Sunday, January 8, 2012

New Year Resolutions of Healthy Food & Lifestyles



Greek Tacos

Ingredients:

½ lb ground turkey
2 tomatoes
2 cloves garlic
½ c black olives
½ red onion
½ c feta
1 t oregano
olive oil
salt and pepper
Pita Bread

Tzatziki

½ c Greek yogurt
½ cucumber
1 T mint
1 clove garlic
2 T lemon juice
salt

Directions:

            In a saucepan, drizzle some olive oil and turn on medium heat. When hot, add the ground turkey. Season with the oregano, salt and pepper. Meanwhile, slice the tomatoes, garlic, and red onion. Toss the tomatoes, garlic and onion in a bowl, and lightly drizzle olive oil. Add salt and pepper and gently toss. Remove turkey from heat when fully cooked, and crumble the feta.

            In a medium bowl, add the Greek yogurt and whip until smooth. Slice up the cucumber and garlic, add to the yogurt mixture. Add the lemon juice, mint, and salt to flavor. Mix well.

            Add the meat, tomato mixture, and feta to a pita. Drizzle the tzatziki over the pita and enjoy.

Grilled Tuna Salad

Ingredients:

2 tuna steaks (6 oz)
4 c lettuce mix
½ c grape tomatoes
1 carrot
½ c snap peas
Sesame seeds
salt and pepper
1/3 c olive oil
2 T balsamic vinegar
2 T rosemary

Directions:

            Season the tuna steaks with salt and pepper. Heat up a saucepan, and lightly drizzle with olive oil. Sear the tuna steak on each side, about 8 minutes. Mix the olive oil, balsamic vinegar and rosemary in a bowl.
           
            Shred the carrot with a grater. In a large bowl, add the carrot, snap peas, and grape tomatoes and toss. Slice the tuna into strips, and place on top of salad. Drizzle the olive oil mixture on top, and sprinkle with sesame seeds.

Grilled Halibut with Blueberry Pepper Sauce

Ingredients:

2 halibut fillets (5 oz each)
1 c blueberries
½ fresh orange
3 t fresh sage
½ c sourdough bread (in cubes)
1 t garlic powder
1 t olive oil
salt and pepper

Directions:

            To begin, combine the olive oil with the garlic powder. Brush the olive oil onto the sourdough bread cubes, and bake in oven at 350 for twenty minutes, or until they are crispy on all sides. Pull out and set aside.

            Place half of the blueberries in a bowl and mash until they are juicy. Chop the sage fine. Add the rest of the blueberries, as well as 1 teaspoon of the sage and pepper. Toss and set aside and allow the juices to combine.

            Crush the sourdough bread cubes until they are large crumbles, place into a medium bowl. Using a zester, add part of the orange peel. Squeeze the juice from the orange. Add the 2 teaspoons of sage and pepper. Mix well and set aside.

            Heat grill, and brush with oil if it has a tendency to stick. Lightly salt and pepper the fillets (do this before placing on grill, do not do ahead of time). Grill on one side, and flip. Add the breadcrumb mixture to the top of the fish and press gently. When fish is done cooking, place on plates, topping with the blueberry sauce and enjoy.

Veggie Burgers on Whole-Wheat Buns

Ingredients:

1 c black beans (cooked)
½ red onion
4 shitake mushrooms
2 garlic cloves
¼ c breadcrumbs
1 egg
½ carrot
½ Anaheim pepper
2 t cumin
1 t chili powder
½ t cayenne pepper
salt and pepper
¼ c brown rice (cooked)
2 whole-wheat buns
lettuce, avocado and tomatoes for topping
condiments

Directions:

            Make sure to prep before, making the beans and rice ahead of time. This is actually a great meal to make after a Spanish food meal, and have the rice and beans for two meals.

            In a large bowl, add the beans and mash them together. In a food processor, add the garlic, mushrooms, Anaheim, red onion and carrot. Blend until they are chopped up and well mix. Add the mixture to the beans. Add the rice with the cumin, chili powder, cayenne, salt and pepper to the food processor and blend well. Add the rice mixture to the beans as well. Whisk the egg and add to the bean mixture as well. Mix the beans all together.

            Add a little bit of the breadcrumbs at a time; mix it in until the mixture begins to stick together. You can bake in an oven at 350 for fifteen minutes, or grill on oven for ten minutes. Grilling can be difficult if grates are far apart, possibly place on pan on grill if you desire. Serve on whole-wheat bun with veggies and your favorite condiments. I love using salsa or hummus as healthy additives instead of mayonnaise.

Vegetable Curry

Ingredients:

2 chicken thighs
3 Yukon gold potatoes
1 carrot
½ yellow onion
2 garlic cloves
2 T curry powder
1 bay leaf
1 t cinnamon
½ t cayenne
1 t turmeric
1 T honey
2 T tomato paste
2 t fresh ginger
1 c coconut milk
½ c chicken broth
1 T coconut oil
salt and pepper
water

Serve with couscous

Directions:

            In a saucepan, add a small amount of water and place on medium heat. Add the chicken thighs and cook completely. Add water if needed. When completely cooked, remove from heat and set aside.

            In a medium pot, add the curry powder, cinnamon, cayenne, and turmeric. Allow to heat up and bloom the flavors for a minute. Add the coconut oil. Slice the onion, garlic, and ginger and add to the pot.             Mix well, and add half of the chicken stock, a little at a time.

            Take the meat off of the chicken, and shred. Cut up the potatoes into cubes. Add both the chicken and potatoes to the pot, allow the spices to cook onto them and mix. Slice the carrot and add to the pot as well.

            Add the rest of the chicken stock, honey, and tomato paste. Stir until it is all well blended. Add the coconut milk to the mixture and bring it all to a boil. When the boil has been reached, reduce heat to low and allow it all to cook twenty to thirty minutes. Add salt and pepper to taste and enjoy. Serve over couscous (vegetable is my favorite).

Turkey with Spinach, Pear & Walnuts

Ingredients:

1 turkey breast
1 Bartlett pear
1 c fresh spinach
½ c walnuts
½ c blue cheese
1 T olive oil
1 T honey
1 T mustard
salt and pepper
lemon juice

Directions:

            Heat a saucepan on medium heat, and add the olive oil. Sprinkle the turkey breast with salt and pepper. Add the heated oil, and cook each side about eight minutes. When the turkey breast is about to be fully cooked, add the spinach in and allow to wilt. Remove from heat, and slice the turkey breast.

            Cut the pear into thin strips, and toss lightly in lemon juice.

            In a small bowl, add the honey and mustard and mix well. Mix the turkey breast, spinach, walnuts, and pear with the honey mustard, and toss. Enjoy by itself, or on top of fresh greens or pasta. Enjoy.

1 comment: