Recipe Tricks

Switch Ingredients to cut calories.

Want to eat healthy but can't help reaching for those tried and true comfort foods? Never fear, simple substitutions can cut calories and make you feel less guilty about your indulgences. Continue on for healthy recipe swaps!


TheMayoClinic.com has these suggestions:

Whole Wheat Flour: Substitute half whole wheat flour in a recipe that calls for all-purpose flour. The properties of all-purpose flour give our baked goods their consistency; cutting half of the ingredient out adds whole grains to your food while also ensuring you get the same end result.

Applesauce or Prune Puree: Cut out half the butter, shortening or oil in baked goods and replace with applesauce or prune puree. It may sound daring to do, but when it's all mixed in, you won't be able to tell the difference!

Fake the Cream Soups: Heavy milk and cream is what makes the New England clam chowder or cream of broccoli soup taste so good, but it also adds bad cholesterol to our diets. Replace whole milk and heavy creams with fat free milk or fat free cream. Another trick is to stir in mashed potato flakes or pureed carrots, potatoes or tofu for thickening agents.

Eggs: We do know that the egg is incredible, but it is also high in fat and cholesterol. Two egg whites or a 1/4 egg substitute is equivalent to a whole egg. It packs the protein you need with cutting out the fat.

Plain yogurt and oatmeal: We may think we're eating healthy starting our day off with pre-packaged oatmeal or yogurt, but the added sugars can actually be worse for us. Buy plain yogurt and dried oats and sweeten it up yourself with fresh fruit, nuts and granola.

Fruits and Vegetables: Buying fruits and vegetables that are in season are actually higher in vitamins and minerals than fruit that has to travel thousands of miles to be in your grocery store. Buying fresh produce from farmers' markets is also cheaper and helps support local businesses.


Here is a recipe from theDailySpark.com that passes for comfort food but cuts calories and is deceptively delicious:

Daily Spark's Mac and Cheese with Butternut Squash Ingredients:

1 small butternut or 1 package (10 oz) frozen butternut squash
1 1/2 cups vegetable broth, low-sodium
1 1/2 cups milk, nonfat
1 clove of garlic, grated
Pinch of freshly grated nutmeg
Pinch of cayenne pepper
3/4 teaspoon coarse salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1 pound whole wheat spiral pasta
1 cup cheddar cheese, extra-sharp
4 tablespoons Parmesan cheese
1/2 cup ricotta cheese, part-skim
2 tablespoons breadcrumbs
1 teaspoon olive oil
Olive-oil cooking spray

Instructions:


1. Preheat your oven to 375 degrees. Peel, seed and dice your squash if you are using fresh produce. This will yield about three cups of squash. Finely grate both the Parmesan and cheddar cheese using a cheese grater. Boil water in a large pot. You should have enough water to fill at least half of the pot. In another saucepan, mix together your squash, garlic, stock, and milk. Then, over medium-high heat, bring that mixture to a boil. After it comes to a boil, lower your heat and simmer the mixture until the squash is tender (you can tell by sticking a fork into it). This should take about 20 minutes. After, take the pot off of the heat.

2. Now add your noodles to the large pot of water. Cook them until they are "al dente" which means they will still be mostly hard. You can check the package for exact instructions but this should take about 8 minutes. Coming back to your other saucepan (which should be cooling), take a fork or potato masher and mash all the contents. Once that is smooth, stir in your spices (nutmeg, cayenne, and salt). Finally, season with black pepper. Stir until mixed.

3. Once the pasta is done, strain out the water and transfer them to another bowl. Mix in the mixture of squash and all your cheese except for 2 tablespoons of Parmesan.

4. Taking a 9-inch square baking dish (4 inches deep), transfer your noodle mixture to dish. Remember to spray it before to prevent sticking.*

5. In a small bowl, mix together your breadcrumbs, remaining 2 tablespoons Parmesan, and oil. Sprinkle evenly over noodles.

6. Cover with foil, and bake 20 minutes. Remove foil, briefly broil to toast breadcrumb topping. Serve immediately.

This recipe cuts out half of the fatty cheese and instead squeezes in a very healthy vegetable. At 200 calories and 6 grams of fat per serving, who wouldn't want to curl up with this dish!

*Note: to cut half a gram of fat and 11 calories for each serving, do not add the bread crumb mixture!