Cookin' Up a Storm: Healthy Recipes By Melissa

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Green Beans with Almonds

Posted by MelissaE Jun 11, 2008

Ingredients

1 pd Green Beans
1 pd. Wax Beans (white string beans)
1 Lg. Red Onion
½ cup Toasted Almond Slivers
4-8 cloves Garlic
Lemon Juice
Salt and coriander to taste

Mince garlic and sautee in pan. Add onions and cook half-way. Toast Almonds with a little oil in separate pan. Mix everything together with beans. Put flame on low and cover. Add lemon juice, salt, and coriander. Cook until beans are as soft as you like em!

0 Comments Permalink Tags: string, beans, vegetables, vegetarian, healthy, dinner

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Fancy Fruit Salad

Posted by MelissaE May 24, 2008

Great for Memorial Day BBQs! Fruit salad with yogurt honey dressing. Very easy one!

Fruit is the obvious main ingredient. I recommend watermelon, canteloupe, mango, strawberries, blueberries, kiwi, peaches, rasperries
Vanilla Yogurt
Honey
Cinnamon
Coconut flakes

Cut all fruit in bite-size pieces. Watermelon looks great if you cut it in small triangular wedges and garnish around the fruit salad. Use these fruits or any other of your favorites! Top with coconut flakes--dried cranberries and slivered almonds also work well on top. Dressing -- mix one cup of vanilla yogurt to about one tablespoon honey. Add cinnamon to taste.

Why is fruit good for you?

0 Comments Permalink Tags: fruit, salad, strawberries, bbq

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Strawberry Spinach Salad With Homemade Dressing

Posted by MelissaE May 13, 2008

This one is really easy. A great recipe for summer...

Ingredients

Baby Spinach
Chopped Strawberries
Sliced Jicama
Toasted Almonds or Pine Nuts
Hard Boiled Egg
Avocado Chunks
Mushrooms

Dressing:

1-2 tbsp Goat Cheese (depending on how thick you want it)
½ Cup Olive Oil
½ Cup Balsamic Vinegar
Garlic Salt
Italian Seasonings

Mix All together... you will have to whisk the goat cheese until it melts (the dressing will turn thick)

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Guacamole

Posted by MelissaE Mar 10, 2008

This isn't anything like the stuff you buy in a jar or a tub or a tube or a powder or whatever guacamole comes in. This is the real deal. I can eat it with a spoon it's so good. But I recommend serving it with blue corn chips, pita, carrots, or any mexican dish.

Ingredients

Four Avocadoes, soft
½ cup Cilantro
1 small red onion, minced
One whole large ripe tomato
Juice from one lime
Salt or Garlic Salt to taste

Mash Avocados (if you want it chunky, don't mash entirely). Dice cilantro, onion, and tomato. Mix together, with lime and (garlic) salt ....chill and serve.

Add a pinch of cayenne pepper, hot sauce, or jalapenos for a little extra spice.

0 Comments Permalink Tags: avocado, guacamole

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Pesto Hummus

Posted by MelissaE Feb 28, 2008

Great party food & healthy appetizer.

Ingredients

One Can Garbanzo beans
2-3 Cloves of Garlic-minced
2 tbsp Lemon Juice
3 Tbsp Olive Oil
2 Tbsp Tahini (sesame seed paste)
Salt to Taste
½ Cup Pesto Sauce (jarred or homemade- see below)

Homemade Pesto Sauce:

One handful of basil
1/3 Cup Toasted Pine Nuts (sauté over stove top w/olive oil until golden brown)
¼ cup Olive Oil
Salt to Taste

Boil Garbanzo Beans for 30 minutes. Drain (leave a little water) When beans are soft, mix in all ingredients in the pot. Scoop into blender. Blend until pureed.

Enjoy Pesto with carrot sticks, celery sticks, tortilla chips, pita bread, crackers....

Is pesto healthy? I think so.... Check out what others think of its nutritional value:

http://community.active.com/message/443867#443867

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Seafood Pasta

Posted by MelissaE Feb 22, 2008

This is one of my favorite recipes. Not the healthiest recipe in the universe, but it's much better than most seafood pastas that are drowning in thick sauces...

Ingredients

Scallops
Shrimp
1 Lg. red onion
Bundle of green onions
Alfredo powder (I use Simply Organic)
Cream
White wine
Lemon
1 stick Butter
Tomatoes
Mushrooms
Linguini
Parm Cheese
Parsley

Saute onions in a bit of butter until they are soft. In a large, deep pan -- mix onions, stick of butter, mushrooms, and fish on low heat.

Add white wine and cream until you get a good consistency. Add alfredo powder to thicken it up a bit and add flavor. Add tomatoes and lemon juice.

Cook on low, covered until shrimp is pink and scallops are white. Add garlic salt to taste. Enjoy over linguini. Feel free to add other veggies... shredded carrots, yellow peppers, asparagus, and zucchini all work well... Get creative.

Garnish with fresh parsley and shredded parm cheese.

0 Comments Permalink Tags: seafood, pasta, linguini

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Tilapia Stuffed with Spinach

Posted by MelissaE Feb 5, 2008

This one looks fancy, but is actually really easy. Great for impressing people...

