Surprise! It’s a vegetable.
As a kid, Robin Foroutan hated cauliflower. But she loved her mom’s veggie lasagna, which happened to use crumbled cauliflower in place of ricotta cheese. “Everyone now knows about cauliflower rice, which I love, but if you add a little almond creamer or even cashew cream, garlic, salt and oregano, it can be ricotta-esque,” says Foroutan, a registered dietitian in New York City and spokesperson for the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. She now makes her own gluten-free version of the lasagna using thinly sliced zucchini and yellow squash in place of noodles. Here, other nutrition professionals share their favorite healthy swaps that don’t sacrifice flavor:
Beans for heavy cream
When a soup or stew recipe calls for heavy cream, Vandana Sheth, a registered dietitian in the Los Angeles area, walks to the cupboard for a can of garbanzo or cannellini beans instead of the refrigerator for a calorie-rich carton. Pureeing the beans, she says, “acts as a thickener and adds a silky, creamy texture at a lower calorie budget.” What’s more, beans are a healthy, plant-based source of protein and fiber. Simply substitute a half-cup of pureed beans for a half-cup of cream in a recipe, recommends Sheth, who’s also a spokesperson for the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics.
Bean water for eggs
Before you dismiss bean water as something to be drained directly into the sink, consider this: That liquid, known as aquafaba, works as an egg replacement in creams and sauces for vegans, people with egg allergies and folks monitoring their daily cholesterol intake, says Nancy Farrell, a registered dietitian nutritionist in Fredericksburg, Virginia, and also a spokesperson for the academy. “It helps to provide consistency in texture,” thanks to its ability to emulsify, or blend oil and non-oil ingredients, she says. One tablespoon of aquafaba serves as a yolk, two make an egg white and three replace a whole egg.
Pistachios for breadcrumbs
Here’s a reason to prepare your fish “green”: Coating a baked tilapia, say, with crushed pistachios adds a tasty punch and ups the nutrition factor when compared to that same fish covered in bread crumbs. “Pistachios’ nutty flavor pairs wonderfully with fish and poultry for a savory dish,” says Lori Zanini, a registered dietitian in Manhattan Beach, California. “They are also the only green nut, which gives a fun pop of color to elevate any dish while adding more plant-based protein and fiber.” Six grams of protein and 3 grams of fiber per ounce, to be exact.
Cottage cheese for milk
Opting for pancakes over eggs at breakfast sounds like a protein-poor choice, but it doesn’t have to be. One way to pack in protein? Swap pureed cottage cheese for milk, suggests Heather Mangieri, a nutrition consultant in Pittsburgh and author of “Fueling Young Athletes.” A cup of milk has 8 grams of protein; a cup of cottage cheese has 25. Mangieri likes to use food-processed rolled oats, too, in place of flour to up the fluffiness and health benefits of her pancakes. “Whole grains, such as oats, have been shown to lower the risk of chronic diseases such as heart disease, stroke, Type 2 diabetes and digestive system cancers,” she says.
Hummus for mayonnaise
Tuna and chicken salads can be remarkably healthy — loaded with protein, heart-healthy fats and fibrous vegetables. Or, they can be artery-clogging — containing more saturated fat-packed mayonnaise than nutrient-dense veggies and meat. To make it the former, simply swap hummus for mayo, Mangieri recommends. Your call on whether you want a garlic, red pepper, pesto or caramelized onion infusion; hummus comes in all those flavors and more. “This swap is a super simple way to add variety and flavor without much effort,” she says.
DIY stir-fry sauce for store-bought soy sauce
Sodium-laden commercial soy sauce doesn’t sound so appealing when the alternative is what Leslie Chen of the weight-loss program Rice Lean calls “rebellious beauty sauce.” Make the condiment by combining a tablespoon each of minced ginger, apple cider vinegar, light soy sauce and dark soy sauce with 2 tablespoons of sugar and a teaspoon of ground black pepper. The ginger aids digestion, the vinegar helps lower blood sugar and the pepper “enhances the therapeutic effects of other healthy ingredients,” says Chen, a New York City area resident who founded Rice Lean to help women lose weight using Asian food and nutritional wisdom.
Oatmeal for ground beef
For carnivores, eating oatmeal instead of burger hardly sounds satisfying. But hear out Sharon Palmer, a registered dietitian near Los Angeles known as “The Plant-Powered Dietitian”: “I have replaced ground beef in recipes like chili with steel-cut oats, which take on a sort of crumbly meaty texture.” Mushrooms can play a similar role. If not entirely for the taste or texture, try a plant-based version of your favorite red meat dish for the health benefits. Doing so “reduces saturated fat, cholesterol and sodium, and adds more fiber, healthy fats, vitamins, minerals and phytochemicals” to your diet, Palmer says.
Ground flaxseed for flour
If your gravy or other sauce is looking thin, fatten it up with flaxseed, not flour, suggests Felicia Stoler, a registered dietitian in New Jersey. While flaxseed does bring serious nutrition to the table, mostly in the form of healthy omega-3 fatty acids and fiber, there’s more reason to experiment with any swap than that: “Sometimes it’s just about using foods differently,” Stoler says. “We get caught up in habits, like using flour to thicken a sauce versus using another ground grain or seed.” She recommends looking to the internet for recipe ideas, and not being afraid to experiment. “You may just find a new flavor combination.”
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9 Healthy Recipe Swaps That Taste as Good or Better Than the ‘Original’ originally appeared on usnews.com
