FEATURE — The flavor and aroma of favorite holiday dishes will soon be flooding the kitchen. Along with these tasty meals comes the art of enjoying your favorite foods and balancing nutrition.
You can make meals more healthy with simple steps to enhance flavor. When natural flavors are enhanced, you can cut out salt and unhealthy fats.
EatRight.org shares these seven ways to enhance the flavors of your meal.
Intensify the flavors of meat, poultry and fish with high-heat cooking techniques such as pan-searing, grilling or broiling, which help to brown meat and add flavor. Just don’t overcook, burn or char meat.
Grill or roast veggies in a very hot (450°F) oven or grill for a sweet, smoky flavor. Before popping them into the oven, brush or spray lightly with high-heat oil and sprinkle with herbs.
Caramelize sliced onions to bring out their natural sugar flavor by cooking them slowly over low heat in a bit of oil. Use them to make a rich, dark sauce for meat or poultry.
Pep it up with peppers! Use red, green and yellow peppers of all varieties – sweet, hot and dried. Or, add a dash of hot pepper sauce.
Add a tangy taste with citrus juice or grated citrus peel: lemon, lime or orange. Acidic ingredients help lift and balance flavor.
Use small amounts of ingredients with bold flavors such as pomegranate seeds, chipotle pepper or cilantro.
Give a flavor burst with good-quality condiments such as horseradish, flavored mustard, chutney, wasabi, bean purees, tapenade and salsas of all kinds.
Another way to make healthy meals more flavorful is to use homemade spice blends. Many spices you find on grocery store shelves are full of fillers, preservatives and fake flavor enhancers.
Making your own blends helps keep your recipes more healthy. We’ve got you covered with 15 healthy blends to make on your own.
I used the herb blend to make turkey noodles. This is a great way to use up leftover turkey after Thanksgiving. If the flavor of the herb blend doesn’t fit your taste, try the lower-sodium seasoned salt blend instead.
For more tips on healthy holiday eating and recipe ideas for leftovers, click here. Enjoy!
Written by CANDI MERRITT, Certified Nutrition Education Ambassador.
This article originally appeared Nov. 24, 2020 on the USU Extension Create Better Health blog.
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