While you wait patiently for the 8th of the next
month, here are some recipes to get you started.
Go ahead and jump in, pick a recipe and give it
a try. Enjoy :)
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Chilled Lemon Garlic Asparagus
Ingredients:
2 tablespoons nonfat or low-fat sour cream
1 tablespoon low-fat buttermilk or skim milk
1 clove garlic, minced
1 teaspoon grated lemon peel
24 fresh asparagus spears
Poppy seeds (optional)
To mix dressing:
-
In a small bowl, mix garlic, buttermilk, sour
cream and lemon peel
-
Cover with plastic wrap (or lid) and refrigerate
until ready to serve.
To prepare asparagus:
-
Steam asparagus for 5 minutes until crisp-tender
(or the tenderness you desire).
-
Rinse with cold water and drain.
-
Cover and refrigerate until you are ready to
serve.
-
Toss asparagus with lemon garlic dressing.
-
Sprinkle lightly with poppy seeds, if desired.
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Mushroom & Tomato Chicken
Note: This recipe is great for those who are
lactose intolerance or who want to limit their
dairy intake for any reason.
Ingredients:
18 oz. chicken breast, cut into small pieces
(1/2" square)
1/2 c. onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 cans (14.5 oz.) of chopped tomato
1 1/2 c. sliced mushrooms
1/3 c. balsamic vinegar
1 tsp. basil
1 tsp. oregano
1/2 tsp. thyme
1/2 tsp. rosemary
1/4 c. tomato paste
cooking spray
3 1/3 c. cooked pasta
Instructions:
-
Spray skillet with nonstick cooking spray.
-
Sauté onion, garlic and mushrooms for
approximately 5 minutes over low heat.
-
Stir in raw chicken pieces.
-
Cook chicken over medium high heat until no
longer pink.
-
Once chicken is cooked, add tomatoes, paste,
balsamic vinegar, and spices to the mixture.
-
Mix together and simmer over medium low heat for
20 minutes.
Try this served with a side of garlic toast and
your favorite salad.
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Pineapple Banana Mama Smoothie
Ingredients:
-
Half a pineapple, peeled and chopped
-
2 small bananas, peeled and chopped
-
1 peach, stoned and cut into quarters
Instructions:
-
Peel the banana and the pineapple.
-
If your peach is organic, don't worry about
peeling it (the skin has lots of nutrients).
If it's not organic I'd suggest you peel it to
avoid ingesting the chemicals used in production
etc.
-
All all three fruits to a blender and "liquefy".
-
Enjoy :)
You can make your smoothie even healthier by
adding a little Spirulina powder or a few flax
seeds before blending – these are great super
foods and you’ll find them at your local health
food store.
Fruit Facts:
-
Pineapples are great sources of thiamine and
riboflavin which help produce energy… if you
need a boost pineapple is a good choice. Also
high in vitamin C.
-
Bananas are rich in potassium are great for
lowering high blood pressure, perfect at the end
of a stressful day.
-
Peaches are a good source of vitamin C and are
great for removing toxins from the body.
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Cranberry Pecan Couscous Salad in Lemon
This dish is so full of colorful flavor and
crunch! If you want to make it a bit
before you serve it, don't add the cucumbers
until just before serving (you don't want them
to get soggy).
Ingredients:
1 cup shelled pecans
1 1/2 cups couscous
1 cup dried cranberries
1/2 teaspoon turmeric
2 cups boiling water
1 cup thawed frozen peas
3 scallions, very thinly sliced
2 medium cucumbers, peeled, seeded, and diced
1/4 cup shredded fresh basil
Lemon Dressing Ingredients:
Zest of 1 lemon
1/3 cup lemon juice
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 /2 teaspoon salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1/3 cup olive oil
Instructions:
-
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
-
Toast pecans on a cookie sheet until you can
smell them, approximately 5-7 minutes. Set
aside.
-
Place the couscous, cranberries, and turmeric in
a large bowl.
-
Pour in the boiling water, stir, then cover the
bowl with a large plate or foil. Let sit for 10
minutes.
-
Remove cover and fluff the couscous with a fork.
-
Cover again and let sit 5 more minutes.
-
Stir in the pecans, peas, scallions, cucumbers,
and basil.
-
Combine the dressing ingredients in a jar with a
tight-fitting lid and shake vigorously.
-
Pour over the couscous mixture and stir.
-
Let the salad sit at least 1 hour before serving
to allow the flavors to blend.
-
If longer than 1 hour, cover and chill, but then
bring the salad to room temperature before
serving.
Remember: If salad is prepared more than an hour
ahead of serving, wait to add cucumbers until
serving time.
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Roasted Pepper Soup
Delicious and super healthy too :)
Ingredients:
3 red bell peppers, washed and deseeded
1 yellow bell pepper
1 medium onion, finely diced
1 garlic clove, crushed
3 cups of vegetable stock
1 tablespoon plain all-purpose flour
Salt and black pepper to taste
Diced red and yellow bell pepper pieces to
garnish
Plain yogurt or crème fraiche to garnish
Instructions for grilling peppers:
-
Preheat the grill.
-
Wash and cut the peppers in half and remove
stalks, core and seeds.
-
Arrange the peppers in a non stick baking tray
(skin side up) and place under the hot grill.
-
Grill for approximately 8 to 10 minutes or until
skins begin to char.
-
Transfer the peppers to a plastic or zip lock
bag, seal and leave to cool.
-
Once cool (about 15 minutes) peel skins and
discard.
-
Roughly chop the remaining pepper flesh and set
aside.
Instructions for soup:
-
Place the onion, crushed garlic and 2/3 of the
vegetable stock in a pan.
-
Cook over medium heat for about 5 minutes or
until stock begins to reduce.
-
Sprinkle the flour into the pan and stir to
reduce lumping.
-
Add the chopped peppers and bring to a boil.
-
Cover, reduce heat to low and simmer for 5
minutes.
-
Let soup cool slightly and the transfer to a
food processor or blender.
-
Blend until smooth.
-
Transfer soup back to pan and reheat gently,
season with salt and pepper to taste.
Serve in warm bowls and sprinkle a few chopped
peppers and a little yogurt in the center of
each bowl if desired.
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We hope you enjoy these recipes. We'll
"see" you on the 8th with 8 new healthy recipes.
Take care,
Crystal
