Blueberry Crisp

Ingredients

8 cups blueberries
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1/2 can frozen white grape juice
2 cups water
1 teaspoon grated lemon peel
1 cup whole wheat pastry flour
3 cups of oats
1/3 cup canola oil
1/2 cup honey

Directions

Add lemon peel to water. Mix cornstarch into grape juice. Add blueberries to mixture. Place in bottom of pan. In a separate bowl, combine remaining four ingredients. Crumple on top of fruit mixture. Cover with aluminum foil. Bake for 15 minutes at 350 degrees. Remove foil and bake an additional 10 minutes until lightly brown.

This recipe was provided by Deerfield Spa for HealingLifestyles.com.

Lentil

Lentils sustain blood sugar balance because of the low glycemic index and complex carbohydrate complex.  

Coming in several varieties, including red split, green and brown, lentils are an excellent source of soluble fiber, which help to lower high cholesterol and insoluble fiber which helps keep the bowel regular.

Date

As an excellent source of potassium, dates help maintain fluid and electrolyte balance within the body.  Dates also help regulate bowel function because they are high in fiber. This naturally sweet fruit is available dried or fresh and is a healthy snack great for satisfying a sweet tooth. 

Roasted Veggies

I bought some purple potatoes from our local market.  It was the first time that I've ever cooked or eaten them.  I wasn't sure about their taste so I thought I'd try a familiar recipe.  I sliced the purple potatoes, yellow potatoes, green bell peppers, onions, carrots, and mushrooms.  I seasoned them with seasoned salt, Italian seasonings, black pepper, and parsley.  Added a couple tablespoons of olive oil, then roasted them in the oven for about 30 minutes, stirring frequently.  The dish was colorful and delicious.

Veggie Stuffed Green Peppers

I hope everyone had a lovely Valentine's Day.  We did. 

Dinner and a movie, with stuffed green peppers as our main entree.

It's a really simple recipe.  Clean and slice off the tops of your green peppers.  Cook one bag of vegetarian meat crumbles.  Add to the cooked meat crumbles diced tomatoes, onions, the tops of green peppers, and brown rice.  Stir all together in pan.  Season with Italian seasonings, black pepper, and a pinch of salt.  Put the mixture inside the green peppers.  Place in the oven for 20-30 minutes.  Top with marinara sauce and mozzarella cheese.  Eat & Enjoy!  

*You can use any color peppers that you'd like.

Winter Fruit Salad

• Serve dishes with both adult and kid appeal, like this simple and refreshing fruit salad of Asian pears, grapefruit, and pomegranate seeds.

• Ingredients

• 3 pink grapefruits, peel and pith removed, cut into segments
• 1 pomegranate, seeded
• 2 Asian pears, quartered, cored, cut into thin wedges
• 1 1/2 tablespoons raw honey
• 6 to 8 fresh mint leaves
• Flaky sea salt

Directions

1. In a medium bowl, toss grapefruit, pomegranate seeds, pears, and honey.
2. Top with mint and salt.
   
   
   Yield: Serves 4 to 6
   
   
   This recipe was taken from WholeLiving.com.

Adobo Marinated Chicken Quesadillas

• 

  Chicken breasts gain a smoky richness and a little heat from marinating in adobo, a tangy Mexican chile sauce.

  Ingredients

• 
  
• 1 can (7 ounces) chiles in adobo sauce
• 1/2 cup water
• 4 chicken cutlets (4 ounces each)
• 1 small red onion, thinly sliced
• 2 jalapeno chiles, stems removed, thinly sliced crosswise
• 1 cup rice vinegar (not seasoned)
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 8 eight-inch flour tortillas
• 5 ounces low-fat Monterey Jack cheese, shredded (1 1/3 cups)

