I think we’ve all been there where we want to cook and eat as healthy as possible but we want food to taste good.  If the food doesn’t taste good, it’s impossible (at least for me!) to stick to a healthy diet.  After years of cooking and years of finding tricks to lightening up recipes, I have a few tricks that work really well but you (and your family!) won’t be able to tell that a recipe is “healthy”.

Below are some of my favorite tips.  If you have a favorite recipe that you need help to lighten up, just send me a note on the contact form and I will see if I can assist!

1).  Season, season, season!  This doesn’t just go for cooking light, it is a basic of making anything taste good.  Season early and often in a dish.  This will add layers of flavor.  Always use Kosher Salt (my favorite brand is Diamond Crystal) or maybe Sea salt.  Please don’t ever use the table salt with Iodine!  Use fresh ground pepper.  Seasoning brings out the flavor in all food.

2). Start with ingredients that are lean and healthy by nature.  Starting with proteins:  Chicken, light and dark are great.  Lean cuts of Beef such as flank steak, skirt steak, filet mignon, 93% ground beef.  For pork, look for tenderloin, pork loin, Canadian bacon and yes, you can use Pork Butt, just remove as much of the fat as possible before cooking.  Lean cuts mean that you can’t over cook or they will be tough.

3).  Roasting Veggies is your best friend.  You can roast any kind of veg, with a drizzle of olive oil, seasoned with S&P.  Roasting carmelizes the veggies, bringing out the natural sugars and adds amazing flavor. Try roasting Brussel sprouts, asparagus, cauliflower, sweet potatoes, scallions, onions, tomatoes, butternut squash, green beans.  They will taste amazing and no need to add butter.  Roast at 400-425 until you see the veggies start to brown.

4).  Chicken Broth is another amazing trick.  When you can, use homemade, there really is nothing better.  If you don’t have homemade, just use one that is low sodium.  Chicken broth can work in place of milk in mashed potatoes, reduced for a sauce can eliminate the need for butter and it can reduce the need for extra oil.  For example, if I am cooking baby spinach, I can add 1 Tbsp of olive oil (instead of 2 or 3) and garlic to the pan, place the spinach on top and add chicken broth so it doesn’t stick.  The chicken broth adds flavor and it eliminates the need for extra oil.

5).  Low-Fat sour cream & Low-Fat cream cheese can substitute in sauces for heavy cream and still allow you to have that creamy consistency that we all love.  The Chicken with Mustard Sauce recipe above uses a touch of low-fat sour cream for a delicious sauce.

6).  Some great resources for healthy great tasting recipes are Cooking Light, Eating Well and Health-Bent.

7).  Use lots of spices.  Spices add flavor!  Chiles, Chile Sauce, garlic, onions, shallots, scallions, Soy Sauce, Mustard, Vinegars, Wine will all add a lot of great flavor while adding minimal calories and fat.

8).  Almost all soups and stews are great low-calorie meals, so if you like them, start trying some different recipes.  Soups freeze really well, so put the leftovers in an individual size container and you have a quick healthy lunch that you can heat up anytime.  Here are some of my favorites:  Posole, Chicken Stew with Tomatoes & Beans, Tuscan Turkey Soup and Italian Wedding Soup.

9).  Try looking for new recipes for cuisines that tend to be healthy anyway.  Most Asian cuisines have naturally healthy recipes.  Italian cuisine is the same way, many recipes focus on meat for flavor and lots of veggies, unfortunately you will want to reduce the amount of pasta if you are trying to lose weight.

10).  Lighten up your favorite recipes by reducing the amount of cheese or oil, or meat, etc.  Taste until it tastes good but you have been successful in reducing the calories.

11).  Reduce the portion sizes of proteins in your cooking and add extra veggies.  Buy the best produce you can get and buy in season.  I’m sorry but if you live in New England and you are buying strawberries in January, they just are not going to taste great!

12).  To find the “Healthy” recipes on Cook Eat Run, Go under Cook and Select Healthy.