10 decadent foods with half the guilt
By Lori Bongiorno
More from The Conscious Consumer blog
It's hardly a secret that cooking fresh foods at home is better for your health, waistline, pocket book, and the planet than choosing packaged foods or eating take-out.
Does that mean you can eat anything you want as long as you prepare it yourself? Unfortunately, most of us need to steer clear of high-calorie foods that contain too much fat and salt.
But this doesn't mean that decadent foods are off limits. Below are 10 classic comfort foods that have been tweaked to reduce calories, fat, and/or salt. The best part is that they taste delicious, but you won't feel guilty or overly stuffed afterwards.
Brownies: Substituting instant coffee and unsweetened coconut powder for some of the chocolate pumps up flavor and reduces the fat for these rich chocolaty treats by more than 50% and cuts calories by about a third.
Mac and cheese: Pureed squash and low-fat milk create a creamy texture with fewer calories and less fat than classic versions. Extra sharp cheddar, Monterey Jack cheese, part-skim ricotta, and Parmesan round out the flavor.
Nachos: Using roasted pork instead of ground beef, pinto beans instead of canned refried beans, and other fresh ingredients cuts 60% of the calories, 75% of the saturated fat, and more than half of the sodium found in traditional recipes without sacrificing any of the taste.
Whoopee pies: This is a lighter version of the classic treat, a sandwich of cakey chocolate cookies with a creamy filling. Yum.
Chicken pot pie: Boiling root veggies instead of sauteing, revamping the traditional white sauce, and other smart tweaks helps cut calories and sodium by about 75% and saturated fat by 96% for this classic one-pot dish.
Chicken Parmesan: Some really smart substitutions cut calories and fat without sacrificing flavor, such as using egg white to coat pounded chicken instead of whole egg and milk and using balsamic vinegar instead of red wine to flavor sauce. The result? A dish that contains 435 calories and 14 grams of fat instead of one with 1095 calories and 66 grams of fat.
Pumpkin bread: This recipe uses about 1 cup less sugar and about half the amount of oil found in traditional recipes. Buttermilk is the secret ingredient used to keep this lighter version moist. Eliminates 100 calories per slice and more than half the fat.
Decadent chocolate cake: There's no butter, fewer eggs, and less sugar and chocolate in this made-over version of chocolate cake. Cocoa powder, espresso powder, Greek yogurt, and canola oil are added for flavor and moisture.
Burger and fries: The burger has less than half the calories of traditional versions and about 400% less fat thanks to proper portion sizes, a smoky sweet relish, and other smart ideas. Potato strips are soaked in water and then baked at high heat to create low-fat, crisp fries.
Warm chocolate pudding: This recipe uses good quality cocoa and low-fat milk to create an easy, delicious, lighter version of the rich classic.
Looking for more recipes? Here are 25 low calorie dessert recipes. You can also check out Food Network's Healthy Meal Makers series and Cook Light's Recipe Makeovers.
Environmental journalist Lori Bongiorno shares green-living tips and product reviews with Yahoo! Green's users. Send Lori a question or suggestion for potential use in a future column. Her book, Green Greener Greenest: A Practical Guide to Making Eco-smart Choices a Part of Your Life is available on Yahoo! Shopping and Amazon.com.
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