Seasonal Ingredient Swaps
Put a healthy twist on the holidays with simple ingredient swaps.
The winter months are filled with tasty holiday treats and warm, hearty comfort foods. This can add up in our waistlines, but a few simple swaps can help balance these indulgences. Many ingredients can be substituted for healthier ones with little effect on taste.
- Black beans for flour: Drain, rinse and puree black beans to replace flour in brownie recipes. This substitution adds protein and makes the recipe gluten free. Swap 1 cup of flour for 1 cup of black bean puree (about a 15-ounce can). Test it out with Red Velvet Brownies (pictured above).
- Unsweetened applesauce for oil or butter: Applesauce gives the right consistency and a hint of sweetness without the fat. Try this swap in any sweet bread. At first, only swap out half the fat. If you can’t tell a difference, try swapping a little more next time around. Test this swap in our Apple Pie Bread recipe.
- Greek yogurt for sour cream: Greek yogurt has half the fat and calories of traditional sour cream yet a very similar taste. You’ll get an extra dose of protein, too. Test this swap in Twice-Baked Potato Casserole.
- Egg Beaters for egg yolks: These can be used in a wide variety of egg dishes, from frittatas to quiches, and also for something a little more complicated, like sauces that use egg yolks. Goat Cheese Frittata with Fresh Greens is the perfect recipe to try this swap.
- Coconut milk for cream: Coconut milk can be used interchangeably with cream in soups and stews. Try this swap for our Triple Mushroom and Leek Soup.
I have to admit I am somewhat disappointed that it was not a recipe for the cookies pictured.When I envision holiday foods, they don’t contain low fat foods and beans in the brownies. The substitutes are good for those who need and enjoy them; not saying I may not need some of them, but it’s hard to visualize the family getting excited over some of the suggestions. I am a died in the wool southern cook who comes from a lengthy line of them; and if I had any aspirations to become a hippie, they are long dead. And, in all fairness, I have subbed applesauce in cakes and yogurt for a few other things, but it stops there( maybe the New Age young people love it, because their cuisine seems far different from older people’s.) Let me know if anyone tells you that “the bean brownies are to die for!” at your Thanksgiving or Christmas meal. Then I might try them. Happy Holidays!
Hi Mary,
Thanks for your comment! Here’s our recipe for the Red Velvet Cupcakes pictured – no beans included. 🙂
http://farmflavor.com/recipe/red-velvet-brownies
Thanks for reading Mississippi Farm Country!
Jessy Yancey, editor