Anyone have good healthy recipes they'd like to share?

We're dieting and I'm working on menu ideas. Whether it's breakfast, lunch, dinner or desert...I'll take them all.

Thanks!

I use 1 rice cooker measuring cup of brown rice to 2-1/2 measuring cups of Swanson's cooking stock. I add one teaspoon of "Emeril's Essence"...I make small batches of that myself from the recipe he has on the Food Network Web Site:

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/emeril-lagasse/emerils-essence-recipe/index.html

For the stock, you can go as healthy as you want...get reduced fat / sodium stocks or broths or make your own. One trick I use all the time is to get double duty out of dried porcini mushrooms. I reconstitute a small handful in one cup of boiling water, letting them sit off the stove with the lid on for 1/2 hour. When I drain them, I strain the liquid through a double thickness of cheesecloth and save it for the next day, usually as a liquid for cooking rice. Sometimes I'll use half chicken or beef stock and half porcini liquid.

Goes great with a grilled chicken breast and steamed veggie.

:toast:

the oil, cheese, and sour cream.

I sautee up in olive oil a medium onion & 1 each a red, yellow, and orange bell pepper, all in small chunks. They shouldn't be crispy but they shouldn't be soggy either. Set them aside in a bowl when they are done.

I chunk and fry up two boneless breasts of chicken, but you can easily go with one or none if you want to lighten the calorie load further. Again smaller chunks are better here.

Once the meat is done I leave it in the pan and add a couple of tablespoons of water and then add two packets of Hidden Valley Ranch Dressing seasoning to the pan. (seasoning NOT the dressing in the bottle)

Stir it in really well and cook the water down a little if it's too watery, then add the veggies back in and stir really well again.

When that's all done I get out some _big_ flour tortillas, wet them down, and make a stripe of monterey jack cheese down the middle. I microwave the cheese and tortilla until the cheese is melted.

When that is done I smooth some low-fat sour cream onto the cheese stripe, then spoon on some of the filling.

Then I chunk some grape or cherry tomatoes (7 or 8 or so) and throw then in on top of the filling and then I fold and wrap the tortillas.

Honestly, I think the cheese really makes the meal so I've yet to try the recipe without it, but I am sure it would still be pretty tasty especially if you had never had it before so weren't expecting the cheese.

(I am so making this for dinner tomorrow! :D)

that I required about 2 and a half packets of flavoring. Just thought I would mention that you kinda have to go by your own taste preferences and keep an extra packet around just in case you need it. :) (I also forgot to say I do the onions and peppers separately, because the peppers take longer.)

. . . try the Beet & Barley recipe I posted at the following URL:

http://www.bigoven.com/172902-Beet-%26-Barley-Salad-recipe.html


Edited to add:

Canned beets can be substituted for the fresh beets in that recipe;
but fresh beets are much, much tastier.

use non-fat or 2% milk instead of whole or cream, use lean meats instead of fatty cuts, use more veggies and less meat in recipes - substitute vegetables (squash, eggplant, mushrooms) for meat or pasta - use half the amounts of cheese in things like pizza or casseroles.

Beans are good - eat them more often, use one slice of bacon to flavor a whole big pot. Or a small hambone.

For baking you can substitute applesauce for a lot of the oil and fat in cake recipes - or search online for recipes.

Think real ethnic foods: authentic cooking from most of the world is pretty healthy - using meats and fats for flavor rather than main ingredients. Use limes and spices for seasoning instead of salt and fats.

Fruit instead of rich deserts, or use less of the rich and add fresh fruit on top so you get the pleasure and still a full "serving", but less calories. (example instead of a quart of ice cream, have a half a cup with a big pile of slice strawberries or peaches on it).

To get a similar consistency, you can use any of the following or a combination of them:

chopped mushrooms

TVP (textured vegetable protein) - add about half an hour before turning off the crock pot.

Morning Star Farms crumbles

crumbled tempeh (adds a LOT of iron and protein).


I often put in some quinoa to thicken it, despite that fact that it should really be included for its high nutrition value. Zucchini and carrots are other good veggies to add. Just don't use too much of either or you're moving into stew territory and away from chili.


I also like to add peanuts sometimes, but they do have some fat.