Archive for the ‘Healthy Meals’ Category
Vegetarian Lentil Soup
August 13th, 2011 | 
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Lentil soup is a hearty, thick soup and is very popular with family and friends. Many lentil soup recipes call for adding a ham bone or pork or other meat. This is a vegetarian version that has no animal products or animal fat. It uses a little bit of olive oil but that is a good, healthy fat.
This is a hearty, delicious and healthy soup recipe that is sure to be a favortie with friends and family. It is low in fat and high in satisfying flavor.
Posted in Healthy Foods, Healthy Meals, Low Fat Meals, Soup Recipes, Soups, Vegetarian Recipes | 
Tags: Lentil soup | 
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Hot & Spicy Chili Pepper and Steak Burrito
If you have a craving for something hot and spicy, then this is the perfect recipe! It’s a hot and spicy burrito with grilled steak and 5 different chili peppers – and not just any chili peppers! It uses serranos, habaneros and jalapeños to supply the hotness plus it has Anaheim peppers and mini peppers for added flavor. It’s pretty hot, but its good!
This recipe is similar to the steak fajitas recipe elsewhere in this website. The main difference is that this recipe calls for skirt steak instead of flat iron steak. Try to get a good cut of lean meat — preferably grass-fed beef. If it isn’t so lean, then spend the time and trim away all the fat you can manage. You want the steak to be really lean for two reasons. First, it makes for better flavor and second, it is healthier with less fat.
The hot & spicy burrito is also prepared with guacamole. The recipe for guacamole can be found in the sauces and dressings section of this website. ... Read Full Story
Quickest Vegetable Soup Recipe
This is the quickest vegetable soup recipe that I know. It is delicious and low in fat, yet very fast and easy to make. Most soups take a lot of time to make and usually you wind up making enough to feed a small army. You can make a half-batch of this recipe if you like (all the photos I shot were a half-batch).
So with this recipe you can make it fast plus you can make it in small batches. Those are two big plus points … and another plus is that it is healthy! We try to use all organic ingredients – organic broth, organic basil and oregano, organic carrots, green beans and cabbage.
The secret to this recipe is that you start with vegetable broth and beef broth. They come in handy 32-oz containers. That’s what saves the time. We only use organic broths because we want to make sure they are healthy to begin with. You simply add in fresh vegetables. It only takes a few minutes to chop them. Using fresh vegetables always ensures you’re getting good food. That’s important. ... Read Full Story
Low Fat Chili Con Carne (Killer Chili)
There’s nothing like homemade chili! It seems like everyone has his or her own special recipe so this is my version. You can cook it up on the stove in a couple of hours. You first need to have some cooked pinto beans. You can cook them the day before and keep them in the refrigerator or soak them the night before and cook the beans and the chili all in one day. They take about 3 hours to cook after soaking all night.
Everything in this recipe is healthy. I use grass-fed ground beef. It’s the best quality beef you can obtain. Some chili recipes call for kidney beans, but this one uses pinto beans.
This recipe uses 3 different kinds of chili peppers – Anaheim, serrano and sweet mini-peppers. The Anaheim peppers are very mild and the serrano peppers provide all the hotness. You can substitute jalapeño peppers for the serrano peppers if you want. Jalapeño peppers are not quite as hot, but will work. The nice thing about cooking with peppers is that it seems no matter how you combine them, you can taste all the individual flavors. ... Read Full Story
Posted in Healthy Foods, Healthy Meals, Low Fat Meals |
Tags: Chili con carne, Healthy chili, Healthy Cooking, Killer chili, Low fat chili |
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Wakame Salad
This is a quick and easy recipe for wakame salad that is very healthy. You will need some dried wakame flakes, raw, unfiltered apple cider vinegar with the “Mother” and raw honey – all available from a health food store. Two brands of apple cider vinegar I have tried are Braggs and Solana Gold. Raw honey is available in many brands. I was able to buy all the ingredients from Whole Foods Market here in Southern California.
