Tag: healthy meals
Chilean Sea Bass with Sweet Pepper and Spinach Risotto
It is nice to start the New Year off in a healthy way. You can’t get any better than Chilean sea bass- can you? It is one of my husband’s favorite fish. My daughter and I like it too. I don’t end up making it too often- I think because I tend to forget it is there and also because it is kind of pricey- but it is still a lot cheaper than eating it in a restaurant.
I simply sauteed the fish with salt and pepper and a squirt of lemon juice. I wanted for the fish flavor to come through loud and clear. For the accompaniment- I decided on a risotto. I used a red pepper pesto I had in my fridge. I also added baby spinach at the end to make it a complete meal.
It was fabulous- healthy and delicious. If I could eat like this everyday, I would be really thin and really healthy…
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Cauliflower and Potatoes
Here we go again- this is yet another version of cauliflower. I should go back and look on this blog and count how many different cauliflower recipes I have. It is my husbands favorite thing to eat so I try to make it as much as I can- the problem is, coming up with different versions of the same vegetable- yes you are right- I am patting myself on the back for coming up with a new recipe.
Well, it is really not new. I remember eating this kind of a dish at wedding parties in India. It was not the most healthy way of cooking it.. they would fry the cauliflower florets and potatoes first and then cook it with lots of onions, ginger, garlic and tomatoes. It tasted really good but I certainly didn’t want to make it the same way. So- I decided to roast the vegetables in a large cookie sheet to attain similar results. I roasted them till they were soft and golden brown. I then started a saucepan with oil, cumin seeds, onion, ginger and garlic. I later added the crushed tomatoes and other spices.
Overall, it is a fairly simple dish with a few extra steps- but it is worth the work. The dish is delicious…
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Pan Seared Cod with Mango Sauce and Bok Choy
Here is another recipe using one of my favorite ingredients- mangoes. I bought some cod for dinner and decided to make a mango sauce.
I cut up two mangoes and cooked them with garlic, shallots. I added apricot jam (yum!), rice wine vinegar and garlic chili sauce. Using all the delicious ingredients resulted in an unbelievable sauce.
I sauteed the fish simply with salt and olive oil- delicious and very quick.
Bok choy is one of our favorite vegetables and I try to incorporate it lots of dinners. In this case, I sauteed them with olive oil and salt. I served the bok choy on the side with the fish and the mango sauce. I made brown rice and it was a perfect meal. It was delicious, quick and healthy- what more do you want??
Try the pan seared cod with mango sauce and bok choy- you will love it…
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Mexican Chili Enchiladas-Great way to use leftovers…
I loved making these enchiladas- what a great way to use up my leftovers. I feel like a champion when I come up with a completely different preparation to use up stuff in the fridge.
I had the Mexican pork chili in the fridge and wasn’t in the mood to cook a whole new meal. I always have all kinds of tortillas and cheeses in the fridge. So, I immediately thought of enchiladas. I had enough to make 3 to 4 enchiladas which was perfect for my husband and I. A big salad with the enchiladas was perfect for a healthy, delicious dinner.
I separated the meat from the sauce and then shredded the pork with my fingers. I then placed the sauce in a flat platter so I can dip the tortillas in there to make them soft and pliable. I stuffed the tortillas, placed them in a shallow platter and then topped the whole thing with a mixture of Mexican cheeses- how easy was that!
This method can be used for any kind of leftover. Even if your leftover has no sauce, you can use a jar of your favorite salsa or tomato sauce and bake your enchiladas to perfection.
Dinner was delicious and didn’t look like old, boring leftovers…
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Chicken Sausage and Cannellini Bean Stew served with Parmesan Garlic Bread
It was one of those rainy evenings we have had so many of and my initial plan was to go out for dinner but then as the day progressed and the rain lingered, I got more and more lazy. I changed into my pajamas and decided to open a bottle of wine and cook.
I had a chicken sausages in my fridge and I decided to pair them with cannellini beans to make a delicious stew. I used the usual suspects including shallots, garlic and of course some red wine. I also had rosemary in the fridge and as far as I am concerned, the white beans are made for rosemary.
To create a balanced meal, I added baby spinach at the very end and served the one pot meal with a parmesan garlic bread. I of course sprinkled some extra cheese on top of the stew.
The evening was relaxing and filled with good food and great wine. My daughter loved the stew but thought there was too much garlic on the garlic bread. She was right- I love garlic so much that I usually tend to go very heavy it. I loved it but both my husband and daughter thought it was too much- oh well, you can’t please everyone all the time.
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Meatballs with Prosciutto and Basil
Who doesn’t love meatballs? I really enjoy them on a cold, rainy day with a nice glass of a bold red wine. I have made quite a few versions over the years- especially for kids. I love incorporating some kind of vegetables in the meat and cook them in a delicious homemade tomato sauce.
These came about as I watched Live with Regis and Kelly- Regis was talking about some meatballs he had with prosciutto in them, “what a great idea”, I thought.
I bought turkey meat, prosciutto and basil from the store and started making the meatballs. I also made fresh tomato sauce with lots of cherry tomatoes. I added the usual ingredients in the meatballs including a mixture of cooked onions, garlic and prosciutto. I also added breadcrumbs and freshly grated pecorino- which I prefer a tad more than parmesan cheese since it has a lot more flavor.
The meatballs were cooked in the delicious tomato sauce. I realized I had run out of spaghetti so I served them on top of penne. In order to serve a balanced meal, I sauteed baby spinach on the side with some garlic and a splash of half and half. The kids had a glass of milk and the adults had a delicious cabernet.
Try the prosciutto and basil meatballs next time you decide to serve a delicious pasta meal.
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Broccoli Rabe and Spinach Rice
I made this rice with the fabulous shrimp saute with dill and cilantro. As I mentioned yesterday, my daughter’s friend stayed for dinner.
I love having her friends over for dinner and I thought, “what a meal to serve a little girl who is not used to eating Indian food very often”. Even after I showed her the colorful meal, she was adamant about staying. I was quite worried about her reaction to the rice. It was not only cooked in a broccoli rabe pesto, but baby spinach was also tossed in at the last minute. The green color was bright and unmistaken and we all know what most kids think about this color…
As we sat down for the meal, my daughter began eating and relishing her food. Her friend looked down on the rice and didn’t look so happy. My daughter quickly informed her that the rice tastes just like ‘regular’ rice and not like the kind with spinach (that was the best compliment I could get). Her friend tried it and agreed and continued eating the rest of the meal.
I couldn’t help but laugh as I watched them enjoy the food and each others company. They both were rewarded with a big ice cream sundae with a little bit of ice cream and a lot of fruit.
Try this delicious rice and experiment it with your kids and let me know what they think….
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