Trying to find recipes for dishes that are both delicious and healthy can be tricky. We all want to enjoy tasty food without having to deal with the high-calorie counts of meals that use a lot of unhealthy ingredients. One ingredient that you may have overlooked that is both enjoyable and healthy is the jam. Almost everyone has some type of jam sitting in a cupboard somewhere in their house, and most people wouldn’t think to use it to increase taste without adding a lot of sugar to their dishes.
Jam is the perfect substitute for sweet alternatives such as chocolate spread, syrup, and sugar. It adds extra flavor to a dish with a fruity kick that will make jam your new favorite thing to use with all of your other cooking ingredients. Here are ten healthy, jammy dishes that you can try at home to enhance the flavor of your food.
Your Own Fruit-Flavored Yoghurt
The first thing you can use jam for is to make your own fruit-flavored yogurt. A lot of the yogurt that you find in supermarkets nowadays is packed full of unnecessary sugar, which makes them very unhealthy for you despite being advertised as healthy yogurt. It is better to buy plain yogurt and add jam as a topping to improve the overall flavor. This way, you get the same great flavor without having all of the added sugar. Instead, the sweetness comes from the fruit in a jam, which is natural sugar and is much better for you.
Add Some Jam to a Meat Dish
Adding jam to a meat dish is probably something you haven’t thought of ever doing before, but you should definitely give it a go. Perhaps try using some currant jam alongside red wine to make a pan sauce for steak. Another option is to use a peach jam accompanied with some brandy for a dish with pork chops.
Dessert Topping
Deserts are notorious for being full of sugar and overall mostly unhealthy. This doesn’t have to be the case. Switch out some of the sugar in the desserts you are making and instead add some jam. This will help enhance the flavor whilst keeping the calorie count much lower.
French Toast
French toast isn’t known for being an extremely healthy breakfast option, but everyone deserves to treat themselves once in a while. Instead of using sugar, syrup, or chocolate spread, try using jam for that sweet kick that adds a fruity twist to your french toast.
Salad
Salads are a great dish for those looking to keep an eye on how many calories they are taking in, but sometimes people think they lack flavor. Add jam alongside some vinaigrette to create a delicious salad dressing that is still healthy and very tasty.
Pancake Topping
Pancakes are usually made with a lot of butter which isn’t entirely healthy; however, there are some recipes for pancakes that are good for you. Perhaps try making some healthy pancakes and use jam as a topping to get the same great flavor.
Ice Cream
Ice Cream is another dessert that usually has a lot of sugar and cream in it, but it is possible to make healthy ice cream. Low-calorie ice cream usually has reduced sugar which you can replace with jam to make your ice cream of choice. Using strawberry jam, you can make strawberry ice cream; using raspberry jam; you can make raspberry-flavored ice cream; the choice is yours. You can also decide how much of a kick you want and tailor the dish to your preferences.
Popsicles
Popsicles are perfect for a hot summer day. To make them, all you have to do is take some jam and add some water and place them in a popsicle tray and let them freeze in the freezer. Very simple, and the results are great. You are left with a delicious cold snack to cool you down when the weather is sunny outside.
BBQ Meat
Everyone loves a barbeque, but a lot of the rubs and marinades are packed full of salt and unhealthy ingredients. Try swapping these out with some jam to glaze your meat. It makes the meat sticky and full of mouth-watering flavor.
