Can Hearty And Healthy Coexist?

Can a hearty winter dish be also healthy? is a plate full of sauce not only good tasting but good for you? There are cold weather recipes that are both filling but light.

It's not January with out stew. Who doesn't love a bowl swimming with gravy, veggies and some kind of protein?The only problem is that it can be rich with calories and fat. A safer, yet just as satisfying dish is a vegan stew. Try one that employs traditional winter root vegetables such as turnips and parsnips.Onions, carrots and potatoes round it out and give it a backbone.You don't need meat for flavor. Add a dash of cumin or turmeric instead Instead of heavy dumplings serve with brown rice.What's also great about this stew is that it translates very well into second day leftovers.Bean stew is another hearty and healthy chill chaser.Mix white beans  or cannellini with tomatoes along with white wine and olive oil. Season with both thyme and sage to give it some oomph.This dish might be even better with crusty hunks of Italian bread but go light with the Northern Italian grissini which are between only fourteen and twenty-one calories a breadstick.

Another hearty winter dish is pasta. Who wouldn't want a bowl swimming with spaghetti or gemelli, along with meatballs?. The last can be made with low calorie mushrooms or beans and have the same spicy flavor as the real thing.Not surprisingly pasta can be low calorie Instead of the usual whole grain wheat , think ancient grains such as quinoa and brown rice. These can be found in all forms including lasagna noodles.Even this calorie rich casserole can be made lighter.it can be made with quinoa and zucchini slices standing in for the pasta.Instead of ground beef and hard boiled eggs.Add red and green peppers along with spinach for color.You can also use cauliflower instead of the quinoa.Pizza  is another hearty dish, surprisingly and we all love one with a thick , yeasty crust , and topped with an overload of meat and cheese. Despite it being a great chill chaser it is loaded with calories. Lower those with subbing in a mix of cauliflower and beaten egg as the crust.Sub in low calorie mozzarella or the vegan cheese and top with healthy but tasty topping. Try oven crisped portabello mushrooms , seared  peppers and even roasted tomatoes. Craving meat? Then go vegan with soy pepperoni and bacon.

Hearty dishes can be light  in calories. They can be just as filling and delicious as their calorie rich cousins. Make them on a cold winter's day.