Eat Smart Age Smart » Healthy Recipes

Asparagus Morel Risotto recipe

eatSmart — Mon, 28 Jun 2010 16:10:27 +0000

This risotto recipe is simply brilliant. I know that some readers might have a hard time finding morel mushrooms, but I would say that if morels aren’t available in your part of the world, you might want to substitute them for more exotic mushrooms like shiitake mushrooms or Portobello mushrooms which have a more distinctive taste than the usually white button mushrooms.

This creative recipe is courtesy of Jennie Menke!

>>>Ingredients<<<

2 cups morel mushrooms, washed

1 large bunch asparagus (about 20 spears), cut diagonally into 2 inch pieces

6 cups low sodium vegetable stock

2 cups water

3/4 cup white wine

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 1/2 cup Arborio rice

1 small onion, diced

1 large clove garlic, pressed

1 cup pecorino or parmesan cheese, finely grated

A lemon, cut into wedges (optional)

>>>Preparation<<<

Heat the olive oil in a large sauté pan over medium-high heat. Add the mushrooms, season with salt and pepper and sauté 5-7 minutes, or until the mushrooms have started to brown and crisp. Set aside.

Bring a large pot of water to a boil over medium-high heat. Add the asparagus and cook for 3-5 minutes, or until the asparagus become bright green and bends just a bit under pressure. Remove the asparagus with a slotted spoon into a large bowl of ice water to stop it from cooking. When asparagus has cooled remove it from the ice water bath and set aside.

Place the stock and water in a saucepan. Bring to a simmer.

In a separate large Dutch oven or pan large enough for the finished risotto, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the onion and sauté for about 5 minutes, or until the onion is soft and translucent.

Add the rice and sauté for another 2-4 minutes, stirring constantly. Add the wine and cook, stirring, until the wine is mostly absorbed. Add 1 cup of the stock water mixture, stirring, until the stock has been absorbed to the point that there isn’t any liquid sitting at the bottom of the pan. Repeat with another cup of watered stock until that stock is mostly absorbed to the same standard. Repeat until you are out of liquid. This process should take about 20-30 minutes, or until rice is al dente and has released its starches to reach a creamy consistency. Taste the rice often towards the end of the broth process.

Stir in the sautéed mushrooms and the blanched asparagus. Add the grated cheese and stir until combined. Top the risotto with a squirt of lemon juice, a sprinkling of cheese and serve immediately.

>>>Nutrition Facts<<<

Calories 322 Calories from Fat 66 Total Fat 7.4g Saturated Fat 2.2g Cholesterol 7mg Sodium 139mg Potassium 287mg Total Carbohydrate 48.8g Dietary Fiber 3.2g Sugars 1.9g Protein 10.7g

*** This recipe is part of the Meatless Monday series. It’s easy to go meatless with a vegetarian pasta recipe!***

If this is the first time you are reading about our weekly Meatless Monday feature, you can find out the reason why we’re featuring these vegetarian recipes by visiting this link to read the full story: Why not go meatless on Mondays?

>>>> If you’re viewing this healthy eating or healthy living tip as part of an aggregated content stream from different sites, or as a re-blogged post, please check out the content on the original Web site at www.EatSmartAgeSmart.com

Roasted beet salad with goat cheese and candied nuts

eatSmart — Mon, 21 Jun 2010 16:10:17 +0000

I’ve often made different variations of the beet and goat cheese salad, but since I prepare the recipes from the top of my head without a recipe, I was quite pleased to find this recipe that I can share with my readers.

During the summer months, you can easily roast beets on the BBQ. If you don’t eat beets usually, I strongly believe this recipe will really entice you in eating them more often because once you’ve discovered the beautiful combination of beets and goat cheese, there is no going back!

Beets are packaged with incredible nutrients. I had written a post featuring the many benefits of eating certain superfoods and beets where on the list. If you’ve missed that post, you can still read it here: 18 foods to turn you into a super eater!

This recipe is another courtesy of comes to us from Elizabeth of Sophisticated Pie.

>>>Ingredients<<<

1 bunch of beets (3-4 medium)

1/2 lb. mixed greens

2 oz. goat cheese

candied nuts (recipe follows)

balsamic vinegar, to taste

olive oil (optional), to taste

kosher salt and pepper, to taste

>>>Preparation<<<

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Trim tops off beets and wrap in foil. Place in oven and let roast about 1 hour, until tender. Let cool.

When cooled enough to handle, remove skins of beets and roughly chop into bite-size pieces.

Place desired portion of mixed greens onto plate, add beets, sprinkle goat cheese and candied nuts on top. Season with salt and pepper to taste, and drizzle with vinegar olive oil.

