22 ways to modify your recipes for a healthy heart

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Ever wondered how to still create great tasting meals, but reduce the calories and/or fat intake? Well here’s a few tips that might help you out….

1. If for example you were making a Steak and Mushroom Pie and the recipe called for 750 g braising steak… you could try reducing the meat to 500g and add 200g of canned kidney beans.
2. Replace any butter with margarine or canola oil
3. Use reduced salt stock
4. Remove salt altogether
5. Use filo pastry instead of puff pastry
6. Always trim fat off meat
7. Use healthier cooking methods such as stir frying, steaming, microwaving, roasting/baking and grilling. And if you MUST add oil when stir frying, roasting or baking choice canola, sunflower or soybean oils.
8. Substitute full cream milk and yoghurt for the reduced fat varieties.
9. Use ricotta cheese whipped with a little icing sugar, fruit, and evaporated milk or reduced fat milk as a substitute for cream.
10. Use low or reduced fat natural yoghurt or evaporated reduced fat milk with lemon juice instead of sour cream.
11. Replace butter in baking cake recipes with apple sauce.
12. Choose reduced fat varieties of cheese.
13. Use a little grated parmesan cheese instead of grated cheddar.
14. Mix grated reduced fat cheese with oats, breadcrumbs or wheatgerm for toppings on casseroles, gratins and baked dishes.
15. Use margarine spreads instead of butter, lard, copha or cooking fats. Note: Reduced fat or “lite” spreads are generally not good for cooking.
16. Use salad dressings and mayo made from oils such as olive oil.
17. Make your own salad dressings using ingredients such as low or reduced fat yoghurt, buttermilk, tomato paste, balsamic vinegar, lemon juice, ricotta cheese, mustard and fruit pulp. Or go without dressing. Altogether!
18. Choose lean meats
19. Marinate or add flavour to meet with ingredients such as wine vinegars.
20. When making cakes and biscuits (or cookies for our American friends), the minimum amount of fat required for biscuits (cookies) is about 2 tablespoons per cup of flour. This will retain crispness.
21. Pastries… use filo and brush every 3^rd or 4^th layer with juice or egg white instead.
22. Replace coconut cream or coconut milk with reduced fat evaporated mil with a little coconut essence.

Don’t forget to consult an accredited practicing dietician for specific dietary requirements if you have any health concerns. Coming soon a delicious warm salad alternative…

Image credit: ionacas

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