We all have our favorite comfort foods… Chicken and dumplings. Apple pie. Macaroni and cheese.

Yum.

The problem is, most of these dishes don’t contribute much to a healthy diet.

Fortunately, there are quick and simple modifications you can make to your comfort food favorites to bump up your nutrient intake.

Baylee Leonhardt, registered dietician at OhioHealth Mansfield and Shelby Hospitals, has some helpful ideas.

  • Susbtitute nonfat Greek yogurt for sour cream, butter or mayo. Greek yogurt packs a powerful protein punch, satisfying your hunger and helping you feel full longer, Leonhardt said.
  • Use fresh herbs or low-salt seasonings to add flavoring.
  • Select whole grain options to increase fiber intake. “Fiber is important for blood sugar control and digestive health,” Leonhardt said. “It also helps keep us full longer.”
  • Choose healthy fats like avocados or nuts. Make a healthy trail mix or no-bake energy bites. “I have a lot of clients that like to make energy bites for breakfast,” Leonhardt said. “They’re fast and easy. You can just grab a couple bites and go start your day.”
  • Pay attention to sodium content. Canned soups can be a culprit for high salt, so pick those that say low sodium on the label, Leonhardt said.
  • Add non-starchy vegetables (carrots, celery, bell peppers, mushrooms, broccoli, cauliflower, tomatoes) whenever possible to get more vitamins and minerals.
  • Swap unsweetened applesauce or mashed bananas for butter in your baked goods.

If you’re looking for a healthy twist on fried rice, try this cauliflower fried rice recipe by Chef Anne Massie, former owner of Altered Eats food truck.

Ingredients

1 head of cauliflower or 6 cups of frozen riced cauliflower, 1 cup frozen peas, 1 cup frozen corn, 2 stalks green onion, 2 tsp sesame seed oil, 3 cloves garlic, ¼ cup rice wine (or dry white wine), 1 tsp ginger powder, soy sauce, 4 eggs, pepper to taste (white pepper is especially nice). Optional toppings: 1 bunch cilantro, sesame seeds, crunchy French’s onions and sriracha.

Tips

Riced cauliflower can be found in the frozen food section of the grocery store; however, this recipe will teach you how to make rice using fresh cauliflower. If using frozen cauliflower, defrost ahead of time and dry it thoroughly before frying (use caution as defrosted cauliflower will have more moisture when hitting a hot pan).

This recipe calls for frozen peas and corn — of course, fresh is always best if you have it available. If using fresh corn, it will need to be pre-cooked and taken off the cob and added later with the eggs. However, fresh peas can be added at the same step as frozen. Also, if you prefer a nice runny egg you can fry them and place on top of rice instead of scrambling.

Directions

  • Cut cauliflower into florets, discarding the hard inner core. Working in batches, pulse the cauliflower in a food processer until it is a size similar to rice. You will end up with about 5-6 cups of cauliflower rice.
  • Defrost the frozen peas and corn (no need to steam them, just put them in warm water until soft).
  • Break four eggs into a bowl and whisk vigorously. Cook them in a skillet as you would scrambled eggs, add salt and pepper to taste. Set aside off of the heat.
  • Dice two cloves of garlic and the two stalks of green onion and set aside.
  • Heat a cast iron skillet or wok (a very sturdy large fry pan with tall sides will work as well) to high and coat the pan with a high heat oil such as grapeseed oil or canola oil. Add 2 tsp of sesame seed oil as well. With caution (as the very hot pan may spit) add the cauliflower rice, turn down the heat to medium-high if the pan is spitting oil. Stir quickly and often allowing the cauliflower to get some brown bits, for about 2 minutes.
  • Turn the heat down to medium and add peas, corn, 3 cloves of diced garlic, diced green onion and ginger powder. Stir to incorporate for one minute then slowly add ¼ cup of rice wine with caution as it will steam and possibly spit. Turn heat down to medium and stir often. Allow vegetables to get tender, about 5-6 minutes.
  • Add the soy sauce and scrambled eggs, stir and heat through for about 2 minutes.
  • Be sure to taste the mixture with caution and add more pepper and soy sauce if needed, stir to incorporate.
  • Optional toppings: add sriracha to taste and ¼ cup of crunchy French’s onions to garnish. Wash one bunch of cilantro well and dry. Reserve several leaves to garnish. Then chop an inch off of the bottom of the stalk and dice the whole stalk and leaves finely. Incorporate into the rice if you like cilantro. Makes about 6 servings.
Yum