Directions

1. Puree chiles in adobo sauce and water in a blender until smooth. Pour mixture over chicken to coat. Refrigerate for 1 hour.
2. Meanwhile, place onion in a small bowl. Combine jalapenos, vinegar, and sugar in a small saucepan over medium heat. Bring to a simmer, and cook until jalapenos are soft and sugar has dissolved, about 10 minutes. Pour over onion, and let stand until mixture is cool. Strain through a fine sieve.
3. Heat a grill pan over high heat. Grill chicken, about 2 minutes per side. Slice into strips. Wipe pan clean.
4. Place 1 tortilla onto a work surface. Arrange strips of 1 cutlet to cover tortilla. Sprinkle with 1/3 cup Monterey Jack cheese and some onion-jalapeno mixture. Top with another tortilla. Repeat with remaining tortillas, chicken, cheese, and onion mixture.
5. Carefully place quesadilla onto hot grill pan, and cook over medium heat until tortillas are crisp and cheese melts, about 4 minutes per side. Cut each quesadilla in half, and divide among 8 plates. Cut into wedges.
   
   
   Yield: Serves 8
   
   
   This post was taken from WholeLiving.com.

Vegetarian Chili

Here's my delicious vegetarian chili.

Ingredients: 

Chili Powder

Green Bell Pepper

Onion

Diced Tomatoes

Kidney Beans

Black Beans

Vegetarian Meat Crumbles

There are no specific directions for this recipe.  Make as much or as little as you'd like, adding your preferred ingredients based on your taste and enjoy.

Vegetable Stuffed Cabbage

Tonight, I made vegetable stuffed cabbage- a seriously modified version of one of Mario Batali's recipes.  It was really good.  Here are the ingredients: Cabbage, onions, tomatoes, mashed potatoes, tomato sauce, olive oil, Italian seasonings, salt, black pepper, onion powder, garlic powder, parsley, mozzarella and Parmesan cheese.

                           

 

                           

    

-Boil the cabbage leaves

-Saute the vegetables and seasonings

-Either boil and mash your potatoes or use the instant kind

-Mix the vegetable, mashed potatoes and 1/4 cup of mozzarella cheese together in a bowl

-Place one large spoonful of the mixture in your cabbage leaf and fold it over

-Arrange them in your baking dish

-Spoon the desired amount of tomato sauce over your stuffed cabbage rolls

-Optional: Sprinkle with cheese

-Bake 20-30 minutes on 400 degrees 

-Enjoy

Veggie Burrito

I made veggie burritos last night.  Wild rice, black beans, onions, green peppers, chik'n, corn, cheddar cheese and salsa wrapped in a warm whole wheat shell.  Yummy!

Quinoa

Quinoa is a complete source of protein, containing all eight essential amino acids.  It is also an excellent source of magnesium and calcium, which helps strengthen bones, and iron helping to prevent anemia.

Vegetable Lasagna

Here's another meal that I made up!  Vegetable Lasagna made with Spinach, Artichoke, Mushrooms, Onions, Eggplant, Marinara Sauce, Italian Seasonings, Mozzarella & Parmesan Cheese & Lasagna Noodles of course.  So simple to make.  Just layer the veggies until your hearts content (or until you run out of room in your dish!)  Put it in the oven- 350 degrees for about 30 minutes (depends on how many layers you have.)  Let sit for about 10 minutes once out of the oven to let all the ingredients blend together.  Then eat up!  Enjoy!

Raw Kale Salad with Pomegranate and Toasted Walnuts

Pile your plate with healthy dark leafy greens. Kale, which boasts a cool 45 flavonoids (plant pigments that promote antioxidant activity in the body), helps lower cholesterol.











Ingredients

• 1 bunch kale, torn
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly grated ginger
• 1/2 cup pomegranate seeds (from 1/2 fruit)
• 2 tablespoons chopped red onion
• 1/4 cup chopped toasted walnuts
• Coarse salt and pepper

Directions

1. Rub kale with olive oil, lime juice, and ginger until well coated.
2. Add pomegranate seeds, red onion, and walnuts and toss. Season with coarse salt and pepper.

Yield: Serves 4

This post was taken from WholeLiving.com.

Alfalfa

Alfalfa is full of easily digestible nutrients and enzymes.  It is eaten sprouted and contains vitamins, minerals, amino acids and phytochemicals that protect against disease.  Alfalfa also has properties that help to build blood, reduce cholesterol, detoxify the body and balance hormones, while producing an anticarcinogenic affect on the body.