>>> Spicy and Sweet Candied Nuts<<<

1/2 tsp ground cumin

1/2 tsp cayenne pepper

1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

4 c mixed nuts, unsalted (or lightly salted), toasted

4 Tbsp unsalted butter

6 Tbsp light brown sugar

1 Tbsp water

kosher salt, to taste

>>>Preparation<<<

1. Heat a large sauté pan over medium heat and add butter.

2. Once melted, add the toasted nuts, spices, sugar, water, and salt.

3. Sauté until the sauce thickens and nuts are well coated.

4. Transfer nuts to a parchment lined sheet pan and let cool at least 10 minutes before serving.

5. These nuts will keep at least a week or two in an airtight container at room temperature (if they don’t get eaten first).

*** This recipe is part of the Meatless Monday series. It’s easy to go meatless with a vegetarian pasta recipe!***

>>>> If you’re viewing this healthy eating or healthy living tip as part of an aggregated content stream from different sites, or as a re-blogged post, please check out the content on the original Web site at www.EatSmartAgeSmart.com

Spinach Blackberry Pistachio Salad

eatSmart — Mon, 07 Jun 2010 16:10:02 +0000

Most people are looking for lighter meals during the warmer months of the year and salads are such a great way to have a quickly light bite.

If you combine protein to your salads, you’ve got yourself a well balanced meal that is package with antioxidants and nutrients.

This salad is incredibly packed with all the goodness you should be eating more often and the addition of pistachios make it so unusual.

You’ll also find a few unusual tasting notes like baby spinach fennel and blackberries. This is truly a salad you MUST try!

This recipe is a courtesy of comes to us from Elizabeth of Sophisticated Pie.

Serves 4

>>>Ingredients<<<

•1/2 pound fresh baby spinach

•1 pint fresh blackberries

•1 fennel bulb, thinly sliced

•1/2 cup pistachios, shelled

•Fennel fronds

• ¼ cup Balsamic vinegar

• ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil

•Black pepper

>>>Preparation<<<

Toss together the spinach, blackberries and sliced fennel. Sprinkle with pistachios and fennel fronds.

Drizzle with olive oil and balsamic vinegar and season well with salt and black pepper to taste.

>>>Nutrition Facts<<<

Calories 207 Calories from Fat 128 Total Fat 14.3g Saturated Fat 1.8g Cholesterol 0mg Sodium 76mg Potassium 832mg Total Carbohydrate 17.5g Dietary Fiber 8.4g Sugars 4.9g Protein 6.5g

*** This recipe is part of the Meatless Monday series. It’s easy to go meatless with a vegetarian pasta recipe!***

How to cook healthy recipes

eatSmart — Sun, 06 Jun 2010 16:10:25 +0000

Healthy cooking should not be that complicated, but it often is because most people don’t know where to start.

There are several thousands of web sites, healthy cookbooks and cooking magazines, but still most people are stump when it comes to preparing a healthy meal that will satisfy their family while maintain some of the basics of adopting a healthy lifestyle to increase your chances of aging well.

I thought that I’d share a few healthy cooking recipes that have been captured on video to show you how incredibly easy cooking healthy can be!

These recipes are from Nutrition Action contributing healthy cooking expert Kate Sherwood and you’ll see how easy these quick healthy cooking lessons are and how they will give you some good basics to get you going.

Remember, that when it comes to healthy cooking, you don’t have to give up all of your favourite recipes, but you rather should focus on transforming them into healthier options!

>>> These healthy cooking lessons should definitely help you start on the right foot:

1. How to segment citrus fruits:

2. How to prepare spring vegetable pesto pasta:

3. Barley Risotto recipe:

4. Shrimp Tostada salad recipe:

>>>> If you’re viewing this healthy eating or healthy living tip as part of an aggregated content stream from different sites, or as a re-blogged post, please check out the content on the original Web site at www.EatSmartAgeSmart.com

Lasagna Floret vegetarian recipe

eatSmart — Mon, 31 May 2010 16:00:01 +0000

Here’s another recipe from Phnewfula! In this vegetarian lasagna recipe created with layers of cauliflower and broccoli florets baked between cheese and the lasagne noodles!

If you are looking for a way of adding more vegetarian dishes to your menu, this will be the perfect simple dish to try.

Another great advantage of making a lasagne dish is that you can have leftovers for lunch the next day or you can simply freeze the extra lasagne and keep that for another week (since this recipe makes 12 portions)!

This might not be a dish you prepare at 7 pm when you get home, but this would be the perfect dish to cook on a Sunday and you can quickly reheat it on the Monday night!

I think Phnewfula from Turtle Pie’s Drool Session’s dish fits perfectly with the theme or Meatless Mondays!

