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Ten Ways to add BIG Flavor for 10 Calories or less

14.02.2014 7 Comments

Ten Ways to Get Big Flavor for 10 Calories or less

About the time I started to get really into cooking was right about the time I was talked into doing some runway modeling. At 5 foot 7 and 120 pounds, I was know as the "short chubby model," which was equal parts laughably ridiculous and self-esteem crushing. I only did a few runway shows before I realized that this was not a world I wanted to be a part of.

Jackie Dodd headshot

During those brief months of trying to fit into an unrealistic idea of what I was supposed to look like, the only thing of value that I walked away with was a few tricks to cooking healthy. I was never willing or able to starve myself to attain the coveted double zero dress size, I always wanted food that was full of flavor, even if I was cutting back on calories. Even now, several years  and about a dozen pounds later, I need to eat. Healthy or un-healthy, my food has to taste good.

Lucky for us, there are a lot of ways to add big flavor that don’t add calories. Even if you aren’t trying to walk a cat walk, (and I would not recommend it, to be honest, it sucks), we all have times when eating healthy is more important to us. But flavor should always be on the top of the list.

Ten Ways to Get Big Flavor for 10 Calories or less

  1. Lime juice–10 calories. Perfect to balance out a spicy dish.
  2. Chipotle– 2 calories per serving. Huge smokey, spicy flavor for just two calories!
  3. Garlic– 2 calories. Roasted, minced or dried, it adds a warm bold flavor to any savory dish.
  4. Chicken broth– 2 calories. Use this instead of water to make quinoa or brown rice for bigger flavor
  5. Balsamic vinegar– 10 calories. Great on salads for a fraction of the calories of creamy dressing.
  6. Hot sauce– 1-10 calories. Nothing will kick up the flavor of boring white meats like Franks Red Hot!
  7. Mustard– 3 calories. A little goes a long way to give a bold flavor to chicken or pork.
  8. Fresh herbs– 1 calorie. Gives you a bright, fresh flavor that makes dishes more satisfying, plus added health benefits!
  9. Grill pan– 0 calories or less. This is my go-to! Removes fat from meat and gives you a nice grilled char! I use one similar to this grill pan (affiliate link).
  10.  Smoked paprika– 1 calorie. I use this all the time. It’s warm and satisfying, my favorite spice to add to anything savory! Use it with garlic powder, onion powder, chili powder, salt and pepper for an easy, healthy, homemade spice rub!

Ten Weird Things That Are Not Vegetarian

26.12.2013 27 Comments

 I spent 3 years as a vegetarian, and at the time it seemed simple. Eat things that aren’t animals. I didn’t think much more about it. It wasn’t until years later, while trying to cook for my vegetable loving friends that I have actually become acquainted with how many products that I assumed were animal free are not. While I now eat meat I also want to know what is in the food that I eat and which products, vegetarian or not, are just too creepy to eat.

Ten Weird Things that Are Not Vegetarian

Ten weird things that are not vegetarian

  1. Beer. Although the basic ingredients in beer are all vegan, a lot of times animal products are added in. Most commonly fish bladders. Read this to figure out if there is a beast in your beer.
  2. Jell-O. Or any gelatin product. It’s made from animal bones and makes it’s way into everything from cookies to pre-packaged peanuts, Altoid mints, Gummy bears, to marshmallows.
  3. Worcestershire sauce. It has anchovies in it. It makes a fantastic addition to barbeque sauces so if you want to skip the fish, buy a vegan type like the one from Annie’s Organic.
  4. White sugar. While sugar is inherently vegan, it is often processed using animal bones that leave little bit of animals in your bag of sugar. Many companies are starting to change that, like Whole Foods 365 brand, which is 100% vegan.
  5. Boxed cake mix. It’s often made using beef or pork fat, listed on the label as lard. Make sure to check the ingredients, or better yet make it from scratch.
  6. Bean Burritos. Unless labeled otherwise, both refried beans and tortillas will almost always be made with lard. Even those “veggie burritos” in most Mexican restaurants. Unless it’s labeled as vegetarian (and even sometimes then), assume that it’s full of animal fat.
  7. Omega-3 labeled products. Orange juice, milk and other foods are often infused with fish oils to get those sought after healthy fats. Some vegetarian friendly companies use flaxseed instead, but it’s worth checking the label, just to make sure.
  8. Prepackaged Bread. If the package of bread you grab at your local market contain an ingredient called L-Cysteine, the best-case scenario is that it’s derived from poultry feathers. The worst case? Human hair. That’s right, you may be chowing down on a human if you buy pre-made bread. Feel free to gag. I will now be making sandwich bread from scratch.
  9. Hard cheese. Cheeses like Cheddar and Parmesan are often made using rennet, which is the lining of animals intestines. Most soft cheeses, like Brie, goat cheese and mozzarella aren’t. Some companies do make hard cheese without animal byproducts, they should label those as vegetarian friendly.
  10.  Raspberry flavored food. If human hair wasn’t bad enough, now I have to tell you about what’s in most raspberry flavored foods. Castoreum, a common ingredient in artificially flavored raspberry foods is made from the secretions of a beavers anal glands. Which begs the question: Why is a beavers ass easier to come by than good ole’ fashion raspberries?

 

 

My favorite vegetarian cooking blogs:

Oh My Veggies 

Herbivoracious

Love Food Eat

Kitchen Treaty

Averie Cooks