Healthy Food Recipe Thread

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ElizaE

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I guess I am no fun. I was just reading the “Favorite Comfort Food Thread” and everyone wanted an alternative to the fatty food. I thought we could post out healthy recipes on here and people could take a couple and try them.

My husband and I are doing South Beach so here is my recipe (BTW it is husband approved. So ladies don’t tell your hubby that this is healthy and he will never know:thumbsup:)

Sugar Free, Fat Free (or Fat Reduced), Full Flavor Cheesecake
South Beach Diet Approved Phase I

1 package of FF or Reduced Fat Cream Cheese
1 cup of cottage cheese
2/3 cup of hot water
1 package (4 serving size) sugar free jello (any flavor… my hubby’s favorite is orange, mine is lime)
1.5 cups of sugar free cool whip + 1.5 SF cool whip as a topping
Splenda to taste

Mix the jello with hot water. Set aside.
Mix cheese and cottage cheese together. Add the jello and hot water. Add the 1.5 cups of cool whip and splenda to taste. Put in pie form or I like to pour into cupcake forms (better for portion control). Refrigerate. Spread the rest of cool whip on top.

I am going to try this recipe with ricotta and see if I like it better. I promise this is delicious and only about 70 cal with a good amount of protein.
 
ElizaE said:
I guess I am no fun. I was just reading the “Favorite Comfort Food Thread” and everyone wanted an alternative to the fatty food. I thought we could post out healthy recipes on here and people could take a couple and try them.

My husband and I are doing South Beach so here is my recipe (BTW it is husband approved. So ladies don’t tell your hubby that this is healthy and he will never know:thumbsup:)

Sugar Free, Fat Free (or Fat Reduced), Full Flavor Cheesecake
South Beach Diet Approved Phase I

1 package of FF or Reduced Fat Cream Cheese
1 cup of cottage cheese
2/3 cup of hot water
1 package (4 serving size) sugar free jello (any flavor… my hubby’s favorite is orange, mine is lime)
1.5 cups of sugar free cool whip + 1.5 SF cool whip as a topping
Splenda to taste

Mix the jello with hot water. Set aside.
Mix cheese and cottage cheese together. Add the jello and hot water. Add the 1.5 cups of cool whip and splenda to taste. Put in pie form or I like to pour into cupcake forms (better for portion control). Refrigerate. Spread the rest of cool whip on top.

I am going to try this recipe with ricotta and see if I like it better. I promise this is delicious and only about 70 cal with a good amount of protein.
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what a GREAT THREAD, eliza!!👍

I have a healthy recipe that people here might like…who are watching ‘bad’ carbs, especially…It’s called eggplant rollatini:

Ingredients:
2 large eggplants
2 cups low fat riccotta cheese
1 bag shredded mozzarella
1 jar tomato/spaghetti sauce
basil, oregano, etc…
1 small jar pimentos (or roasted red peppers whichever u like)
4 eggs, or 6 egg whites
Non-stick cooking spray

First, you need to create an egg wash with the 4 eggs, or can substitute with 6 egg whites. Mix the egg wash in a bowl, and using a brush, brush it onto sliced eggplant. (each eggplant should yield 6 to 7 1/2 inch slices–cut long ways)

Then, bake the egg washed eggplant for 18 minutes, on 375 degrees preheated oven (use non stick cooking spray on pan). Let cool for about 10 minutes.

While they are cooling, mix in a large bowl: spices, rest of egg wash (you should have about 1/4 cup left), ricotta cheese, pimentos/peppers, and 1 cup of mozzarrella. Then, carefully peel the eggplants off of the pan, so they remain in one piece, and process to place about 2 TBS of your cheese mixture at the top of the eggplant slices, and roll them and place the ‘seam’ on the bottom of another cooking dish. (casserole dish–use non stick spray again before placing eggplant in) Then once all the eggplant are filled, pour your tomato sauce on top, spread evenly, with the remaining mozz cheese on top. Sprinkle olive oil over the top, with some additional basil sprinkled. Cover with tin foil and bake for about 20 minutes on 375, and then take tin foil off and let it bake for another 10 minutes, until bubbly on top.

