Make Healthy Meals

8 ounces of Mediterranean style vegetables, prepared
Olive oil
Salt and pepper
4 ounces of dry couscous
Approximately 2 ounces of feta cheese
Approximately 2 ounces of pitted, sliced black olives

Place a selection of prepared Mediterranean vegetables such as eggplant, zucchini, red onion, and peppers in a baking tray and top with a little olive oil. Youll need approximately 8 ounces of chopped vegetables.

Preheat oven to 350F. Bake vegetables for approximately 15 to 20 minutes.

Meanwhile cook 4 ounces of couscous according to package instructions but replace the water with the same amount of vegetable broth for more flavor. Fluff couscous with fork and add 1 tablespoon of olive oil and a little bit of salt and pepper to taste. Mix through.

Serve couscous topped with Mediterranean vegetables and a sprinkle of chopped feta cheese and olives.

Sweet potatoes are packed with vitamins and is a great skin food. Garlic has strong antioxidant vitamins and gives this mash a rich flavor.

4 large sweet potatoes, scrubbed, peeled and cubed
3 tablespoons unsalted real butter
3 garlic cloves, peeled and crushed
Salt and black pepper to taste

Place the sweet potatoes in a large pan of salted boiling water. Cook for approximately 15 minutes or until tender. Drain and set aside. Melt the butter in a saucepan and saut the garlic over low heat for about 1 to 2 minutes. Stir often and dont let the garlic burn as it will taste very bitter.

Now pour the garlic butter over the sweet potatoes, season with salt and pepper and mash until creamy. Serve immediately.

Note: if the mash is too thick, add a little vegetable broth or warm milk to make a creamier texture.

This makes a simple and delicious side dish with a twist.

3 cups of fine green beans
1 teaspoon sesame oil
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
2 garlic cloves, peeled and crushed
1 inch piece of fresh root ginger, grated or finely sliced
2 tablespoons soy sauce

Steam the beans for approximately 5 minutes until slightly tender.

In a separate pan heat the olive and sesame oils. Add the garlic and saut over low heat for approximately 1 to 2 minutes taking care not to burn. Mix in the ginger and soy sauce and cook for a further 2 minutes, stirring continuously. Pour the ginger mixture over the green beans and serve immediately.

8 ounces of risotto Arborio rice
5 ounces frozen peas
2 tablespoons olive oil
4 spring onions, finely sliced
12 asparagus tips
5 cups vegetable broth
4 ounces chopped mushrooms
2 tablespoons mascarpone cheese

Heat the oil in a large non-stick pan. Add the spring onions and sauté lightly for approximately 2 minutes. Now add the rice and mix well until the rice is fully coated with the oil. Add the asparagus tips, peas and 1 cup of stock. Mix well. Keep stirring over medium heat until almost all the liquid is absorbed, then add an additional cup of stock. Keep repeating this process until the risotto is tender and cooked through. You may need a little additional stock.

Add the mushrooms 1 minute before removing from heat. Remove from heat and stir in the mascarpone cheese and serve immediately.

1 tablespoon butter
2 tbsp olive oil
1 pound fresh asparagus spears, trimmed
3/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
2 cloves minced garlic
salt and pepper to taste

Combine oil and butter in frying pan. Saute garlic briefly before adding asparagus. Cook for 4-6 minutes, removing from heat before the asparagus becomes soggy.

Remove from pan and sprinkle with cheese, salt and pepper.

Editor’s Note:

Feta works well also. If you really want to control the fat, use cooking spray and a baking dish. Fresh Parmesan is by far better!

Technorati Tags: asparagus, parmesan

1 tablespoon olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 (10 ounce) bag baby spinach leaves
kosher salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
crushed red pepper flakes to taste

Heat olive oil in a skillet. Saute garlic for a couple minutes. Add spinach, salt, pepper and crushed red pepper. Stir over heat for a few minutes, until leaves are wilted.

2 lb. green beans, trimmed
1 small white onion, chopped
2 cups grape tomatoes, sliced in half
4 tsp. minced fresh oregano
Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
3 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
2-3 tbsp capers

Boil green beans in water until just slightly tender, no more than a couple minutes. Drain. Immerse in cold water to stop the cooking.

In a frying pan, combine olive oil, capers, tomatoes and onions. Cook for about one minute.

When ready to serve, reheat green beans, and combine with tomato mixture. Sprinkle with oregano, salt and pepper.

1 package dry pasta
1 can sliced black olives, drained
1 (6.5 ounce) jar artichoke hearts, drained and quartered
8 ounces feta cheese, crumbled
3 cloves garlic, minced
4 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
1 red bell pepper, diced
salt, ground black pepper to taste

Cook pasta according to package directions. Drain and place in large bowl.

Toss pasta with olive oil, vinegar, pepper and salt. Add the rest of the ingredients and continue to toss. Store in refrigerator until ready to serve.

Editor’s Note:

You can make this a bit fancier by adding in kalmata olives, either whole or sliced.

1 cup uncooked couscous
1 1/4 cups vegetable broth
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
4 tablespoons fresh lime juice
2 teaspoons balsamic vinegar
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 red bell pepper, seeded and chopped
1-2 diced tomatoes
1/2 cucumber, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
1 (15 ounce) can black beans
salt and pepper to taste

Bring the broth to a boil. Add the couscous and remove from heat. Let stand for 5 minutes.

Combine the olive oil, lime juice, balsamic vinegar and cumin in a bowl large enough for all the other ingredients to eventually be added.

Drain, then rinse the black beans thoroughly.

Add the black beans, tomatoes, red bell peppers, cucumbers, cilantro and garlic to the oil mixture. Stir with a spoon until all ingredients are coated.

Fluff the couscous with a fork, then add to the other bowl. Mix well. Add salt and pepper to taste.

This dish can be served immediately or sit in the fridge for a few hours to let the flavors mingle.

Editor’s Note:

If you want to add meat to this, chicken goes very well, but it’s quite excellent as a vegetarian dish. Washing the black beans ensures that they don’t turn the entire dish gray, which many find unappealing. Feta cheese crumbled over this is also a good addition.

You can also switch which beans you use, depending on what you have on hand.

Technorati Tags: couscous, black beans

2 teaspoons olive oil
1/2 teaspoon coarse salt
1/4 teaspoon lemon pepper
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 pound fresh asparagus spears, trimmed
dash lemon juice

Place olive oil, salt, lemon pepper, asparagus spears and lemon juice in frying pan. Cook over medium-high heat for 5-10 minutes. Vary the cooking time by personal preference and thickness of asparagus stalks. Add garlic about 2-3 minutes before the asparagus is finished cooking.

Editor’s Note:

Nuts go well  in this. Slivered almonds or chopped cashews are personal favorites. Parmesan cheese also works well. You can also chop the asparagus into bite size pieces rather than stalks to make it easier to eat.

Don’t overcook the asparagus. This habit is why a lot of people think they don’t like asparagus. It should still be green and a little bit crispy, not soggy, when you’re done cooking.

Technorati Tags: asparagus recipes