Fav Healthy dish made by you

What would you make for yourself easily..your fav healthy dish?

For me, it's probably steamed fish with ginger root, onion, etc...in all honesty, a steamed meat dish is a comfort dish to me...evokes childhood traditional Chinese home cooking.

When I was exhausted from studying at university, or if I've been travelling and eating for several weeks, I would as for therapy, to "treat" myself, prepare a steamed meat dish. Can be done with slice chicken breast.

Psychoologically it's like finding myself all over again..at home. In my heart.

And yes, it is healthy style of cooking. Steamed fish fillet is pretty fast. For 1 person under 15 min. With rice or noodles on the side.

broiled salmon filet stuffed with crabmeat covered with flax seed.
a pat of butter on the crabmeat , a side of fresh asparagus and I'm happy

Steamed vege pig-out: all the veges I can think to steam, then served in a huge pile piping hot with shredded cheese (which melts and gets all gooooooooey!)

I suppose the cheese kinda negates some of the healthful purity of the veges, but it tastes so GOOD!

One of my favorites is banana bread without the bread!

It looks absolutely disgusting and slimy, but tastes great:

1-2 Pretty ripe bananas
Honey to taste
Walnuts or pecans, chopped
Coconut- optional
Vanilla - optional

Mash and mix. Fry in a pan with 1 T of olive oil and eat with a spoon.

No sugar, no flour. Heart healthy oils.


I also LOVE air popped popcorn with olive oil instead of butter. It is a staple food, in my book.

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Originally Posted by Flybye

I also LOVE air popped popcorn with olive oil instead of butter. It is a staple food, in my book.

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Now I'm going to have to try that:) Do you just pour and toss, or use the spray on stuff?

CA

Hmmm...favorite healthy dishes:

Homemade Veggie Chili (onion, tvp, tomatoes, lots of kinds of beans, corn)

Pumpkin Soup

DH's Leeky Fish

Shootingstar - Could you share your steaming techniques?? I really don't know where to start, but it sounds yummy:)

chunky vegetable soup

Steak with oven-grilled vegetables (very little oil)

pan-broiled fish fillet (trout e.g.) with broccoli and roasted almonds

Paneer (that's an indian fresh cheese made from milk, curdled with lemon juice) with tomato sauce over rice

Thai veg curry

hmm new dish I cooked the other night, which the BF loved!!

Shrimp bbq pizza

-1st in a skillet sautee chopped garlic in olive oil, then add onions and sliced portabella mushrooms. Once they have cooked add in shrimp.

While that is sauteeing take a whole wheat thin crust pizza and top with some type of chipolte bbq sauce, my favorite is raspberry, but honey chipolte also works.
Then top with fresh mozzerella and the sauteed veggies and shrimp.
top with pineapple, then cook in oven.

It was soo good!

I have so many things I love to cook though- turkey meatloaf with roasted sweet potato chips on the side, mojo baked chicken with veggies and wild rice.. mmm i could go on seared tuna with baby bok choy(i love to cook!! it is a favorite past time of mine)

This isn't a dinner, but has become one of my favorite snacks again:
Bugs on a log: Celery, natural PB, and raisins. Its the perfect afternoon snack--sweet and salty.

For a meal:
I've really been enjoying home-made vegetable soup with a pinch of curry. Or, a simple veggie omelet.

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Originally Posted by CA_in_NC

Now I'm going to have to try that:) Do you just pour and toss, or use the spray on stuff?

CA

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Just pour it on, mmmmmmmmm!!! I imagine that it would be healthier if you sprayed it on, though. I never thought to do that.

Flax Pancakes (for one)

2T Fibroflax
1 C eggwhites
Several pinches of cinammon
1 packet Stevia
1 apple grated

Mix together and pour into heated pan coated with olive oil

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Originally Posted by CA_in_NC

Hmmm...favorite healthy dishes:

Shootingstar - Could you share your steaming techniques?? I really don't know where to start, but it sounds yummy:)

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NC- Leeky fish sounds delish. Let's swap dishes....

