Tag: healthy

Spicy Kung Pao Vegetables

Published on by richbLeave a comment

For times when you want a healthy vegetarian/vegan meal with lots of flavor, this is a great meal. You can add tofu if you want to add protein. Eggplant can be added in as an additional vegetable also and you can leave others out or change the proportions.

Ingredients

  • Veggies
    • 1/4 head of cabbage roughly chopped
    • 1 yellow onion chopped into byte sized pieces
    • 2 carrots sliced crosswise thinly
    • 4 green onions white sliced thinly green ends sliced 1/2″ slices
    • 1 cup of broccoli florets
    • 1 green or red bell pepper chopped into byte sized pieces
    • 2 stalks of celery cut into 1/4″ slices
  • Sauce
    • 4 tablespoons of soy sauce
    • 2 tablespoons hoisin sauce
    • 2 tablespoons white vinegar
    • 1/2 teaspoon of sugar
    • 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
    • 1/2 cup of water
    • 1 teaspoon of balsamic vinegar
    • 2 teaspoons minced garlic
    • 1 tablespoons minced ginger
    • 2 tablespoons of corn starch
    • 1/4 teaspoon sesame oil
  • Other Ingredients
    • Rice or noodles to serve with
    • Canola Oil for stir frying
    • Chopped Peanuts for topping (optional)

Directions

Cook rice to serve Kung Pao Veggies over. Chop veggies as directed. Blanch or microwave the carrots and broccoli  first to even out the cooking time for all the veggies. Combine sauce ingredients into a bowl and mix. Stir fry vegetables till done about 3-4 minutes then pour sauce into hot pan with veggies and let cook for 3-4 minutes to thicken and coat the veggies. Serve over rice or noodles and sprinkle chopped peanuts if desired.

Great Baba Ganoush

Published on by richbLeave a comment

I really enjoy good Baba Ganoush and one awesome thing it is even healthy. I can easily eat about a half of this in one sitting. Here is the recipe so everyone else can enjoy also.

Ingredients

  • 1 large eggplant
  • 3 large cloves of garlic cut in half
  • 1/4 cup of good tahini
  • 2 tablespoons of fresh lemon juice
  • 1/2 tsp of cumin
  • 1 teaspoon of extra virgin olive oil
  • 1/2 teaspoon of salt

Directions

Take eggplant and cut slits in it and insert the half cloves of garlic. You can either grill the eggplant till charred all over or if you have a gas stove using a pair of metal tongs char over the burner. Next put into a pan and bake at 350 degrees till completely cook and soft and mushy. Remove outer skin and stem, then put into a food processor along with all the other ingredients and pulse until smooth. I didn’t have naan (Indian bread) so I just served it with toast. Hope you enjoy this recipe as much as I do

High Protein Vegetarian/Vegan Burger Patties

Published on by richbLeave a comment

These came out great and go well in a bun as a vegan burger. They are easy to make and high in protein.

Ingredients

  • 3/4 cup of mung beans (soaked at least 6 hours or overnight in water)
  • 1/4 cup of dried black beans (cooked) or 1/2 cup of cooked black beans
  • 3 tablespoons of corn starch
  • 1 teaspoon Chili powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon of cumin
  • 1/2 teaspoon of garlic powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon of Vegetarian Beef Broth (if omitted use 1/4 teaspoon salt)
  • 1/2 teaspoon of Salt (Add more if desired)
  • Olive oil

Directions

In a food processor grind up mung beans into a paste. Add in all the other ingredients except the onions and black beans and pulse a few times to mix them in. Add in the black beans and pulse a couple of times, but keep the black beans mostly in tact. Pour into a bowl and mix in the onions. Heat a frying pan and add in the oil and spoon in the mixture and fry till nicely browned and the middle of the patty is firm when pressed on. Serve and enjoy.

Indian Vegetable Cakes Recipe

Published on by richbLeave a comment

This is a healthy, great tasting vegan recipe that meat eaters will love also. The moong dal have a lot of protein and will really give you a satisfying fullness. You can eat this with an Indian pickle (It goes good with lemon pickle).

