Eating doesn’t have to be bland or boring if you use ingenuity to improve the flavor of your meals.
- Experiment with herbs and spices in fresh or dried varieties. Some of our favorites are rosemary on chicken, dill on fish, cinnamon on carrots, nutmeg on cottage cheese, and curry on fruit.
- Use lemon juice and vinegar to add moistness and flavor when you saute.
- Use a dash of mustard to mix with tuna or salmon as a substitute for mayonnaise base on chicken or fish, mixed in salads with vinegar for a hot vinagrette.
- Use yogurt or nonfat sour cream with vegetables and spices as a substitute for full fat sour cream. Use yogurt on your baked potato or as a mix for macaroni salads. For a great salad dressing, try combining yogurt or extra soft tofu with a. package of dry dressing like Hidden Valley Ranch, Good Season ,or soup mix, a combination that can also be used as a
- Buttermilk can also be substituted for yogurt for a smooth salad dressing at 5 calories per tablespoon.
- Tomato or vegetable juice or broth can be used for cooking meat and steaming or stewing vegetables. I
- Poach fish in diluted dry wine. The heat will evaporate the alcohol and leave the flavor.
- Use broth or bouillon to moisten meats and fish, to saute vegetables, stir fry, and as a base for low fat vegetable soups.
- Low fat cottage cheese in a blender to make a low calorie dip or spread. Spice it up with dehydrated soup mix, finely chopped fresh herbs or vegetables such as chives, parsley, red peppers, and cucumber.
- Mix low fat or nonfat cottage cheese in a blender with tuna or salmon to add moistness.
- Make your own refreshing water-based drinks with seltzer water for sparkle and lemon, lime, grapefruit, cranberry, or orange for fruit boost.
- Use canned tomatoes as the base for low-fat tomato sauces.
- Boil rice in broth or bouillon for added flavor.