photo credit: avlxyz

Most people have a sweet tooth and it’s this sweet tooth that can be the downfall of many a diet. As soon as we’re on a diet or a healthy eating regime we feel restricted and all of a sudden we have cravings for chocolate, ice cream and chocolate fudge cake!

The secret of healthy eating is not to restrict yourself but, instead, to have a balance - everything in moderation. You need to cut down on fats and sweets but you certainly don’t need to ban them. Look through your recipe collection and online for low fat dessert recipes to use instead of your usual high fat favourites.

Even if you are unfortunate enough to be diabetic, you can still indulge your self a little. There are alternatives to sugar, such as sucralose, that can be incorporated into your favourite dessert recipes with wonderfully tasty results. You still need to watch the total carbohydrate content, but as long as you are careful, you can still have the desserts that you long for.

Here are some top tips for enjoying low fat and low sugar dessert recipes:-

1. Look for dessert recipes which contain mainly fruit.

2. Layer fresh fruit with fat-free or low fat ice cream or whipped cream substitute to make a tasty ice cream sundae.

3. Use sugar free jelly.

4. Make trifles with sugar free jelly, fresh fruit, fat free sponge cake, low fat custard and a low fat cream substitute - a tasty treat.

5. Enjoy fruit sorbets and look for dessert recipes for sorbets

6. Mix berries or sliced fruit with fat-free yogurt and sprinkle with cinnamon.

7. Grill half a grapefruit sprinkled with brown sugar - great for breakfast or as a dessert.

8. Enjoy a pineapple - buy a special pineapple corer and slicer to make preparation easier and pour Malibu over pineapple slices for a yummy dessert.

9. Sauté banana or pineapple with a little brown sugar until caramelized.

10. Slice into the skin of a banana and pop a couple of squares of dark chocolate into it, wrap in foil and bake until banana is soft and chocolate is melted.

11. Treat yourself to an ice cream maker and find dessert recipes for low fat ice creams.

12. When baking muffins or cakes, replace half the fat content with mashed banana or pureed prunes.

13. Use egg whites instead of whole eggs in baking.

14. When buying canned fruit, buy fruit in juice rather than in syrup to cut down on sugar.

15. Look for dessert recipes for fruit that is in season. Fruit always tastes better when it is in season.

16. Share desserts with your partner instead of having one each.

17. Check food labels on commercial desserts to check fat and calorie content.

18. Instead of pouring cream over desserts use cream substitutes or puree fruits to make a sauce.

19. Meringues - Meringues are low in fat. Make a meringue sandwich with berries or strawberries and a fruit coulis.

20. Melons - A slice of melon is a great starter and a great dessert. Experiment with different types of melons.

You will be able to find plenty of healthy dessert recipes online and in books and you might even be able to adapt your favourite recipes to make them more healthy.

Remember, desserts do not need to be unhealthy - in fact, if you plan it our carefully, the dessert could be more healthy than the main course!

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Roger Wakefield works for for the Recipe File site, which ranks amongst the most authoritative collections of recipes around. The Recipe File website includes over 40 thousand recipes which cover recipes as diverse as dessert recipes to nut recipes. Preparing wonderful meals for your loved ones can be simple and enjoyable if you have the right recipes. The Recipe File makes sure you will never have trouble finding a scrumptious new recipe in minutes.

Technorati Tags: Cook, Dessert, Fruit, Home, Ice cream, recipe, Sugar, Whipped cream

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Rice is a very versatile food which can be a meal in itself, can be eaten cold as a salad, hot as a pudding or it can be served as a meal accompaniment. Use online recipes to get the most out of your packet of rice and experiment with different rices – long grain, short grain, arborio or risotto rice, pudding rice, brown rice, wild rice and basmati rice.

Here are 4 ways to use rice:-

1. Boiling rice – Rice is a great accompaniment to curry, chilli, casseroles, meat in sauces etc. and can also be used to make rice salads. You can purchase rice cookers or microwave rice steamers which are worth buying if you make a lot of rice.

To boil rice in a pan, first measure out rice and water. A mugful of rice will easily feed two people as a main course accompaniment and you will need twice as much water as rice, two mugfuls of boiling water. Either boil the water in a pan or use a kettle and then pour the water into a medium sized pan. Once the water is boiling, add the rice and a little salt. Bring back to the boil and then turn down to a simmer, place a lid on and leave to cook for about 15 minutes. Different types of rice will take different amounts of time so check the packet. If there is still liquid left after cooking, simmer for a bit longer, until it has been absorbed and serve. Some people like to place their cooked rice into a sieve and pour boiling water over it to rinse it, but this is not necessary.