Really is great tasting…your husband will love it ladies…and very healthy for everyone! Enjoy:)
 
Title: Bruschetta

To me this is the essence of summer. I love bruschetta.

Ingredients:
Sliced French baguette, cut on the diagonal
2 large vine ripened tomatoes (or 4 to 5
Romas)
1/4 red onion
8 to 10 fresh basil leaves, torn into small
pieces
1 T. balsamic vinegar
3 cloves garlic, minced
salt & freshly ground pepper

Directions:
Toast the baguette slices on both sides until
dry. Set aside.

Halve tomatoes and squeeze out juice and
seeds. Chop tomatoes into 1/4 " dice and
transfer to small bowl. Add onion, basil,
vinegar, and garlic. Stir to combine. Season
to taste with salt and pepper.

Serve with toasted baguette.
 
Simple Cobbler

Description:
This is an easy cobbler to whip up when you
have some fresh fruit on hand. It’s a relatively
small cobbler too, so you don’t need to wait for
company to make it. I cook it in a cast iron
skillet. This is not super sweet. The fruit is
the star.

Ingredients:
About 4 cups fresh fruit (blackberries are my
favorite. Peeled sliced peaches are good too)
1/3 cup sugar
3/4 cup flour
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
pinch salt
6 tablespoons milk
1 egg, beaten
1 teaspoon vanilla

Directions:
Preheat oven to 400. Place fruit in the bottom
of cast iron skillet (9 inch skillet is what I use).
Sprinkle with 2 teaspoons of the sugar.

In a bowl stir together remaining sugar, flour,
baking powder, and salt, til all ingredients are
evenly distributed. In a large bowl whisk
together milk, egg, and vanilla. Add dry
ingredients to wet ingredients and stir just to
blend. Batter will be thick.

Spoon the batter over the fruit, smoothing with
the back of the spoon. Batter probably won’t
cover all of the fruit, but it does look nice to
have a bit of the fruit peeking through. Bake
until fruit is bubbling and the topping is lightly
browned, about 30 minutes.
 
Thank you for posting. I was worried this thread would die a slow death while the comfort food one had over 100 replies :D.
 
It doesn’t seem to be growing at the rate of the comfort food thread, does it?
 
I make an apple and peach crisp that is heavy on the oats, so lots of fiber. I tend to eyeball the measurements, but here is a rough idea:

6-8 small to medium apples
1 package frozen peaches
2.5 cups old-fashioned oats
.5 cup whole wheat pastry flour
.5 stick butter
.25 cup lemon juice
1.5 cups brown sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
dash of salt

Cut up and rinse apples. Cube or slice into small bite size pieces. Pour the fourth cup of lemon juice over apples to keep them fresh and add a bit of tartness. Dump frozen peaches into the bowl. Add half a cup of brown sugar, and half a teaspoon of cinnamon. Mix.

In a separate bowl, combine oats and whole wheat pastry flour. Add a cup of the brown sugar and the rest of the cinnamon. Melt the half stick of butter and combine. Mixture will become crumbly.

(Instead of topping the fruit with the crumbly mixture, I combine it with the fruit.) Add oat mixture to fruit, mix.

Spray 9 x 13 pan, add fruit and oat mixture. Bake at 375 for…usually about 30-40 minutes. I don’t pull it out until the apples are softened.
 
These are oatmeal pancakes, and possibly the most delicious thing EVER. So yummy. An acquaintance gave it to me.

