WTB Recipes.

[Lacilliyr]

So I can't cook and want to learn how.

My roommate has taught how to make his Mostachiolli and Chili. Though I'm not entirely sure how healthy they are as a meal, I am looking to better my diet with some healthy homecooking.

I am currently lurking the internet for healthy meal recipes, but would certainly love it if anyone would be so kind as to share any recipes they have experience with and/or would recommend.

Currently my roommate wants to try making beef stew and steak and gravy. He seems disagree with these two meals.

I, myself, am open to any recipes so long as their healthy. C:

Thanks in advance.

[eatdirt426]

The mostacholi can be healthy, the tomatos in it have lycopene which helps your heart among other things and noodles are low on the glycemic index which means they digest slower and wont raise your blood sugar too much depending on how much you eat. Try the Barilla Wheat noodles those are pretty yummy. When you do cook something try cooking it in canola or olive oil these are pretty healthy and are a good butter substitute. Turkey Chili or Chili with just beans and veggies is healthy. This website right here has some good healthy recipes. I've tried the Hearty Italian Chicken and Vegatable Soup and it was pretty good. Also when cooking with Hamburger try getting ground sirloin as it tends to have a lower fat count. Meijer has some beef called heart healthy it has a little red heart on the package that is pretty good.

Edited August 31, 2011 by eatdirt426

[Fierce Critter]

You can always substitute ground turkey for a more health-conscious chili. And watch the sodium content of anything you add.

[taysteewonderbunny]

Try using farro (emmer wheat) or quinoa instead of rice or pasta as a side dish to your meals. Both grains are excellent sources of whole grain fiber, non-animal protein, and iron.

[Lacilliyr]

The mostacholi can be healthy, the tomatos in it have lycopene which helps your heart among other things and noodles are low on the glycemic index which means they digest slower and wont raise your blood sugar too much depending on how much you eat. Try the Barilla Wheat noodles those are pretty yummy. When you do cook something try cooking it in canola or olive oil these are pretty healthy and are a good butter substitute. Turkey Chili or Chili with just beans and veggies is healthy. This website right here has some good healthy recipes. I've tried the Hearty Italian Chicken and Vegatable Soup and it was pretty good. Also when cooking with Hamburger try getting ground sirloin as it tends to have a lower fat count. Meijer has some beef called heart healthy it has a little red heart on the package that is pretty good.

I never use butter when i cook, can't stand it. My other roommate and her sister will put it on anything. I recall her sister came over a few times and would make this delicious green vegetable, I can't remember. After she left we realize she used 1/3 of our butter each time to make a few of these sticks. To me it seemed to defeat the purpose.

Thanks for the site and recommendations, I will look it over c:

I get sirloin and go ro meijer all the time, I will keep an eye out for healthy heart one :B

[Lacilliyr]

You can always substitute ground turkey for a more health-conscious chili. And watch the sodium content of anything you add.

Ooh thanks for the tips. n.n

I'm pretty sure my roommates Mostachiolli is not healthy at all. Lots of garlic salt, dice garlic, ton of parmesan, half a bottle of hotsauce.

[Lacilliyr]

Try using farro (emmer wheat) or quinoa instead of rice or pasta as a side dish to your meals. Both grains are excellent sources of whole grain fiber, non-animal protein, and iron.

Is animal protein bad? o.o

[taysteewonderbunny]

Is animal protein bad? o.o

No, it's not. It's just good to get it from both plant and animal sources. Same is true of fats.

[Lacilliyr]

No, it's not. It's just good to get it from both plant and animal sources. Same is true of fats.

Oh okies. Jis wondering cause I like meat, dun wanna give it up entirely. Lace is an omnivore. Om nom nom.

[Fierce Critter]

Ooh thanks for the tips. n.n

I'm pretty sure my roommates Mostachiolli is not healthy at all. Lots of garlic salt, dice garlic, ton of parmesan, half a bottle of hotsauce.

Garlic is very good for you. If you want to use bottled garlic, use garlic powder, not garlic salt. And diced garlic should be fine so long as it doesn't have any uhealthy additives.

Ditto hotsauce. It's all in the make-up. But you can always make your own hot sauce. Or use cayenne pepper instead.

You could do a lot worse than parmesan. A tomato sauce with a little parmesan added is better than a creamy alfredo.

[Lacilliyr]

Garlic is very good for you. If you want to use bottled garlic, use garlic powder, not garlic salt. And diced garlic should be fine so long as it doesn't have any uhealthy additives.

Ditto hotsauce. It's all in the make-up. But you can always make your own hot sauce. Or use cayenne pepper instead.

You could do a lot worse than parmesan. A tomato sauce with a little parmesan added is better than a creamy alfredo.

He actually uses diced garlic, garlic salt, and garlic powder. What would count as unhealthy additives? Sorry for all the questions, I'm not well read on healthy foods other than MSG and Coconut.

We use Cholula hotsauce original. It's not hot at all really, it has a lot of flavor to it. I hate hot a spicy food. I've always said its just a publicly accepted form of masochism. It's politically correct. Hehehe.

We use almost half of a bottle of parmesan. It does make me sad that Alfredo sauce is so unhealthy. I love it so much.

