recipes Archives - Loreeebee

photo credit: Nicole Michalou and Pexels

Do you love classic recipes, but dread consuming the calories they are usually laden with? Me too. Over the years I have learned to substitute many calorie-rich ingredients out for healthier options, without sacrificing the taste or presentation.

Creamy Sauces

I learned to substitute the cream in many recipes because my stomach can never handle the high-fat content in cream. Instead, I use almond milk, but you could substitute in any other nut milk. I call them milks, but technically they are not milk, they have no dairy in them. I have yet to try the cashew version, but plan to soon. Not only will you not notice a lack of creaminess, but the fat in nut “milks” are a healthy type of fat.

For example, I make chicken alfredo with either fettuccine or penne pasta using a can of mushroom soup diluted with almond milk instead of the half and half or full-fat cream called for in most alfredo recipes. If the recipe calls for salt, omit it as the canned soup is salty enough, especially when parmesan cheese is an essential ingredient. Otherwise, your favourite recipe can stay the same.

Another idea is to use unflavoured, unsweetened, low-fat Greek yogurt instead of the sour or other cream called for in saucy dishes and casseroles such as stroganoff or pasta. Regular yogurt also works, but the Greek version is generally thicker, resulting in creamier sauces.

Gravy or Soups

Every time I roast meat, I add minced or a few cloves of garlic and several slices of onion to the bottom of the pan. This trick creates rich, golden-brown, flavourful “drippings” that can be used immediately for gravy, or frozen for future use in soups, stews, and sauces.

I keep a bucket in my freezer for such use, each new addition forms a layer. The fat rises to the top of each layer and is easily removed when thawed for use. Soups are especially tasty when a mixture of the layers are used as broth. The only problem is that no two batches of your home made soups will ever be identical.

This method eliminates the salt, sugar, and other unhealthy calories and ingredients that come in the canned or packaged supermarket broth, gravy, soup or stew.

Desserts

Similar to the creamy sauces, satisfyingly rich desserts can be made with almond (or other nut) milks instead of full fat, whipping or half and half cream. Except of course unless whipping the cream is required for volume. These milks don’t whip well.

Silken tofu and soy milk in equal parts, plus a bit of vanilla can be blended together and then whipped to replace full fat whipping cream. This is also a great dairy-free option for your favourite creamy dessert.

Not only does sugar increase your caloric intake, but it also adversely affects your body in other ways. There is lots of research linking kids’ poor, even aggressive behaviour and/or poor concentration to increased sugar consumption.

So, how can you eliminate or at least reduce these bad effects? Simply cut back on the sugar amount called for in recipes, or use a sugar alternative. Stevia, a plant-based sugar alternative, can be used in many desserts to cut calories as well as the glycemic index of your treats. Foods with a high glycemic index cause our blood sugar levels to rise dramatically after their consumption, an unhealthy treatment of our body, especially over time.

In less sweet recipes, such as muffins, simply use more fruit instead of the oil or fat called for in the recipe. Extra (naturally sweet) fruit also means you can reduce the amount of granulated sugar you add to the mixture. For example, applesauce is amazing in muffins. It adds a natural sweetness and keeps the muffins moist. I have also used low fat, unsweetened yogurt in muffins with great success. You may have to play around with the amounts of the substitutions to achieve your perfect muffin, but it can be done. Just make small batches until you discover your favourite.

Conclusions

With colder weather upon us, it is natural to crave and request comfort foods more frequently. To get even more enjoyment out of your favourite classics, experiment with alternative ingredients to make the recipes lighter and healthier, but still satisfying.

Just imagine, using these tips will allow you to consume your favourite classic meals or treats, with less guilt!

Your waistline, bathroom scale and your overall health will thank you.

Why Homemade?

Since I was diagnosed with a sensitivity to wheat, I put much more emphasis on ensuring the ingredients I use for my soups (and any other cooking and baking) are completely natural and healthy. No preservatives or artificial ingredients are allowed in these recipes. This is also particularly important if you are sharing your soup with friends or family undergoing chemotherapy treatments.

Tips for Making Great Homemade Soup

Most of my soups are meat-based, but you could make them to your specific dietary needs or preferences. Here are a few tips.

store large bones from chicken and turkey dinners in ziplock bag in your freezer

also store pan drippings and liquid from vegetables in the freezer. I use a plastic bucket for this purpose and just keep adding to the contents. Don’t be afraid to mix the different meats and vegetables , the mixture adds unique flavor to your soups. As soon as your contributions cool off, the fat will rise to the top and create a layer. You should scrape of this layer (it comes off easily) before you add another one.

On soup making day, place the bones in a large pot, fill the pot with water and simmer for several hours.

Add garlic cloves, a chuck of ginger root and or turmeric (the stuff curry powder comes from), bay leaves or any other seasonings large enough to remove easily. You can use powdered forms at a later stage if you don’t have the fresh stuff handy. I have also added broccoli stalks (frozen, stored in freezer like the broths) at this stage.

After a few hours, remove the bones and seasonings, set aside to cool.

Next add frozen chunks of broth you have stored in the freezer. You now have your base.

When your bones have cooled, pick off any meat from them and add them to the pot. Crush any softened garlic, ginger, adding to the pot. Discard bay leaves if used. Puree or chop broccoli stalks if used. If you are using powdered spices like ginger, garlic, curry powder etc, add it now.

This is the time to add rice, quinoa or barley for added nutrients and chunkiness.

Add vegetables and or legumes. Cherry or grape tomatoes, beans, frozen corn are my favourites. When using beans, I do use canned, but the “no salt added” kind. I rinse them really well before adding to the soup.

If you prefer creamy as opposed to chunky soups, you could puree everything at this stage.

Add salt (I use pink Himalayan) and or pepper to taste.

Add milk (I use almond milk) if your soup is too chunky or thick.

Don’t be afraid to mix up your variations. I prefer the hearty, chunky varieties with lots of ingredients, but others prefer simple broths. I also like lots of garlic and ginger but reduced these ingredients in my last batch so I could share some with my breastfeeding daughter-in-law.

If you like to record your recipes (and you might if you share your concoctions) write down what you have added. For some reason, I never think to do so.