Read The 150 Healthiest 15-Minute Recipes on Earth Online
Authors: Jonny Bowden
The 150 Healthiest 15-Minute Recipes on Earth (31 page)
Yield
:1 servings
Per Serving
: 578 Calories; 14g Fat (21.9% calories from fat); 19g Protein; 95g Carbohydrate; 9g Dietary Fiber; 16mg Cholesterol; 63mg Sodium
From Chef Jeannette
If You Have 15 More Minutes
: Grind your own grains fresh. Many companies sell instant whole-grain cereals; some even have healthy nutrient boosters such as added whey protein or flaxseed. But if you don’t have any on hand, make your own out of almost any dried grain that will cook up in minutes. This makes about the healthiest and cheapest quick cereal you can imagine!
To make your own, grind about 1/2 cup (250 g) of dried grains in your blender for 30 seconds to 2 minutes (depending on the strength of your blender) until it reaches a fine sand consistency. You may need to scrape down the sides occasionally, and let it settle before removing the lid. To cook it, add the grains and 2 cups (475 ml) of water to a medium saucepan. Whisk the mixture well to combine and bring it to a boil over high heat. Once boiling, switch it to another burner set to low and cook for about 5 minutes or until a smooth consistency is reached, whisking often. You may need to add a little more water if the mixture gets too thick. Smaller grains tend to need more water than larger grains. Try it with brown rice, millet, or quinoa.
This method also works with beans, and the proportions are about the same
: 1/4 cup (125 g) of dried whole grain or bean to 1 cup (235 ml) of water. Incorporating ground beans into your cereals is a great way to increase fiber and vegan protein (but prepare them as a savory dish—the taste isn’t great with fruit). These fresh-ground grains and beans make terrific baby foods, too, by the way!
As a lean source of protein, poultry is hard to beat for its versatility, as shown in these flavorful recipes. Just be sure to purchase poultry without the hormones, steroids, and other unhealthy additives. These dishes require a bit more cook time, but are both easy and delicious to make. bonus: They incorporate superspices such as turmeric and antioxidant-rich additions like cranberries and cabbage.
One-Pot 5-Spice Chicken and Shrimp Soup
Honey Drumsticks with Calorie-Burning Cayenne
Light and Quick Caribbean Chicken Thighs
Quick-Dash Baked Hash
Healthy-in-a-Hurry Chicken Apple Sausage and Red Cabbage
A Healthier Meatloaf with Chutney
One Main, Two Meals II
Easy Roasted Turkey Tenderloin with Cranberry Salsa
Low-Cal Turkey Barley Soup
From Dr. Jonny
: Typically, Chinese five-spice powder is made with star anise, fennel, Szechuan peppercorns, cloves, and cinnamon, but there are different variations. The formula is based on the Chinese philosophy of balancing yin and yang in food, and the five-spice powder is designed to encompasses all five flavors used in Chinese cuisine: sweet, sour, bitter, spicy hot, and salty. Here Chef Jeannette has given us a lovely one-pot meal with the subtle soft sweetness of the five spices. Worth mentioning is that bok choy—also known as Chinese cabbage—is an amazing nutritional bonanza. One of the lowest-calorie vegetables on earth (9 calories for 1 cup because it’s mostly water), it nevertheless contains 74 mg of calcium, 25 mcg of bone-building vitamin K, 176 mg of potassium, and a whopping 3,128 IU of vitamin A and 1,877 mcg of beta-carotene. And even this isn’t the whole story, as bok choy, a member of the cabbage group, also contains cancer-fighting plant chemicals called glucosinates. The mix of sweet potatoes and coconut milk is an especially pleasant and satisfying treat for your taste buds.
3 cups (684 ml) chicken broth
2 tablespoons (12 g) five-spice powder
1 tablespoon (15 ml) low-sodium tamari
1 tablespoon (15 ml) honey
1 sweet potato, peeled and chopped (or 2 cups [220 g] prepared diced yukon Gold potato)
1 can (13.5 ounces or 385 g) light coconut milk (or 1 1/2 cups [455 ml] plain un-sweetened almond milk)
4 heads baby bok choy, roughly chopped (or 1 small head of mature bok choy, chopped)
1 bunch scallions, sliced into 1-inch (2.5 cm) pieces
1 1/2 cups (210 g) cooked chicken breast, cubed
*
3/4 pound (340 kg) precooked fresh or frozen peeled and deveined medium shrimp
In a large soup pot, combine the chicken broth, five-spice powder, tamari, honey, and sweet potato, and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat, cover, and simmer for about 15 minutes or until the potato is tender (but not falling apart). Stir in the coconut milk, bok choy, and scallions, and cook until the bok choy is almost tender, about 3 minutes. Add the chicken and shrimp and cook for 1 to 2 minutes or until both are just heated through.