Chik'N, Broccoli, & Mushroom Alfredo

Vegans and Vegetarians know that there are plenty of meat substitutes that can be used to complement meals.  Tonight, we had Chik'N (a vegetarian substitute), Broccoli, & Mushroom Alfredo.  I think it was great for my first try.  It didn't take long to prepare either.  I'll be creating this recipe again.

Chik'N (entire bag)

Broccoli (2 cups fresh)

Cream of Mushroom Soup (large fat free can)

Grated Parmesan Cheese (1 cup)

Pasta (use what you like)

Roasted Vegetable & Farro Salad

INGREDIENTS

a big handful of Brussel Sprouts quartered


2 Carrots cut into small enough pieces


1 Sweet Potato peeled and cubed


1 Shallot sliced


1 clove garlic chopped

2 Tbs of Orange Champagne Vinegar (or whatever you like)

1/4 cup Farro

DIRECTIONS

Spray cookie sheet with PAM or cooking spray (You can use olive oil)

Spread brussel sprouts, carrots and sweet potato on sheet and sprinkle with salt

Cook on 375 for about 35 minutes or until cooked and starting to brown

Cook Farro as instructed on package

Soak garlic and shallots in Vinegar until ready to serve

Mix components together

Serve hot, cold or room temp

This recipe was provided by the Chefanies for HealingLifestyles.com.

Put More Produce in Your Day

3 Simple Strategies to Put More Produce in Your Day.

1. Include a fruit or vegetable at EVERY meal. There’s no meal that can’t fit a fruit or veggie—fresh, frozen, dried or from a bottle or can. Put a banana in that cereal, berries in your oatmeal, salsa or veggies with those eggs, a salad instead of fries with the meal, or veggies on the sandwich.

2. Have a fruit or vegetable in at least ONE of your snacks each day. A handful of grapes? Trail-mix with raisins or dried cherries? A sliced apple with peanut butter? A cup of low-sodium vegetable juice? Carrots and hummus? A mug of vegetable soup? You choose.

3. If you nosh at night, instead of giving yourself an ultimatum that becomes too restrictive or worse yet, gets you back on that guilt-ridden rollercoaster ride of emotional distress at your dietary behaviors, make a deal with yourself. Unless you’ve planned in advance to have an evening dessert or home-popped popcorn with a movie, if you find yourself returning to the kitchen with those after-dinner munchies, commit a fruit or veggie choice, period. Plain and simple: guidelines on what to choose NOT whether you can. It feels so liberating and ultimately, you may find at times you’re not as interested in a post meal nibble as your mind originally told you or that you simply and nutritiously end up adding to your overall health with an extra fruit or veggie serving.

For lots of cool information and strategies on how to bump up the berries and broccoli, cash in on carrots and cherries , or mix-it-up from mushrooms to melons, visit the Produce for Better Health Foundation at fruitsandveggiesmorematters.org.

This post was written by Wendy Bazilian, DrPH, RD for HealingLifestyles.com.

Vegan Breakfast Burrito

Green Smoothie

1 cup kale or collard greens firmly packed, stems removed, coarsely chopped (4 ounces)
1 Granny Smith apple, coarsely chopped 
1 ripe banana 
1/2 cup loosely packed fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves 

Combine kale, apple, banana, parsley, and 2 1/4 cups water in a blender; blend until smooth. If the mixture is too thick, add a little more water. 

Serves 2. Per serving: 105 calories; 0 g saturated fat; 0 g unsaturated fat; 0 mg cholesterol; 26 g carbs; 32 mg sodium; 2 g protein; 4 g fiber.




This recipe was taken from WholeLiving.com.

Antioxidant Smoothie

Don't have a juicer? No problem! You can still make this healthy fruit smoothie with this simple blender-friendly recipe.

2 cups mixed frozen berries (9 ounces) 
1 cup unsweetened pomegranate juice 

Combine berries, juice, and 1 cup water in a blender; blend until smooth. 

Serves 2. Per serving: 130 calories; 0 g saturated fat; 1 g unsaturated fat; 0 mg cholesterol; 34 g carbs; 19 mg sodium; 1.5 g protein; 4 g fiber.




This recipe was taken from WholeLiving.com.