I checked the internet for the simplest version of steamed fish. This is the simplest version..but I don't use wine. No need to. No need to use sesame oil. (too much sesame oil is not healthy for you anyway). I would recommend a light sunflower whatever oil. Not olive oil. That doesn't mix well in flavour with soy sauce.
http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/102986

Just choose any glass or porcelain/enamel dish that is at least 2 inches in depth..so that the water bath doesn't bubble over. For 1 person, you could even use a cereal bowl with low sides.

Place fresh fish steak or fillet with smashed ginger root, finely chopped white onion or green onion, can add a bit of garlic (I don't) and just put in less than 1 tablespoon of oil and just 1 large jot of soy sauce.

Water inside your cooking pot should be deep enough so that it doesn't boil off in steaming. Turn up heat, when water boils, turn down to medium. Just lift the fish abit so it won't stick... and put lid on pot. Check periodically that the water doesn't boil off in steaming process.

Lift out dish with tongs or whatever..and serve.

You can make it more complicated by adding at the beginning of cooking: rehydrated shitake mushrooms, soy black bean paste, finely diced water chestnuts.


YOu apply the same philosophy for sliced up chicken breast, sliced beef pieces (small please), small thin pork slices..except you marinate meat if desired in a dusting of flour/cornstarch, soy sauce and couple drops of oil.


It is not necessary to have an Asian bamboo steamer to do this. I have one but I haven't used yet ..in my life.

This is not low in calories...but oh, so good!

Take a fresh (the soft kind, and in my case, from whole foods) wheat bun and spread a generous amount of some fresh ground honey roasted peanut butter (also from whole foods) on both the top and bottom and neatly cover the bottom piece with fresh blueberries before putting the two pieces of bun back together. Yum, yum, yum! Each bite is bursting with the sweet goodness of the fresh blueberries.

Chicken breast cut up into about 1" cubes, saute in a small amount of olive oil with the veges of your choice. (I use broccoli and carrots.) Season with pepper, garlic, and Mrs. Dash or other non-salt seasoning. Serve over pasta with some parmesan cheese. I don't miss having sauce. The spices make it flavorful enough.

Other fav dishes:

Stir-fried butternut squash =very easy. hardest part is probably cutting up the squash. With onions, garlic and ginger root. Can put in red pepper pieces too and mushrooms. Yummers. Jot of soy sauce accentuates the natural squash sweetness. No sugar nor honey required at all.

I make a focaccia from scratch half way baked with smoke salmon on top, onions, capers, dill, and Dijon mustard.

And make enough dough to make a healthy dessert foccacia at same time: fresh seedless grapes pressed into rolled out dough sprinkled with aniseed, honey, cardamon, cinnamon, ginger root (or ground ginger) and nutmeg. Can sprinkle on goat cheese or crumbled blue cheese near end. Any, some or all of these spices. Take out of oven and lovely to eat within next 1/2 hr.

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Originally Posted by limewave

This isn't a dinner, but has become one of my favorite snacks again:
Bugs on a log: Celery, natural PB, and raisins. Its the perfect afternoon snack--sweet and salty.

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That's my favourite snack.

Comfort food, recipe initially stolen from Mike Magnuson's blog, and tweaked a wee bit:

Chef Guido's Sausage & Peppers

Ingredients:
Six hot Italian Sausages.
Two medium onions.
Three cloves garlic.
4 bell peppers— two red and two green.
Extra-virgin olive oil, as needed.
A generous glass Pinot Grigio.
Salt, cayenne pepper (Optional)
Two loaves Italian bread.

Serves three (unless one of those guys is me...)

Not for nothing, let’s get right to it.

Get the grill going nice and hot for the sausage.

Slice up your peppers, onions, and garlic. Toss the colors of the Italian flag into a hot skillet with a little bit of olive oil. Add salt and cayenne pepper to taste. Once you got this nice and sautéed, deglaze with the Pinot Grigio.

For the sausage:

Lightly salt, drizzle a little bit of olive oil, and grill to perfection.