Yield
: 4 servings
Per Serving
: 321 Calories; 11g Fat (29.6% calories from fat); 38g Protein; 20g Carbohydrate; 2g Dietary Fiber; 165mg Cholesterol; 846mg Sodium
*
If you don’t have precooked chicken, add one boneless, skinless chicken breast, sliced into 1-inch (2.5 cm) pieces, in last the 15 minutes of cook time. For raw shrimp, allow 2 to 3 minutes of cook time until they turn pink. Do not overcook.
From Chef Jeannette
Variation Tip
: For a pescatarian version (and to reduce saturated fat), use 1 cup (460 g) of prepared baked tofu, cubed, in place of the chicken. In the fall, substitute diced winter squash for the sweet potato for a fresh, seasonal alternative.
Honey Drumsticks with Calorie-Burning CayenneFrom Dr. Jonny
: Chef Jeannette sent me this question a while ago: “Can chicken drumsticks be healthy?” The answer is yes. Just add a bunch of terrific spices such as metabolism-boosting cayenne pepper and the anti-inflammatory, anticancer superspice turmeric, accompany with the highly recommended fabulous salad featuring the underappreciated crunchy vegetable jicama, and you’re in business! Jicama, a root vegetable that’s sold as a street food in South America and is a staple of Mexican cuisine, is low in calories and remarkably high in fiber (6 grams per cup!). It’s also got calcium, magnesium, potassium, vitamin C, vitamin A, and beta-carotene. The citrus tang and cool crunch of the salad offset the gentle spicy bite of the hot chicken. Note: Chef Jeannette offers a tip for skinning the drumsticks—which reduces the calories even more.
8 chicken drumsticks (about 2 1/2 pounds or 1 kg)
1 teaspoon garlic granules
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon paprika
3/4 teaspoon chili powder
3/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon ground cumin
3/4 teaspoon turmeric
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons (28 ml) lemon or lime juice (preferably fresh-squeezed)
1/4 cup (85 g) honey
Preheat the grill to medium (or preheat the broiler). Make two deep diagonal cuts across the meaty part of each drumstick. In a gallon-size zip-closure bag, mix together the garlic powder, onion powder, paprika, chili powder, cayenne, cumin, turmeric, and salt.
Add the drumsticks to the bag and move them around until evenly coated, pressing the spices into the cut grooves. Place the drumsticks on a lightly oiled grill or broiler pan and cook for 15 to 20 minutes (depending on plumpness) or until nearly done.
While the chicken is cooking, in a small bowl, whisk together the lemon and honey. Divide the mixture and use half to baste the chicken for the last minute of cook time. When the chicken is off the heat, baste with the remaining citrus honey before serving.
Yield
: 4 servings
Per Serving
: 466 Calories; 29g Fat (55.3% calories from fat); 32g Protein; 20g Carbohydrate; 1g Dietary Fiber; 164mg Cholesterol; 400mg Sodium
From Chef Jeannette
To Complete the Meal
: Whip up this delicious Citrus Jicama Salad while the chicken is cooking:
2 small navel oranges, peeled
1 large jicama, peeled and julienned
1 cup (110 g) prepared grated carrots or prepared diced tricolor peppers
1 1/2 cups (205 g) diced or grated peeled English cucumber
1/3 cup (5 g) chopped fresh cilantro, optional
1/4 cup (60 ml) fresh lime juice
2 teaspoons honey
1 tablespoon (15 ml) almond or macadamia nut oil
When the chicken first goes on the grill, make 4 cuts through the oranges “across the equator,” and separate the segments on each of the ten slices (five per orange). In a medium bowl, combine the orange segments, jicama, carrots, cucumber, and cilantro, and mix gently. In a small bowl whisk the lime juice, honey, and oil together and pour over the salad. Toss gently to coat and allow to rest at room temperature. Toss again just before serving.
If You Have 15 extra Minutes
: To reduce the calories and saturated fat in this dish, skin the chicken legs before scoring them. Grab the skin at the top of the meatiest part of the leg and pull it downward toward the thinner section. It will peel downward easily to the bone at the bottom. Because this is slippery work, use a knife to pin the skin to a cutting board and then pull the chicken leg away from it to separate.
