Tag: healthy meals
Quick Chicken Curry with Curry Leaves
- 2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs, cut into 2 inch pieces
Marinade
- Juice of a large lime
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 teaspoons ground coriander
- 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
Marinate the chicken pieces with the lime juice, salt, coriander and cayenne pepper for 2 to 3 hours.
- 2 tablespoons coconut oil
- 2 teaspoons fennel seeds, crushed
- 10 to 12 curry leaves
- 2 medium yellow onions, sliced
- 1 serrano pepper, slice in half
- 3 to 4 garlic cloves, grated
- 1 teaspoon turmeric
- 1 teaspoon coriander powder
- 1 teaspoon garam masala
- Salt
- ½ cup cilantro, chopped
Heat a large saucepan with coconut oil. Add the fennel seeds, curry leaves, onion, Serrano pepper and garlic. Saute on medium heat for 4 to 5 inutes. Add the turmeric, coriander powder and a teaspoon of salt. Saute on medium heat for another 3 to 4 minutes. Add the chicken with the marinade and bring to a boil. Lower the heat to a simmer and cover with lid and cook for about 15 minutes. Take the lid off and let the chicken simmer on medium heat for another 5 to 6 minutes. Check for seasonings and garnish with garam masala and cilantro. Serve with rice and roti.
Pasta Primavera with Rice Pasta
Another gluten free, vegetarian recipe!!
- 2 medium zucchini, chopped into ¼ inch pieces
- 1 10 oz Cremini mushrooms, chopped into ¼ inch pieces
- 2 medium shallots, chopped
- 3 garlic cloves, chopped
- 1 tablespoon rosemary, chopped
- 2 tablespoons extra light olive oil
- 2 cups homemade or store bought marinara sauce
- ½ pound rice pasta, cooked
- Salt
- ½ cup Parmesan cheese
Heat a large frying pan with olive oil. Add the mushrooms and sauté on high heat for 2 to 3 minutes. Add the garlic, rosemary and shallots. Saute for another 2 to 3 minutes. Add the zucchini and sauté for another 2 minutes. Add the marinara sauce and mix well. Add the cooked pasta and mix well. Check for seasonings and top with Parmesan cheese.
Easy Citrus Chicken
Here is another yummy, healthy chicken dish. This particular one has Latin flavors. I started with marinating the chicken- I do think it is the key to amazing flavor every time. I marinated the chicken in orange juice, lime juice, agave, smoked paprika and garlic. I later made a sauce out of the left over marinade- always a good idea! To thicken the sauce, I dredged the chicken pieces in a bit of flavor before cooking. The dish came together in no time at all and it was delicious.
I served the healthy chicken breasts with citrus broccoli and some sweet potato oven fries.
- 3 to 4 chicken breast filets, boneless, skinless and pounded thin (about ½ inch)
Marinade
- 1 cup orange juice
- Juice of one lime
- 1 to 2 tablespoons agave
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 3 garlic cloves, grated
Add the orange juice, lime juice, agave, salt, paprika and garlic in a small bowl and mix well. Add the marinade and chicken to a zip lock bag and marinate for 3 to 4 hours in the fridge.
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1 cup all purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon salt
Heat a large frying pan with the olive oil. Take the chicken filets out of the marinade and dredge in flour and salt (save the marinade for later). Brown the chicken on high heat for 2 to 3 minutes on each side. Take the filets out and add the marinade into the frying pan. Bring to a boil and reduce the heat. Add the chicken filets and cook on a medium flame until chicken is done (time will vary according the chicken thickness). Serve hot with pan sauce on top of the chicken.
Turkey Meatballs with Zucchini
- 1 pound ground dark meat turkey
- 1/3 cup prepared pesto
- 1 cup grated zucchini
- 2 eggs, beaten
- ¼ cup breadcrumbs
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 3 cups homemade or store bought tomato sauce
- 2 tablespoons extra light olive oil
- 1 small onion, minced
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- ½ pound whole-wheat spaghetti, al dente
In a large mixing bowl, add the turkey meat, pesto, zucchini, eggs, breadcrumbs and salt. Mix well with fingertips and keep aside for an hour.
