Healthy Recipes
Happy Sunday!! I want to share some delicious, healthy dinner (or lunch) recipes that I have been loving. After self-reflecting, I have recently learned more information about a balanced diet that leaves me happy and satiated. Food makes me happy. I love flavors, new recipes, and expressing myself through food. There are common misconceptions that healthy food has to be bland or flavorless or that balanced meals cannot include certain foods. A balanced diet is not only changing up the foods you eat and eating from all the food groups, but also listening to your body and fueling it with what you need. That will be different from day to day. What I have learned though, is that you can’t restrict yourself from foods you deem “unhealthy” because you will eventually be overcome with the need for an excess of junk food. These recipes have great flavor and left me feeling so satisfied.
I like using leftover ingredients from previous meals to make sure nothing goes to waste. I also like to make a little extra food at dinner so I can use it for lunch.
Chicken and Farro Soup:
Photo from NYT Cooking
I have recently been loving a nice warm nourishing bowl of soup. Soup is so versatile and allows you to change up the flavor profile and add or take away from recipes you find. You can use chicken thighs, or you can buy rotisserie chicken and shred it, or buy already pulled chicken.
Recipe adapted from NYT Cooking
Ingredients:
- Olive oil
- 2 medium leeks halved and thinly sliced
- 2 medium carrots peeled and sliced into rounds
- 1 celery stalk sliced thin
- Onion chopped
- 3 finely chopped garlic cloves
- 1.5 tsp gently crushed fennel seeds
- 1 tsp red pepper flakes
- Salt and pepper
- 1 cup farro
- 6 cups low-sodium chicken stock
- Chicken thighs
- 5 cups steamed spinach
- Mushrooms quartered
- Parmesan (optional for serving but it's really good)
Recipe:
1. Sauté leeks, carrots, onion, mushrooms, and celery for around 4 to 6 minutes in a large pot with oil.
2. Add garlic, fennel seeds, red pepper flakes, and salt & pepper.
3. Toast the farro with avocado oil.
4. Add the farro and cook for 1 to 2 minutes. Add the stock and chicken thighs and bring to a boil. Then turn it down to a simmer and cook for around 20 minutes.
5. Transfer the chicken to a cutting board and shred with two forks.
6. Continue simmering until the farro is tender yet has a bite, around 20 minutes.
7. Add the chicken and the greens and adjust spices as necessary.
8. Serve with parmesan and bread or salad.
Homemade Poke Bowls:
My family and I have started making these weekly. Homemade poke bowls are even more delicious and cheaper than store-bought and they are so simple.
Ingredients: You can really mix and match with any ingredients you like, but here is what I recommend.
- Sushi rice
- Tuna (or salmon but I'm allergic)
- Spring mix lettuce
- Purple cabbage or coleslaw mix
- Chopped green onion
- Carrot ribbons
- Chopped cucumber
- Jalapeño
- Mango
- Pickled ginger
- Chili crunch (get this!!!!! My favorite is the Momofuku one)
- Sriracha
- Ponzu
- Soy sauce
- Sesame oil
- Avocado oil
- Rice vinegar
- Fish sauce
- Honey
- Salt &pepper
Recipe:
1. To make the sauce/dressing, combine soy sauce, fish sauce, sesame oil, rice vinegar, squeeze of honey to taste and put that aside.
2. Chop all the ingredients and prepare them in small bowls.
3. In a pan or cast-iron skillet, add half sesame oil and half avocado oil. Allow the pan to heat up (you can tell it is ready if you splash a little water and it sizzles) then add the tuna and salt & pepper. Cook on each side for around 3 minutes.
4. Assemble!
Fish lettuce wraps: I had this when I was in the Bahamas, and it was my favorite meal that I had.
Ingredients:
- Fish of choice (I recommend mahi mahi or grouper)
- Long leaves of lettuce (so you can use them all as wraps)
- Carrots, cut in slivers
- Cucumber, cut in slivers
- Green onion, cut in slivers
- Jalapeño
- Radish
- Peanuts
- Toasted Coconut
- Lime, chopped up (can keep the rind on, I know it seems weird, but it is actually so good)
- Chopped ginger
- Cilantro
- Mint
- Soy sauce
Ginger peanut sauce:
- ¼ cup peanut butter
- 4 tbsp soy sauce
- 1 tbsp maple syrup
- 2 tsp sriracha
- ½ tsp minced garlic
- 1.5 tsp grated ginger
- Juice of half a lime
- ¼ cup water
Miso-sesame dressing:
- ½ cup white miso paste
- ¼ cup plus 1 tbsp water
- Less than ¼ cup sugar or honey
- 3 tbsp rice wine vinegar
- 2 tsp soy sauce
- 2 tbsp peanut oil
- ½ tsp sesame oil
Recipe:
1. Add all ingredients to make ginger peanut sauce. In a separate bowl combine ingredients to make the miso sesame dressing.
2. Prepare all of the ingredients, divide them up between the amount of people you have, and prepare them on your individual plates.
3. Prepare the fish to your liking. You can grill it, sear it, blacken it, etc. Blot the fish fry with a paper towel and coat with oil and preferred seasoning. If you are pan searing it, place the first side down for 3-4 minutes. Flip once the fillets begin to turn white on the bottom. Cook on the other side for 3-4 minutes.
4. Eat up!
Pork Tenderloin with Apples and Fennel:
I am obsessed with pork tenderloin because I think it is so delicious yet simple. I Ellavate it by sautéing apples and fennel to accompany it.
Ingredients:
- Pork Tenderloin
- Apples
- Fennel
- Shallots
- Zucchini
- Sweet Potato
- Butter
- Oil
- Salt/pepper
- Fennel salt
Recipe:
1. Turn the oven to 450°F, then add your sweet potatoes.
2. Prep the Zucchini by slicing it length wise or chopping it (depending on preference). You can either sauté it will oil, salt, pepper or put it in the oven at 425°F.
3. Slice the apples, fennel, and shallots thinly.
4. Put oil and seasoning such as fennel salt on the pork. Bake the pork tenderloin for 10-15 minutes in the 450°F oven. Then, add the pork to a hot pan with butter and sear on both sides until desired.
5. Sauté the apples, fennel, and shallot in oil, pepper, and salt.
6. Plate your sweet potato, apple/fennel, zucchini, and pork tenderloin.