>>>INGREDIENTS<<<

tablespoons olive oil

1 head cauliflower, chopped

1 onion, chopped

3 large carrots, chopped

1 pound of broccoli (head only), chopped

8 ounces mushrooms, chopped

¼ cup water

16 ounce container ricotta cheese

1 teaspoon dried oregano

1 teaspoon dried rosemary

1 teaspoon dried basil

1 teaspoon dried parsley

1 teaspoon garlic, minced

3 teaspoons salt

1 teaspoon black pepper

1 shake red pepper flakes

1 pound “no boil” lasagna noodles (Found in the pasta section of most grocery stores. Feel free to substitute traditional dried lasagna noodles, as long as they are cooked according to package instructions before assembling the lasagna.)

8 ounces fresh mozzarella, cut into ½ inch thick slices

1 24 ounce jar spaghetti sauce

4 ounces white and yellow cheddar cheese, shredded

>>>PREPARATION<<<

> Preheat oven to 375. Lightly grease a lasagna pan.

> Preheat a large skillet or pan over medium heat. Add 2 tablespoons of olive oil to the pan. When the oil is heated, add the chopped cauliflower, onions, carrots and broccoli and cook for about 7 minutes, or until vegetables start to soften.

> Add the mushrooms and ¼ cup water. Cover and cook for 5 minutes more, or until vegetables have just become tender.

> While vegetables are cooking, mix ricotta, oregano, rosemary, basil, parsley, garlic, pepper and 1 ½ teaspoon of the salt together and set aside.

> When vegetables are just tender, remove the pan from heat and season with the remaining 1 ½ teaspoon salt and a firm shake of the red pepper flakes.

> In the prepared lasagna pan place one layer of no-boil noodles, followed by a layer of mozzarella cheese, then vegetables, then the ricotta-herb mixture, then the spaghetti sauce.

> Repeat the layering process for about 2 or 3 more layers until you are out of ingredients. Top the lasagna with the shredded cheddar. Cover lasagna with foil.

> Bake covered for 30 minutes. Remove lasagna from oven, uncover, and bake for another 7-10 minutes, or until cheese browns.

>>> NUTRITION INFORMATION<<<

Lasagna Floret

Servings per Recipe: 12

Amount per Serving

Calories: 388

Calories from Fat: 131

Total Fat: 14.6g

Saturated Fat: 6.8g

Cholesterol: 36mg

Sodium: 1122mg

Potassium: 753mg

Total Carbohydrates: 45.6g

Dietary Fiber: 4.6g

Protein: 20g

Sugars: 9.7g

*** This recipe is part of the Meatless Monday series. It’s easy to go meatless with a vegetarian pasta recipe!***

Lentil Shepherd Pie vegetarian recipe

eatSmart — Mon, 24 May 2010 16:00:32 +0000

This is one of the most original Shepherd’s pie recipe I’ve come across. It’s true that I’ve only had the traditional meat Shepherd’s pie recipes up to now and must say that it would never have occurred to me to replace the meat with lentils.

If you hate to do dishes, this recipe will become a favourite because it’s a one dish recipe which makes is an ideal dish for potlucks!

This Shepherd’s pie recipe is a great feature for a Meatless Monday! This recipe is the creation of Nina at Wachussett Vegan Society.

Now, I will admit that this might be one of those recipes that might not be the easiest to get your kids to eat if they aren’t used to eating lentils or beans, but I think for adults looking to cut out meat from their diets a few times per week … this is ideal!

>>>INGREDIENTS<<<

4 cups water

½ cup uncooked barley

1 cup uncooked lentils

1 large onion, diced

2 medium carrots, diced

3 cups fresh mushrooms, sliced

1 teaspoon caraway seeds

1 teaspoon garlic powder

1/3 cup soy sauce

1 tablespoon gravy master (a liquid seasoning found near the soy sauce or broth sections of most grocery stores)

5-6 medium potatoes, boiled and peeled

¼ cup margarine or vegan margarine

1/3 cup milk or soy milk

¼ cup nutritional yeast flakes (optional. Found near the vitamin section of most grocery or drug stores)

Salt and pepper to taste.

>>>PREPARATION<<<

Preheat oven 350 degrees.

In a covered sauce pan, bring water, barley and lentils to a simmer. Gently simmer barley and lentils for 45 minute or until lentils are tender. Additional water may be needed to cook lentils until tender.

In a large skillet, sauté diced onions and carrots for about 5 minutes, or until tender. Add minced mushrooms, stir and cook for an additional 3 minutes.

Add the cooked barley and lentils to the skillet. Season with the caraway seeds, garlic powder, soy sauce, gravy master and salt and pepper to taste. Mix until combined.

Drain and mash cooked potatoes with margarine and milk. Season mashed potatoes with yeast flakes and salt and pepper to taste.

Grease a casserole pan and add barley mixture to pan. Top with mashed potatoes and dot with margarine. Bake for 30 minutes.

