HAVE IT YOUR WAY, SAVORY OR SWEET

            Sweet or Savory: Have It Your Way

                   

Sometimes you're in the mood for sweet foods. Sometimes you're in the mood for savory. Luckily, some healthy foods can be prepared either way. Use these cooking tips.

Your tastes can swing from sweet foods to savory foods on any given day. Many nutritious foods can be prepared either way, enabling you to get key vitamins and minerals as you satisfy your taste buds.

Sweet and savory foods

Sweet Potatoes

The sweet potato is a versatile, nutritious vegetable rich in vitamin A (beta carotene) and tastes great simply roasted. But by adding certain seasoning's, it can become a hearty main dish or a sweet, dessert-like treat.

Sweet: 

Enhance the natural sweetness of the tuber in a healthy way by sprinkling on cinnamon or nutmeg after splitting open a slow-roasted sweet potato, says Tracy Wilczek, a dietitian at the Pritikin Longevity Center

Savory:

 To make the sweet potato a savory food, season it with black pepper and thyme instead. “I also like the combination of sweet potatoes with no-salt-added Dijon mustard, “It’s a great sweet and tangy combination.”

Salmon

With its protein and omega-3 fatty acids, salmon is one of the healthiest foods. And as rich as its natural taste is, salmon stands up to both sweet and savory recipes.

Sweet: A low-sodium teriyaki marinade with just a hint of honey is tailor-made for salmon. Marinate the fish for an hour before simply broiling or grilling it.

Savory: Make a fat-free “crust” by finely chopping peeled garlic cloves and an assortment of fresh herbs, like chives, parsley, and basil, and pressing the mix on the flesh of salmon filets before baking or broiling.

Eggs

Eggs are one of the most versatile foods around, making it easy to use as a base to satisfy either sweet or savory food cravings. You can try these cooking tips to take it in the flavor direction you want.

Sweet: For a sweet twist on eggs.check www.caloriecount.com, suggests making a simple egg custard, a baked pudding-like dish made with milk, eggs, and sugar. “For a delicious and creamy egg served up sweet, try making the custard with a little vanilla extract and freshly grated nutmeg or cinnamon,

Savory: A savory egg can be a simple dish to whip up, says PFR. WE recommends poaching the egg and topping it with a fresh salsa made of tomatoes, peppers, and onions to give it some healthy zest.

Lean Pork

Protein-rich lean pork is an excellent base for a variety of recipes and can easily be a sweet food or savory food depending on how it’s seasoned or sauced.

Sweet: A stuffing-filled pork tenderloin is a traditional dish that can be sweetened by adding dried fruits to the stuffing; try a mix of prunes, apples, and raisins to heighten the flavor.

Savory: Pork cooked with cabbage and caraway seeds will take on the savory flavor you crave. Cooking the vegetables right in the roasting pan with the pork will impart some of that delicious flavor to the entire dish.

Brown Rice

Brown rice, with its vitamins, minerals, and fiber, is a great whole-grain choice that lends itself to hundreds of recipes from dozens of cuisines, a characteristic shared by many whole grains or grain-like foods, explains Wilczek. In fact, any cooking tips that work with brown rice will work with couscous, quinoa, barley, and more.

Sweet: To add a sweeter flavor to brown rice, Wilczek suggests sprinkling in some raisins or currants and cinnamon. “I recommend adding these dired fruits to the cooking water,They plump up and add great bursts of flavor throughout the dish.

Savory: You can transform rice into a savory food by sprinkling in fresh herbs. Wilczek’s top picks for brown rice are garlic, rosemary, and thyme.

Whole-Wheat Pasta

Another whole grain, whole-wheat pasta takes on the flavors of the sauce or the other ingredients in a recipe. And there are sweet and savory choices within many cuisines, from German to Asian to Indian.

Sweet: To make a deliciously sweet German dish, Hartley suggests noodle kugel, made with raisins, cinnamon, and a little sugar. “Try making this traditional recipe with apples or dried cranberries for extra sweetness,

Savory: For pasta served up savory-style, try tossing linguini with your favorite vegetables, fresh ginger, peanuts, garlic, and a little reduced-sodium stir-fry sauce.

Whole-Grain Muffins

The same sweet-or-savory strategy can be applied to baking, in the form of an occasional treat such as muffins.

Sweet: Blueberry muffins aren’t usually thought of as a healthy food, but Ify says you can change that by using a bran muffin recipe for your base. Fold in fresh, antioxidant-rich blueberries right before pouring the batter into the tin to add a healthy ingredient as well as a dose of sweetness.

Savory: If a savory muffin is more what you’re in the mood for, try making corn muffins instead of bran muffins. Use whole-grain cornmeal and fold in some freshly chopped chives and corn kernels to give them a savory kick.

Experimenting with sweet and savory ingredients will make it easier to add more healthy foods to your diet — without any of them ever seeming boring again.