It takes about 30 minutes to make wakame salad. Start by placing the contents of a 30-gram packet of dried wakame flakes in a bowl. Add water to rehydrate the wakame and then set aside. Next, slice a cucumber and spread the slices on a cutting board and salt them. Allow the salted cucumber slices to set for 20 minutes. Mix the honey and the apple cider vinegar in a small bowl. Stir to completely dissolve the honey. ... Read Full Story
Posted in Fat Free Meals, Fat Free Recipes, Healthy Meals, Heart Healthy Recipes, Quick and Easy Meals, Salads |
Tags: Wakame Salad |
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Vegetable Curry With Chicken
This is a basic vegetable curry recipe with chicken. The basic curry requires a little bit of vegetable oil for cooking, some chopped garlic, whole cumin seeds, red onions, tomatoes, mild green peppers, chopped ginger plus some turmeric root powder and some coriander powder. This is the basis for most any vegetable curry and takes about 6 to 8 minutes to cook thus far. Into this mixture you will add some vegetables. In this case I chose to add cauliflower, broccoli and yams. The vegetables require softening so they need to be cooked for about 25 to 30 minutes. Then I add some chicken cut into small pieces. Cook for another 5 minutes (don’t cook the chicken too much … you don’t want dry, hard chicken).
The basic idea for making curry is to have the ingredients all chopped up and prepared ahead of time. Start by sautéing chopped garlic in oil and gradually add each ingredient one after the other in a certain order, cooking each ingredient a little at a time. After sautéing the chopped garlic for a couple of minutes then you will add the whole cumin seeds. Cook them until the seeds are dark and the garlic is a very light tan color. Next, add the onions and cook them … you don’t want them brown., Next, add the tomatoes … this will slow it down because tomatoes will contain some water. The last ingredient before adding the vegetables is the chopped ginger. You don’t want to cook it too long and cook away the flavor … then you add the vegetables. You will probably need to add a little water for the vegetables. ... Read Full Story
Herb Roasted Chicken
Ahhh, tasty herb roasted chicken with crisp skin! You can cook this yourself with some basic ingredients in about an hour and a half. Buy a whole chicken – preferably pasture raised (as organic as possible … not corn fed and not fattened up with hormones and antibiotics). I try to buy chicken that doesn’t contain any hormones or antibiotics, but it can be tricky getting the correct information.
Currently, there are some chickens being peddled as “Free Range” which are pretty much meaningless. The term, “Free Range”, does not mean it was not fed with corn laced with chemicals, and the terms “no added hormones or antibiotics” doesn’t mean that the growers didn’t add the chemicals into the food, so caveat emptor, “Let the buyer beware.” ... Read Full Story
Posted in Healthy Eating, Healthy Meals, Herbs and Seasonings, Natural Foods |
Tags: Healthy Meals, Herb Roasted Chicken |
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Baked Chicken Breast
This is a relatively quick and easy recipe that you can make in about 20 minutes. Chicken breast is a staple food for people who wish to lose weight, but it can get really boring. If cooked carelessly, it can turn out very dry and tasteless. This recipe will make a very tender and juicy baked chicken breast that is seasoned well and is very tasty.
I prefer range-free chicken that doesn’t contain any hormones or antibiotics. These additives make chickens grow large, and, unfortunately, I believe that they can make people grow large as well. We are able to get range-free chicken at a reasonable price from Trader Joe’s here in Southern California.
Baked chicken breast can be served as a main dish or you can cut it into pieces that you can toss into a green salad.
Ingredients:
- 1 lb boneless, skinless chicken breast (about 2 breasts)
- Thyme
- Basil
- Oregano
- Salt
- Pepper
Preheat oven to 425°. Place chicken breasts in a baking pan and season liberally with thyme and basil and sparingly with oregano. Then sprinkle with salt and pepper. Place in preheated oven and bake for about 20 to 25 minutes. Adjust cooking time according to the weight of the chicken, more or less time for more or less weight. Serve hot, tender and juicy.
Shown below is a shot of the chicken breast in a baking pan with all the seasonings – thyme, basil and oregano, along with salt and pepper. We prefer range-free chicken because it is healthier than chicken raised conventionally. Preheat oven to 425°.
Place in the oven and bake for about 20 minutes. Adjust cooking time according to the weight of the chicken.
Serve hot with sliced vegetables. Below it is shown with sliced radish, cucumber and tomato.
Posted in Healthy Eating, Healthy Meals, Heart Healthy Recipes, Herbs and Seasonings |
Tags: Baked Chicken Breast |
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Quick and Easy Broiled Salmon
This is a quick and easy recipe that you can make in about 10-15 minutes. I like Alaskan Wild Salmon because it isn’t farm-raised. We are able to get ours from Trader Joe’s here in Southern California.
Typically, a 1 to 1 1/2 lb package will make about 3-4 servings. We like to serve it with brown rice and sliced vegetables or with a green salad. This meal is made from good, whole, natural foods.
