We should share recipes that we like! They can be our favorite thing to make/eat before a workout, easy and healthy weeknight meals, whatever. Since I almost became a chef before becoming a teacher, I know I'll geek out pretty hard on a thread like this. What's your favorite healthy recipe?

Here's one I love to make on busy weeknights (which is practically all the time for me). It's adapted from a recipe in The Dancing Gourmet, one of my favorite cookbooks written by a professional ballet dancer.

Bon appetit!

Soba Soup

Season 2-4 chicken breasts with salt and pepper. Broil or grill until done.

Meanwhile, in a large pot, saute chopped garlic, grated ginger, red pepper flakes for a few moments until fragrant. Add sliced mushrooms and chopped onion and saute until soft. Add equal parts chicken and vegetable broth. Simmer for at least 10 minutes.

While broth is simmering, cook whole wheat soba noodles until tender, and drain. Slice cooked chicken breasts.

Line bowls with fresh spinach leaves. Top with hot noodles and pour broth over the top. Top with chicken pieces. Garnish with chopped scallions, toasted sesame seeds, and fresh cilantro if desired.

lol Whiteninja. No worries. Whatever works for you.

As promised in another thread, my favorite lentil recipe, also from "The Dancing Gourmet" cookbook; and my hummus recipe. Both are cheap, easy, healthy, and satisfying. Don't let the length of the recipes fool you or make you uncomfortable. Both are quite easy to make.
Bon appetit!

Lentils

1 1/2 cups green or brown lentils
4 1/2-5 cups nonfat chicken stock
2 teaspoons olive oil
1 teaspoon butter
1 cup finely chopped onion
1 large carrot, trimmed, scraped, and chopped fine
2 cloves minced garlic
1/2-1 small hot red chile pepper, trimmed, seeded (unless you like it really spicy), and finely chopped (I often use red pepper flakes for convenience)
4 plum tomatoes, peeled, seeded, and chopped*
salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon lemon juice

Rinse lentils well. Bring 4 cups of chicken stock to a boil in a large pot and add lentils. Turn heat down and simmer. Cook lentils 30 minutes. Meanwhile, in another large saucepan, heat olive oil and butter. Saute onions and carrots over medium heat for 2 minutes. Add garlic, red pepper, and tomatoes and cook until soft, about 3 minutes more. Add cooked lentils and season with salt and pepper to taste. Heat through, adding more chicken stock as needed to make the lentils slightly soupy. Add lemon juice and heat through.

*Peeling plum tomatoes is kind of a hassle, so I often just use canned chopped tomatoes for convenience. One can, drained, usually does the job. If you want to use fresh tomatoes, here are two ways of peeling them. The complicated way: cut a few slits in the skin. Drop tomatoes in boiling water for about a minute. Remove with a slotted spoon and plunge into ice water too cool them. The skins should slip off easily (I have never had much success with this). The easier way (discovered accidentally by me): Cut tomatoes into quarters or eighths; manageable sized chunks. Put into a Zyliss chopper and chop coarsely. The tomato flesh should chop, but the skin should stay intact. You can now scrape the chopped tomato flesh easily off of the skin. Voila!

NOTE: To keep preparation simple, I often make the lentils in one pan, sauteeing the vegetables and seasonings in the bottom of a large saucepan or dutch oven for a few moments, and then adding the broth to boil, and then adding the lentils, lowering the heat to a fast simmer. It alters the taste a bit, but not in a bad way. Makes the flavors blend together more. Plus there's one less dish to was at the end!

Hummus

In a blender, mix until smooth (all proportions approximate; adjust to taste):

1-2 cans garbanzo beans, drained
1/4-1/2 cup tahini
Juice of one half to one whole lemon
minced fresh garlic (to taste)
Salt (to taste)

You may need to add some water to soften it to the consistency you like. Enjoy with whole wheat pita wedges, chopped fresh vegetables, on sandwiches/wraps as a substitute for mayo, etc.

Enjoy. Let me know if you have questions on any of these.

mmmm, foooood. I like this one because it doesn't involve a lot of ingredients....