  • ¾ cup split moong dal or whole green mung beans
  • 3 tablespoons corn flour (corn starch)
  • 1 medium onion,chopped fine
  • 1 small carrot,peeled and grated
  • ½ green bell pepper,chopped fine
  • Optional 2 green chillies,chopped fine (you can substitue 1/2 to 1 tsp of cayenne pepper or leave out all together)
  • ½ teaspoon grated ginger
  • 1/2 cup of water
  • Salt about 1 tsp. You can sprinkle more on top while you are cooking if you’d like
  • Olive Oil or Canola oil  (Add a tablespoon or two to the pan before cooking)
  • Optional for more flavor (1/2 tsp of ground fenugreek seed, 1/2 tsp ground cumin)

Directions

Soak Moong dal or Mung beans overnight in water. Drain and in a food processor grind to a paste. now add the rest of the ingredients (except oil) and stir till well mixed. Add water and mix again. Add some oil to a nonstick pan and cook till it is nicely browned flip and brown other side. These are best when eaten hot. Enjoy!

Spicy Korean Tofu Stew

Published on by richbLeave a comment

This is a great hearty soup/stew and is one of the more filling vegetarian/vegan recipes that I have come across. I like to eat it in the colder weather the most, but it is good enough that I even eat it in the summer also.

  •  Ingredients
    • 3-4 cups Vegetable broth
    • 1 package Soft Silken Tofu broken up as desired
    • 1 6-8 oz package sliced mushrooms (Fresh or canned)
    • 4 strips of dried seaweed (sold as snack comes in paper like sheets)
    • 1 Tablespoon olive oil
    • 2 teaspoons course ground Korean pepper
    • 3-4 cloves garlic minced fine
    • 3-4 green onions chopped
    • 1 tablespoon sesame oil
    • 2 tablespoons soy sauce
    • Salt to taste
  • Directions
    • Add olive oil to preheated pan on medium heat along with garlic. Fry about 2 minuites
    • Add vegetable broth, tofu, pepper, soy sauce, seaweed, sesame oil and mushrooms
    • Cook on medium heat for 20 – 30 minutes
    • Serve in bowls topped with chopped onions if using green onions and serve with rice to eat with or scoop into soup

Hearty Roasted Eggplant Soup

Published on by richbLeave a comment

I have two eggplant plants and they are loaded with eggplants. I am looking for different ways to use them. This is one recipe that turned out great.

Ingredients

  • 4 large asian eggplants
  • 1/2 onion sliced
  • 2 ripe tomatoes pealed and chopped
  • 1 8 oz can of tomato sauce
  • 1 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1 head of roasted garlic
  • 1/2 tsp italian seasoning
  • 32 oz of vegetable stock (Can substitute Chicken stock)
  • 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
  • 1/2 tsp fresh ground black pepper
  • 1/2 tsp lemon juice
  • 1/2 tsp cumin
  • 2 tablespoons of chopped cilantro

Directions

Spray eggplants and garlic head with oil and roast at 400 degrees for 40 minutes. When cool, remove inside of roasted eggplant and garlic chop and add into a pan along with the rest of the ingredients (except cilantro) a pan and simmer for 30-45 minutes. Stir in cilantro just before serving. Serve and enjoy.

Healthy Spicy Chicken Chili

Published on by richbLeave a comment

Ingredients

  • 1 lb gound Chicken
  • 1/2 onion chopped finely (chop a little more for topping if desired)
  • 1 ripe tomato chopped finely
  • 1/2 cup of cooked black beans
  • 1/2 cup cooked kidney beans
  • 3 tablespoons of chili powder
  • 1 tablespoon of cumin powder
  • 3 large galic cloves chopped finely
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 tsp dried oregano
  • 2 tablespoons of hot roasted hatch chilis
  • 1 8 oz can of tomato sauce
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • Shredded Cheese, and chopped cilantro for topping if desired.

