A Life of Healthy Living
Over 75 Delicious Recipes
Cooking tips & Articles
Promoting Healthy Living
Risotto recipes-Sri Lankan cooking-Make your own vinegars-Chilli
Sauce-Curry Powder
Written by DennisH Published by Stratma at Smashwords.com
Contents
Healthy cooking Tips
Italian Corner Risotto Recipes
Pasta dishes
Tasty Bread Recipes
Herbs-The color, Life & Flavor
Sri Lankan Cuisine Delicious Sambols
Mouth watering Curries
Rotties & Stringhoppers
Make your own Chilli Sauce
Curry Powder
How to make Herb & Fruit Vinegars
The Signs and Symptoms leading to Eating Disorders
My sincere thanks for purchasing & reading this ebook. If you enjoyed my material and research please purchase some extra copies as gifts for your valued friends and feel free to visit my website and leave a review or comments on your findings.
Ciao.......DennisH
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Healthy cooking tips
Healthy cooking is easy. In many cases, your favorite recipes can be modified so they offer a healthier alternative. Non-stick cookware can be used to reduce the need for cooking oil. To keep valuable nutrients, microwave or steam your vegetables instead of boiling them. Cut out salt and cut down fats.
Eating healthy food doesn’t mean giving up your favorite foods. Your favorite recipes can be adapted easily to provide a healthier alternative. For example, non-stick cookware can be used to reduce the need for cooking oil. Vegetables can also be microwave or steamed instead of boiling to keep valuable nutrition.
There are many ways to make meals healthier. Limit fats, sugars and salt and include plenty of vegetables, fruit, grains, lean meats and low-fat dairy in your cooking. Foods with added fats, sugars or salt are less healthy than food in which these are found naturally.
Keep fats to a minimum
Choose lean meats and reduced-fat dairy products and limit processed foods to minimize hidden fats. Nuts, seeds, fish, soy, olives and avocado are all healthier options because they include the essential long-chain fatty acids and these fats are accompanied by other good nutrients.
If you add fats when cooking, keep them to a minimum and use monounsaturated oils such as olive and canola oil. Shopping for healthy food, Low-fat cooking begins when you are shopping:
Choose the reduced or low-fat version of a food whenever possible – for example milk, cheese, yoghurt, salad dressings and gravies.
Choose lean meat cuts and skinless chicken breasts.
Limit fast foods, chips, crisps, processed meats, pastries and pies, which all contain large amounts of fat.
Low fat cooking
Suggestions include:
If you need to use oil, try cooking sprays or apply a small amount of oil with a pastry brush.
Cook in liquids (such as stock, wine, lemon juice, fruit juice, vinegar or water) instead of oil.
Use low-fat yoghurt, low-fat milk, evaporated skim milk or cornstarch instead of cream in sauces or soups.
When browning vegetables, put them in a hot pan then spray with oil, rather than adding the oil first to the pan. This reduces the amount of oil that vegetables absorb during cooking.
An alternative to browning vegetables by pan-frying is to cook them first in the microwave, then crisp them under the grill for a minute or two.
Use pesto, salsas, chutneys and vinegars in place of creams, butter and creamy sauces.
Retaining the nutrients
Water-soluble vitamins are delicate and easily destroyed during preparation and cooking. To minimize nutrient losses:
Scrub vegetables rather than peel them, as many nutrients are found close to the skin.
Microwave or steam vegetables instead of boiling them.
If you like to boil vegetables, use a small amount of water and do not over-boil them.
Include more stir-fry recipes in your diet. Stir-fried vegetables are cooked quickly to retain their crunch (and associated nutrients). Cutting down salt
Salt is a common flavor enhancer, but research suggests that a high salt diet could contribute to a range of health problems including high blood pressure. Suggestions to reduce salt include:
Don’t automatically add salt to your food – taste it first.
Add a splash of olive oil, vinegar or lemon juice close to the end of cooking time or to cooked vegetables – it can enhance flavors in the same way as salt.
Choose fresh or frozen vegetables, since canned and pickled vegetables tend to be packaged with salt.
Limit your consumption of salty processed meats such as salami, ham, corned beef, bacon, smoked salmon, frankfurters and chicken loaf.
Choose reduced salt bread and breakfast cereals. Breads and cereals are a major source of salt in the diet.
Iodized salt is best. A major dietary source of iodine is plant foods. Yet there is emerging evidence that Australian soil may be low in iodine and so plants grown in it are also low in iodine. If you eat fish at least once a week, the need for iodized salt is reduced.
Avoid salt-laden processed foods, such as flavored instant pasta or noodles, canned or dehydrated soup mixes, chips and salted nuts.
Margarine and butter contain a lot of salt but ‘no added salt’ varieties are available.
Most cheeses are very high in salt so limit your intake or choose lower salt varieties.
Reduce your use of soy sauce, tomato sauce and processed sauces and condiments (for example mayonnaise and salad dressings) because they contain high levels of salt.
Italian Corner
Risotto recipes
Fettuccine with eggplant, pine nuts and basil risotto
Ingredients (serves 4), 1 tablespoon olive oil
1 brown onion, finely chopped, 2 garlic cloves, crushed
1 eggplant, cut into 1cm cubes, 2 x 415g cans chopped tomatoes
400g fresh fettuccine pasta, 1 tablespoon pine nuts, toasted (see hint)
1/2 cup small basil leaves
Method
Heat oil in a frying pan over medium-high heat. Add onion. Cook for 3 minutes or until golden. Add garlic and eggplant. Cook for 5 minutes or until tender, Stir in tomatoes. Simmer for 10 minutes or until sauce thickens, Cook pasta in a large saucepan of boiling salted water, following packet directions, until tender. Drain. Return to saucepan.
Add eggplant sauce, nuts and basil. Toss over low heat until well combined. Season with salt and pepper. Serve.
Notes
Hint: To toast pine nuts, preheat oven to 200°C. Spread nuts over a baking tray. Cook for 5 to 7 minutes or until golden.
Mixed mushroom risotto with garlic, lemon & sage oil
Ingredients
1L (4 cups) chicken or vegetable stock
125ml (1/2 cup) dry white wine, 1 tbs olive oil
80g butter, chopped, 1 brown onion, halved, finely chopped
100g Swiss brown mushrooms, sliced
100g small button mushrooms, quartered
440g (2 cups) arborio rice
80g enoki mushrooms, ends trimmed
20g (1/4 cup) finely shredded parmesan
1/4 cup coarsely chopped fresh continental parsley
Pinch of salt, Shaved parmesan, extra, to serve
Garlic, lemon & sage oil, 125ml (1/2 cup) olive oil
3 garlic cloves, thinly sliced, 1/3 cup loosely packed shredded
Fresh sage, 2 tsp finely shredded lemon rind
Pinch of saffron threads
Oven-baked sausage and tomato risotto