We love Friday-night pizza or lazy-Sunday Thai delivery as much as the next guys — but we can’t say the same for the waistline.
Luckily, we have a few tricks up our sleeves. By remaking your favorite take-out foods at home, you can get all the pleasure…with none of the guilt. All it takes is a few switch-ups.
Check out our top secrets to making just-as-delicious Take-Out Fake-Outs:
Chicken Pad Thai The secret: Turn it into soup.
You can cut the carbs and fat by making a filling veggie and protein-rich soup instead of stir-frying tons of noodles. Chunky peanut butter, minced ginger and chopped scallions kick up the flavor.
Sausage & Pepper Pizza The secret: A thin-crust whole wheat dough, lean turkey sausage and loads of antioxidant-rich peppers.
Crumbling one link of leaner turkey sausage for the entire pie saves you from loads of fat and calories — and the flavor goes a long way.
Use a thin-crust dough made with lower-carb whole-wheat and double up on vitamin-loaded red and yellow bell peppers, sweet onions and garlic. This healthy pie even adds heart-healthy arugula for bite.
Fried Chicken The secret: It’s baked!
A batter of eggs, hot sauce, honey and Dijon keeps the pieces nice and juicy, while an oven-baked crust of panko, paprika and cayenne gives the chicken a nice kick.
With just a mist of cooking spray, you can feel okay about eating that other drumstick.
Penne Vodka The secret: The creaminess comes from Greek yogurt.
Penne vodka is always a winner, but with loads of heavy cream and a heavy coating of parmesan cheese, it can be a bit, well, heavy.
This version achieves the silky, velvety texture of a creamy vodka sauce by using fat-free Greek yogurt instead.
Sesame Chicken The secret: A hint of honey and a light sauté.
This version has just as much flavor as your favorite deep-fried, sugar-laden sesame chicken but without all of the grease.
A light sauté and a batter of egg whites and corn starch give the chicken that special crunch, while a sauce made of soy, sesame seeds and a hint of honey brings a subtly sweet tang.
Serve it with nutrient-rich broccoli and steamed brown rice.
Look out for more Take-Out Fake-Outs to come!
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This article appears in Nov 1-7, 2012.
