Read The 150 Healthiest 15-Minute Recipes on Earth Online
Authors: Jonny Bowden
The 150 Healthiest 15-Minute Recipes on Earth (7 page)
From Chef Jeannette
To Complete the Meal
: You can also roll this salad into a whole-grain wrap with lots of lettuce, serve it on a bed of greens with salad veggies, or stuff it into a veggie “boat,” such as hollowed-out tomatoes, half-cucumbers, or bell peppers. Enjoy a sliced apple or handful of veggie “straws” on the side, if desired.
Prep Speed Tip
: The quickest way to dice an onion is to cut it in half from “stem to stern,” so you have two equal halves, each with half the root. Peel it under water so the skin comes off cleanly in large pieces. Lay the cut side down on a cutting board designated for “pungents” such as onion, garlic, and hot peppers. Slice off the feathered top, but leave the root intact. Make several lengthwise cuts into the onion from the root side to the freshly cut top. Do not slice all the way into the root so the piece comes completely off, but leave the root end intact so it all holds together at the base. Then, holding the sliced sections together with one hand, cut widthwise across all the cuts to dice the onion into pieces. When you get to the base, discard the last root piece that’s held it all together. Your onion will fall apart into a perfect dice. Make larger cuts for bigger pieces, and smaller ones for a finer dice.
From Dr. Jonny
: Leftovers make terrific healthy meals—and if you think outside the box, they can substitute for almost anything, including breakfast! Here’s a classic five-ingredient all-in-one meal you can make in ten minutes that will work well with any leftovers you have in the fridge. There’s been a lot of controversy lately about soy foods, but no matter which side of the soy fence you’re on, everyone agrees that traditionally fermented soy foods are great for you, and miso is a perfect example. Made of soybeans and koji (a culture starter from beneficial bacteria), miso is loaded with enzymes and healthy bacteria that aid with digestion and the assimilation of nutrients. Miso was perfected in Japan in the seventh century and continues to be prized for its antiaging benefits in China and Japan. Add your leftovers to this basic onepot soup and presto! You have a tasty, healing long-life meal!
4 cups (950 ml) no-sodium chicken broth
2 cups (280 g) cooked chicken, shredded or diced
1 can (14.5 ounces or 413 g) white beans, drained and rinsed (or 2 cups [330 g] leftover cooked grains, such as brown rice, quinoa, or millet)
2 cups (260 g) cooked or frozen veggies (e.g., sliced carrots, broccoli florets, peas, zucchini, cauliflower, pearl onions, edamame, or a “stir-fry” mix—we like Seapoint Farms Garden Blend with Edamame)
2 to 3 (32 to 48 g) tablespoons mellow white miso, to taste
*
Pour the chicken broth into a large soup pot and bring to a boil over high heat. Add the chicken, beans, and veggies and reduce the heat to a simmer for 5 minutes or until all ingredients are hot. Stir in the miso and incorporate well (an immersion blender works perfectly for this, or you can use a bit of hot broth to “melt” the miso in a small bowl before adding).
Yield
: 4 servings
Per Serving
: 499 Calories; 5g Fat (9.1% calories from fat); 48g Protein; 67g Carbohydrate; 17g Dietary Fiber; 60mg Cholesterol; 697mg Sodium
*
Miso is the ultimate fast-food ingredient. It makes a flavorful and nourishing broth for a quick soup featuring many different types of ingredients. Alkalizing and mineralizing, it is soothing to the system, a balm for jangled nerves on a busy day, or a simple tonic to strengthen the immune system during the cold, dry winter months. Choose the lighter, sweet misos to accompany seafood and light veggies and the darker varieties, such as barley miso, for root veggies and grains. You will find miso paste in the refrigerated section of natural food stores and whole foods grocers. Look for it near the tofu and other Asian offerings. It is very salty, so start with less and add more to taste.
From Chef Jeannette
If you have 5 More Minutes
: You can add 4 ounces (115 g) of buckwheat soba noodles to the boiling broth for a highly nourishing “chicken noodle” soup that beats the pants off grandma’s for fiber and mineral content!
Chicken Sausage
From Dr. Jonny
: Broccoli, broccoli, how many kinds of you are there? Let me count the ways! (Oh, sorry, I must have been channeling Elizabeth Barrett Browning!) Still, it’s easy to see why some folks are confused. There’s broccoli rabe, which actually comes from a different family and tends to be bitter; broccolini, also known as baby broccoli; and regular, garden-variety broccoli (the grown-up version of broccolini). Broccolini, used in this recipe, is sweet and tender and one of my personal favorite vegetables for grilling or stir-frying. The nutritional value is virtually the same as for its parental relative (full-grown broccoli), yet in my opinion it’s a lot tastier (also much more “kid-friendly”). Just like broccoli, it’s got fiber, calcium, potassium, vitamin C, and all the wonderful cancer-fighting phytochemicals that broccoli is known for. Side note: If you can get broccoli rabe just picked in spring and summertime, it tends to be much less bitter and will work well in this dish as well. The chicken Italian sausage is lower in fat and calories than regular sausage and still tastes terrific.