Ingredients

Spinach
Garlic
Mushrooms
Thin, white fish (such as Tilapia)
Bread crumbs
Coriander
Garlic Salt
Lemon
Butter

Saute garlic, spinach, and mushrooms. Mix bread crumbs with coriander, and lots of garlic salt. Wash the fish. Dip in bread crumb/seasoning mixture.

Place spinach concoction in the middle of the fish and roll the fish around the spinach. (starting from one end, so it looks like a pinwheel.) Place on a baking pan, spray with lemon juice, top with very small pads of butter.

Bake on 400 degrees for 25-40 minutes (depending on how thick the fish is.) This recipe works well with any light, thin fish.

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Red Pepper and Tomato Soup

Posted by MelissaE Jan 28, 2008

It's still soup season...

Ingredients

3 tablespoons olive oil
1 yellow onion, chopped
6 large tomatoes (3lb), coarsely chopped
4 large red bell peppers, coarsely chopped
3 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
½ chipotle chile (optional)
2 cups chicken or vegetable stock
fresh basil or parsley
fresh mozzarella (boconini), ricotta, Parmesan
calmata olives
balsamic vinegar (to darken color)

In a large saucepan over medium heat, heat olive oil. Add the onion and sauté until softened. Reduce the heat to medium-low and add the tomatoes, bell peppers, garlic, chile and stock. Cover partially and cook until the vegetables are softened. Remove from heat. For a smokey flavor, saute the red peppers separately until blackened on both sides.

In a blender, puree the vegetables in batches until smooth. Alternatively, process with a handheld blender in the pan until smooth. Pass the pureed soup through a medium-mesh sieve set over a serving bowl, pressing on the pulp.

Discard any solids left in the sieve. Season to taste with salt and pepper. If you serve it chilled, let cool to room temperature, cover and refrigerate the soup until it is well chilled. (4 hours minimum.) If served chilled add a dollop of sour cream or yogurt.

If served hot (recommended), chop up some basil, olives, and/or parsley for garnish and top with cheese -- mozz, ricotta and parm works best.

0 Comments Permalink Tags: red, pepper, tomato, soup, vegetable

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Grilled Cheese

Posted by MelissaE Jan 16, 2008

OK, OK, this one isn't the healthiest recipe in the world. But it's really good and really easy -- a new twist to the basic grilled cheese.

Ingredients

Whole Grain Bread (Not just whole wheat - make sure it's got real grains in it!)
Butter
1 lg. Onion
Cilantro
1 Lg. tomato
Provolone Cheese
Cheddar Cheese
Swiss Cheese

Cut onion in slices and sautee until soft. Butter one side of both slices of bread. Place one slice of bread (butter side down) in a pan over medium heat and layer with ingredients in this order: One cheese, cooked onion, another cheese, cilantro pieces and tomato slice, final cheese, then finish with the last piece of bread, butter side up. Flip and cook to until golden.

3 Comments Permalink Tags: grilled, cheese, tomato, onion

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Carob Chip Cookies

Posted by MelissaE Jan 9, 2008

Ingredients

1/3 Cup Organic Canola Oil
½ Cup Pure Maple Syrup
1 Tspn. Vanilla extract
1 Organic Egg
1 Tspn.. Baking Soda
1 ¾ Cups Oat or Brown Rice Flour
½ Cup Carob Chips (unsweetened)

Oil two baking sheets and preheat oven to 375. In a medium-sized bowl, combine the oil, maple syrup and vanilla. Beat the egg and stir into the oil mixture. Gradually stir in soda and flour to form a stiff batter. Fold in carob chips and drop the batter onto
the baking sheets by the teaspoon. Bake for 10 to 15 minutes until cookie is lightly browned. Remove from oven and cool
Makes 3 ½ to 4 dozen.

0 Comments Permalink Tags: cookies, healthy, carob

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Veggie Lasagna

Posted by MelissaE Jan 2, 2008

This is an easy recipe. One of my favorites....

Ingredients

1 pd. Fresh pasta sheets (can use whole wheat, quinoa, kamut, or other healthy grains)
1 lb. mozzarella cheese (use the fresh stuff -- makes a huge difference)
2 lbs. low-fat ricotta cheese
Freshly grated parm cheese
1 jar tomato sauce
Vegetables -- use your favorites. I use red onions, yellow peppers, broccoli, spinach, fresh tomato, mushrooms and yellow squash.

Sautee vegetables. Using a 9x13 pan, put a thin layer of tomato sauce at the bottom. Place pasta sheets on top, then add mozzarella and ricotta cheeses and a thin layer of sauteed veggies. Add tomato sauce and another layer of pasta. Place a second layer of veggies and cheese, more sauce, then pasta sheets. End with a layer of tomato sauce. Top generously with parmigiana cheese. Bake at 375 degrees for about 40 minutes or until hot.

0 Comments Permalink Tags: lasagna, vegetables, pasta, vegitarian

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Potato "Chips"

Posted by MelissaE Dec 21, 2007

This is a delicious side dish. The recipe is really easy, it just requires a lot of baking time.