[TygerLili]

Both mostaccioli and chili are fine if you are eating a reasonable, dinner-sized portion, and not 3-4 helpings, and if you are eating vegetables and fruit on the side. It's all about moderation. Cooking healthy is all about reading labels. Try to look for foods where the amount of protein is equal to or higher than the amount of carbs, and try to cut down on foods that are high in sodium. Some amount of fat is necessary, but try to get more fat from things like olives, avocados, nuts, lean meats and fish, olive oil, canola oil and sunflower oil. When I cook with dairy products, I usually use the reduced-fat or light versions of things like margarine, sour cream, cream cheese, peanut butter, etc. because usually you can substitute these things without sacrificing much taste. I do prefer skim milk, because I grew up with it, but if you prefer whole milk then step it down to 1 or 2 percent. It's still a reduction. Other than that, just buy lots of fruits and vegetables. When you snack, snack on fresh fruit or veggies instead of crackers, chips, candy, etc. If you like them, you can substitute whole wheat or whole grain versions of things like bread, pasta, rice, etc. I personally am picky about whole wheat, and can't stand anything with the word multigrain.

If you are trying to cook, though, it's almost guaranteed that what you are eating is healthier than if you are eating processed/packaged foods, unless you are dumping in salt, oil and butter like there's no tomorrow. Garlic is good for you, as is garlic powder. Garlic salt, obviously is high in sodium, but sometimes I use that in place of table salt, in which case it's fine. I don't know how healthy the minced garlic that comes in a jar is, because it tastes gross to me and I never buy it, but fresh chopped garlic is good for you. Hot sauce should also be fine, unless the one you use is made with tons of sodium. Parmesan, is kind of high in sodium, but as far as cheeses go, it's one of the less fattening ones.

There is a thread in this forum called specialties of the house where a number of people here have shared some of their favorite recipes. You should check it out.

[Lacilliyr]

Both mostaccioli and chili are fine if you are eating a reasonable, dinner-sized portion, and not 3-4 helpings, and if you are eating vegetables and fruit on the side. It's all about moderation. Cooking healthy is all about reading labels. Try to look for foods where the amount of protein is equal to or higher than the amount of carbs, and try to cut down on foods that are high in sodium. Some amount of fat is necessary, but try to get more fat from things like olives, avocados, nuts, lean meats and fish, olive oil, canola oil and sunflower oil. When I cook with dairy products, I usually use the reduced-fat or light versions of things like margarine, sour cream, cream cheese, peanut butter, etc. because usually you can substitute these things without sacrificing much taste. I do prefer skim milk, because I grew up with it, but if you prefer whole milk then step it down to 1 or 2 percent. It's still a reduction. Other than that, just buy lots of fruits and vegetables. When you snack, snack on fresh fruit or veggies instead of crackers, chips, candy, etc. If you like them, you can substitute whole wheat or whole grain versions of things like bread, pasta, rice, etc. I personally am picky about whole wheat, and can't stand anything with the word multigrain.

If you are trying to cook, though, it's almost guaranteed that what you are eating is healthier than if you are eating processed/packaged foods, unless you are dumping in salt, oil and butter like there's no tomorrow. Garlic is good for you, as is garlic powder. Garlic salt, obviously is high in sodium, but sometimes I use that in place of table salt, in which case it's fine. I don't know how healthy the minced garlic that comes in a jar is, because it tastes gross to me and I never buy it, but fresh chopped garlic is good for you. Hot sauce should also be fine, unless the one you use is made with tons of sodium. Parmesan, is kind of high in sodium, but as far as cheeses go, it's one of the less fattening ones.

There is a thread in this forum called specialties of the house where a number of people here have shared some of their favorite recipes. You should check it out.

Ohhhh I quite thank you for taking the time to respond.

I don't ever use butter when cooking, never tried an oil yet, and only use salt to boil water occasionally. My male roommate disgusted me with his use of pepper and salt though. He'll male mash potatoes and mac n cheese pitch black with it. Bleh.

I am curious though as to your reason from straying from multi-grain. I do not know much about grains at all.

I will check the thread out, thanks. n.n

[TygerLili]

Ohhhh I quite thank you for taking the time to respond.

I don't ever use butter when cooking, never tried an oil yet, and only use salt to boil water occasionally. My male roommate disgusted me with his use of pepper and salt though. He'll male mash potatoes and mac n cheese pitch black with it. Bleh.

I am curious though as to your reason from straying from multi-grain. I do not know much about grains at all.

I will check the thread out, thanks. n.n

I just personally don't like bread and things like it with seeds, nuts, or other chunks of things in it. I know others who swear by whole grain stuff, and it is supposed to be healthier than white or wheat bread, but I don't like it. I don't eat a lot of bread, anyway, so it's not a big deal.

Black pepper and other spices are good for you. I use lots of them when I cook because they improve the taste without really changing the nutrition of the food much, if at all. My favorites are black pepper, cayenne pepper, paprika, basil, oregano, rosemary, parsley, cilantro, garlic powder, onion powder, mustard powder, and chili powder, but you do kind of have to experiment to get an idea of which spices taste good with what foods.

Also, remember that with every recipe, the amount of salt, pepper, and other spices used is just a guideline. If you like your roommate's recipe for something, other than the amount of salt and pepper he uses, then ask for the recipe and cut way down on the amount of salt and pepper. Just use a little to start with, taste it, and if it's too bland, keep gradually adding a little more and tasting it until you get it the way you want it. When I cook, I add a little spice, taste, and add more if I think it needs more, whether it's my first time or my fiftieth time using that recipe, because getting the right amount of seasoning can be tricky.

I am a vegetarian, and most of my meat eating friends tend to think of vegetarian food as bland and boring because most people don't know how to cook vegetables so that they taste good. It's important to me to be able to serve them vegetarian things that taste good and make them not miss the meat.