Eating Well-Healthy Cooking Secrets

 A healthy eating plan doesn't mean you have to sacrifice your favorite foods or give up flavor. All that's needed is a little adjustment, an open mind, and an experimental spirit. Try some of these tips when preparing your favorite home-cooked meals to make them lower in fat and more healthful.

◆Use applesauce or other fruit purees in place of butter or oil in baked goods. (Pureed prunes¹ work well in chocolate baked goods.)

◆Substitute 2 egg whites for one whole egg or three whites for two whole eggs.

◆In place of sour cream, try using non-fat sour cream, yogurt or pureed lowfat cottage cheese.

◆Use skim milk in place of whole milk.

◆Replace heavy cream with evaporated skim milk or lowfat yogurt.

◆Add various kinds of fruit or vegetable to baked breads to make them interesting and more flavorful.

◆Add fiber² such as oatmeal, wheat germ, Raisin³ Bran, Bran Flakes⁴ or All-Bran to muffins and breakfast breads.

◆Use whole grain for part of your ingredients instead of highly refined products such as whole wheat flour, whole cornmeal, and oatmeal.

◆Use fruit and vegetable salsas to spice up or add zip to meats and vegetables.

◆Experiment with a variety of spices and herbs in your dishes to make them interesting.

◆Decrease sodium⁵ by using low sodium or unsalted ingredients.

◆Reduce sugar by 1/4 to 1/3 in baked goods and desserts. Substitute flour for the omitted sugar. (Don't decrease sugar in yeast⁶ breads because sugar feeds the yeast.)

◆Use spices in baked goods. For example reducing sugar and adding cardamom, cinnamon, nutmeg or vanilla⁷ to your recipes will enhance the impression of sweetness.

◆Add a variety of vegetables to meat dishes to reduce the amount of meat you eat and increase your vegetable intake⁸.

◆Use sharp cheeses in your cooking; you can use less and still retain flavor or experiment with using low-fat or fat-free cheeses.

◆Make marinades with juices and broth⁹ instead of oil.

Try these cooking methods ~

◆Trim all visible fat from meats before cooking.

◆Refrigerate all stocks, stews¹⁰, and soups and remove the congealed¹¹ fat before reheating.

◆Use non-stick pans and cooking spray to reduce the need for oil and butter.

◆Grill or roast meat on a rack so the fat drips away.

◆Microwaving meals requires little or no fat to cook.

◆Poach foods by simmering them in hot liquid such as broth, water, wine, or juices; no fat required.

◆Steam your vegetables in a basket over boiling water or in a food steamer.

◆Saute food in a non-stick pan using water, broth, juice, wine, or cooking spray.

◆Stir fry meat and vegetables in a non-stick pan or wok¹² using broth or a dab¹³ of olive or canola oil.

◆Brown meat pieces and crumbled¹⁴ hamburger, drain off fat, and rinse¹⁵ in strainer with hot water before adding to a recipe.

◆Bake foods using non-fat marinades to retain moisture.

1 prunes   

n.西梅脯，西梅干( prune的名词复数 )v.修剪（树木等）( prune的第三人称单数 )；精简某事物，除去某事物多余的部分

参考例句：

• Dried fruits such as prunes, pears, and peaches, are stewed. 梅干、梨脯、桃脯等干果，都是炖过的。 来自辞典例句
• We had stewed prunes for breakfast. 我们早饭吃炖梅干。 来自辞典例句

2 fiber   

n.纤维，纤维质

参考例句：

• The basic structural unit of yarn is the fiber.纤维是纱的基本结构单元。
• The material must be free of fiber clumps.这种材料必须无纤维块。

3 raisin   

n.葡萄干

参考例句：

• They baked us raisin bread.他们给我们烤葡萄干面包。
• You can also make raisin scones.你也可以做葡萄干烤饼。

4 flakes   

小薄片( flake的名词复数 )； （尤指）碎片； 雪花； 古怪的人

参考例句：

• It's snowing in great flakes. 天下着鹅毛大雪。
• It is snowing in great flakes. 正值大雪纷飞。

5 sodium   

n.（化）钠

参考例句：

• Out over the town the sodium lights were lit.在外面，全城的钠光灯都亮了。
• Common salt is a compound of sodium and chlorine.食盐是钠和氯的复合物。

6 yeast   

n.酵母；酵母片；泡沫；v.发酵；起泡沫

参考例句：

• Yeast can be used in making beer and bread.酵母可用于酿啤酒和发面包。
• The yeast began to work.酵母开始发酵。

7 vanilla   

n.香子兰，香草

参考例句：

• He used to love milk flavoured with vanilla.他过去常爱喝带香草味的牛奶。
• I added a dollop of vanilla ice-cream to the pie.我在馅饼里加了一块香草冰激凌。

8 intake   

n.吸入，纳入；进气口，入口

参考例句：

• Reduce your salt intake.减少盐的摄入量。
• There was a horrified intake of breath from every child.所有的孩子都害怕地倒抽了一口凉气。

9 broth   

n.原(汁)汤(鱼汤、肉汤、菜汤等)

参考例句：

• Every cook praises his own broth.厨子总是称赞自己做的汤。
• Just a bit of a mouse's dropping will spoil a whole saucepan of broth.一粒老鼠屎败坏一锅汤。

10 stews   

n.炖煮的菜肴( stew的名词复数 )；烦恼，焦虑v.炖( stew的第三人称单数 )；煨；思考；担忧

参考例句：

• Corn starch is used as a thickener in stews. 玉米淀粉在炖煮菜肴中被用作增稠剂。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Most stews contain meat and vegetables. 炖的食物大多是肉类和蔬菜。 来自辞典例句

11 congealed   

v.使凝结，冻结( congeal的过去式和过去分词 )；（指血）凝结

参考例句：

• The cold remains of supper had congealed on the plate. 晚餐剩下的冷饭菜已经凝结在盘子上了。
• The oil at last is congealed into a white fat. 那油最终凝结成了一种白色的油脂。 来自《简明英汉词典》

12 wok   

n.锅，炒菜锅

参考例句：

• I'm not teaching my students how to use a wok.我不是教我的学生们如何用炒菜的。
• He threw the meat into his biggest wok to cook.他把肉扔到最大的一口锅里煮。

13 dab   

v.轻触，轻拍，轻涂；n.(颜料等的)轻涂

参考例句：

• She returned wearing a dab of rouge on each cheekbone.她回来时，两边面颊上涂有一点淡淡的胭脂。
• She gave me a dab of potatoes with my supper.她给我晚饭时，还给了一点土豆。

14 crumbled   

（把…）弄碎， （使）碎成细屑( crumble的过去式和过去分词 )； 衰落； 坍塌； 损坏

参考例句：

• He crumbled the bread in his fingers. 他用手指把面包捻碎。
• Our hopes crumbled when the business went bankrupt. 商行破产了，我们的希望也破灭了。

15 rinse   

v.用清水漂洗，用清水冲洗

参考例句：

• Give the cup a rinse.冲洗一下杯子。
• Don't just rinse the bottles. Wash them out carefully.别只涮涮瓶子，要仔细地洗洗里面。