healthy cooking tips

The LA-based vegan sisters behind Spork Foods are known for their decadent treats that shock even the most devoted dairy lovers. Last weekend, I had the opportunity to chat with one-half of the duo, bubbly and bright Heather Goldberg, at the Natural Products Expo West in Anaheim. An expert in all recipes plant-powered, Heather shared her secret tip for keeping vegan treats moist and delicious.

To veganize a traditional dessert recipe, Heather suggests swapping out the butter for Earth Balance or coconut oil. But the real secret to a moist vegan dessert is using her "buttermilk" in place of dairy milk. To make Heather's vegan buttermilk, start with almond or soy milk, then add a little lemon juice or apple cider vinegar to the mix. You know you've got the recipe right when you see a curdling effect and little chunks form. Heather explains, "It looks scary, but [when] you pour it [the vegan buttermilk] into your batter, it makes the recipe moist and fluffy. I think a lot of people have had a vegan dessert that is tough or dry, but that's unacceptable. This step takes a few seconds, and really changes the flavor and the texture."

For more sweet inspiration, watch our video with the sisters where we cook up an apple pie milkshake, or check out their cookbook Spork-Fed ($20).

Olive oil has a reputation for being one of the healthiest oils to eat and cook with, but recently, coconut oil is gaining the same support within the health community. With each having their own benefits in the kitchen, here's a guide on deciding which oil is best for your healthy cooking needs.

When compared nutritionally, both coconut and olive oil contain 120 calories and 14 grams of fat per one-tablespoon serving; the significant difference being that coconut oil contains more saturated fat, primarily lauric acid. The American Heart Association (AHA) recommends limiting daily fat intake to 25 to 35 percent of total calories consumed, and saturated fat to less than seven percent. If you're going to eat saturated fat (especially if you have a history of heart issues or high cholesterol), limit your intake, and choose sources like dairy products or meat that also offer protein, calcium, and iron.

Wait a second — what about all the claims that coconut oil can cure obesity, cancer, and thyroid disease, lower your cholesterol, and boost your immune system? That's just it, these amazing health benefits are just claims. Presently, there have been no large studies to support the benefits associated with using coconut oil in meals, and the health and medical communities remain divided. Until more evidence comes out, you may want to wait before cooking everything with coconut oil (but because of its higher smoke point, it might work well in certain instances). When possible, choose a bottle of heart-healthy olive oil. The main type of fat found in all types of olive oil is monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFAs), which offer proven health benefits including lowering cholesterol, which reduces the risk of heart disease.

If you're vegan, coconut oil does make a great substitution for butter since it gives baked goods that same flaky, rich consistency and taste. But since it contains slightly more calories (20 more per tablespoon), it doesn't exactly give you the go-ahead to devour an entire plate of just-baked vegan cookies.

Source: Flickr User Veganbaking.net

Baking calms the mind and feeds the soul, but all that buttery goodness can pack on the pounds. If looking to make healthier baked goods, omitting some or all of the butter from your favorite recipes greatly reduce the amount of calories, fat, and cholesterol in your sweet treats. There are countless ways to replace eggs in recipes, and here are healthier alternatives to using butter. These substitutes are great for vegan bakers too.

• Applesauce: Often used to replace oil in recipes, applesauce can also be used as butter alternative, and works best in cake-like recipes (like this Vegan Banana Apple Chunk Bread). Replace half the amount of butter in your recipe with applesauce; if the recipe calls for one cup of butter, use half a cup of butter and half a cup of applesauce. If you don't mind a denser, more moist bread, replace all the butter with applesauce to cut even more calories and fat.
• Avocado: Substitute half the amount of butter in a baking recipe with mashed avocado (it works well with cookies); use the same method as you would when using applesauce. Using avocado not only lowers the calorie content but also creates a softer, chewier baked good, and is perfect if you want to omit the dairy.

Keep reading for more healthy ways to replace butter in your baked goods.

Antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, antinausea, and immune-boosting, ginger root has a remarkable bounty of benefits. Ginger has been used for healing and therapeutic purposes since ancient times, and lucky for us, the flavor is also incredibly tasty when you get the balance right. If the concept of getting a dose of this root feels a little enigmatic to you, then keep reading for six tasty ways to get your ginger on right now.

1. Bake it: Gingerbread houses may be synonymous with the yuletide spirit, but the crunch and spice of these lightened-up gingerbread cookies are always in season. While there's no need to overload on a whole plate of these puppies, they're one yummy sweet treat.
2. Pickle it: Love the pickled ginger that comes on the side at your favorite sushi spot? Make it in the comfort of your own kitchen. Pickled ginger is a healthy addition to homemade sushi, but it is also incredibly tasty on salad, with stir-fry, and in a meat marinade.
3. Brew it: An ideal natural remedy to clear up congestion or the onset of a sore throat is fresh ginger tea. An upset belly can also really benefit from some gingerly love.

Keep reading for three more ways to get ginger in your diet.

I'm a whole grain junkie. Check my pantry; I have at least five on hand at all times. I get a little crazy with my grains, too, and instead of cooking quinoa all by its lonesome self, I mix in another grains, like millet. The combo takes your taste buds on a flavorful ride. And if you're not a fan of a grain's texture, say the chewiness of barley, adding in another grain can disguise the texture a little, making it more palatable. You also reap the nutritional benefits of both grains at the same time.

It's best to pair grains with similar cooking times. You might need to experiment with adding extra water or increasing the cooking, but once you perfect cooking two grains together, you'll never look back. I usually measure out half a cup of each dry grain to yield about two cups total once cooked. A half-cup serving of the mixed cooked grains contains approximately an 1/8 cup of each dry grain. Here is the nutritional info below for my favorite combinations.

You're a whiz at keeping your kitchen clean and free from germs and bacteria, and you know the proper way to store dinner leftovers and pack them for lunches the next day, but what do you know about handling raw meats?

Before relying on your internal gauge, keep in mind that there are certain foods that must reach a specific internal temperature before consumption to prevent any exposure to food-borne pathogens like E. coli or salmonella. Aside from properly cleaning your hands, utensils, and the countertops that come in contact with any raw food, invest in a digital food thermometer.

The USDA's recommended internal temperature that each of the following food items should reach (the meat should then sit briefly before it is eaten).

• Pork, beef, and lamb: 145 degrees F
• Ground meat: 160 degrees F
• Poultry: 165 degrees F

Although a food thermometer can be used for all foods (not just meat), it's best to get in the habit of using one. Food that has reached a safe temperature for consuming means that harmful bacteria have been killed off and destroyed. To use a food thermometer, insert it in the fat side of the meat, being careful not to touch bone since bone conducts heat faster than fat. Make sure the entire "sensor" area of the thermometer is inserted into the food (this is usually around one to two inches long), and you should have your reading within a few seconds.

And remember to store your leftovers or unused raw food items in a refrigerator that is set to below 40 degrees Fahrenheit.

One of the perils of being in a relationship? Having a partner that isn't as health conscious as you, likes to indulge more than you do, or simply refuses to eat healthy. This can lead to either eating completely separate dinners, which can take time, or feeling like you compromise by eating less healthy than you would.

But there are some things that you can do to make a healthy compromise. Read on for my suggestions, and let me know what healthy compromises you make after the break!