Put a healthy spin on your favourite recipes

As a father of five, USask’s culinary services assistant director and executive chef James McFarland knows the value of sneaking vegetables into everyday meals.

By Angelica Breland, Student Intern, University Communications

Whether you’re dealing with a picky eater or are just looking for some healthy alternatives, consider chef James’ tips.

  • Try switching out pasta noodles for root vegetables. By using a spiralizer or thinly slicing root vegetables, you can recreate your favourite pasta dishes while getting in some extra vegetables.
  • Lentils are a great source of nutrients like protein, iron and fiber and can be used in a variety of ways. Its ability to soak up flavour makes for a great rice substitute, and they can easily be worked into desserts, either puréed and mixed in or blended dry to be turned into a flour.
  • Replacing mayonnaise with greek yogurt in salad dressings is a great way to lower the fat content of your meal while getting in some extra protein.
  • As the weather warms up, consider grilling instead of pan frying. Grilling provides extra flavour and texture without requiring the amount of oil and butter that pan frying does.
  • Mushrooms are a great source of fiber, protein and B vitamins that can be easily blended or mixed into ground meat for some extra nutrition. This pasta recipe from chef James is a great example.

Healthier eating doesn’t have to be drastic. If you want to make changes, remember to keep your own preferences, needs, and eating habits in mind.