Tuesday, June 25, 2013

Swap It: a easy guide for healthy substitutions on your dinner plate.

Everyday someone pledges to start a diet, never eat chocolate again, skip the bread, and give up some other food favorite.  And of course usually within days, hours or even minutes, you give in and feel like you failed at your attempts to be healthier.  Well you know longer need to skip it, its time to learn to swap it for a similar food that is slightly lower in fat, calories or sugar.  Take a look at some simple swaps, that will still satisfy your taste buds without the guilt.
 
Instead of:       Swap With:
Sour cream on a potato             Choose non-fat greek yogurt for the same rich texture without the fat
 
Sugary cereal                             Choose whole grain cereal and add sliced fruit to give it natural sweetness
 
Croutons on a salad                   Choose chopped walnuts for a crunch that also helps lower your bad cholesterol 
 
Margaritas                                   Choose red wine, which has about 1/10 the amount of sugar and will provide valuable antioxidants
 
Butter                                               Choose a vegetable oil based spread, which replaces a bad fat with a good fat
 
White Rice                                       Choose quinoa, which is a protein based grain that also contains fiber
 
Granola                                            Choose high fiber cereal, gives you the crunch without the fat
 
Avocado in Guacamole                    Choose to cut down on the avocado and add in some cooked zucchini to save unnecessary fat
 
Mashed Potato                                Choose cauliflower, when mashed save the calories, 29 per cup versus 120 for the potato
 
Vanilla Ice Cream                            Choose frozen cool whip which is lower in calories and fat with the same creamy taste
 
Mayonnaise                                     Choose dijon mustard for great taste without the fat
 
Potato Chips                                    Choose kale chips, giving you the nutrients from these leafy greens, along with the crunch, leaving the fat behind
 
Beef Burger                                      Choose a turkey burger for a hardy meal that is leaner and lower in cholesterol

5 Healthy Rhubarb Recipes from Around the Web

5 Healthy Rhubarb Recipes from Around the Web


 


Rhubarb is one tricky ingredient. It‘s ripe for pickin‘ in early summer, grows in long, tie-dyed stalks vaguely reminiscent of celery, and has leafy tops (which are not usually used in cooking) that resemble Swiss chard. Raw rhubarb is extremely sour, which is why it‘s usually a) cooked and b) prepared with sweet ingredients. On top of everything, it‘s still up for debate whether this colorful early-summer plant is a fruit or a vegetable. But there‘s hope at the end of the tunnel. Rhubarb is actually pretty easy to cook with, and adds tons of flavor and pep to all kinds of summery dishes. So next time you see those confusing stalks at the market, grab a few stalks and dive in with these five tasty recipes. 
Rhubarb Strawberry Crumble via Local Kitchen
Before getting too crazy, let‘s revisit the classic. Sweet, in-season strawberries (seriously, grab as many as you can before June‘s over!) pairs perfectly with sour rhubarb. This crumble, made with whole-wheat flour and not too much sugar, gets our vote.
 
Rhubarb Crumble
Photo: Kaela / Local Kitchen
Grilled Rum-Glazed Pork with Rhubarb Chutney via The Seasonalist
Rhubarb is usually paired with sweet stuff, but why restrict it to the dessert table? Smoky, spicy grilled pork gets a savory, tart boost when it‘s topped with a sauce made from rhubarb, vinegar, onion, and lime zest.  
Rhubarb Pork
Photo: Christopher and Victoria / The Seasonalist
Rhubarb and Ginger Mojito via Girl Cooks World
If you‘re sick of the whole rhubarb-strawberry combo, this is your drink. Mix up a batch of simple syrup flavored with rhubarb and ginger, and then add white rum, seltzer, lime, and plenty of fresh mint. Ahhh.
Rhubarb Mojito
Photo: Cate / Girl Cooks World
Rhubarb and Gin Sorbet with Rose Cream via Apt. 2B Baking Co.
There‘s something pretty mind-blowing about a sorbet recipe that uses gin as one of the main ingredients. This fragrant, totally grown-up dessert would be a perfect finish for a classy summer dinner party. 
Rhubarb Sorbet
Photo: Yossy Arefi / Apt. 2B Baking Co.
Roasted Rhubarb and Strawberries via Food52
This ain‘t your mama‘s strawberry-rhubarb dish. The classic combination gets plenty of savory, sophisticated flavor when combined with vermouth, maple syrup, balsamic vinegar, and salt. Roast the mixture for 40 minutes, then use it to top ice cream, yogurt, or even toasted bread.  
Roasted Rhubarb
Photo: James Ransom / Food52
Did we miss any of your favorite recipes? Have a theme you‘d like to see in next week‘s The Greatist Table roundup? Share your thoughts in the comments below or tweet the author @SophBreene.

