conscious eating


Planet, once loved commercial ketchup; then she read the labels. “Most ketchup is made of tomato concentrates, sugars, including high-fructose corn syrup, cane sugar, agave nectar, coconut nectar/syrup, brown rice syrup, cane juice and cane crystals, vinegar, “spices” that is likely code for MSG, water and refined salt. All of this makes ketchup addicting,” she says. “While you could pay for pricey


organic ketchup and condiments that come without added sugars, you can save money by spending five minutes in the kitchen to make your own.” Find a recipe at Tinyurl. com/HealthyKetchupRecipe.


DIY Versions Add Zest and Nutrients by Judith Fertig


CRAZY-GOOD CONDIMENTS


W


hile not essential to every dish or meal, condiments provide extra flavoring, final flourishes


and added enjoyment to any dish. Such meal accompaniments range from vin- egars to spreads and sauces, finishing spice mixtures and natural salts. America’s previous king of condi-


ments was ketchup. Today, according to a 2017 poll from TeDailyMeal.com, it stands behind mayonnaise and mustard with soy and hot sauce rounding out the top five (generic product ranking at Tinyurl.com/Top20Condiments). We oſten take familiar condiments


for granted, yet a look at their ingredi- ents can be startling. Many prominently include processed corn syrup and other sugars, sodium, gluten, monosodium glutamate (MSG), artificial flavors and un- pronounceable preservatives, according to Dana Angelo White, a registered dietitian in Fairfield, Connecticut.


26 Hudson County NAHudson.com Homemade versions of condiments


provide a happy alternative. Tey not only taste great, but can be good for us. “Certain condiments add more to your meals than flavor—some actually improve your health,” says White. Te potassium in homemade mustard is good for the diges- tive system through stimulating the flow of saliva, suggests a study in the Indian Journal of Medical Research. Homemade ketchup made with small cooked tomatoes is rich in lycopene, a nutrient that pro- tects heart health, according to research published in the American Journal of Clini- cal Nutrition. White’s fresh-made “THE Green Sauce,” full of vitamin-rich avocado and cilantro, is replete with antioxidants (Tinyurl.com/TeGreenSauceRecipe).


Better Basics Ketchup Heather McClees, a plant-based nutritionist in South Carolina who blogs at One Green


Mustard Serious Eats food writer Joshua Bosel uses only six ingredients to make a deliciously easy Grainy Mustard: yellow and brown mustard seeds, dry white wine, white wine vinegar, kosher salt and an optional pinch of brown sugar. Learn how at Tinyurl.com/ WholeGrainDijonRecipe.


Mayonnaise and Ranch Dressing Eschewing eggs, J. Kenji Lopez-Alt, of San Mateo, California, uses aquafaba, the starchy liquid in a can of chickpeas, for a plant-based twist on emulsified mayon- naise. Find it at Tinyurl.com/Aquafaba MayoRecipe. In her Mebane, North Carolina, kitchen,


Kim Campbell, author of Te PlantPure Kitchen, makes a plant-based ranch dressing with tofu for body and nutritional yeast, herbs and lemon juice to achieve the characteristic flavor. Find it at Tinyurl.com/HealthyRanch Dressing.


More Exotic Condiments


Pomegranate Molasses Sweet and tart pomegranate molasses can be used like vinegar in salad dressings, as a marinade ingredient or as syrup over pancakes and waffles. Angela Buchanan, aka Angela Cooks, a professor at the University of Colorado, in Boulder, who blogs at Sea- sonalAndSavory.com, follows the Whole30 program, which bars sugar. Because she also likes Middle-Eastern food, Buchanan experimented and created her recipe for Pomegranate Molasses without added sugar (Tinyurl.com/PomegranateMolassesRecipe).


Fortyforks/Shutterstock.com


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