4 Tips to bring flavor to your Healthy FOOD

Raise your hand if you think healthy food is dry, boring, and flavorless! I had my hand raise really high in the sky when I first began to look at the food I was eating. I know that those boxes of low-fat cookies were just about as bland as bland could be. Can I get an AMEN? But to honest, my plate liked processed foods and that meant salt. Lots of it. I thought flavor meant a salt bomb. This is simply not true. Here are a few tips to get a flavor bomb over a salt bomb!

Skip the Water: If you ever wonder why a sauce, soup or dish is so amazing? Well the credit is likely BUTTER or Broth! I love me some water but in cooking it is only good for boiling! Whenever the recipe or calls for water to be added, whether that is rice or sauces, use broth/stock instead. It is a super easy trick and of course you can easily have boxed broth on had. This only adds a few calories but the pay back is well worth the extra effort.

Season from the bottom up: I love the quote from the movie Shrek. The one when Shrek is talking about ogres having LAYERS. Enter Donkey’s humor in with “you know what else has layers, parfaits have layers, I love parfaits” Think of this technique as learning to create layers!! So many of us fall for the add your spices to the top of you meal. Ya know sprinkle and give a boost. Nope, no top down here. Add your spice at the sauté level. The time of the dishes where you are cooking the fat, onions, garlic, etc. Add part of your seasoning here but saving some to add later. Layering of flavor is KEY! Example: Lets go simple. Soup. Chicken Noodle Soup. Where to do the seasonings for best punch. When you are sauté the onions, garlic, celery, peppers in the butter add whatever blend you desire. At least a 1 tsp or more depending on the size of soup you will use a total of 2 tsp. Adding the chicken whether cooked or cooking. Add more seasoning. 1/2 tsp and a couple of pinches of salt on top of the chicken. Next layer is after the soup is cooked and close to done. Yes the sprinkle on the top. 3 Layers of flavor! You can use this technique for many dishes!.

Use FULL Fat: Yes I know yikes right. BUT, fat brings flavor and 9 times out of ten. Low fat means High Sugar. The really culprit in poor health is sugar!! This is one of the reason we crave so many sweets. We are eating it in some many places that is changes are taste buds. I love giving the example of bottled salad dressing. Just check out the label and be shocked to see major sugar. When you begin to make your dressing you can control the sugar use healthy fats and up the flavor!

Salt, yes you need it: This is a chemistry lesson of sorts. You must have some salt in order to draw out the flavor of what ever spice you are using. It is the chemical equation of cooking. Needing Fat, Salt and Acid! The three work together and man oh man. Flavor Town! Do you need a crazy large about. Nope! In fact most of time you should even taste the salt but the spices and foods you have eating. Personally I use a pink Himalayan or Sea Salt.

Healthy foods can be filled with amazing flavor. Through some trial/error and investigating I found these 4 simple tips to bring BIG flavor to your real food meals.

It’s your culinary Parfait!! Now, what tip will you take a try? Or better yet, maybe you already use? I would love to hear from you and see your fun food flavors!!