Ice Cream Bread?

While doing research recently, I came across a recipe for Ice Cream Bread on the Taste of Home‘s website. It had a four-out-of-five star rating. 
I glanced at it and remembered I had flagged an e-mail about this recipe from the Taste of Home‘s public relations folks. It caught my eye then because, besides sounding interesting, the recipe makes a mini-loaf. Readers are always asking me how to pare down recipes or make smaller versions of some of their favorite foods.
 
But when the recipe turned up again this week on a Facebook post by Milwaukee Journal Sentinel Food Editor Nancy Stohs, I knew I couldn‘t ignore it any longer. Though I must admit my first thought was, this is just plain odd. You‘re supposed to eat ice cream cold. And aren‘t there better uses of ice cream, which in my house is a real treat? And, besides, who wants to waste good-quality "full-fat" ice cream (as the recipe recommends) making bread?
 
But I just had to try it.
 
The bread is made by stirring together ice cream, sugar and self-rising flour. That‘s it. (Don‘t fret if you don‘t have self-rising flour; you can make your own as noted in the recipe.)
 
I tested it using two different ice creams: Southern Butter Pecan Crunch and Triple Brownie. Both were the deluxe versions of store brands and both were on sale. I didn‘t want to waste $4 on a pint of premium ice cream when I could get nearly a half-gallon for $2.50.
 
An Internet search turned up all sorts of comments and recipes that used a variety of ice creams. Some even added fruit, like blueberries and bananas, to the batter, with good results.
 
The first thing you need to know: The ice cream needs to be softened so it mixes easily with the flour. Scoop out what you need, place in a bowl and let it sit out a good 30 minutes. The rest is gravy: Mix the two with sugar, spoon the batter into a loaf pan sprayed with nonstick spray and then bake.
 
Easy as pie.
 
Although mine seemed to take longer to bake, the end results were fine. The bread tasted sweet. I expected the butter pecan bread to taste the best, but it had a floury taste. The triple brownie tasted much better.
 
A coworker noted that one use for this bread would be to serve it with more ice cream.
 
Tempting, isn‘t it?
___
ICE CREAM BREAD
 
Makes: 1 mini-loaf (6 servings) / Preparation time: 5 minutes
Total time: 25 minutes plus cooling time
Nonstick cooking spray
1 cup butter pecan ice cream or favorite ice cream, softened
3/4 cup self-rising flour (see cook‘s note)
1 tablespoon sugar
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
Coat a mini (5 3/4-inch-by-3-inch-by-2-inch) loaf pan with cooking spray. In a small bowl, combine the ice cream, flour and sugar. Transfer to the loaf pan.
Bake for 25-30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes before removing from pan to a wire rack.
Cook‘s note: As a substitute for self-rising flour, place 1 teaspoon baking powder and 1/4 teaspoon salt in a measuring cup. Add all-purpose flour to measure 3/4 cup.
From Taste of Home (www.tasteofhome.com). Tested by Susan M. Selasky for the Free Press Test Kitchen.
Analysis per 1 slice:
217 calories (17 percent from fat), 4 grams fat (2 grams sat. fat), 18 grams carbohydrates, 3 grams protein, 217 mg sodium, 8 mg cholesterol, trace of fiber.