3 cups skim milk
1.5 cups oats
3 eggs
.25 cups melted coconut oil (I use Smart Balance oil, any is fine)
2.25 cups whole wheat pastry flour
.5 cup sugar
2 tsp salt
2 Tbsp baking powder
1 cup blueberries

Mix oats and milk, let sit five minutes to soften. Add oil and eggs, mix. Combine rest of the ingredients (but not blueberries) and stir. Pour 1/3 cup of batter onto the griddle. Sprinkle blueberries into the batter as desired. Flip when bubbles form on top and cook until other side is browned. Serve with butter or real maple syrup or honey. SO yummy!
 
Same acquaintance gave me this one, too, for pumpkin muffins:

Dry Ingredients:
2 cups whole wheat flour
1 cup white flour
(**or 3 cups whole wheat pastry flour, instead)
1.5 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
1 tbsp cinnamon
.5 tsp ginger
.5 tsp nutmeg
2 cups sugar (or 1 cup molasses - if using molasses, add it to the wet ingredients)

Wet Ingredients
1 29-oz can 100% pumpkin
4 eggs, slightly beaten (use omega-3 enriched eggs if possible)
1 1/4 cup oil (coconut oil is very yummy!)

Preheat oven to 350. Mix dry ingredients in one bowl and wet ingredients in another bowl. Combine bowls and mix until just moistened. Fill greased muffin cups half full and bake 20 minutes. Makes 3 dozen of the moistest muffins ever!
These have lots of fiber, beta-carotene, and omega-3-fatty-acids, and they’re also trans-fat free!
 
Mmm, I love pumpkin muffins.

I’ll poke through my recipes and see what I find.

In the meantime, a marinade of one part dijon mustard, two parts soy sauce (I like the low-sodium variety), three parts olive oil (good for you!), and some minced garlic is super-yummy for grilled salmon. I’ve only tried it on salmon, but I can’t see why it wouldn’t work well on other firm fish or chicken pieces.
 
Princess_Abby said:
These are oatmeal pancakes, and possibly the most delicious thing EVER. So yummy. An acquaintance gave it to me.

3 cups skim milk
1.5 cups oats
3 eggs
.25 cups melted coconut oil (I use Smart Balance oil, any is fine)
2.25 cups whole wheat pastry flour
.5 cup sugar
2 tsp salt
2 Tbsp baking powder
1 cup blueberries

Mix oats and milk, let sit five minutes to soften. Add oil and eggs, mix. Combine rest of the ingredients (but not blueberries) and stir. Pour 1/3 cup of batter onto the griddle. Sprinkle blueberries into the batter as desired. Flip when bubbles form on top and cook until other side is browned. Serve with butter or real maple syrup or honey. SO yummy!
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**
Those sound delicious!!! I haven’t had pancakes in ages because I don’t do very well with simple carbs. One question though, do you think they’d be ok with a higher fat milk (like 1 or 2%)?

Oh, and do you (or anyone else) have any waffle recipes that are healthy? I’ve never made waffles (I don’t count Eggos, lol) but I’d love to try. I just saw this super cute waffle iron that imprints and image of cookie monster and Elmo on one side that Lily would adore when she’s a bit older!!!

malia
**
 
Feanaro_s_Wife said:
**
Those sound delicious!!! I haven’t had pancakes in ages because I don’t do very well with simple carbs. One question though, do you think they’d be ok with a higher fat milk (like 1 or 2%)?

**
Click to expand...
yes, they’d be fine. I’m the queen of substitutions. The original recipe was with a higher milk fat (and more sugar, but I don’t find they need more then a half cup, personally). 🙂
 
Malia,
Most pancake recipes can be switched to waffle recipes by adding a tablespoon or two of oil, and a pinch of sugar if you like. If that doesn’t work, try adding (for heavier waffles) or subtracting (for lighter, fluffier waffles) an egg. Not sure how the oat ones would do.
 
for salmon fillets, but use foil on top or you will have to clean the oven–
place fillets in a greased pan on a bed of chopped spinach. spoon pesto from a jar over them and bake (if frozen, according to package directions) if fresh, at 325 for 25 minutes, then check for doneness every 5 min. depends on how thick and how cold the fish is how long it takes to cook. toast some chopped pecans in a pan and sprinkle on top to serve.
if you can do this on the grill, just serve on a bed of cooked spinach, and use the pesto in the last 5 minutes of cooking so it does not burn.

serve with baked sweet potatoes or carrots.
 