Moroccan Chickpea Stew

Ingredients:
3 15.5 oz. cans chick peas (drained and rinsed out)
1 small onion diced
1 clove garlic
1 15.5 oz. can diced tomatoes
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp paprika
sugar
salt
4 cps chicken broth
1/2 package frozen spinach

1. Heat up some olive oil in a soup pot and sautee the diced onions
2. Press garlic and add to onions
3. Add the cumin, paprika, and cinnamon and cook for a minute or two to get the flavor in. Stir it around a bit so that it doesn't start burning....
4. Add everything else until it bubbles
5. Lower heat and simmer / bubble 45 mins.
6. Mash the beans a little, and then add spinach
7. Add salt and sugar to taste

Cereal:
milk and choice of cereal
(joke)

i get some awsome recipes from gormet mag

like this pizza margherita

2 6-inch sourdough halved
2 tble spoon olive oil
1 clove garlic minced
1 cp tomato/ basil pasta sauce
1 1/3 cps shredded mozzarella
1/4 cup basil sliced
2 italian plum tomatoes, diced
some parmigiano-reggiano
-
preheat oven 375
put the rolls on baking sheet cut up
brush with mix of oil and garlic
 bake for 2-3 mins
spread the pasta sauce
put on other stuff on roll nicely arranged in this order
: mozzarella, basil, tomatoes, and parm.
bake 6-7 min until cheese is melted


   

Crispy Parmesan Chicken Breasts

 Ingredients
1.   1/3 cup KRAFT 100% Grated Parmesan Cheese
2.   1/4 cup seasoned dry breadcrumbs
3.   1/4 teaspoon paprika
4.   1/4 teaspoon salt
5.   1/4 teaspoon black pepper
6.   6 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves
7.   3 tablespoons butter or margarine melted

Nutrition Info   
Serving size: 6 servings
·   Calories: 225 kcal
·   Carbohydrates: 3 g
·   Dietary Fiber: 0 g
·   Fat: 10 g
·   Protein: 27 g
·   Sugars: 0 g

 Cooking Directions
1. Preheat ovens to 400 degrees F. Mix cheese, crumbs and seasonings in shallow dish.
2.   Dip chicken in butter; coat with cheese mixture. Place in greased 15x10x1-inch baking pan.
3.   Bake 20 minutes or until chicken is cooked through.
Yield: 6 servings (Serving size: 6 servings)



That’s the way your supposed to make it but I do it differently, I substitute the butter with an egg or two and I don’t use exact measurements I just sort of throw stuff in until it feels right and it always comes out nice (but its still more or less along the lines of the recipe calls for).

For the cheese the smaller it is the better so grate it or buy it grated because it’s a pain to get it fine enough otherwise

Here are two recipe ideas, both would work for easy, healthy snacks or side dishes to a larger meal. Bon appetit!

Cowboy Caviar.

This is a great snack, packed with protein, fiber, and vitamins. The corn kind of makes the carb count go up a bit, but there are worse things. The protein and fiber are great though. It's normally served with tortilla chips, but I've found that whole wheat pita is a healthy alternative. Another option is to use the cowboy caviar as "filler" on a sandwich or wrap, or as a side dish for a cumin-rubbed broiled chicken breast or fish fillet.

1 can pinto beans
1 can black-eyed peas
6 oz. chopped jalapeno peppers
1 can "shoe peg" corn
4 stalks celery, diced
1 onion, diced
1 green and one red bell pepper, diced

1/4 cup olive oil
1/2 cup Splenda sugar substitute
1/2 cup cider vinegar

Mix Splenda and vinegar together until sugar substitute dissolves. Whisk together with oil, forming an emulsion. Marinate all vegetables & beans in vinegar mixture for several hours. Drain off marinade before serving.

Roasted Sweet Potato Wedges

These can also be kind of high in carbs, relatively speaking, but they are packed with vitamin A and are relatively low in fat for being as satisfying as they are. They are a great side dish for cajun-spiced meats (especially pork tenderloin), and are also a great snack when you want to feel like you're eating chips or fries. The peeling and cutting of the sweet potatoes is kind of a hassle, but worth it.

2 peeled sweet potatoes, cut into "pub chip" shaped wedges. Combine sweet potatoes and remaining ingredients in a bowl and toss gently to coat. Place wedges on a baking sheet (do not overlap); bake at 425* F for 25 minutes or until very tender. (I usually bake mine for just shy of 40 min).

Thanks Muse!

+1

A simple way to prepare steak (also works nicely for pork chops):

Muse's Tasty Dry Rub

2t. dry mustard
2t paprika
2t garlic powder
salt to taste
freshly cracked peppercorns to taste

Mix dry rub ingredients together (you may adjust quantities to taste). Rub over meat. Let stand 10-30 minutes at room temperature (refrigerate if using pork). Broil or grill to preferred doneness.