12 Days of Healthy Holiday Eating: Day #6

On the sixth day of Christmas, my dietitian said to me…

What sides are you going to eat?

When it comes to the holidays everyone wants to indulge in his or her favorite comfort food. Usually this comes in the form of a side dish such as macaroni and cheese or scalloped potatoes. While these foods may provide comfort, they also provide a lot of calories and fat. Even though it’s ok to indulge every once and a while, there are easy ways to make your favorite dish more healthy. Here are some suggestions of substitutions you can use in your recipes this holiday season:

Recipe calls for:	Substitution:
1 whole egg	2 egg whites
Sour cream	Low fat plain yogurt or low fat sour cream
Milk	Skim or 1%
Heavy cream (not for whipping)	2 tablespoons flour whisked into 2 cups non fat milk
Cheese	Low-fat cheese (non-fat cheese does not melt well if use in cooking or baking)

Here is a healthy version of Macaroni and Cheese:

Recipe: Macaroni and Cheese with Cauliflower

12 ounces multigrain elbow macaroni

1 head cauliflower, roughly chopped

4 slices multigrain bread, torn

1/2 cup fresh flat-leaf parsley, chopped

3 tablespoons olive oil

salt and black pepper

1 onion, finely chopped

1 1/2 cups grated low fat extra-sharp Cheddar (6 ounces)

1 1/2 cups non fat yogurt or sour cream

1/2 cup skim milk or 1%

1 tablespoon Dijon mustard

Directions

Heat oven to 400° F. Cook the pasta according to the package directions, adding the cauliflower during the last 3 minutes of cooking time; drain.

Meanwhile, pulse the bread in a food processor until coarse crumbs form. Add the parsley, 2 tablespoons of the oil, and ¼ teaspoon each salt and pepper; pulse to combine.

Return the pasta pot to medium heat and add the remaining tablespoon of oil. Add the onion, ¾ teaspoon salt, and ½ teaspoon pepper and cook, stirring occasionally, until soft, 3 to 5 minutes.

Mix in the pasta and cauliflower and the cheese, yogurt, milk, and mustard.

Transfer to a shallow 3-quart baking dish, sprinkle with the breadcrumbs, and bake until golden brown, 12 to 15 minutes.