Ingredients:
- 1 – 1 1/2 lbs Wild Alaskan Salmon
- Paprika
- Garlic powder
- Lemon slice
Cut salmon into small slices and place in a shallow foil-lined pan. Cutting salmon into small slices will make slightly crispy edges and good texture. Sprinkle with parika and garlic powder. Broil on high for about 10 minutes. When salmon is cooked, remove from broiler and fold the foil over to enclose the cooked salmon and allow it to steam for about 5 minutes to make it tender and juicy. Cooking time will vary according to the thickness of the salmon. Garnish with lemon slice.
Shown below is a photo of the package of salmon on a cutting board. This is just over 1 lb. We like Wild Alaskan Salmon.
Cut the salmon into small slices for slightly crispy edges and a nice texture.
Place in a foil-lined pan and sprinkle with paprika and garlic powder.
Broil on high for about 10 minutes … cooking time will vary according to the thickness of the salmon. Folding the foil over to completely enclose the salmon and allowing to steam for about 5 minutes will help make it more tender and juicy.
Serve with green salad or sliced vegetables or brown rice. Shown below with sliced cucumbers and tomatoes with a little brown rice.
Posted in Core Foods, Healthy Meals, Heart Healthy Recipes, Quick and Easy Meals |
Tags: Broiled Salmon |
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Fat Free Palak Moong Dal
This is a fat free recipe for Palak Moong Dal. Dal is a thick soup or other Indian dish made with legumes. Palak Moong Dal is normally made with clarified butter or ghee, but this fat free version uses water in place of ghee or cooking oil. Palak Moong Dal is a very healthy thick soup made with fresh vegetables and dried mung beans. It takes a couple hours to cook and you have to chop a lot of vegetables, but it is worth the trouble.
Start by obtaining all the ingredients from your grocery store. Some of the items you’ll probably have to buy from a health food store – like dried mung beans and fresh ginger root. We make it using organic vegetables we buy at our local Whole Foods Market.
Ingredients:
- 1 cup whole mung beans, rinsed clean
- 5 cups water
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp turmeric
- 3 cups fresh spinach, cleaned, stemmed & sliced (or a 10-oz pack frozen spinach)
- 2 cups finely sliced onions (approx. 1 large onion)
- 4 cups red ripe tomatoes, sliced and chopped into chunks (approx. 3 large tomatoes)
- 3 cups chopped Anaheim chili peppers (approx. 3 large peppers)
- 1 tbsp finely chopped fresh ginger (minced with a chef’s knife)
- 1 tbsp crushed or minced garlic
- 1/4 cup fresh coriander (cilantro), chopped
- 1/2 tsp garam masala
- 1 1/2 tbsp whole cumin seeds
1. Cook the Dal
Measure out 1 cup of whole mung beans into a large cooking pot with lid. Rinse the beans then strain through a mesh colander 5 or 6 times until beans are clean. Add 5 cups water to the pot and then add 1/4 tsp turmeric and 1 tsp salt. Place lid on pot and heat over high flame just until the water starts to boil, then turn the flame way down and cook slowly over a low flame for 1 1/2 hours, stirring occasionally with a wooden spoon. Cook very slowly over a low flame to make a nice, creamy soup. After the mung beans have cooked for 1 1/2 hours, add the sliced spinach, then cover the pot and simmer for 15 minutes.
2. Prepare the “Spicy Tomato Butter”
While the dal is cooking, chop all the vegetables and prepare the spicy tomato butter. It is called “spicy tomato butter” because normally, you would use light ghee (clarified butter) or vegetable oil, but this is a fat free version and we are using water instead of oil or ghee, so it shouldn’t really be called “spicy tomato butter.” Rather, it is more like spicy cooked vegetables. The vegetables are cooked in a large skillet, adding ingredients gradually taking care to time everything very exactly.
- Start by adding about 1/2 cup of water to the skillet, then bring to a boil and then add the whole cumin seeds. Cook the cumin seeds for about a minute or two until they begin to darken and the cooking water starts to turn brownish yellow. This is the fat-free way to make this recipe so we are cooking in water, only. In the regular way to make palak moong dal, you would use about 4 or 5 tbsp of ghee or light vegetable oil at this stage instead of water. Then, when the oil is heated, you would add the cumin seeds and cook for just 12 seconds (until the seeds begin to turn dark).
- Next, turn down the heat to a medium flame and add the sliced onions. Cook for about 10 to 12 minutes, stirring continuously with a wooden spoon until the onions are soft and translucent and the flavor of the cumin seeds is infused into the onions. There should also be a very nice aroma of cumin seed at this stage.