In the meantime, in a large saucepan, heat the olive oil. Add the onion and garlic. Saute on medium heat for a couple of minutes and add the tomato sauce. Cook on medium heat for 5-6 minutes and turn it down to a simmer.
Form medium sized meatballs and begin adding to the simmering sauce. Once all the meatballs are formed, cook on medium heat for 20 minutes.
Serve on top of al dente spaghetti.
Tofu Stir Fry with Mushrooms and Bok Choy
1 pack firm tofu, water drained and cut into ½ inch squares
2 bunches baby bok choy, the whites and greens chopped and separated
1 10 oz cremini mushrooms, sliced
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 inch ginger, grated
Sauce
2 tablespoons tamari
2 tablespoons rice vinegar
2 tablespoons honey
2 tablespoons sweet chili sauce
Mix the tamari, vinegar, honey and chili sauce in a small bowl. Keep aside.
¼ cup chicken or vegetable broth
1 tablespoon corn starch
Mix the corn starch in broth and keep aside.
2 tablespoons extra light olive oil
Heat a large wok like saucepan with the oil. Add the sliced mushrooms on high heat and sauté for 2 to 3 minutes. Add the ginger and garlic and sauté for another 2 minutes. Add the white parts of the bok choy and sauté for 2 to 3 minutes. Add the tofu and the sauce. Bring to a boil and add the corn starch mixture. Mix well and bring to a boil. Check for seasonings and add the bok choy greens. Serve with brown rice.
Asian Meatballs
Going with the Asian theme this week…
- 1 pound ground turkey, dark meat preferable
- ½ cup panko breadcrumbs
- 1 teaspoon sesame oil
- 2 teaspoons oyster sauce
- 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1 tablespoon tamari
- 1 egg, beaten
- Salt
- 2 green onions, chopped
- 1 inch ginger, chopped
- 3 garlic cloves, chopped
Process the green onions, ginger and garlic in a food processor. Keep aside.
Transfer the turkey meat onto a medium-mixing bowl. Pour the breadcrumbs into a small bowl and pour the sesame oil, oyster, Worcestershire sauce, tamari and the beaten egg on top. Let the breadcrumbs soak for 15 minutes and add to the turkey including the salt. Add the green onion mixture and mix well. Keep aside.
- 2 cups marinara sauce
Simmer the sauce in a medium saucepan. Form the meatballs and drop carefully. Cook the meatballs on a medium heat till all of them are formed. Cover with lid for ten minutes. Take the lid off and taste for seasonings. Serve hot with spaghetti.
Cabbage and Carrots
My husband loves cabbage… so I try to make it a different way each time I cook it, which is not too often as I am not a huge fan. I will eat it but I never seek it out in a grocery store. I should since it is so healthy to eat…
- 2 tablespoons coconut oil
- 1 teaspoon mustard seeds
- 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
- 10 to 15 curry leaves, chopped
- 1 inch fresh ginger, grated
- ½ cup peanuts, chopped
- 1 tablespoon channa dal
- 1 tablespoon white urad dal
- 3 cups green cabbage, shredded
- 1 cup carrots, shredded
- 2 teaspoons ground coriander
- ½ cup cayenne pepper
- 2 teaspoons salt
Heat a medium pan with the coconut oil over medium heat. Add the mustard seeds, cumin seeds and curry leaves. Cook for a minute. Add the ginger, peanuts, channa dal and urad dal. Saute for 3 to 4 minutes on medium heat. Add the cabbage, carrots, ground coriander, cayenne pepper and salt. Mix well and sauté on medium heat for 5 to 6 minutes, stirring constantly. Lower the heat and cover with lid and cook for 5 minutes. Take lid off and check for seasonings. Serve warm.