Directions

Add olive oil to pan along with garlic and onions and lightly fry for about 5 minutes, don’t brown. Add in ground chicken and chili powder and cook and crumble with a spoon.  Add in rest of ingredients and cook for about 45 minutes till flavors blend. Top with cheese, onion, and cilantro.

For Vegetarian or vegan, use meat substitute and leave cheese out.

Chicken Makhani (Healthy Version)

Published on by richbLeave a comment

I tried to come up with a healthier version of Chicken Makhani since this dish is usually loaded with a lot of fat. I used whole milk instead of cream and used lower fat yoghurt, and use boneless skinless chicken breast. However I did use butter to help add in some richness, but it is still much lower in fat and tastes great.

Ingredients

  • 3 large boneless skinless chicken breasts cut into 1″ cubes
  • 1/2 cup low fat yogurt
  • 1 tablespoon garam masala
  • 1 teaspoon red chili powder (cayenne pepper)
  • 1/4 tsp cumin powder
  • 1/2 onion chopped coursely
  • 1″ piece of ginger sliced across the fibers
  • 5 cloves of garlic
  • 1 tablespoon of olive oil
  • 1 Serrano pepper stem cut off
  • 2 tablespoons butter
  • 1 8 oz can of tomato sauce
  • 1/4 cup whole milk
  • 1/2 tsp salt

Directions

Add yogurt into a bowl and mix in garam masala and when mixed evenly add chicken and stir to coat the chicken. Cover and put into the refrigerator for 1 hour to marinate. Add onion, garlic, serrano pepper, and ginger to a food processor and process till it becomes a paste. Heat pan till hot and add olive oil and chicken. Brown chicken, but do not cook all the way through then set aside in a bowl. Add the paste from the food processor to the pan and fry till most of the liquid has evaporated. Now add chicken, cayenne pepper, cumin, tomato sauce, butter, and milk to pan and cook uncovered for about 5 – 7 more minutes till the chicken is fully cooked. I served with brown rice to keep it healthy all around.

Italian Seasoned Grilled Chicken Breast

Published on by richbLeave a comment

This is a great easy to make recipe. Just slice boneless skinless chicken breast up, add marinade mix to oil, water, and vinegar and marinate for a few hours. Grill and eat! They taste great. In a pinch you can use a packet of Good Seasons Italian Salad dressing mix instead of the mix on this recipe, they are pretty much the same.

Ingredients

  • Italian Dressing seasoning mix along with wet ingredients (See Recipe on this site)
  • 3 bonelesss skinless chicken breast (slice to split into 3 thinner beast pieces)

Directions

Mix together we and dry ingredients on Italian Dressing Mix Recipe, then add sliced chicken to marinade in a bowl or ziploc bag and marinade in the refrigerator for 1 – 4 hours. Heat grill very hot (I shut the lid with the burners on and heat to about 450 degrees fahrenheit) then add chicken to grill and cook till browned. Serve and ENJOY!

Tunaless Tuna Salad Recipe Where You Don’t Miss the Tuna.

Published on by richbLeave a comment

This is a simple recipe that is as easy to make as tuna salad and it tastes very similar and is just as filling.

Ingredients

  • 1/2 can of garbanzo beans drained and rised.
  • 3 tablespoons of mayonnaise of Vegan mayonnaise.
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons Dijon or regular mustard.
  • 1/2 teaspoon granulated garlic.
  • 1 stalk of finely chopped celery (optional).
  • 1/2 small onion finely copped (optional).
  • 1 heaping tablespoon of finely chopped pick (sweet or dill) (0ptional).
  • Salt to taste

Directions

Put garbanzo beans into a food processor and pulse several times till chopped finely but you don’t want to have a paste that way you still have a little bite to the garbanzos. Mix all other ingredients in and stir till combined.  You can either eat on top of lettuce or put in a sandwich with lettuce and tomato, or however you would use tuna.