Cookout season is just around the corner, and nothing accompanies a juicy burger, grilled chicken or classic hot dog better than a pasta salad. Traditional pasta and potato salads are often made with a mayonnaise base that is high in calories and fat. As tasty as these side dishes are, there are some healthier options out there that taste just as delicious!

Sue, one of our Whole Story readers, sent us an idea for an orzo salad recipe makeover just in time for the season. This salad uses an oil-and-lemon dressing for a lighter profile. We boosted the nutrition in this already healthy recipe by adding plenty of vegetables for their nutritional attributes as well as eye-catching appeal.

Check out the recipe we developed for Orzo Salad with Broccoli and Tomatoes.

(Click through on the link above for the full recipe, including comments and ratings!)

• Tripling the broccoli adds calcium, fiber, potassium, vitamin C, folate and vitamin K. Broccoli is a cruciferous vegetable, and like other cruciferous vegetables, is an excellent nutrient-rich addition to any salad.
• Grape tomatoes add potassium, vitamin A, fiber and vitamin C , not to mention flavor and bright color.
• Even green onions are good for you! They contribute potassium and vitamins.
• Olives, pine nuts and feta add tons of flavor to complement the veggies and mild orzo pasta.

This side dish is packed with essential vitamins and minerals, making it a great substitute for mayonnaise-based pasta and potato salads. Create your own variation on this salad by mixing up the combination of vegetables. Some nutrient-dense options include radishes, bell peppers of any color, red cabbage, cucumber, spinach or carrots. Choosing a variety of colors is appealing to the eye and helps you get the nutrients you need to be healthy.

You’ll be a favorite guest at summer cookouts with this salad in your repertoire. Enjoy!

Send us Your Recipe Request!

Do you have a recipe you’d like us to make natural? Post it in the comments section below! If we select your recipe for a healthy makeover and publish the improved version on our website, we’ll send you a $25 Whole Foods Market gift card.

Ava, one of our Whole Story readers, sent us this idea for a recipe makeover just in time for a Mother’s Day brunch:

Blueberry Coffee Cake

This recipe is very good, however it’s bad for your figure and unhealthy… Can you give me a healthy look on coffee cake?
2 tbs. butter
1 box white cake mix
3 eggs
1 cup sour cream
Crumb topping
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/3 cup finely chopped nuts
1 cup blueberries, fresh or frozen

Coffee cake can be a sweet start to your day or an evening dessert, but the word “healthy” does not necessarily come to mind when this baked good is mentioned. We’ve improved the nutrition profile of this crowd-pleaser by making a few substitutions: whole wheat pastry flour in place of conventional boxed cake mix, nonfat plain yogurt instead of sour cream, and extra blueberries rather than the whole amount of sugar.

Check out the recipe we developed for Blueberry Coffee Cake with Cinnamon Streusel incorporating these changes to make a healthier cake: Read the rest of this entry »

Yvonne, one of our Whole Story readers, sent us this idea for a recipe makeover:

My daughter used to love to bake. However, we recently found out from her naturopath’s tests that she is gluten-, dairy- and egg-intolerant. Do you have any kid-friendly (cookies, cakes, muffins) baking recipes which are dairy, wheat and egg free? Thanks a million!

We’d love to help! We thought cupcakes might be just the thing to get Yvonne and her daughter back in the kitchen in a hurry. Typically a cupcake batter might be made with wheat flour, eggs, milk and butter. So Yvonne’s request does seem challenging, but the recipe I developed for Frosted Spice Cupcakes is a winner no one will be able to resist. These were a big hit in the test kitchen – even with tasters who normally don’t eat special diet goodies. We hope you’ll enjoy them as much as we did.

Read the rest of this entry »

Kristin, one of our Whole Story readers, sent us her idea for a recipe makeover:

The dish my mom makes for every family gathering is taco salad. I’ve lightened it up a little by using ground turkey (or, sometimes, black beans) instead of beef, low-sodium, all-natural taco seasoning, hormone-free cheese, about three times the tomato she used, plenty of lettuce, organic blue corn chips in place of Doritos, and all-natural roasted red pepper dressing in place of Catalina (WHY does salad dressing have so much sugar???). Although I’ve been eating hers for most of my life, honestly – I like mine better!

Read the rest of this entry »

Do you have a favorite recipe that could use a natural makeover? Let us help!

• Maybe your recipe is chock full of processed ingredients. We’ll show you how to swap those out for natural versions.
• Could the nutrition profile use some lightening up of calories, fat or sodium? Or maybe you want to get more of the good stuff – like fruits, veggies and whole grains. Let us tweak the ingredients to improve the nutrition without losing any flavor.
• Special diets call for special recipes. Whether you focus on gluten-free, dairy-free, vegetarian or vegan, one of the hardest challenges of changing your diet is missing out on old favorites. Send us those family classic dishes that you crave and let us make them fit your new dietary needs.
• Maybe you’ve already created a healthy makeover of a favorite recipe. Send us that, too!

Post your recipe, along with any interesting background on the recipe and why you are looking for a healthier version, in the comments section below. If we select your recipe for a healthy makeover and publish the improved version on our website, we’ll send you a $25 Whole Foods Market gift card.

Here’s a sampling of some of the favorite “make it natural” recipes we’ve created: Read the rest of this entry »