Healthier Versions of Comfort Foods

When you think of winter comfort foods you may envision high-fat and high-calorie foods. However, healthier versions of some of your favorite winter foods are possible. Check out some of my winter comfort food recipes with a healthy twist. Grilled cheese and tomato soup. After playing in the snow for hours as a child, nothing tasted better than when Mom had a grilled cheese and soup waiting for us. I still enjoy a grilled cheese with tomato soup to this day, but I have ditched the white-bread and sugar-loaded version of it. It is almost impossible to find tomato soup that doesn’t contain excess amounts of sugar. And some varieties such as Campbell’s tomato soup, contain high-fructose corn syrup. Look for brands such as Kettle and Fire’s tomato soup that use honey as the sweetener, or make your own sugar-free version. Tomato soup 1 28-ounce cans of whole, peeled tomatoes 2 cups of chicken or veggie stock 2 cloves of garlic, minced 1 medium onion, finely chopped 2 tablespoon tomato paste 2 tablespoons avocado oil, olive oil or grass-fed butter ½ teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon pepper ½ cup canned, full-fat coconut milk, unsweetened 1/3 cup fresh basil leaves, finely chopped In a pot over medium heat, add the oil and saute the onions, garlic, salt and pepper until the onions are soft and translucent, about 5-8 minutes. Add rest of ingredients (except for the basil) to a blender and blend on high until smooth. Pour soup into sauce-pan. Bring to a rapid boil, cover, reduce heat and simmer for 5 minutes. Stir in basil. Serve warm. Grilled cheese: There are countless healthier bread versions available compared with nutrient-depleted, refined-sugar-containing white bread. Opt for ancient-grain breads (Aldi has an affordable ancient-grain-bread selection) or sprouted bread for your sandwich-bread option. For cheese, look for natural cheeses that only contain milk, salt and enzymes, which are usually found in the gourmet-cheese isle. And grill your sandwich using grass-fed butter instead of margarine. Slow-cooker steel-cut oats I love a hot breakfast, especially in the fall and winter months. This delicious breakfast can be prepared the night before and will be ready for you when you wake up in the morning.

1½ cups steel-cut oats 6 cups unsweetened almond milk 1/3 cup pure maple syrup 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon Dash of salt Spray slow cooker with oil (I suggest avocado-oil or coconut-oil spray) to prevent sticking. Place all ingredients in the slow cooker. Cover and cook on low for 8 hours or 4 hours on high. Top with optional walnuts, spiced apples or bananas. Apple pie Apples are naturally sweet, so there really is no need to add white sugar for a delicious warm apple pie. Natural sweetener is actually optional in this recipe, but you may find you do not even need a sweetener. Pie crust 2 cups whole-wheat pastry flour 3/4 cup butter, chilled and cubed 1 teaspoon salt Up to ½ cup ice water Mix flour and salt in a food processor. Cut in cold butter, pulsing until pea-size pieces form.

Slowly add 1 tablespoon of water at a time, until the dough is evenly moist (but not wet) and just starting to clump together; be careful not to overmix. Work dough into a ball and cover with plastic; chill for at least 30 minutes. Remove from refrigerator. On a floured surface, cut pie dough in half and roll out both halves. Transfer one of the doughs onto a pie plate and then press into place. Trim the edges if necessary. Apple-pie filling 2 tablespoons butter 5-6 sweet apples (such as Honeycrisp), sliced, skins removed 2 tablespoons cornstarch 1 teaspoon cinnamon ½ teaspoon nutmeg 1 tablespoon lemon juice Dash of salt Water as needed 1-2 tablespoons pure maple syrup, coconut sugar or stevia to taste; sweetener is optional Melt butter in pot over medium heat. Add apples and stir to coat with butter. Reduce heat and add the optional sugar, spices, lemon juice, and salt. Cook for 5 minutes, or until the apples start to soften. Mix in corn-starch. Add water 1 tablespoon at a time if mixture is too thick. Cover and let simmer for 10 to 15 minutes or until apples begin to soften.

To assemble the pie: Pour apple-pie filling onto prepared bottom crust, then cover apples with top crust. Brush top crust with egg white. Trim the extra dough from the edges and pinch edges to crimp. Bake pie for 50-60 minutes at 400 degrees or until the crust is golden.