Healthy cooking isn't complicated. In fact, you probably already know the basics of grilling, steaming, and stir-frying-techniques that capture the flavor and nutrients of food without adding lots of fat or salt. But you'll want a few more calorie-shaving, nutrient-boosting tricks up your sleeve so you never get bored. The healthy cooking tactics described below will expand your repertoire-and are a snap to learn.
Saute vegetables with seeds or nuts.
Seeds and nuts are important sources of fiber, "good" mono-unsaturated fat, vitamin E, and other natural compounds shown to improve heart health and lower the risk of diabetes. And they're the perfect compliment to quick vegetable sautes: Wipe or brush on a thin glaze of olive oil in a nonstick skillet.
Throw in naturally tender vegetables, such as thin-stalked asparagus, strips of eggplant, green beans, mushrooms, or snow peas, and add a tablespoon of sesame seeds, ground flax seeds, or finely chopped walnuts, hazelnuts, cashews, almonds, or peanuts. The seeds and nuts release oil when heated, adding a rich, complex flavor and eliminating the need for additional butter or oil. Harder vegetables, such as carrots, broccoli, or cauliflower, may benefit from a quick blanching in boiling water beforehand, to soften them slightly before sauteing.
Toast nuts to bring out their flavor.
Preheat the oven to 300°F. Place 1/2 cup shelled nuts in a single layer on a baking sheet and roast for 7 to 10 minutes. Don't let them burn. Then add to salads or eat as snacks.
Marinate, marinate, marinate!
It infuses foods with exciting tastes while keeping the end result skinny. It's the difference between a ho-hum grilled chicken breast and one that sparkles with flavor from having basked in a pool of sage-seasoned pear or apricot nectar for a few hours beforehand. Bland fish, such as cod or flounder, also benefit from short marinating - a brief soak in some pineapple or orange juice spiked with soy sauce , for example, adds a jolt of flavor without overkill. And when you marinate lean, thougher cuts of beef in vinegar, citrus juice, or wine, it helps break down the fibrous tissue of the meat, tenderizing it.
Make your marinade do double duty.
Zesty marinades can also double as great low-fat sauces, so don't throw them away. Instead, bring the marinade to a boil over medium-high heat and cook until reduced and slightly thickened, three to five minutes. (The boiling destroys any microbes picked up from raw meat.) You can add a shake of flour to thicken if you like, or just drizzle a little of the thin liquid over the cooked meat.
Save roasting for... anytime, anything!
Roasting, which uses an oven's dry heat to cook the food, scarcely requires any more attention than preheating the oven. But too many of us reserve roasting for the occasional whole chicken, leg of lamb, or turkey-foods that often require lots of basting with oil or butter to keep them juicy during the long cooking process. But roasting can also be a quick, loe-fat method of preparing food. For instance, chunks of pork and apple, shrimp and thin silvers of bok choy, and tofu with mushrooms can be seasoned,then roasted on a baking sheet or in a roasting pan with delicious results. Roasting vegetables shouldn't be overlooked esither - it browns them, sweetens them, deepens their flavor, and adds a satisfying crunch.
Foil your fish.
Use aluminum foil to make an extra-healthy fish dinner. Lay a long piece of foil on a clean surface. Top it with a piece of fish along with some herbs or spices and a drizzle of olive oil. Pinch the ends together, create an airtight tent over the foods, and poke a few holes in the top of the foil with a fork. Cook in the oven and in no time you'll have a steaming, flavorful, low-fat meal.
Make healthier "cream" sauces.
Low-fat yogurt is infinitely better for your heart and waistline than sour cream or heavy cream and can be used in place of them if you know how. To prevent it from separating, add one tablespoon of cornstarch to one cup yogurt before stirring it into a dish. If you want to mask that yogurt "tang," simply add a touch of sugar. For a creamy sauce with more heft, try this yogurt-spiked vegetable puree: Whirl2 cups of steamed vegetables (broccoli, carrots, parsnips) with a chopped leek or shallot in a food processor or blender. Stir in 1/2 cup low-fat yogurt mixed with 1/2 tablespoon cornstarch. Reheat to just below simmering and substitute for just about any creamy sauce.
Poach for skinny moisture.
Cooking in a low-fat liquid ensures that food will be moist and tender without added calories. Boneless, skinless poultry, low-fat fish such a flounder or tilapia, and meatier veggies, such as butternut squash or turnips, are particularly good choices for poaching, since these foods can easily dry out with other methods. Use a heavy-bottomed skillet that has a lid. Ideally, it shouldn't be much bigger than the size and shape of the food you're cooking, so you can use a minimum amount of liquid (too much liquid will result in diluted flavors). Add broth or a mix of wine and water to cover the food about halfway. Season with herbs and chopped vegetable seasoners like scallions, celery, carrots, or onions. Bring the mixture to a boil, lower heat, cover, and simmer until the meat or fish is cooked or the veggies tender.
Barbecue (but safely).
Grilling allows for fat drip-offlike no other method. But cooking meat over a hot, open flame has long been suspected of creating a variety of chemicals that may play a role in cancer development. Still, experts agree that enjoying a backyard barbecue on occasion is unlikely to significantly raise your cancer risk. Plus, there are ways to make eating grilled foods safer:
Avoid charcoal lighter fluid or self-starting packages of briquettes in a charcoal grill; they will leave residues of toxic chemicals in your food. A healthier alternative is an inexpensive chimney lighter that uses a small amount of newspaper to ignite a mass of charcoal in a large metal cylinder. Gas grills are also safer.
• Skewer meat with lots of fruits and vegetables. They don't form harmful chemicals when flame-cooked, plus studies show they may be protective against the cancer-causing ones created in grilled meats.
• Raise the grill racks to the highest level, then keep the temperature lower to prevent smoke and flame from reaching food.
• Flip using tongs or a spatula-a fork pierces food, releasing juice and fat that leads to fire flare-ups.
• Scrape off any charred, blackened portions before eating-the burned areas contain many of the chemicals believed to be cancer-promoting.
Get creative on the grill.
Here are three simple ideas to try:
• Grill corn on the cob. Grilling gives corn a rich, more complex flavor and doesn't require that big pot of boiling water. Place the corn, in its husk, on a medium-hot part of the grill and turn the ears as they brown. The object of this step is to cook the kernels, and that should take 20 to 25 minutes. Then peel back the husks (but leave them on the cob), remove the silk, spritz the kernels with a little olive oil, and season them with salt and pepper. Return to the grill and cook until nicely browned, 4 to 5 minutes.
• For a fun appetizer, cut salmon fillets into 1-inch-thick strips and thread onto wooden skewers that have been soaked in water for 30 minutes. Brush with teriyaki sauce and grill just until opaque.
• For a quick, easy, and tasty side dish, grill small Japanese eggplants brushed with olive oil, minced garlic, and salt and pepper. There's nothing quite as good as grilled eggplant.
In "Reader's Digest - Simple Secrets to Healthy Cooking", USA, 2009, excerpts pp. 17-20. Digitized, adapted an illustrated to be posted by Leopoldo Costa.