Recipe Swap

Dandelionesss

Hey everyone,
I am cooking a lot more these days because it is cheaper on my wallet and calories. I have found I am cooking a lot of the same things because I don't have a huge repertoire of healthy recipes yet. And then it hit me! You guys are likely in the same boat, so let's share our favourite meal and snack recipes!

Dandelionesss

Here's mine, I make it most days because it is extremely satisfying when I was something indulgent.

Sweet Potato Chips

You'll need:
2 large sweet potatoes
2 tbsp coconut oil
salt
lime juice

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees
Peel sweet potatoes and slice a 1/4 inch thick (approximately, maybe a bit thinner)
Melt coconut oil so it is in its liquid state and coat potato slices front and back. They should be coated, but not dripping. You won't need all of the oil, but 1tbsp isn't enough.
Place on cookie sheet and bake for 15 minutes, then flip over and cook for another 15.
Chips should be crispy on the outside and soft on the inside like a good cookie!

Salt and squirt lime juice to taste!

Icebureau

I love this idea! I'm going to start with a spicy Thai soup I've been making recently. You can basically make it with anything--I've added beets (which gave it a nice fuschia color, lol), carrots, celery, used turnip and fennel together, substituted dandelion greens and watercress and spinach... it's really versatile. Also, 6-7 thai chilies is REALLY spicy, so if you don't want your nose to run I'd just use 2-3. The original recipe says to serve with rice but I find it very filling on its own.

Thai chilies, lemongrass and miso might be hard to find but I've been able to get them both at my local generic grocery and at Whole Foods. They're probably available at Asian groceries as well.

6-7 Thai Chilies or 15 dried chilies de arbol or japones chilies
8 cloves garlic, peeled
2 tsp. salt
2 stalks lemongrass, minced
2 shallots, minced (1⁄2 cup)
1 tsp. red miso
4 cups low-sodium vegetable broth
2 Tbs. low-sodium soy sauce
1 1⁄2 cups sliced beet greens, Swiss chard, escarole, turnip greens, or kale
1 cup turnip or fennel chunks
1⁄2 cup sliced mushrooms
1 cup firm tofu chunks
1 cup coarsely chopped arugula
1⁄2 cup fresh mint leaves
1⁄4 cup coarsely chopped parsley

To make Chile Paste:
1. Soak chiles in bowl of boiling water 30 minutes. Drain, pat dry, and finely chop.
2. Combine garlic and salt in mortar, and pound with pestle. Add lemongrass, shallots, miso, and chiles, pounding and crushing after each addition to make thick paste. If you don't have a mortar and pestle, you can blend them in a food processor.

To make Soup:
3. Bring broth to a boil in saucepan over high heat. Stir in soy sauce and Chile Paste. Add beet greens, turnip, and mushrooms, and bring to a boil. Cook 5 minutes. Reduce heat to medium- low, and simmer 5 minutes. Add tofu, and cook 2 minutes more. Stir in arugula, mint, and parsley, and simmer 1 to 2 minutes, or until herbs wilt.

Enjoy!

mumblesbot

Five-Space Tilapia (stolen from http://www.eatingwell.com/recipes/five_spice_tilapia_for_2.html)

INGREDIENTS
8 ounces tilapia fillets
1/2 teaspoon Chinese five-spice powder (see Tip)
2 tablespoons reduced-sodium soy sauce
1 tablespoon plus 1 1/2 teaspoons light brown sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons canola oil
2 scallions, thinly sliced

PREPARATION
Sprinkle both sides of tilapia fillets with five-spice powder. Combine soy sauce and brown sugar in a small bowl.
Heat oil in a medium or large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add the tilapia and cook until the outer edges are opaque, about 2 minutes. Reduce heat to medium, turn the fish over, stir the soy mixture and pour into the pan. Bring the sauce to a boil and cook until the fish is cooked through and the sauce has thickened slightly, about 2 minutes more. Add scallions and remove from the heat. Serve the fish drizzled with the pan sauce.

TIPS & NOTES
Five-spice powder is a blend of cinnamon, cloves, fennel seed, star anise and Szechuan peppercorns. Look for it in the spice section at the market or with other Asian ingredients.

NUTRITION
Per serving: 180 calories; 6 g fat ( 1 g sat , 3 g mono ); 57 mg cholesterol; 9 g carbohydrates; 9 g added sugars; 24 g protein; 0 g fiber; 596 mg sodium; 411 mg potassium.

Carbohydrate Servings: 1

Exchanges: 1 carbohydrate (other), 3 lean meat, 1 fat

So okay the cool thing about this is that it takes no time at all to make and it tastes GREAT. I really am not a fan of fish, but I love having this + some veggies.

Icebureau

Aight, I made these tonight and they were TO DIE FOR so I wanted to share. Vegetarian enchiladas, can be made vegan by skipping the cheese. There are 193 calories per enchilada.

