“Healthy food is boring. When are you finished with your healthy diet? When can you eat something tasty and delicious food again? Life is too short to eat boring food.”
This is something that I hear a lot. If you think healthy food is boring, remember you’re comparing addictive processed food (high in sugar, fat, and salt) to unprocessed vegetables and tasteless meat. Healthy food can taste delicious, and it’s easier than you think. Learning these cooking skills will not only give you healthy and tasty food to eat, it can also make you look at life in a new and exciting way. Let’s look into how you can easily make healthy food tasty and delicious.
Two Rules of Cooking
I believe that there are two rules when it comes to cooking healthy and delicious food.
Rule 1: Taste, taste, and smell
I don’t like to follow a recipe to the letter.
I like to take a little bit of this and that. I think that the most important thing you can do to improve your cooking skills is tasting the food you’re making, while you’re making it.
I’m not talking about tasting one time, but continuously.
It’s so important to do that because when you’re adding a spice or a new flavor, it can take some time before it will have an effect on what you’re cooking.
When I’m tasting, I’ll ask myself questions. What flavor or flavors are missing? Is one of the spices dominating too much? Do I need more salt? Do I need more of a spicy kick to it?
Then I like to smell all the different spices and flavors I have available. I’ll try to imagine if what I’m smelling will fit with my dish.
To help you with this, you can try taking a bit of what you’re making and then smell the different spices.
Rule 2: Experiment, experiment, experiment
Don’t be afraid to try out different combinations of spices.
The only way to ruin your food is if you add too much at one time. You’ll have no control if you’re doing it this way.
You can easily avoid this by adding a little bit at a time and tasting along the way.
I know someone who DOES NOT KNOW HOW TO COOK.
Once in awhile I make an Indian-inspired stew and my friend asked me how I made it. I listed out the ingredients and explained the instructions.
One of the ingredients I use is red curry paste. I said to her that I’ll use 1-2 tablespoons of red curry paste and that you should start with 1 tablespoon and taste it before you add anymore.
She was so excited and wanted to surprise her boyfriend by making the stew. There was just one problem. She did not pay close enough attention to my instructions and instead of adding 1-2 tablespoon of red curry paste, she added 2 jars of red curry paste. She also forgot to taste it before serving…
Let’s just say that her boyfriend was not impressed.
What I’m trying to say is:
- Don’t be afraid of experimenting with spices and flavors, as long as you add a bit at a time, and taste along the way.
- Don’t add two jars of red curry paste unless you’re making a LARGE stew…
Travel The World In Your Kitchen — With Spices
Perhaps the coolest thing with cooking food is that you can travel to any place in the world, all from the comfort of your kitchen.
Do you have a favorite destination that has the most delicious food? Find out what the basic flavors are. What ingredients do they use? It’s usually simpler to make than you might think.
Here are 6 travel destinations to get you started with:
Italy
If you want the taste of Italy, try these:
- Tomatoes
- Garlic
- Oregano
- Basil
Greece
Do you want the Mediterranian taste?
- Olive oil
- Sea salt
- Oregano
- Lemon juice
Mexico
Missing the trip to Mexico?
- Garlic
- Chili
- Lime juice
India
If you’re like me and LOVE Indian spices, try these:
- Coconut milk
- Garlic
- Cumin
- Curry
- Coriander
China
Fancy some Chinese food today?
- Coconut oil
- Ginger
- Garlic
- Chilli
- Honey
So. Where do you want to go today?
The Secret Weapon — Broth
One of the most significant discoveries on my cooking journey has been broth. It’s now my secret weapon for making DELICIOUS dinners that everyone LOVES.
I now see broth as a liquid of pure gold. The best part is, it’s effortless to make! Here are the basics:
Vegetable broth:
Add whatever vegetables you have available in a pot or saucepan. Then add water, salt, and herbs. Take it up to medium heat and let it simmer on low heat for a few hours.
Here are a few suggestions to get you started: carrots, celery, onion, garlic, broccoli, cauliflower, ginger, basil, coriander, chili, pink Himalayan salt, ground pepper.
Bone broth:
Follow the steps for vegetable broth and add bones as well.
Chicken broth:
I think you’ve guessed it; add chicken to your vegetable broth.
One of my absolute favorite things to make, especially when it’s cold outside, is chicken soup. I’ll buy a whole chicken or hen, and put it in a pot with vegetables, herbs, salt, and water. I’ll heat it up on medium heat and let it simmer on low heat until the meat starts to fall off the bones.
Then I take out the chicken or hen and then filter the broth. I put the filtered broth in a new pot. I cut up fresh vegetables and add them to the broth. Then I’ll take off all the meat off the bones and add it to the broth and vegetables.
Bon appétit.
Resetting Your Taste Buds
If you feel that raw vegetables are lacking taste, your taste buds are probably overstimulated from processed food (refined sugar and artificial sweeteners).
We’ve found that by eating more healthy food and eating less processed food, your taste buds reset.
Our clients regularly report that their quality of taste changes when eating healthier. Believe it or not, healthy food has a richer taste.
Eating healthy food is a double win because:
- You’ll eat a lot of incredible food.
- You’ll realize that healthy food tastes richer because your taste buds have been readjusted.
Do you find it hard to eat healthy? Sign up for our 14 Day Food Reset program (link below).
I hope you don’t think cooking is a boring, mundane task, but a fun and exciting exploration of what life has to offer.
What country do you want to travel to the next time you’re cooking in the kitchen? What spices do you want to experiment with? Comment below.