Slim Down Your Favorite Recipes

• Substitutes for high fat milk or cream:
  Use lowfat milk or milk substitute (preferably with no added sugar); if a recipe calls for one cup ½ & ½ use ¼ - 1/3 cup with the rest water.
  

• Substitutes for high fat cheese:
  Blue cheese> Feta
  High fat mozzarella> low fat mozzarella
  Other cheeses> use half the amount called for in the recipe and flavor the rest with Parmesan, Romano, Asiago, and/or Manchego cheese
  

• Substitute for sour cream:
  Use the same amount of lowfat or no fat Greek yogurt (this will also give you an extra boost of protein and calcium.
  

• Make soups and stews the day before and refrigerate so that you can easily remove the hardened fat (or made on the same day, use the fat skimmer).
  
  
• To make delicious “skinny” gravy:
  Remove all fat (with a fat skimmer) from the pan drippings. Add homemade or low sodium organic broth, and optional wine, for enhanced flavor.
  

• To reduce saturated fat and salt:
  Trim all fat before cooking meat and poultry. Boost flavor with aromatic herbs, pureed vegetables, low sodium organic vegetable/chicken broth/V-8, and lots of onion, garlic, and/or shallots to add flavor while removing excess fat and sodium. If you add a little salt directly before serving, the salt flavor will be stronger. Reheating with microwaving will also enhance a salty taste.
  

• To reduce sugar for homemade baked goods:
  Cut the amount of sugar called for in half. Enhance a “sweet flavor” with spices such as vanilla, nutmeg, cinnamon, ginger, and allspice. Also, using strong flavored sugars such as pure maple syrup, agave, honey and molasses enhance the taste of “sweet” while using lower amounts.
  

• To reduce saturated and trans fats for homemade baked goods:
  If a recipe calls for more than one egg, use one whole egg with the rest egg whites (2 egg whites= one whole egg). Cut the amount of butter in half. Substitute the rest with fruit purees (such as applesauce) and/or a healthy oil such as canola, avocado, or safflower. Make sure to add extra flour if switching from a solid to a liquid. If a recipe calls for lard or margarine, substitute with one of the healthy, no trans fat spreads (our favorite is Earth Balance). Add nuts or nut butters to recipes to enhance the “mouth feel” and flavor of fat (it also keeps you more satisfied with a smaller portion).
  

Copyright 2010, Nutritional Concepts