How To Cut Fat But Keep The Taste In Your Favorite Recipes

Small changes to your recipes can lead to big calorie cuts.  A few ingredient swaps can make home-cooked dishes so much healthier.

Now that the holidays are solidly behind us, the reality of those New Year’s promises we made to ourselves are starting to settle in.  Many of us start out the New Year with big plans for big changes…which is why we need to start focusing on the ‘little things’.  That’s because small steps – taken together – can add up to big results, and are often easier to handle than huge sweeping changes that can be unsettling. 

Small changes start at the grocery store – that is, after all, where the path to healthy eating begins.  After you’ve brought your healthy ingredients into the house, you want to make sure to keep them that way when it’s time to cook. And with just a few small changes, you can make every dish you prepare at home a little bit better for you.

Steps to a recipe makeover

When it comes to recipe makeovers, a good place to start is with your “go-to” foods – those dishes that you make over and over again.  If you transform a recipe for a dish that you eat every week, the calories you cut out can really make a difference in the long run.

The first step in the makeover is to look over the list of ingredients, and see if you can make some healthy swaps to reduce fat and calories, or to boost the nutritional value.  Would plain yogurt work in your dish instead of sour cream?  Would ground turkey work just as well as ground beef?  Could you add more fiber by using brown rice instead of white? Could you sneak some fruit into a salad or side dish?  Using substitute ingredients that provide nearly the same taste is an easy way to reduce a hefty calorie count.

Next, look at the amounts of some of the ingredients to see if you can change them to make the dish healthier.  If a recipe calls for frying, could you sauté or stir-fry instead to reduce the fat? Can you use less salt or sugar? Could you double the vegetables called for?  You’d be surprised at how many calories you can save with just a few changes.

Don’t “wrong a right”

One caution, though – don’t be fooled into thinking that by starting with very low calorie ingredients, it means you have extra calories to “play with” when you cook.  I run into this with my clients all the time.  They’ll start with healthy, low calorie ingredients like fish and veggies, and then rack up huge amounts of calories once they start cooking.  They’ll fry instead of grill, they’ll sauce instead of steam, and by the time they’re finished, they may as well have eaten a cheeseburger.

Ingredient swaps and tips for healthier dishes

Here are some tips for cutting down on fat and calories when you cook, and also how you can make your dishes healthier by using more whole grains, or adding vegetables and fruits to your dishes.  I’ve also put together a table of swaps you can try for some common ingredients that can help you lighten up your favorite recipes.  Have fun experimenting, and don’t be surprised if you end up liking the healthier version even better!

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  Add diced vegetables to soups, chili, meat loaf, casseroles, tuna or chicken salad and pasta sauce to reduce overall calories and boost nutrition.

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  Season steamed vegetables with lemon, vinegar, herbs, garlic, onion and spices rather than relying on butter or sauces.

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  Add fruits to salad for a change.  Try fresh orange or tangerine sections, apples or kiwi.  Use deep green leafy vegetables instead of iceberg lettuce for more nutrition.

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  Frozen vegetables and fruits are just as nutritious and fresh, may be less expensive, and allow you to eat foods that might not be available all year.  For example, loose-leaf frozen spinach or chopped vegetables can easily be added to soups and stews.

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  You can thicken soups without added butter, flour or cream.  Place some of the broth and vegetables in the blender and then stir back into the soup.  Or, make your own ‘cream’ soups by cooking vegetables with broth, onions, garlic and seasoning – then puree it all in the blender with a little evaporated nonfat milk or soft tofu for a delicious creamy soup.

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  Try different mustards and vinegars for seasoning salads and veggies without fat.

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  Double the recipe for dishes that freeze well, such as soups, stews, and casseroles.  That way, when you’re tired and don’t want to cook, you can pull something healthy from the freezer rather than pulling into the drive-through.

Try these simple recipe swaps:

If the recipe calls for…		Use this substitute ingredient…
Ground beef		Ground turkey or chicken breast, plant-based substitutes like soy ground round			Spray pan with pan spray before browning;  drain any fat from pan after browning.Soy ground round is already cooked
Butter or margarine for baking		Applesauce; baby food prunes or carrots; mashed banana or avocado			You will need to experiment, but you can usually replace 1/2 or more of the fat in the recipe with one of the substitutions.  This cuts fat, and boosts nutrition!
Butter to sauté vegetables		Pan spray; broth, wine, vegetable juice			Spray pan with pan spray;  sauté in wine, broth or vegetable juice.  Cover pan to ‘sweat’ vegetables
Cheese		Reduced fat cheese			Use reduced fat cheese, and reduce the total amount in the recipe
Eggs in baking		Egg whites or egg substitutes			Egg substitutes are 99% egg white;  you can also use 2 egg whites to replace one whole egg in baking
Mayonnaise		Nonfat mayonnaise			Or use mustard, avocado or hummus instead
Nuts		Reduce by half			Toast lightly in a dry skillet to enhance flavor
White rice or regular pasta		Brown rice or whole grain pasta			Try other whole grains, too, like quinoa, millet, buckwheat
Sour cream, cream cheese, cottage cheese, cream		Use nonfat versions;  evaporated nonfat milk in place of cream			Plain nonfat yogurt is a great substitute for sour cream

Crispy Orange Chicken

Who doesn't love ordering crispy orange chicken? Forget the restaurant. Now you can stay in and make it yourself at home. Rest assured that this meal is filled with healthy ingredients that will not derail your fitness results. Servings: 6 

Here's what you need:

• 1/2 cup orange juice concentrate (no sugar added)
• 3 Tablespoons coconut aminos
• 1 Tablespoon olive oil
• Zest from one orange
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• Dash red pepper flakes
• 2 packets Stevia
• 1 tablespoon coconut oil
• 2.5 lbs boneless skinless chicken thigh, cut into bite sized pieces
• Dash salt and pepper
• Dash granulated onion
• 1 tablespoon sesame seeds
• 3 green onions, chopped

1. Combine the orange juice concentrate, coconut aminos, olive oil, orange zest, red pepper flakes and Stevia in a small bowl. Mix well and set aside.
2. In a large skillet, heat the coconut oil on medium-high.
3. Generously season the chicken pieces with salt, pepper and granulated onion. Add chicken to hot skillet and brown on all sides.
4. When chicken is almost fully cooked, add the orange sauce, stirring to coat all of the chicken. Cook, uncovered, simmering the sauce until thickened and fully sticking to the chicken.
5. Garnish with sesame seeds and freshly chopped green onion.

Nutritional Analysis: One Serving Equals, 282 calories, 12g fat, 505mg sodium, 12g carbs, 1g fiber, 35g protein 

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