Recipe Make-Overs
I'm what you might call a nutrition expert, (a nutrition translater if you
will). I have written 25 books (and counting) on an assortment of nutrition topics, but I am the master of none. Sure I've written a book about getting through menopause and beyond without resorting to hormone replacement therapy, but I haven't spent my career just researching the area of menopause. And yes, I've written books about what to eat if you have IBS, type 2 diabetes, acid reflux, headaches and migraines, but I relied heavily on specialists in these areas to review what I wrote, because I am not an expert in these very important topics.
I do consider myself an expert, however, in the not-so-ancient art of
"making over" recipes. I've been doing this since I was a graduate student
in the early 80's, which according to my calculations, means I've lightened
(or made-over) thousands of recipes over the past 20 years! I don't mean to
brag but I can size up an original recipe with a quick glance and know, with
pretty good accuracy, what I can and cannot get away with changing and still
have a dish/food that tastes terrific. I know on the top of my head what the
magical minimum of fat/oil is for most bakery recipes (muffins, cakes,
brownies) and to recipes you wouldn't think could be lightened (like fried
chicken, jalapeno poppers, tempura, or english toffee) - I've said "bring it
on!" and found recipe success. (okay, now I really am bragging, so sorry!)
Over the years of lightening recipes, I've changed my focus to incorporate
the latest nutrition science - for example we now know that the type of fat is
an important component to health (so I switch to the smart fats whenever
possible), and I look to increase the fiber and nutrient/phytochemical
content of a recipe just as I work to decrease excess calories from fat
(particularly saturated/trans fat) and sugar, and lower sodium. Being "THE RECIPE DOCTOR" is part of my professional identity (I hope), and I am grateful for and rather fond of this responsibility.
~Elaine
Related Topics: Smart Substitutions, WebMD Daily Video: Supermarket Savvy
Technorati Tags: recipes, healthyrecipes, recipemake-over
will). I have written 25 books (and counting) on an assortment of nutrition topics, but I am the master of none. Sure I've written a book about getting through menopause and beyond without resorting to hormone replacement therapy, but I haven't spent my career just researching the area of menopause. And yes, I've written books about what to eat if you have IBS, type 2 diabetes, acid reflux, headaches and migraines, but I relied heavily on specialists in these areas to review what I wrote, because I am not an expert in these very important topics.
I do consider myself an expert, however, in the not-so-ancient art of
"making over" recipes. I've been doing this since I was a graduate student
in the early 80's, which according to my calculations, means I've lightened
(or made-over) thousands of recipes over the past 20 years! I don't mean to
brag but I can size up an original recipe with a quick glance and know, with
pretty good accuracy, what I can and cannot get away with changing and still
have a dish/food that tastes terrific. I know on the top of my head what the
magical minimum of fat/oil is for most bakery recipes (muffins, cakes,
brownies) and to recipes you wouldn't think could be lightened (like fried
chicken, jalapeno poppers, tempura, or english toffee) - I've said "bring it
on!" and found recipe success. (okay, now I really am bragging, so sorry!)
Over the years of lightening recipes, I've changed my focus to incorporate
the latest nutrition science - for example we now know that the type of fat is
an important component to health (so I switch to the smart fats whenever
possible), and I look to increase the fiber and nutrient/phytochemical
content of a recipe just as I work to decrease excess calories from fat
(particularly saturated/trans fat) and sugar, and lower sodium. Being "THE RECIPE DOCTOR" is part of my professional identity (I hope), and I am grateful for and rather fond of this responsibility.
~Elaine
Related Topics: Smart Substitutions, WebMD Daily Video: Supermarket Savvy
Technorati Tags: recipes, healthyrecipes, recipemake-over
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