8 ounces (225 g) whole-grain farfalle (we like Barilla Plus)
1 tablespoon (15 ml) olive oil, plus more, if necessary
3/4 cup (120 g) prepared diced onion (or 1/2 small onion or 2 shallots, chopped)
1 teaspoon prepared minced garlic (or 1 clove minced), optional
4 sweet Italian chicken sausages (3 ounces or 85 g each), sliced
1 bunch broccolini, chopped into bite-size pieces
1/4 cup (28 g) sun-dried tomato strips in oil, barely drained
1/2 cup (50 g) crumbled feta or grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 cup (10 g) slivered fresh basil, optional
Cook the farfalle al dente according to the package directions. Drain quickly and return to the cooking pot.
While the pasta is cooking, heat 1 tablespoon (15 ml) olive oil in a large sauté pan or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the onion and sauté for 2 minutes. Add the garlic, sausage, and broccolini, cover, and cook for 5 to 7 minutes, stirring frequently, or until the sausage is lightly browned and the broccolini is tender-crisp. Add the sausage mixture and sun-dried tomatoes to the hot, drained pasta, drizzling with extra olive oil if too dry, and mix gently, reheating over medium heat for a minute or so, if necessary. Finish with the cheese and basil, if using.
Yield
: 4 servings
Per Serving
: 484 Calories; 19g Fat (34.8% calories from fat); 32g Protein; 47g Carbohydrate; 7g Dietary Fiber; 86mg Cholesterol; 940mg Sodium
Fast, Flavorful Fiber: RosemaryApple-Poached Chicken and Barley
From Dr. Jonny
: Sounds weird to start talking about a recipe that features delicious ingredients such as apples, currants, and pecans by discussing barley, but barley is one of those underappreciated foods that doesn’t get the attention it deserves. It’s a type of whole grain that originated in Southeast Asia and Ethiopia and has been cultivated for more than 10,000 years. It’s high in dietary fiber, but specifically in a beneficial type of soluble fiber called beta-glucan. Two studies have shown that beta-glucan can help control the appetite by increasing the feeling of fullness, and beta-glucan has also been shown to help lower cholesterol (about 12 percent reduction in one 2000 study). This dish is rich, chewy, and warming with a hint of sweetness from the apple and currants, and bright notes from the rosemary—perfect for a cool autumn evening!
4 cups (950 ml) low-sodium chicken broth, divided
1 cup (235 ml) apple cider (or chicken stock or water)
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon cracked black pepper
2 sprigs fresh rosemary, divided
1 cup (184 g) quick-cooking barley
1 red cooking apple, unpeeled, cored, and diced (McIntosh or Cortland work well, or chop 2 cups [220 g] prepared sliced apples)
1 1/4 pounds (567 g) chicken tenders
2 tablespoons (28 ml) balsamic vinegar
2 tablespoons (28 ml) olive oil
2 tablespoons (18 g) dried currants, optional
3 tablespoons (21 g) toasted chopped pecans
Bring 2 cups of the chicken broth in a large saucepan to a boil over high heat. Combine the remaining 2 cups of the chicken broth, the cider, salt, pepper, and 1 rosemary sprig in a large sauté pan or Dutch oven and bring to a boil over high heat.
In the saucepan, add the barley and apple to the boiling chicken broth, reduce the heat, cover, and simmer for 10 to 12 minutes or until the barley is tender and most of the liquid has been absorbed (drain extra, if necessary).
In the sauté pan, reduce the heat to medium, add the chicken tenders in one layer to the broth and cider mixture, cover, and cook for 4 to 5 minutes or until tender and cooked through, turning the pieces over if necessary for even cooking.
While the chicken and grain are cooking, strip off about a tablespoon of leaves from the remaining rosemary sprig and mince. In a small bowl, whisk together the vinegar, oil, and 1 teaspoon of the minced rosemary until emulsified.
When the chicken is done, drain it well and set aside. When the barley is done, fold in the currants, if using, and cover for about 30 seconds. Serve the chicken breast over a bed of the apple-currant barley. Drizzle the dressing over the chicken and sprinkle the pecans over all.
Yield
: 4 servings
Per Serving
: 530 Calories; 15g Fat (22.6% calories from fat); 49g Protein; 66g Carbohydrate; 8g Dietary Fiber; 70mg Cholesterol; 425mg Sodium
From Chef Jeannette
Poaching chicken is a quick and healthy way to cook it cleanly with no added fat. Using apple juice, fresh herbs, and chicken broth as the poaching mixture gives it a rich, full flavor while adding no extra calories and producing a juicy, tender meat.
To Complete the Meal
: Serve with 4 cups (400 g) of steamed al dente haricots verts or green beans. Top them with a bit of the balsamic dressing or a small pat of butter for extra flavor.
