Healthy Cooking Recipes: Clean Eating Edition: Quinoa Recipes, Superfoods and Smoothies
and a splash of soy sauce and bring to a simmer, then add the spinach, lemon juice and zest, the sesame seeds and the remaining 1 tbsp of sesame oil, stir once and remove from heat.
Serve the vegetable mixture over the cooked noodles, reserving any remaining cooking liquid to serve on the side.
Chipotle Salmon with Peanut Salsa
Number of servings: 8
Ingredients:
8 salmon fillets, about 4 – 5 ounces each
8 cloves of garlic
5 chipotle peppers in adobo sauce
2 cups roasted peanuts, salted or unsalted
2 dried ancho or guajillo chiles, stemmed, seeded and chopped
½ cup honey
juice of 2 limes
salt, to taste
a little chopped cilantro, for garnish
Preparation:
For the salsa:
Roast the garlic cloves in a dry skillet over medium heat for about 15 minutes, turning occasionally until the garlic is softened and begins to blacken. Remove from heat and set aside the garlic to cool – peel the garlic once it has cooled.
While the garlic cools, toast the ancho or guajillo peppers in the same skillet until aromatic (this should take 3 -5 minutes). Place the toasted chilies in a bowl and cover with hot water. Allow the peppers to rehydrate for about 30 minutes. Drain the peppers and transfer to a food processor along with the toasted garlic, the peanuts and 3 of the chipotle peppers. Add just a little bit of lime juice and blend until smooth, adding more juice if needed. Season to taste with salt and transfer to a bowl.
For the salmon:
Heat your oven to broil. While the oven heats, add the honey, a pinch of salt and the remaining 2 chipotle peppers. Process until the ingredients form a smooth puree.
Broil the salmon filets on a lightly oiled baking sheet for 2 minutes per side. Remove from the broiler and brush with the chipotle-honey glaze. Broil for another 2 minutes or until the salmon reaches your desired level of doneness. Serve hot with peanut salsa and garnished with chopped cilantro.
Spinach and Cheese Bread Pudding
Number of servings: 6
Ingredients:
8 thick slices of whole grain bread, cut into 1” cubes
1 10 ounce package of frozen spinach, thawed and drained
6 large eggs
2 cups milk (whole or 2%, not skim)
1 cup shredded cheese (sharp cheddar works well, but any cheese you like will do fine)
1 tsp nutmeg
1 tsp dried thyme
salt and black pepper, to taste
Preparation:
Start by preheating your oven to 375 F. While the oven is heating, beat the eggs, milk, thyme, nutmeg and a pinch each of salt and black pepper (or more, if desired) with a whisk until well blended. Fold in the spinach, shredded cheese and bread cubes.
Lightly oil a large glass or ceramic baking dish and pour in the mixture. Bake until the bread pudding puffs up and browns on top, about 25 minutes. You can tell if the pudding is done when a knife inserted into the center comes out clean. Once the bread pudding is finished, remove from the oven and allow it to stand for 5 – 10 minutes to set before slicing and serving.
Sweet Potato and Walnut Casserole
Number of servings: 8
Ingredients:
5 large sweet potatoes, cut into ¾” thick slices
½ cup coarsely chopped walnuts
4 tbsp butter, cut into small pieces
2 tbsp dark brown sugar
Salt and black pepper, to taste
Preparation:
Preheat your oven to 400 F. Arrange half of the sliced sweet potatoes to form a single layer in a large glass or ceramic baking dish. Sprinkle the layer of sweet potatoes with 1 tbsp of the brown sugar, half of the butter pieces, a little salt and plenty of black pepper. Repeat the process with the remaining sweet potatoes and butter, brown sugar, salt and pepper.
Cover the dish with foil and bake for 30 minutes. Remove the foil and top the casserole with walnuts and bake for another 40 minutes, uncovered or until the sweet potatoes are tender. Baste the casserole with the syrup formed in the dish every ten minutes while you’re baking it uncovered. Once the casserole is finished, remove from heat, allow it to stand for 5 minutes and serve.
Stuffed Onions
Number of servings:
Ingredients:
4 large yellow onions
2 lbs parsnips, peeled (optional) and sliced into 1/2” thick rounds
1 cup chicken or vegetable broth
½ cup crumbled Roquefort cheese
¼ cup walnuts, toasted and chopped
1 tbsp butter
½ tbsp olive oil
1 tsp salt
1 tsp black pepper, or to taste
Preparation:
Preheat your oven to 425 F. While it heats, melt the butter in a medium saucepan and add the sliced parsnips, salt and pepper. Cook over medium heat for 5 minutes, add the broth and cook, covered, for about 15 minutes or until the parsnips are tender. Allow the parsnips to cool for about 10 minutes and transfer the parsnips and broth to a food processor; blend until it becomes a smooth puree. Set the puree aside.
The next step is to roast the onions. Line a large baking pan with foil. Slice a thin slice from the bottom of each onion to prevent them from rolling and cut about half an inch off of the top of each onion. Using a small knife, cut out most of the inside of the onion, leaving a few layers (about half an inch) on the outside. Chop the centers of the onions finely and mix into the pureed parsnips. Stuff each onion with the mixture, rub with olive oil and place on the foil covered baking pan.
Bake for 1 ½ hours, top the onions with Roquefort and walnut and return to the oven for another 5 – 10 minutes. Remove from the oven and serve at once.
Collard Greens with Bacon
Number of servings: 8
Ingredients:
2 large bunches of collard greens, washed, patted dry and cut into ¾” strips
½ lb thick cut bacon, cooked and crumbled
4 cloves of garlic, crushed
¼ cup olive oil
2 tbsp whole grain brown mustard
2 tbsp apple cider vinegar
salt and black pepper, to taste
Preparation:
Mix together 3 tbsp of the olive oil, the mustard, vinegar and a little salt and pepper in a small bowl. Set aside and heat the remainder of the olive oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the garlic and collard greens and cook 5 – 10 minutes or until tender, stirring regularly. Add the mustard and vinegar mixture and toss to coat the greens. Transfer the greens to a serving bowl, top with crumbled bacon and serve at once.
Tomato and Cheese Tart