Spice Up Your Plate to “Enjoy the Taste of Eating Right”

March 3, 2014

National Nutrition Month® was created by the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics to spread awareness about healthy eating and stress the important role healthy food choices play in our lives.

The Academy’s theme this year is to “Enjoy the Taste of Eating Right.” If we don’t enjoy eating nutritious foods, healthy eating patterns will only be a short-term phase instead of a life-long journey!

To relish in the foods we know are good for us, here are my top 8 healthful flavor-boosters:

8. Vary your veggies. I’ve said this before because I truly believe this is the key to beat boredom! Instead of roasting only sweet potatoes, try an assortment of colors, or roast along with winter squash for similar textures, but a wide variety of flavor.

7. Add roasted peppers (made yourself or from a jar — packed in water) to any salad for an instant flavor boost! This also works with jarred artichokes (just make sure they’re not packed in oil!!!).

6. Don’t over-crowd your pan. When sautéing or roasting, the purpose of high heat is to achieve a beautiful brown color (and therefore flavor) in your food. When you overcrowd your pan, you steam your food (especially veggies) so you won’t develop the same sophisticated flavor.

5. Cook low and slow. Onions will caramelize to a candy-like flavor if you don’t burn them first...”patience Grasshopper”!

4. Change your taste buds. This one seems harder than it is! As we eat less salt our taste buds adapt and we can truly taste the sweetness of a carrot or parsnip.

*Tip: Use FRESH herbs in your next dish to instantly escalate the flavor factor!

3. Make your own dressing. Many store-bought salad dressings and marinades are packed with fat and cals. Low-fat or fat-free versions often taste watered down and don’t provide the healthy fats we need to better absorb fat-soluble vitamins from our veggies. Make your own dressing with quality olive oil, or even pureed avocado, as a base and build flavor from there. Here are some of my favorite (and easiest) combinations:

Olive oil, dijon mustard, lemon juice, dash of salt and pepper — great for salads topped with a light fish.
Avocado puree with chopped garlic, cilantro, and lime juice — like guacamole all over your salad! See a great recipe here!
Olive oil, red wine vinegar, black pepper, oregano — perfect for Greek-inspired meals.
Liquid aminos with olive (or sesame) oil — perfect to top a stir fry. Try adding a thickening agent like flour or cornstarch too (see my Baked Veggie Egg Roll recipe for ideas!).
Nut butter thinned out with water over noodles for a peanut noodles-type of dish.

2. Swap the salt in your salt shaker for a no-salt added spice blend (pick your favorite flavors!). You’ll add tons of flavor without increasing your blood pressure!

1. Use foods in non-traditional ways. Most of us will munch on an apple as a mid-afternoon snack (perhaps with some nut butter), but not many of us will try roasting sliced apples in the oven. I roasted grapes for the first time this winter and fell in roasted fruit heaven! Pairing roasted fruit and veggies with a lean protein makes a nutritiously lean meal, but is packed with TONS of flavor!