2. Fried rice – Fried rice can be eaten by itself or as an accompaniment to Chinese dishes. It is a great way of using up leftover rice.

Boil the rice in the usual way and then let it cool. Beat 2 eggs together in a bowl and season. Heat some oil in a large frying pan or wok over a high heat and add the eggs when the oil is hot. Stir constantly until the eggs are softly scrambled. Add rice and some soy sauce or oyster sauce. Cook until the rice is hot and everything is combined.
For variety, you can fry chopped onion in the pan before adding the eggs and you can also add cooked chicken or cooked, peeled prawns when you add the rice.

3. Risotto – Making a risotto is easy but it does need your constant attention. Look for risotto rice or arborio rice in your supermarket.

Sauté chopped onion in a large, deep frying pan and then add uncooked rice with some mushrooms. Coat the rice in the hot oil and then start adding liquid such as stock or white wine or a mixture of both. Add the liquid a little (a ladle full) at a time and add more when the liquid has been absorbed by the rice. Stir regularly to stop the rice sticking. Once the rice is cooked and creamy (to your taste) add a knob of butter, some grated parmesan cheese and serve.
For variety, you could also add cooked chicken, sausage or prawns, frozen peas or sweetcorn – experiment.

4. Rice Salad – Making a rice salad is a good way of using left over boiled rice and is a great dish to serve at BBQs or to take on a picnic.
You need to either boil some rice and then let it cool, or use leftover rice. Make it the night before you need to serve it so that the rice takes on the flavours of the other ingredients.
Mix the cold, cooked rice with sweetcorn, chopped peppers, chopped chillies, olives, olive oil, crushed garlic, lime or lemon juice and then, just before serving, stir in some grated cheese. You can also do rice salads with chopped pineapple, tuna, beans and pulses, and cashew nuts. Look for rice salad recipes or make your own up.

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Roger is a keen amateur cook and copywriter who works for ‘The Recipe Collection’ website. If you want to impress your family with your ability in the kitchen, and want to prepare tasty and substantial rice and paella recipes, then you should check out ‘The Recipe Collection’, a recipe cookbook covering rice and paella recipes, (amongst others). You will find a rice recipe there to please every palate.

Technorati Tags: Brown rice, Cook, Frying pan, Home, Olive oil, Rice, Soy sauce, Wine

Organic food has become one of the best things to happen in a long time to the grocery market. When natural and organic food was first introduced in the 1960’s, the reality was that it had already been around for many, many years. Organic food is food that has no additives, no preservatives, and little to no pesticides used. As long as food has been grown, organic has been available. But, the actual term organic food did not come around until the renewal of spirit that the 1960’s brought. Organic food has been a plus that society has been lacking for some time.

Fresh organic food is now available in almost every grocery store in the world. The convenience of selecting natural and organic food over processed food has become almost second nature. No longer does a person have to travel a long distance to find a local organic food supplier. With the Whole Foods Market grocery chain, the United States and Canada have access to over 196 stores that offer gourmet deli’s, organic vitamins, and even organic household cleaners. And with the introduction of the internet, individuals around the world can order fresh organic food twenty four hours a day.

Another positive that natural and organic food has brought is the revenue that has been generated in the grocery market. The speciality of organics brings in close to $29 billion in the United States alone. That is just a fraction of what the grocery market brings in yearly, however, it is still a significant number to be contended with. If people continue to be more health conscious, the organic food market is sure to keep booming and bringing in more cash than ever.

One of the main things about the organic food that is a plus is the health benefits that every age group can gain. Children are one of the main age groups that can benefit from this speciality food. Because of the rise in obesity, kids are getting heavier day by day. However, if parents start early in making healthy choices, young ones will hopefully keep the good choices going for the remainder of their lives. Even older people can benefit from eating natural and organic food. In actuality, it is never too late to start making healthy choices.

Organic food has changed the way that people around the world eat. No longer are they limited to processed foods that contain artificial ingredients or “mystery meats”. Fresh organic food is readily available from the local grocer or the local farmer’s market down the street. Organic food can make going green easy for any person in the world to do.

Technorati Tags: Agriculture, Farmers' market, Food, food and drink, Food processing, Grocery store, organic food, United States, Whole Foods Market