How to Cook & Bake Oil-Free

If you're trying to cut back on oil, here are some easy and effortless tips for how to do so!

Oil has many healthy benefits, such as Omega 3, but I think it is easy to go overboard when using it. It is a pure fat and if you're not careful you could be adding hundreds of calories to your meals without even realizing it. Olive oil has 1,910 calories in a cup while coconut oil has 1,879 calories in a cup. There are so many salad dressings and marinades recipes that use a half or full cup of oil. If you like moistly dressed salads, about 1/4 cup of oil in the dressing, thats 477.5 calories right there. 

In a effort to cook with less oil I have been experimenting. My first breakthrough - this Oil Free Applesauce Dressing (salad photo above). I couldn't believe how thick and flavorful it was and am now never without it (or at least a variation of it). Most oil free salad dressings I have made in the past have been thin in consistency and just watered down in flavor. This salad dressing got me thinking of other ways to reduce how much oil we eat. One of my favorite breakfasts is sautéed kale, a over easy egg (or a poached egg - oil free!), and a piece of sprouted dry toast. My favorite morning meal is easily made oil free by cooking the egg in a nicely made nonstick pan, sautéing the kale with veggie broth, and of course the dry toast. Simple and and thoughtless changes are all I needed to cook with less oil.  

For sautéing and stir frying 

• Use nonstick cookware - a good quality pan can make a world of difference. 
• Try a splash of vegetable broth (or even water), as needed, when sautéing veggies or making stir fry. 

For baking and roasting

•  Use baking silicone mats - These reusable nonstick mats help to keep your (oil free) caramelized roasted veggies from sticking to the pan. If you're worried about dryness, coat your veggies in veggie broth, a little balsamic vinegar, or even coconut aminos for flavor.  
• Use fruit purees - When baking, it is so easy to replace the oil in your favorite dessert recipes with a fruit puree. I tend to stick to pure pumpkin puree, unsweetened plain applesauce, and mashed avocado. For these three, I use a 1:1 ratio when subbing for oil.