I’m sure I am not the only one who knows how frustrating it is to find the perfect recipe, start making it, and then realize that I am out of a crucial ingredient. (What’s that? You don’t make recipes without double-checking that you have all the ingredients on hand? Well, aren’t you special.)

Because there is nothing more annoying than having to run to the grocery store and leave your raw cookie batter sitting on the counter, I took the liberty of putting together a handy-dandy substitution cheat sheet of things you can use when you find yourself without the genuine article.

For self-rising flour, substitute flour with baking powder and salt. Self-rising flour is really just a fancy name for flour that already has baking powder and salt added, so you can cheat the system by adding those things yourself. For each cup of flour, just throw in 1 ½ tsp baking powder and about ½ tsp salt.

For cream/half-and-half, substitute milk. Keep in mind that this will only work sometimes. Milk is a lot thinner than cream and has a lot less fat (added health bonus), but that also means that it doesn’t behave the same way. For a recipe in which you’re mixing everything together anyway (quiche), it will work fine, but it’s not going to get you anywhere if you pour it in a bowl and try to whip it into real fluffy cream. If you don’t have regular milk, try using buttermilk, yogurt, or sour cream. Read More »

Most normal fajitas or any similar Mexican-like foods will set your number of daily calories over the edge with gobs of refried beans, sour cream, or crazy cheese sauces. Not this fajita—it has all the taste but serious health benefits as well. If you are craving something Mexican that isn’t quite authentic but that tastes fresh and delicious, this is what you want!

It can easily be a 15-minute dinner if you’re rushing, and it’s pretty versatile (any kind of bell pepper will work, the corn is optional, etc.). Here are the ingredients for one fajita:

• canola oil, olive oil, or vegetable oil (or any other oil, really)
• 1 thin-sliced chicken breast, cut into strips
• ¼ tsp taco seasoning
• ½ red bell pepper, sliced into very thin strips
• ½ medium onion, sliced into thin rings
• 2 tablespoons corn, fresh or frozen (optional)
• ½ to ¾ cup fresh spinach, rinsed and stemmed
• 2 tablespoons reduced-fat cheddar cheese
• 1 whole-wheat tortilla wrap

To begin, put the oil in a shallow pan. Let it heat up, and add the thin rings of onion and strips of bell pepper. Sauté them over low-medium or medium heat for 8-10 minutes, until they are browned, much reduced, and beginning to caramelize. Read More »

I’ve detailed my love for potatoes before, and here’s a recipe that never fails for a filling lunch.

You’ll need:
One large baking potato
Half cup mixed vegetables of your choice (Zucchini and yellow squash are great, bell peppers and onion are a good topping, or some people love broccoli)
¼ cup salsa
¼ cup light sour cream
2 tablespoons 2% milk shredded cheese of your choice (Monterey jack is a personal fave)
Spray butter
Salt and pepper to taste

Bake your potato for about an hour at 350, or until you can stab it with a fork and remove it easily.

While your potato is nearing completion, heat vegetables in a small frying pan coated in non-stick cooking spray. Season as desired. Read More »

So, apparently ‘fruit salad’ on the east coast is literally just a bunch of chopped up fresh fruit, cohabitating in one bowl, possible even in a watermelon carved into a bowl shape. Sounds good to me, I love fresh fruit. I just hate buying it because if I don’t eat it all, I hate the guilt that goes along with it (not to mention the smell of fruit that’s gone bad…).

So a slightly less-healthy version of the fruit salad follows, because a) its ingredients are all canned or pre-packaged (which means you do not have to rinse or chop a damn thing) and b) it’s not THAT bad for you, and is a great summery treat. And also, this is what I grew up with, and why I am always confused when fruit salad does not come with marshmallows…

So here goes:

1 small can mandarin orange slices, drained
1 small can of pineapple chunks, drained
1 can chunky fruit cocktail (I hate the word chunk too, please go with it), drained
1 small jar maraschino cherries, drained
1 cup sour cream (again, I use low fat/no fat but please go with your gut)
½ bag shredded coconut
¾ bag of mini-marshmallows Read More »