We live in a day and age where fried food is easily accessible and quite convenient. Because of this, and because of how busy our lives are, many of our diets are atrocious and consist largely of exclusively fried foods. Fried food, while fine in moderation, can wreak havoc on your health if you consume it day after day, and for every meal. The levels of fat, salt, and cholesterol present in these foods can be astronomical, and over a prolonged period, they can contribute to heart disease and several other conditions.
If you still want to eat delicious food but do not want to eat it with the cost of damaging your health, then you have visited the right page. This article will offer you six healthy and tasty alternatives to fried food that you can consume any day and any time.
Here are six healthy alternatives to fried food.
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1. Air-Fryer Mozzarella
Before we move onto the delicious, tasty, mozzarella snacks we are going to offer you, let us first discuss air-fryers. Air-fryers are pieces of equipment that can change your life but allow you to still eat ‘fried foods’. Using the Maillard reaction, air-fryers heat food up with a fan and cause it to crisp up. This means, essentially, that you can fry virtually anything, except without the oil, which is the most harmful part of fried foods. Air fryers are a genius solution. Rather than consuming harmful fats, oils, and chemical by-products of frying, you can eat delicious fried food without damaging your health. Air fried foods are fantastic and are something that more and more people need to begin consuming instead of unhealthy fried foods found in fast-food restaurants and at home.
Air-fried mozzarella is very easy to make, providing you have an air fryer. Yes, you will need to go out and pick up an air-fryer first, though they are quite inexpensive when you consider the health benefits that you can get from using them. To start, in a bowl add eggs, and in a separate bowl add bread crumbs, salt, pepper, oregano, dried basil, and red chili flakes. Roll your air fryer mozzarella sticks up until they look like sausages, then dip them into the eggs, then the breadcrumbs, then the eggs, then the breadcrumbs. Freeze for an hour, recoat, then add to the air-fryer. Delicious!
2. Zucchini Chips
A nice healthy recipe is zucchini chips. Zucchini, or courgette, is a delicious and nutritious vegetable that more people should consider adding to their diet. Courgettes, which look very similar to cucumbers, can make a powerful addition and can help you to begin eating healthier. Zucchini chips make a great alternative to potato chips as a side dish, or just as a snack. You can make these by slicing a courgette thinly and horizontally. When you have the individual slices, preheat an oven to 200 degrees, season them with salt and pepper, then add them into the oven on a lined baking tray. Allow them to cook for about 45 minutes, or until they become crisp and browned, then remove them from the oven. They will taste delicious! Serve with homemade chili jam or any other dip.
3. Air-Fried Chicken
Moving onto perhaps the universal favorite, fried chicken. However, this is fried chicken with a twist, for while it is fried, it is not fried in oil, which means that, while it should only be eaten moderately, we can eat it knowing we are not totally poisoning ourselves and that we are eating somewhat healthily. For air-fried chicken, one needs only prepare the chicken in the way that one would if one were making ordinary fried chicken. Once you have prepared your chicken to your preferred style, simply pop it into the air-fryer and leave it to cook for however long your device says it takes! Yum!
4. Baked Hash Browns
Hash browns are a favorite of most people. To make hash browns, simply grate four large russet potatoes into a bowl. Boil the potatoes until cooked through, around 15 minutes or so, then take them out. When out, season and mix with two eggs. Take the grated potato mix out and form hash brown shapes. When formed, add to the freezer for two hours. After removal, put them straight into a preheated oven and let them bake for half an hour. There you have yourself some delicious baked hash browns!
5. Aubergine and Tomato Pasta
If you are trying to eat healthier, it is important to include more vegetables in your diet. Aubergines and tomatoes are a great addition to any diet, are filled with antioxidants, and can make you much healthier. For this recipe, you need one aubergine, a pack of San Marzano tomatoes, though you can just use a tin of chopped tomatoes, parsley, basil, and a bottle of Chianti, as well as garlic and onion. To start with, lightly fry the chopped garlic in olive oil, then after it becomes fragrant, add the red wine into the pan to deglaze. Then, add your aubergine, parsley, basil, and chopped tomatoes. Allow this to cook for around twenty minutes. Serve with pasta or bread.
6. Salmon Parcels
Another great way to eat healthily, and a nice alternative to fried food, are salmon parcels. Lightly wrap salmon in tin foil, but not before you give them a squirt with lemon juice, put garlic in with them, and some rosemary. Allow these to cook for around twenty minutes. Salmon parcels are delicious and are great as a main to a number of different sides. Dill is a herb that compliments salmon massively, so you could potentially put dill with some mashed potato and serve that on the side, with asparagus and broccoli. Salmon is a fish that can be a great addition to your diet and it is something you should consume at least once a week, for it is filled with healthy oils.
In this article, we hope to have provided you with four delicious recipes that are alternatives to fried food. We hope that you have enjoyed this article and hope you understand the importance of adopting a healthier diet. Eating healthily will benefit you massively – give it a go.