>>> NUTRITION INFORMATION<<<

Lentil Shepherd’s Pie

Servings per Recipe: 10

Amount per Serving

Calories: 265

Calories from Fat: 51

Total Fat: 5.7g

Saturated Fat: 1.1g

Cholesterol: 1mg

Sodium: 643mg

Potassium: 937mg

Total Carbohydrates: 43.4g

Dietary Fiber: 11.7g

Protein: 12.4g

Sugars: 3.1g

*** This recipe is part of the Meatless Monday series. It’s easy to go meatless with a vegetarian pasta recipe!***

Sesame Bok Choy vegetarian recipe

eatSmart — Mon, 17 May 2010 16:00:37 +0000

Chinese food often gets a bad wrap because of the bad oils, MSG, high sodium and the fact that a lot of the favourite Chinese dishes are deep fried. If you really love Chinese food, there are a number of really easy recipes you can make at home and that really don’t take that much time.

I found this Sesame Bok Choy recipe to be another perfect recipe for a Meatless Mondays feature and since it’s so simple and easy to prepare there are no excuses when it comes to eating a healthier Chinese recipe!

This Sesame Bok Choy recipe comes from Phnewfula of Turtle Pie’s Drool Session.

You can serve this Sesame Bok Choy recipe with rice or noodles and if you want to go healthy, you can pair this off with brown rice!

>>>INGREDIENTS<<<

A little vegetable oil or cooking spray, to coat the pan

Two heads bok choy, washed and cut into bite sized pieces

½ cup onion, chopped

1 teaspoon low sodium soy sauce

1 teaspoon garlic, minced

1 teaspoon sesame oil, for drizzling

>>>PREPARATION<<<

Heat vegetable oil or cooking spray in a sauté pan over medium high heat. Add the bok choy and onion and sauté for 7 minutes, or until the bok choy leaves become tender.

Add the soy sauce and minced garlic to the pan. Sauté for 1-3 minutes, or until garlic becomes fragrant.

Remove from heat and drizzle with sesame oil before serving.

>>> NUTRITION INFORMATION<<<

Sesame Bok Choy

Servings per Recipe: 3

Amount per Serving

Calories: 99

Calories from Fat: 23

Total Fat: 2.6g

Saturated Fat: .4g

Cholesterol: 0mg

Sodium: 423mg

Potassium: 1456mg

Total Carbohydrates: 15.4g

Dietary Fiber: 6g

Protein: 8.8g

Sugars: 7.8g

*** This recipe is part of the Meatless Monday series. It’s easy to go meatless with a vegetarian pasta recipe!***

Photo by PinkMoose

Orange Confit Oatmeal vegetarian recipe

eatSmart — Mon, 10 May 2010 16:00:25 +0000

This breakfast recipe is such a refreshing twist to the usual oatmeal recipes you might have been trying in the past. Instead of buying those store-bought oatmeal bars that are high in sugar and that contain a few dubious ingredients, why not make this recipe and have it ready for your morning breakfast!

This is a perfect recipe for a Meatless Mondays feature. Since this recipe doesn’t content any protein, I’d highly suggest that you add a handful of nuts of your choice to your breakfast to make it a complete meal!

This Orange Confit Oatmeal recipe comes from Kelly at The Pink Apron!

If you decide to try this recipe, make sure to come back and leave a comment to let me know if you liked it or not!

>>>INGREDIENTS<<<

2 cups rolled oats

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1 teaspoon baking powder

pinch salt

1 1/2 cups nonfat milk

1 large egg, beaten

2 tablespoons butter, melted

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 2 inch piece vanilla bean, split lengthwise

1/3 cup orange marmalade

1/2 cup orange confit, chopped

>>>PREPARATION<<<

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.

In a medium bowl, combine the oats, sugar, salt and baking powder.

In a separate bowl, combine the milk, egg, melted butter and vanilla extract. Scrape the seeds of the vanilla bean into the egg mixture and reserve the bean for future use.

Stir the oat and milk mixtures together. When combined fold in the chopped orange confit or marmalade. Pour mixture into a medium sized pan.

Bake for 30-35 minutes or until oatmeal has developed a nice crust and is lightly brown around the edges. Serve warm.

>>> NUTRITION INFORMATION<<<

Servings per Recipe: 6

Amount per Serving

Calories: 280

Calories from Fat: 58

Total Fat: 6.5g

Saturated Fat: 3.1g

Cholesterol: 46mg

Sodium: 168mg

Potassium: 215mg

Total Carbohydrates: 49.8g

Dietary Fiber: 2.8g2.8g

Protein: 7.6g

Sugars: 30.9g

*** This recipe is part of the Meatless Monday series. It’s easy to go meatless with a vegetarian pasta recipe!***