- Next, add the chopped chili peppers, chopped coriander, ginger and garlic. Keep stirring with a wooden spoon and cook at this stage for 2 minutes only. Just cook long enough at this step to infuse the flavors a little bit.
- Next, add the chopped tomatoes, then stir with a wooden spoon and cover the skillet and cook for 20 minutes. Stir occasionally during this time, taking care not to burn the vegetables. Adjust the flame as needed.
3. Add the Cooked Vegetables to the Dal
After the vegetables are cooked and the mung beans and spinach have simmered for 15 minutes, add them to the dal. At this time, add 1/2 tsp of garam masala and perhaps another 1/2 to 3/4 tsp of salt (to taste). Stir with a wooden spoon, then cover the pot and simmer for an additional 15 minutes to marry up all the flavors. Serve hot.
Shown below is a photo of most of the ingredients. Starting from the back row and going left to right: turmeric, chopped garlic, whole cumin seeds, garam masala, 3 large tomatoes, onion, dried mung beans, ginger root, coriander (cilantro) and Anaheim chili peppers.
Shown below is the rest of the ingredients – fresh spinach.
Start by rinsing the mung beans. Rinse them about 5 or 6 times, straining through a mesh colander after each rinsing.
Add 5 cups of water to the rinsed mung beans plus 1/4 tsp. of turmeric and 1 tsp. of salt. We are using sea salt. Place the pot over a high flame then cover and bring to a boil. After it comes to a boil, turn the flame way way down and cook slowly for 1 1/2 hours. Cook it over a low flame to get a creamy texture. Cover it with a lid while cooking.
While the dal is cooking, chop up all the vegetables. Start with the Anaheim chili peppers.
Cut the end off the pepper, then cut the pepper in half.
Remove all the seeds and ribs.
Slice the pepper halves lengthwise into about 4 or 5 slices each.
Now chop into medium sized chunks. Repeat for all three peppers.
Gather up al the chopped peppers into a bowl and set aside for now.
Slice the onion into thin slices. Start by quartering the onion. If you are using two small onions instead of one large onion, you can cut them into halves instead of quarters.
Peel the skin off and slice each part into thin slices.
When the onions are all sliced up, set them aside.
Chop the fresh coriander (cilantro).
Peel the fresh ginger root and slice up into chunks.
Either use a chopper or chop the ginger root with a chef’s knife. Chop it up real fine – nearly minced.
I like to prepare all the chopped ingredients in bowls so they are ready to add when the time comes. Shown below left to right, back to front: ginger root, chopped garlic, coriander and whole cumin seeds. Lately I’ve been doing this a little differently. I place all the chopped peppers in a bowl, then add the coriander, ginger and garlic over the top of the peppers because they are all added to the skillet at the same time.
Finally, chop all the tomatoes and set them aside in a bowl.
Check the dal and stir it with a wooden spoon once in awhile. Keep it covered while cooking.
In a large skilet, add about 1/2 cup of water and bring it to a boil over a high flame. Then add the whole cumin seeds.
Cook the cumin seeds over a high flame for about 1 to 2 minutes. The seeds will start turning dark and the cooking water will become yellowish in color.
Add the sliced onions, then cook over a medium flame for about 10-12 minutes. Stir continuously with a wooden spoon.
After the onions have cooked for about 10-12 minutes, add the chili peppers, coriander, chopped garlic and ginger root. Cook for 2 minutes and stir with a wooden spoon.
After the chili peppers, coriander, chopped garlic and ginger root have cooked for 2 minutes, add the chopped tomatoes.
Stir all the vegetables together with a wooden spoon.
Cover the skillet and cook for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.
After the dal has cooked for 1 1/2 hours, add the fresh spinach. I like to cut the spinach into smaller pieces so they aren’t too stringy in the finished soup.
Stir the fresh spinach into the dal until it is completely covered.
Cover the pot with a lid and continue cooking over a very low flame for another 15 minutes.
When the vegetables have finished cooking 20 minutes after the tomatoes have been added, they are ready to be added to the dal.
Add the cooked vegetables to the dal.
Stir the cooked vegetables into the dal and add 1/2 tsp. of garam masala. At this time I like to add about another 1/2 to 3/4 tsp. of salt.
Simmer for about 15 minutes to marry up all the flavors, then serve hot. Serve with brown rice and some naan bread. Naan bread is really good but it can make you hungry so go easy on it.
Posted in Fat Free Meals, Fat Free Recipes, Healthy Meals, Heart Healthy Recipes, Indian Cooking, Soup Recipes, Soups |
Tags: Fat Free Cooking, Fat Free Meals, Indian Cooking |
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