Enchilada Sauce

1/4 cup olive oil
2 tbsp flour
2 tbsp chili powder
1 can (8 oz, small can) tomato sauce
1 cup water (or more if needed--I used only 1)
1/4 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp onion powder
2 tsp cane sugar
pinch salt

Heat oil in skillet over medium heat. Stir flour and chili powder into the oil; cook and stir til smooth. Gradually stir in tomato sauce, water, cumin, garlic powder, onion powder and sugar into the mixture in that order. Reduce heat to low and cook til thickened.

Enchiladas

10 Cinco de Mayo Corn Tortillas (the small ones)
2 cups cooked lentils
2 cups spinach
1 cup chopped sweet potato
Half an onion, diced
1 bell pepper, diced
2-3 minced garlic cloves
1 tbsp cumin
1 tbsp lime juice
1/2 tsp garlic powder
pinch salt
1/4 cup sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
Enchilada sauce (above)

Preheat oven to 350.

Boil chopped sweet potato pieces for 3-5 minutes. (til soft)

Spray a pan with cooking spray or add some olive oil and cook onions and garlic til softened.

Add pepper, sweet potatoes, lentils, and spinach. Mix well and cook over medium heat til the spinach is wilted.

Add the spices and 1 cup of the enchilada sauce above. Mix well.

Cover the baking tray with foil and spray with cooking spray.

Place about 1 wooden spoonful of filling into each tortilla, fold, and place with the ends down on the tray. Repeat for 10 or so enchiladas.

Spread the remainder of the filling over the enchiladas. Spread the remainder of the enchilada sauce over everything. Sprinkle with the cheese.

Bake at 350 for 18-20 minutes.

Feast.

tealdaylight

fun!
im doing simply for life, if anyone else is on this program, theyre all approved
(for those not familiar, SFL is basically private company- as opposed to the public health care system- where you meet a dietician who creates a meal plan for your weight loss customized for your likes/allergies/whatever. it changes every week and theres some foods that you sort of integrate as you go.)

Chocolate avocado pudding
Yields: 2 servings

1 ripe avocado
2-3 tbsp cocoa
2-3 tbsp maple syrup
2-3 tbsp milk
1 tsp vanilla

Blend avocado until a smooth creamy consistency. Add all other ingredients, mixing well. Serve topped with berries (good in fridge for 1 day)

Spicy Pork Kebabs
Yields: 12 skewers/6 servings

1.5 lbs pork tenderloin, cubed
6 cloves garlic
1 tbsp cumin
2 tsp coriander
2 tsp paprika
1/4 cup fresh parsley
2 tbsp fresh oregano
1/4 cup oil

Soak 12 skewers in water for 3+ hours so they dont catch fire in the oven.
In a large bol, combine all ingredients. Refrigerate 3-4 hours or overnight. thread onto skewers (can intersperse veg). Cook in a creased grill until brown and cooked through.

Spinach & Fruit salad (this ones actually mine, not SFL)
2.5 cups spinach
1/2 cup mixed berries (combination or blueberries/cherries or strawberries/blackberries work well)
1-2 tbsp toasted almonds
1/2 oz soft goat cheese
1/4-1/2 pear
2 tbsp maple balsamic

Orange Salad an Teriyaki Chicken
Yield:4

4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
8 cups lettuce
2 oranges
2 tbsp red onion
2 tbsp scallions
1 tsp fresh cilantro
2 tbsp grated ginger
2 tbsp lime juice
1 tsp balsamic
1 tbsp honey
1/2 tsp oil
1/3 cup tamari

1) make orange salad but combining shredded lettuce, peeled and sliced oranges, red onion, scallions and cilantro.
2) In a small bowl mix lime juice, ginger, balsamic, honey and tamari.
3) pour marinade over chicken in a ziploc bag. marinate in fridge for 30 minutes or longer.
4) cook on a preheated med-high grill for 6 minutes perside (11-12 in a foreman grill)

tjwilcoxson

Something I make and take to work for lunch a lot, because 1) cheap, 2) easy to transport, 3) easy to make 4) low in calories, decently high in protein. 4) I get to have a 2 sandwich lunch. (Makes me feel so manly dontcha' know). If you put it into your recipe calculator as basic generic stuff, it puts it at about 149 cal / sandwich using a low calorie bread -Sara Lee 45 cal stuff e.g- Makes 6 sandwiches
2 cans of tuna in water
1 cup of Greek yogurt
1 tsp dijon mustard
1 tsp dill weed
1 tbsp minced garlic
1 stalk celery minced/chopped/however crunchy you like it/ roughly 1/2 cup
shredded lettuce - optional
12 slices low cal bread.

Change this up however you want. Sub curry powder or paste/rosemary/cajun seasoning for dillweed, Use it to top a salad instead of making a sandwich. Sub onion for celery, If you go the curry route, add raisins/craisins/grapes/whatever. Sub chicken (canned/leftover/whathaveyou), sub salmon, whatever you want to do. Add lemon juice, cream it up by subbing out some of the yogurt with low fat mayo. Leave out the mustard. Get creative, it's really just a base recipe, you can really do a lot with it since it is pretty low to start with. Oh, but I do recommend keeping the mix seperate from the bread until lunchtime, your bread will get soggy otherwise, and nobody likes a soggy sandwich. Hope this helps, keep at it. One day at a time.