Low carb? Low fat? Sugar free? That's what a lot of people think healthy cooking is all about. But healthy cooking isn't about subtracting from your recipes.
Healthy cooking is about good recipes that give you the maximum nutritional value for the calories you're eating.
Does that mean low fat recipes? Yes -- and no. Wherever possible, I try to cut the fat out of my recipes.
But low fat recipes aren't always healthier. Lots of low fat foods (think: low fat baked goods) are high in sugar and offer no real nutritional value.
By contrast, some high fat foods are very nutritious. Consider the avocado, for example. An avocado has 227 calories, 32% of which come from fat. But the fat in avocados is the heart-healthy kind that lowers your cholesterol. So go ahead and have that guacamole.
The same is true for low carb and sugar free recipes. Some low carb recipes are very healthy. But you don't need me to tell you that a bacon cheeseburger isn't exactly healthy, even if it is low carb.
And sugar free recipes are great when they use natural sugar substitutes, like fruit juices and purees. But I prefer not to cook with Splenda and other man-made sugar substitutes.
That's why the criteria for my Healthy Cooking recipes are as follows:
1) The recipe must be delicious -- taste is first. Always.
2) The recipe must offer good nutritional value. That's why you'll see recipes like my frozen pumpkin pie, which isn't exactly low calorie. But it does offer a healthy dose of Vitamin A.
3) And wherever possible, the recipe should use natural and organic ingredients.
For more great-tasting healthy recipes, check out these pumpkin chocolate chip cookies, Brussels sprouts with pistachios and savory white and sweet potatoes.
