Monday, January 11, 2010

Promising to Eat Healthy


ust because you’ve resolved to eat more healthfully in 2010, you don’t need to resign yourself to meals that are bland. Maintaining any weight loss diet if tough, but in the long-run your chances for success are much better if you actually enjoy what you eat.

One of my favorite tips for cutting calories is to prepare my own sauces, vinaigrettes and spreads that I can keep in the fridge and use to make any meal instantly more delicious. The key to healthy homemade sauces is to avoid preservatives, artificial ingredients and extra salt and fat.

Here’s a formula for making herb sauces that can be used as a marinade or on cooked meat, chicken, fish or vegetables. You can also spread them on sandwiches, add them to rice and beans or mix into soups. These sauces add heaps of flavor but very little fat.

1 cup fresh herbs + 1 clove of garlic + 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil + 1 teaspoon acid (red or white wine vinegar or citrus juice) + salt, pepper and optional spice to taste

You can chop herbs and garlic, then stir with other ingredients for a vinaigrette-type sauce. Or process everything together for a creamy, emulsified sauce. Both will store several days in a sealed container in the refrigerator.

Use parsley, oregano, red wine vinegar and dried chili flakes to make South American chimichurri Use basil and lemon juice for a pesto variation Use cilantro, lime and cumin for a southwestern flavor

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