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Healthy
Holiday Cooking
By Tracy Rohland
The holidays are just around the corner, and
as we all know, along with the festivities usually come enough
sweet and savory goodies to last the whole year. This can
spell trouble and temptation for those watching their diets,
but don’t worry – it’s not necessary to
completely abstain from eating your favorite dishes. With
just a few substitutions, you can turn a fat and sugar-laden
holiday season into a tasty and healthy one. Below are a few
suggestions to use in your cooking. Try any combination of
them and use your imagination to create tasty holiday treats!
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Instead of whole milk, substitute skim milk, soy milk, rice
milk or almond milk.
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Instead of cream, try plain yogurt or evaporated skim milk
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When making sandwiches or wraps, use an eggless mayonnaise
with healthy, non-hydrogenated oil in it.
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Also look for vegetable spreads made from non-hydrogenated
oils to use instead of butter.
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Applesauce can replace oil in a cake recipe.
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Instead of fat-and-caffeine-laden-chocolate, try making
carob brownies, or carob-chip cookies.
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In baking recipes that call for eggs, use an egg replacer
to reduce cholesterol and fat.
• Add some wholesomeness to your cookies by using
whole-wheat flour in place of bleached white flour.
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Avoid too much sugar by using alternative sweeteners like
Stevia, Xylitol, and honey.
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On top of that hot apple strudel put a scoop of non-fat
frozen yogurt (or soy frozen yogurt), and leave the ice
cream in the freezer (or at the store).
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For a healthy and tasty dessert, experiment with fresh fruit
tarts – each different combination of fruits will
make a different treat! You can also use seasonal fruit
to make a colorful fruit salad.
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Make a toast with sparkling cider instead of champagne.
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Finally, forget the turkey and try making a Heathy Holiday
Mock Turkey from this month's recipes or pick up a “Tofurkey”
at Down to Earth.
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Top it off with some vegetarian Mock Turkey gravy! (See
last month's e-newsletter recipe section).
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These ideas will
hopefully get you started on the way to a healthy holiday
season. Take some carob cookies to a get-together and indulge
your friends without feeling guilty. Share with them your
secrets of healthy cooking. Just remember- moderation is also
important. Despite the fact that your goodies will be healthier
than normal, it’s important to resist overeating. Above
all, have fun with your cooking. Get the kids involved and
teach them about healthy eating. The good habits they learn
will stay with them their whole lives.
Until next month - Happy, Healthy Holidays to all!
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