Healthy Cooking Tips from the Spa Cafe
Terranea’s Spa Café offers guests healthy menu items such as fresh prepared wraps, sandwiches and salads, juices, smoothies, protein shakes, and energy bars. These light and healthful dishes are a wonderful complement to relaxing spa treatments, oceanfront workouts, and poolside lounging. As the Executive Sous Chef of Terranea, I would like to share my secrets to creating healthy menu items and provide tips for you to use at home. See below for my personal tips on reducing calories and fat without losing flavor.
Here are my tips for creating healthy dishes…
1. Use non-fat Greek yogurt in dressings and non-fat mayonnaise to make dips and spreads. The substitution is a good way to reduce the fat and calories traditionally found in the condiments without compromising the dish.
2. Strain organic cottage cheese through a cheese cloth. You can then use the cottage cheese as a tasty substitute to high fat cheese in food items such as breakfast burritos, sandwiches, and salad toppings.
3. Cook dishes with Grape Seed Oil. Studies suggest that Grape Seed Oil offers many health benefits that include improving blood cholesterol levels and disease prevention. Additionally, grape seed oil is rich in vitamins and healthy fats, which makes it a healthier alternative to traditional cooking oils.
{Image from Terranea Resort’s Spa Café}
