Healthy Recipes

Healthy cooking can be fun and easy if you have the right foods and tools at your disposal. Healthy dishes are often associated with bland flavors and stringy foods but this does not have to be the case. Provided below are some delicious and healthy recipes that you can try during your diet.

Spicy Chicken Soup

• 2 Qts. Water
• 8 Halves Boneless Chicken Breast
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1 tsp. pepper
• 1 tsp. garlic powder
• 2 tbsp. parsley
• 1 tbsp. onion powder
• 5 chicken bouillon cubes
• 3 tbsp. olive oil
• 1 medium onion (finely chopped)
• 3 garlic cloves (chopped in strips)
• 16 oz. salsa
• 29 oz. canned tomatoes
• 11 oz. condensed tomato soup
• 3 tbsp. chili powder
• 15 oz. corn
• 16 oz. chili beans
• 8 oz. sour cream

Begin by using a decent size pot over medium heat. Place the chicken, pepper, garlic and onion powder, parsley, stock cubes and water in the pot and raise the mixture to boiling. After the mixture raises to a boil, adjust the heat to low and simmer the mixture for an hour. Take the chicken out and save the rest of the mixture. Shred the removed chicken into the desired pieces.

In another pot, fry the diced onion and sliced garlic in the olive oil until they begin to brown. Add the remainder of the ingredients and approximately 5 cups of the set aside chicken broth. Simmer this mixture for half an hour. Makes 8 servings.

Barley and Roasted Tomato Risotto

• 10 large tomatoes (2 lbs.) cut into 4 pieces each
• 2 tbsp. olive oil
• 1 tsp. salt
• 1/2 tsp. pepper
• 4 cups vegetable broth
• 3 cups water
• 2 shallots (finely chopped)
• 2 tbsp. white wine
• 2 cups barley
• 3 tbsp. basil
• 3 tbsp. parsley
• 1.5 tbsp. thyme
• 1/2 cup parmesan cheese

Pre-heat oven to 450 degrees.

Place the sliced tomatoes on a non-stick bake sheet. Pour the olive oil, pepper and salt over the tomatoes. Roast the tomatoes until they are lightly browned (about 30 minutes). Use 16 of the slices on the side for garnishes.

Use a sauce pan to combine the stock and water. Bring this mixture to a boil. Lower the heat to around medium and allow the mixture to simmer.

In another sauce pan, place 1 tbsp. olive oil. Heat the olive oil to medium and add the shallots. Stir this for 3 minutes. Pour the white wine into the pan and allow to simmer for 3 minutes. Next, add the barley and cook for an additional minute. You may now add 1/2 cup of the vegetable stock to the mixture and allow it to be absorbed by the barley. Continue to add the vegetable stock in 1/2 cup increments and allow it to absorb before adding more. This should continue for about 45 minutes. Take the pot off of the heat and stir in the remainder of the ingredients (also add 1/4 tsp. pepper and 3/4 tsp. salt).

Serve the risotto in individual bowls garnished with the reserved tomato slices and the basil and parmesan cheese. Makes 6 servings.

Shrimp and Mango Curry

• 2 tbsp. olive oil
• 1.5 shallots (finely chopped)
• 2 tbsp. ginger (finely chopped)
• 3 cloves garlic
• 1 tomato (diced)
• 1.5 tsp. curry powder
• 1/4 tsp. coriander (ground)
• 1 cup chicken stock
• 1/2 cup coconut milk
• 1 stalk lemon grass
• 1 1/4 lbs. large shrimp (quartered length wise)
• 1 tsp. turmeric (ground)
• 2 tbsp. white wine
• 1 cup edamame (shelled)
• 1/2 cup mango (diced)
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 2 tbsp. basil

Heat the olive oil in a sauce pan over medium temperature level. Combine the shallots, ginger and garlic in the pan and allow to cook for 3 minutes. Next, also place the tomato, curry powder and coriander in the pan. Allow the entire mixture to simmer for one minute.

After simmering the original mixture, add chicken stock, coconut milk and lemon grass to the pan. Increase the temperature to high and allow the mixture to boil. After it increases to a boil, lower the heat and allow the mixture to simmer for several minutes. Remove the pan from the stove.

In a separate pan, combine 1 tbsp. olive oil, shrimp and turmeric and allow to cook (stirring occasionally for 3 minutes. Flip the shrimp and continue to cook for an additional 2 minutes. Pour the mixture into a bowl and keep it warm.

Pour the wine into the same pan as you cooked the shrimp. You may now also add the curry powder. Bring this mixture to a boil. After it is boiling, lower the temperature to medium and the edamame. Cook this mixture until the edamame are tender. You may now add the shrimp and continue to cook for about 1 minute. After cooking the shrimp, remove the lemon grass from the original mixture and combine all ingredients in the same pan. You should also add the mango at this time. Cook the final mixture for 2 minutes or until all the flavors have combined and the shrimp is fully cooked. Makes 4 servings.

The Benefits of the Above Recipes

All three of the recipes provided here are designed to be high fiber and low calorie dishes that you can enjoy every day. Each recipe has at least 15 grams of fiber and do not pass the 400 calorie mark. If you are counting calories, mark each dish as 375 in your journal to allow for variances in serving size and ingredients. In addition, each dish contains enough carbohydrates to provide you with the energy you need to do your exercises and also contains added protein to aid in muscle production.

When you choose (or create) your own recipes, it is best to select recipes that meet all of the staples of your daily diet. Obviously, fluid is the easy one to meet as almost every food contains water. However, double check to see that your ingredients include carbohydrates, protein and fat before adding them to your diet. Be sure to vary your diet enough so that you do not quickly lose interest in one dish. Be creative in your cooking and keep the ingredients healthy and your nutritional needs should be consistently met.