We
all have our guilty food pleasures. But what if we tell you that you can eat
the foods you love without a guilty conscience? As you’ll see, each of the
dishes listed here involve some sort of variation or substitution on a more
traditional dish. The key is to find ways to replace fattening, high-calorie
ingredients with alternatives that can emulate flavour while adding more
nutritional content to the meal. With that in mind, we’re going to recommend
baking instead of frying, and substituting fruits and vegetables whenever
possible.
So
on that note, here they are - four delicious dishes that you’d swear were
unhealthy..
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A tuna burger with a side of chips
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It
looks like a burger, feels like a burger and even tastes like a burger (well,
sort of). But don’t let that give you the wrong idea. Tuna burgers weigh in
with a mere 11 grams of fat (compare to 17 for a beef burger). They’re easy to
make, too. All you need is a tin of tuna, another tin of sweet corn and a food
processor in which to whizz together the ingredients with bread crumbs. Topped
with a bit of shredded cheese and served on a wholegrain bun, tuna burgers
offer plenty in terms of nutritional value without overloading you with fat and
calories.
Oven Fried Chicken
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Oven fried chicken
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Who
can resist a savoury serving of deep-fried chicken? This is a staple of the
American South, and the tastiest versions use buttermilk to create creamy (not
to mention cholesterol-laden) batter. For a healthier alternative that still
packs plenty of flavour, consider ditching the fryer in favour of the cooker.
Faux-fried
chicken begins with bread crumbs and a little bit of grated Parmesan cheese. The
chicken - which is best sourced from a farm that adheres to high food standards - is
coated in a mustard-based sauce that also includes plenty of spices and herbs.
Then it’s dredged in the bread crumbs and cheese before baking for roughly half
an hour.
For
a good recipe to work with, look to Paula Deen - the American
chef who’s as famous for scandal as she is for her Southern-style cooking. Say
what you will about her politics - this woman can cook. This is a tasty
and much healthier alternative to southern fried chicken.
Pasta and Cauliflower
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Pasta with cauliflower
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There
are several variations on this dish, and some of them are more surprising than
others. In any event, cauliflower is a great addition to any pasta dish. To
begin with, you get the added texture of this nutritious veggie in your pasta
dish and get to cut down on empty carbohydrates from the pasta in the process.
As far as celebrity chefs go, Mark Bittman is a particularly strong advocate of working cauliflower into pasta dishes.
One
of the most intriguing variations on this dish involves using the cauliflower
to create the sauce. Begin by steaming the florets to soften them up, and then
puree them in a food processer to make a base. This is then mixed with grated
cheese, a bit of low-fat sour cream and a touch of Dijon mustard. You won’t
believe how rich and creamy this sauce is. Not only that—you’ll also be
pleasantly surprised by how many vitamins and nutrients cauliflower brings to
the table.
Juice Pops
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A fruit ice lolly with berries
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This
is a great summer treat for the kids, and it’s much healthier than a
traditional popsicle. All you need are a few 100% fruit juices, popsicle moulds
and wooden popsicle sticks. You’ll purchase the latter two in craft stores,
some grocery stores and through countless online shops.
If
you’re really aiming to impress the kids with their juice pops, you can even
add stripes of colour to each one. To accomplish this, all you need to do is
build the popsicles up over the course of the day. Pour your first layer of
juice in and let that firm up before adding a different coloured juice, and so
on. Doing this requires being around the house for most of the day, but the
final product is lots of fun.
Just
remember, fruit juice may be a healthier alternative to sugary sodas and other
processed sweets. However, there’s still plenty of sugar in fruit juice. With
that in mind, these serve as ideal afternoon treats, but they still ought to be
doled out sparingly.
Conclusion
People have this impression that eating healthy means eating bland or boring. However, that doesn’t always have to be the case. Proof of that are the four delectable dishes described above. Give them a try today and you’d be amazed at how you’ll be choosing them over the fattier versions in the future.
Author Bio
Chloe Lovette is writing on a
freelance basis for Red Tractor Assurance, a small
British food labelling organisation whose administrative costs are met by
licence payments and assurance fees from food companies and farmers.
Disclaimer: This article is contributed by a Guest Blogger. Ping of Health does not give any warranty on accuracy, completeness, functionality, usefulness or other assurances as to the content appearing in this article. Ping of Health disclaims all responsibility for any losses, damage or personal injury suffered directly or indirectly from reliance on such information.
