Friday, December 14, 2007

Sensational Substitutions for ...

Cooking and Baking Make Your Favorite Foods Diet-Friendly -- By Becky Hand, Licensed & Registered DietitianNew Year’s Resolutions…always made and often broken.

Is your motivation waning? Are you already feeling deprived because your favorite recipes are off limits? Making meals count is important. Meals should be satisfying, good tasting, pleasing to the eye, nutritious, and have a texture that is pleasing to your palate. Otherwise, you WILL feel deprived. The good news? It is easy to modify some of your favorite recipes by using the sensational substitutions listed below. You don’t have to eat a sparse and boring "diet meal" any longer.

Cooking Substitutions

Instead of…
Try…

1 Cup Cream

1 Cup Evaporated Milk

Cream to thicken Soups

Pureed Potatoes or Vegetables

Oil-based Marinades

Citrus Juice or Flavored Vinegar

Stick Margarine

Small amounts of Olive oil, Canola oil, or Broth

2 ounces of Mild Cheddar Cheese

1 ounce Reduced-fat Sharp Cheddar Cheese

White Rice

Brown rice, Bulgur, Kasha, Quinoa, Whole Wheat Couscous

Meat or Poultry for Stir Fry

Tofu (Extra Firm, Cubed) or more Vegetables

Ground Meat

Ground Turkey Breast; Finely Chopped Vegetables with Less Meat; Crumbled Tofu, Tempeh, or Soy Crumbles; Beans



Baking Substitutions
Instead of…
Try…

1/2 Cup Oil, Butter or Margarine

1/4 Cup Applesauce + 1/4 Cup Canola Oil, Butter, or Margarine

1 Egg

2 Egg Whites

Sweetened Condensed Milk

Nonfat Sweetened Condensed Milk

Evaporated Milk

Evaporated Skim Milk

1 Cup Chocolate Chips

1/2 Cup Mini Chocolate Chips, Chopped Dried Fruit, or Chopped Nuts

Frosting

Sliced Fresh Fruit with a dusting of Powdered Sugar

Sour Cream

Nonfat Sour Cream, Low fat Sour Cream, Pureed Low Fat Cottage Cheese

Whole Milk

Skim Milk

Cream Cheese

Low Fat Cream Cheese

Sugar

Artificial sweetener for some or all (follow manufacturer’s directions); 1/4 to 1/2 Less Sugar in the recipe

2 comments:

  1. Great tips Emmi, thanks for sharing, Hugs Lisa

    ReplyDelete
  2. I love this it makes everyday cooking so much easier

    hugs
    Sherry
    http://journals.aol.com/shrbrisc/sherrys-public-journey/

    ReplyDelete