Tip Of THe Week: Healthy Cooking

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Tip 5: Cook With Herbs and Spices

Food would be so much less flavourful if it weren’t for the wonders of herbs. Think Chinese food without chili or suya (northern Nigerian meat barbeque) without suya-mix. No one wants to eat bland food

, but spooning on gravies, sauces and soup just adds excess calories to your diet.  Herbs enhance any meal, be it scrambled eggs, a salad, vinaigrette, grilled vegetables or meat.

Herbs are also a weightwatcher's dream come true. These delicate leaves, pods and roots are bursting with flavour yet contain little amount of calorie. And what herbs and spices lack in calories, they make up for in slew of health benefits (They are rich in disease-fighting phytochemicals).

Not only that, but herbs in many cases, it can replace the flavour gap when you reduce or remove fat, oil, sugar, and salt from your favourite recipes. And individuals who are not big fans of vegetables may find the addition of one or two herb will add zest the vegetable to whole new level. Additionally, generous flavouring with herbs and spices may help weightwatchers feel satisfied with eating less food (portion control). Foods bursting with flavour tend to be more satisfying, and if you eat slowly and relish your meal, you might be surprised at how small food you really need to get that feeling of fullness.

In sum, experiment with different combination of herbs to discover new ways to enhance your foods. But be careful not to overpower your meal with too many types of herbs or too much of any herb. Delicately flavoured foods, like eggs, seafood, and white pottages, need only a light touch of flavour boost. Heartier foods, like meats, stand up well to heavier flavouring with the herbs.

What Goes With What?

Here are some of ways to use various herbs:

• Add rosemary, thyme, bay leaf, curry powder to your jollof rice

• Mix garlic, rosemary, and parsley together along with some lemon, and you have a wonderful marinade, rub, or sauce for poultry, lamb or pork.

• Add rosemary to roasted potatoes, couscous, or any whole grain.

• Mint takes iced tea from bland to exciting. It also does wonders for smoothies and adds zing to water (infused water).

• Fresh rosemary is so aromatic. Put some in a vase on the kitchen table for ambience.

• Put your favourite herbs in a bottle of canola or olive oil to add flavour to the oil.

It is noteworthy to know that:

1. Herbs are delicately flavoured, so add them to your cooking in the last few minutes. Fresh herbs are best added at the end of the cooking process. Adding them very early dilutes their essence. For instance, add fresh rosemary to roasted potatoes in the last 10 minutes of roasting.
2. Store fresh herbs in the fridge, either in a glass of water or covered with a damp paper towel in a sealed plastic bag.
3. Dried herbs are more strongly flavoured than fresh ones. As a general rule, one teaspoon of dried herbs equals four teaspoons of fresh ones.
4. Dried herbs lose their potency after about a year. It's a good idea to replace containers that have been around for too long.
5. Use herbs instead of salt to keep down sodium intake. With all the extra flavour, you won't miss the salt.
6. Aside boosting meat and vegetable dishes, herbs and spices can be added to breads, mustards, salad dressings, vinegars, desserts and drinks.
7. Herbs such as ginger, garlic, chilli, coriander and lemongrass are especially complimentary in vegetable-based stir-fry recipes.

Whether you opt for fresh or dried, herbs are great ingredients in healthy recipes, allowing you to relish foods that are full of flavour, while sparing you the extra calories.