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Kitchen Tricks, Tips & Wisdoms
Pretty much every chef has a hearty lifestyle with healthy kitchen tips and those who regularly turn out four star meals for a weight conscious clientele eventually develop an entire repertoire of tricks and tips that keep food tasting great.
Sometimes, just sensible tools and gadgets, combined with creative thinking is all it takes to make your favorite dinner a whole lot healthier.
For example, an executive chef developed an approach that has satisfied the tastes of thousands of guests.
He says that his intention is to marry flavor and nutrients, while dramatically cutting the fat and calories.
We think that's a much better idea than trying to eat grapefruit and cottage cheese all week to lose a few pounds.
Don't Overcook ~ We’ve touched on this before, we may be over-cooking ourselves into obesity, but "dry" foods also destroy any rich tastes.
In our kitchen we usually have a salt-reduced (of course) vegetable or chicken stock on hand to add to dishes to keep them moist.
Think Creatively ~ Add body to sauces and soups without using cream by dissolving 1 tsp. of arrowroot or corn flour in a Tbsp. of water.
Cook it in the sauce for 4-5 minutes.
Spray It ~ I really like this one.
Use a plastic spray bottle filled with a mixture of canola and regular olive oil.
In fact, you can now purchase in one and two liter containers an olive oil and canola blend.
Very convenient and economical.
Buy new, clean bottles and mist (spray) your pans with the oil rather than pouring it in.
Another trick is to add 2-3 Tbs. of pureed cooked vegetables such as carrots, celery or onion to thicken soups.
This trick works really well.
Use Soy ~ Instead of cream cheese or sour cream.
Here’s how, blend silken tofu, one of our "secret" ingredients, into dips, dressings, even frosting. Do the Garlic ~ Fresh garlic turns soft and buttery when roasted.
Cut the tops off garlic heads, spray lightly with your new oil sprayer and wrap the entire head in foil.
Then bake at 180ºC for about 45 minutes or until tender.
Squeeze out the soft cloves and spread on bread, whisk into soups or dips, or mash with potatoes — awesome taste and no butter necessary.
The roasted garlic should last about a week in the refrigerator. No Mayo for You ~ Instead of high fat mayonnaise, use pureed cottage cheese or silken tofu, with a mix of water, Dijon mustard, cider vinegar and pepper.
Simple and a whole lot better for you.
Reduced Avocados ~ This is a good one - When a recipe calls for avocados (which contain good fat but lots of calories), replace some of the avocado with pureed asparagus blended with yogurt, in fact, see our recipe for
Asparagus Guacamole.
You could even try ground turkey, but know that turkey is very lean, so your meatballs might be on the dry side. Better Butter ~ Instead of butter in your baking, use flavorful ingredients that add moisture to the batter.
Pumpkin or sweet potato flesh, applesauce, mashed banana, fresh orange juice or other pureed produce work really well.
If you're wondering where you can get some of the products mentioned here, you might want to browse through the e-aisles at Natures Super Store.
C'mon, it'll be fun!
Just click the "Natures Super Store" link below;
Chocolate ~ Types, Storage & Cooking Tips
Food Life ~ How Long Will it Last?
Food Poisoning ~ Prevent it at Home
Food Safety ~ A "Dirty" Little Secret
Kitchen-Design ~ Is It Making You Fat?
Linens & Laundry ~ Cleaning Naturally
Meat Saving ~ Money Saving Tips
Wine ~ Your Food Pairing Guide
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