Ingredients

1 pound of regular potatoes
1 pound of red potatoes
1 pound of sweet potatoes
1 pound of blue potatoes (you usually have to go to a farmers market or health food store. If you can't find them, you don't really need them, but you'll be missing out because they are really good.)
Rosemary
Garlic salt
Olive Oil

Slice potatoes very very thin and place on baking sheet. Mix all potato slices together and drizzle with olive oil. Top with fresh rosemary and garlic salt. Roll everything around together in pan and put in over. Bake on 400 for 45-75 minutes (depending on how thick the slices were and how crispy you want the potatoes.) Occasionally mix the potatoes around in the oven.

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Fruit Concoction

Posted by MelissaE Dec 18, 2007

This one can be a great breakfast, snack or dessert.

Strawberries (about a pound)
Cantaloupe (1 whole melon)
Green Apples (about 3 large apples)
Mango (1 large mango)
Peaches (about 2 peaches)
Shredded Coconut (half a cup or so)
Granola (about a cup)
Sliced Almonds (depends how much you like almonds -- maybe a half cup)
1 Can Sweetened Condensed Milk

Dice all fruit into very small pieces. Mix in can of Sweetened Condensed milk, almonds, and granola.
Top with shredded coconut. Looks kind of gross, but it's quite delicious. To make it more presentable, you can layer ingredients in parfait cups. Fruit, sprinkle coconut, granola, and sweetened cond. milk, one more layer of each. Voila!

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Turkey Chili (with a vegetarian alternative)

Posted by MelissaE Dec 10, 2007

I’ve made a lot of chili over the last several winters, but this batch was by FAR the best. To make it
vegetarian, skip the turkey and add more beans. I use all organic ingredients to make it even
more healthy and delicious.

This recipe is to make a HUGE pot of it. You can trim it down, if you aren’t feeding an army. (Note: It freezes well, so making extra isnt such a bad idea.)

3 - 28 oz. cans of diced tomatoes (I used wild oats organic)
4 – 14 oz. cans of black beans (wild oats organic)
1 – 14 – oz. can pinto beans (wild oats organic)
2 lbs. Ground Turkey (free range)
1 lb. shredded carrots
2 large red onions
2 yellow onions, chopped
1 yellow pepper, chopped
1 bag frozen organic sweet corn
1 bunch of green onions
2 bulbs of garlic (minced)
Cumin (to taste, I used almost a tablespoon)
Crushed red pepper (a lot – depending on how spicy you like
it. I used almost half of my little jar)
Chili pepper (to taste. Also depends how spicy you like it)
Celery salt (to taste – I added a lot of this too)
1-2 cups of red wine (depending on your taste)
Balsamic Vinegar to taste (I probably used ¾ cup – it depends
how sweet you like it)
Salt (to taste)
Tons of chopped cilantro for garnish
Jalapeno, if you like it spicy

Chop red and yellow onions and put in large pot with 1-2 tablespoons of olive oil. Heat on medium and brown. When onions are almost brown, add ground turkey and minced garlic (YES – I said 2 entire bulbs, mince all cloves). Cook until turkey is brown.

Add Shredded carrots, green onion, and chopped yellow pepper (also add jalapeno here if you want spicy chili) – cook for a few more minutes. Add tomatoes and beans. Stir. Add red wine, balsamic vinegar, corn, and all spices. Simmer for 2-3 hours. (You can simmer for just an hour, but the longer you simmer, the better it tastes.)

We ate the chili over corn bread last night and it was delicious. Important note – garnish with cilantro. It makes the chili. Also garnish with shredded cheddar cheese, sour cream, and avocado slices.

0 Comments Permalink Tags: chili, black, bean, organic, turkey, vegitarian

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Mashed Sweet Potato Casserole Topped with Caramelized Bananas

Posted by MelissaE Nov 19, 2007

I've never made this one before. I found it on the Food Network's website, and I think I'm going to try it out for Thanksgiving. It's much healthier than cooking sweet potatoes with heavy cream, refined sugar, and marshmellows. I'll probably swap out the brown sugar for agave and the chicken soup for veggie broth. Other than that, it looks creative and delicious...

3 1/2 pounds sweet potatoes
2 teaspoons butter
1 cup chicken stock
Salt and pepper
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
2 large bananas, thinly sliced on an angle
1/4 cup dark brown sugar

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Place sweet potatoes on a baking sheet and roast until tender, about 1 hour. Remove from heat and let cool until cool enough to handle. (Keep oven at 350 degrees F). Peel and mash sweet potatoes in a bowl until smooth. Stir in the butter, stock, salt, pepper, and cinnamon. Transfer to a casserole dish. Cover the surface of the potatoes with the banana slices by laying them on top, slightly overlapping in concentric circles. Sprinkle the brown sugar evenly over the top. Bake for 20 minutes or until the top is browned.

Nutrition Information
Nutritional Analysis per serving	Calories 274
Fat 1.86 grams	Saturated Fat 0.79 gram
Carbohydrates 62.73 grams	Fiber 7.08 grams