for half and half or cream, I use skim milk mixed with a little canola mayonnaise or a little Daisy light sour cream.
If it calls for cheese, I use a sharp cheese (stronger flavor when using less) made from 2% milk and in small quantities (1-2 T per serving) sprinkled on top of the casserole or each serving.
If it calls for vegetables, I leave the peel on carrots and potatoes, and use more than suggested of vegetables that give flavor like onion, garlic, peppers, and celery.
If it calls for meat, I use a very lean version and a usually smaller quantity than suggested (and increase the quantity of vegetables).
Anyway, a cookbook is meant to be USED. So go ahead and write in, mark up, and dog-ear pages in your favorite cookbooks and donate those you haven’t opened in years and probably won’t again. Don’t be afraid to substitute ingredients and change a recipe to make it something you love to eat and is also good for you. If you’re interested in talking cookbooks, I’ll be glad to tell you more…all you have to do is ask.
