T.J. Samson | Destination Health | June 2018

4 DESTINATION HEALTH Co tips Diet Eight SevenSix Five Four Two Three One f Y ou know this: A health and your family’s too. B actually acting on it—a before you put your nex to check out the cooking tips on th no-fuss way to help you and your fa taste. And together, they can help health problems, from heart diseas your recipe for better health. GET SAUCY WITH FRUIT. Puree apples, berries, peaches or pears in a blender for a thick, sweet and nutrient-rich sauce. For breakfast, pair it with French toast, pancakes or waf- fles. For dinner, drizzle it on grilled or broiled fish or poultry. Craving dessert? Spoon it on angel food cake. MAKE OVER QUICK BREADS AND MUFFINS. Cut back on calories and saturated fat by substituting three ripe, well- mashed bananas for ½ cup butter, lard, shortening or oil in a recipe. Or try this swap: Replace 1 cup of any of these fats with 1 cup of applesauce. LET GARLIC SIT A SPELL. After crushing or chopping raw garlic, let it sit for 10 or 15 minutes, rather than tossing it right away into a hot pan. That extra time triggers an en- zyme reaction that boosts the production of allicin, a power- ful, health-promoting plant chemical. TOP IT SMART. Instead of whip- ping heavy cream to top a dessert, whip chilled, fat- free evaporated milk with just a touch of added sugar. Frost cakes lightly—or better yet, skip frosting entirely. Top cake with a dusting of powdered sugar or fresh straw- berries or sliced peaches. GO FOR FIBER- FILLED FLOUR. In dough and batter, substitute fiber-rich whole-wheat flour for half of the refined white flour. Give oat flour a try too—you can even make your own. Just whirl dry oatmeal in a blender. Then replace up to a third of the white flour in recipes with the oat flour. SCALE BACK ON SUGAR. Typically, you can reduce the sugar in any recipe by a quarter, and you won’t taste the difference. Or you can switch out sugar for an equal amount of unsweetened applesauce. You can also sweeten recipes with vanilla or peppermint extracts or spices, such as cinnamon or allspice. KEEP COOKOUTS LEAN. Please a crowd with turkey burgers. Make them from ground turkey breast (it can be as lean as 99 percent fat-free) seasoned with cilantro, shallots or chili sauce. For variety, pass out grilled portobello mushrooms flavored by a low-fat marinade. SATISFY EVERYBODY’S SWEET TOOTH WITH FRUITY DESSERTS. Grill bananas, pineapple slices or peach halves until the fruit is hot and slightly golden. Grill water- melon too, but just for 30 seconds on each side. Or enjoy this banana split twist: Top a banana with fro- zen low-fat strawberry and vanilla yogurt and a sprinkle of low-fat granola. Another possibility: End meals with baked apples or pears. health Fiftee