My sneaky tasty fiber smoothie 😉

1 cup plain yogurt
1 pint chilled canned, fresh, or frozen fruit of your choice (I prefer pineapple, peach, and tropical fruit cocktail)
1 cup frozen fruit juice
orange-flavored fiber supplement according to how many people you intend to serve; you could probably get away with non-flavored, too, I just don’t happen to keep it on hand to try it
Slop it all in a blender and serve

The combination of yogurt and fiber (which thickens or sets up as time passes) makes the smoothie very creamy and thick. This feature is really nice if you tend to drink it slowly. The fiber thickens while the frozen juice melts, so it stays nice and thick.

I find that if I open up a can or two of canned fruit in light syrup, freeze it in a different container (don’t freeze it in the can), and then slightly defrost it before blending, the consistency is really good. I use that instead of fruit juice and fruit separately. My secret is not adding water or milk- makes it to runny.

I also stay away from using ice (hence the frozen fruit juice). That way, if I freeze the leftovers, I am not eternally watering it down with more and more ice.
 
Southwestern corn- great side dish substitute for beans for the gastrically challenged

So, maybe this isn’t all that healthy because corn has so much sugar in it, but it’s tasty.

3 cups frozen corn
about 1/4 tsp or less each of rosemary, parsley, savory, cilantro, garlic, cumin, chili powder, according to your tastes (I never actually measure this, but garlic, cumin, and chili powder go a long way and may only need a couple dashes)
1 tsp oil, or use a non-stick spray on the pan
1/2 cup choppen red and/or green peppers (bell, sweet or hot according to taste) optional

Stir fry/sear the ingredients except peppers in a large skillet on medium heat until corn is warmed through, stirring frequently but not constantly. Add peppers and cook another 1-3 minutes until mixture is hot, then serve immediately.

You can substitute a 1/4 packet of taco seasoning for 1 lb ground beef plus a tsp parsley for color for a quick idea or for those who don’t keep the spice rack well-stocked
 
Whole Wheat Pasta with Fresh Spinach

Prepare half a 1lb box of whole wheat short pasta (rotini, pene, etc.)

In a large sauté pan:

Heat 1/2C extra virgin olive oil
Add the following:

Huge full tablespoon of chopped garlic from a jar - or more - I like tons 😃
Red pepper flakes - about 1/2t or less to taste
Fresh ground pepper and salt

Allow to sauté for a short time, then add the following:

Half a bag of fresh BABY spinach (the big leaves are too bitter)
Handful of fresh chopped basil

Sauté until the spinach is totally wilted. Drain the pasta and add it to the pan, coating with the spinach and oil mixture. Top with fresh grated Parmesan cheese. Mmmmmmm!!! I live on this in the summer!!

You can also add other things like sun dried tomatoes, roasted red peppers, all sorts of good healthy things. Take this basic recipe and run with it! 😃

~Liza
 
lizaanne said:
Whole Wheat Pasta with Fresh Spinach

Prepare half a 1lb box of whole wheat short pasta (rotini, pene, etc.)

In a large sauté pan:

Heat 1/2C extra virgin olive oil
Add the following:

Huge full tablespoon of chopped garlic from a jar - or more - I like tons 😃
Red pepper flakes - about 1/2t or less to taste
Fresh ground pepper and salt

Allow to sauté for a short time, then add the following:

Half a bag of fresh BABY spinach (the big leaves are too bitter)
Handful of fresh chopped basil

Sauté until the spinach is totally wilted. Drain the pasta and add it to the pan, coating with the spinach and oil mixture. Top with fresh grated Parmesan cheese. Mmmmmmm!!! I live on this in the summer!!

