Rules of Thumb

There are quite a few dishes I make that I almost never follow a recipe for.  Thus they are never quite the same twice (lasagna, stir fries, soups and chili).  A large part of the reason for my going recipe-less is my desire to use what I have on hand, what's in season and/or what's on sale.  I do have some patterns I follow, however;

1. If I can add beans, I do.  I rarely make any kind of soup or chili without adding a variety of beans.  Beans are a super food, they're inexpensive and they are great in food storage.  And yes, this can lead to flatulence.  My poor husband.

2.  Can I use whole wheat?  There are certain recipes that "disguise" whole wheat well.  Zucchini bread, banana bread, pumpkin bread, bread, carrot cake, anything cocoa based, lasagna (whole wheat noodles), muffins and so on and so forth.  Sometimes I only sub part whole wheat flour, but, as long as I have access to fresh ground flour- it's usually all or nothing.

3. I add veggies.  Soup, stir fry, pasta, dips, smoothies- I add veggies to all these things, again just depending on what I have on hand.  I'm an onion fanatic.  Onions go in everything savory.

4. I add ground flax.  If I bake it, it probably has flax in it.  Other favorite add ins are nonfat plain Greek yogurt and quinoa. 

5.  I reduce or sub out sugar wherever I can without sacrificing flavor.

6.  I never mess with butter.  Butter is where the richness comes from.  Butter may be high in fat, but gosh darn it, it makes things taste good.