You can also add other things like sun dried tomatoes, roasted red peppers, all sorts of good healthy things. Take this basic recipe and run with it! 😃

~Liza
Click to expand...
My hubby would love this, especially with how many possibilities there are to make it different. He’s a pasta fiend (Italian guy). I make spinach lasagna alllll the time so this will be a nice way to do something different. Thanks for sharing it!
 
OK, I posted to the comfort food thread. Here’s my penance:

RED LENTIL SOUP
  • Sautee in olive oil one chopped ONION, one stalk CELERY, one diced CARROT.
  • Rinse & pick through 1 lb RED LENTILS. Add to pot & sautee about 2 minutes.
  • Add 1 tbsp ground CUMIN SEED, sautee ~ 1 minute more.
  • Add 8 cups water and/or chicken broth. Bring to boil.
  • Simmer about 1 hour, or until lentils are tender and begin to disintegrate.
  • If desired, puree to make a smooth consistency. Salt & pepper to taste. Serve with LEMON wedges and a green salad with whole-wheat pita.
CHICKPEA SALAD
  • Mix one 14-oz can CHICKPEAS (GARBANZOS), 1/4 cup chopped RED ONION, 1/2 cup diced CUCUMBER, 1/2 cup seeded & diced TOMATO.
  • Toss with good OLIVE OIL and RED WINE VINEGAR (or LEMON JUICE), 1 tbsp chopped FRESH PARSLEY, and black pepper to taste. Serve with whole-wheat pita.
BLACK BEAN & CORN STEW
  • Rinse & pick through one pound of BLACK (TURTLE) BEANS.
  • Add BEANS to a large pot with enough water to cover by 2 inches. Bring to a boil, and simmer for 10 minutes. Remove from heat, let stand for one hour. Drain & rinse.
  • To a slow cooker - add BEANS, 10 oz. frozen whole-kernel CORN, one chopped ONION, 1 tbsp ground CUMIN SEED, 1 tsp ground CORIANDER SEED, and 4 cups water. Cook on low for 8-10 hours.
  • Add 1 14-oz. can diced TOMATOES (juice and all), and salt & hot pepper to taste.
  • Serve with your favorite fresh salsa.
 
I have been avoiding the “comfort food” thread, since I already have plenty of recipes that don’t help me lose weight! Here are a couple that have been helping me lose.

Mini Frittata "Muffins"

This is a flexible recipe . . . substitute whatever veggies you have on hand or like . . . every time I make it, it’s a little different!

1 tsp canola oil
1/4 cup chopped sweet onion
1/4 cup chopped green or red bell pepper
1/2 cup diced ham or canadian bacon
5 eggs
1/4 tsp black pepper
shredded cheddar cheese

Preaheat oven to 350.

Saute onion in oil about 1 minute. Add peppers and ham, cook 4 minutes. In separate bowl, beat eggs with black pepper. Top with cheese. Bake 18 minutes, or until set.

Spoon veggies into 6 greased muffin tins. Top with eggs.

The original recipe listed this as 6 servings . . . but I’ve never eaten just one!

Oatmeal Custard
A richer way to have oatmeal when it gets boring!

1/2 cup oats
1 cup milk
1 egg, beaten
vanilla, to taste
cinnamon, to taste
nutmeg, to taste
sweetner, to taste

Combine oats, milk, and egg in saucepan. Cook over medium high heat, stirring constantly. Once the mixture boils, continue cooking 1-2 minutes, until thick. Remove from heat. Add vanilla, cinnamon, nutmeg, and sweetner to taste. (An estimate to get you started: 1/2 tsp vanilla, 1 tsp cinnamon, 1/4 tsp nutmeg, 1 tsp sweetner.)

Serves one. Great with strawberries!

MJ
 
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