Finished dish:
Slice the loaf of bread down the middle. Paint the cut side with a light coat of olive oil, and toast on the grill — about 30 seconds worth. Tong the grilled sausage into the now-toasted bread, spoon over the onions and peppers, and enjoy.

Can't speak to the healthiness of it, but it's good after a long chilly ride...

Well I've already posted my real favorites in other threads, but here's tonight's menu, in honor of Comrade Fidel:

1-1/2 oz Russian vodka
Few drops vermouth
Twist of lemon
2 cups black turtle beans, picked over, soaked at least 8 hours (longer if they've been stored a long time), drained and thoroughly rinsed
Canola oil (1 tbsp minimum to prevent beans from foaming)
1 yellow onion, diced
2 large cloves garlic, minced
2-3 tsp cumin seed, bruised or coarsely ground
2 stalks celery, chopped
(optional: 1 carrot, peeled and chopped)
Fresh hot pepper to taste, minced
2 bay leaves
Unsalted vegetable broth or water
1 green bell pepper
1 bunch kale (any type)
1 orange (Valencia or Hamlin for us right-coast-ers)
10 sprigs (approx.) fresh thyme, or 1-1/2 tsp dried
(optional: 1/3 pint chopped canned tomatoes, or 1 medium fresh tomato)
Salt and fresh ground pepper to taste

Fix yourself a martini. If you're just perusing this recipe now, double the quantities of vodka, vermouth and lemon; drink one now and one while you're cooking ;)

Heat oil in pressure cooker. Saute onions and garlic until translucent. Add celery, hot pepper (and carrots, if using), and bay leaves and saute another 1-2 minutes. Add beans, cumin, and broth or water (important: use only UNsalted broth with uncooked beans!) to barely cover. Lock lid on pressure cooker, bring to high pressure and cook 4 minutes, then remove from heat and allow pressure to come down naturally.

While beans are cooking, seed green pepper and cut in large dice; trim and coarsely chop kale; peel, seed and chop orange. If using a fresh tomato, trim and chop it. If the orange is organic, use the zest from the entire peel as well. Please do not use zest from non-organic oranges, as they are treated with extremely toxic fungicides! That goes for that twist of lemon, too.

When the pressure drops in the cooker, taste beans for doneness; if they are not tender, replace but do not lock the lid and continue to cook until they are done. When beans are done, drain some liquid so the mixture will not be soupy (reserve the liquid in the freezer, along with the kale ribs, for your next batch of soup!). Tie thyme sprigs in a bouquet. Add kale, green pepper, optional tomato, orange, orange zest and thyme, and cook until vegies are tender, stirring occasionally, 5-10 minutes.

Season to taste with salt and pepper (and additional crushed red pepper, if desired). Serve with rice (long grain preferred).

I love lentils. Soup, casseroles, salads. Whatever.

Last night I took a really good lentil salad with a redwine vinegrette to a potluck dinner. It had just enough red tomatoes (peeled, seeded, & chopped) and scallions and parsley to really look good, and arranged in a nice white oval serving dish for contrast. It's a combination of recipes from Emeril and Alton Brown - with garlic, shallots, carrots, onion, celery and some other stuff. Someday I have to write it down the way I make it cause every time I sort of merge the two recipes together and probably do it a little differently each time as well.

Jeeze - You would have thought it was rat stew or something. I don't think anyone even tried it. Sad that adults can't venture out of their own personal comfort zones to try even a bite of something new. Oh well, more for me.

Chicken quesadilla. From the store bought roasted chicken I always have in the fridge, put a handful of meat on a tortilla, shredded cheese, sriracha hot sauce, olives if I have them, microwave for 30-45 seconds. Yum! Balanced, too.

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Originally Posted by PscyclePath

Comfort food, recipe initially stolen from Mike Magnuson's blog, and tweaked a wee bit:

Chef Guido's Sausage & Peppers

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oh my gosh this sounds delicious. not healthy. but delicious. :D

Tofu cheesecake.

We used to laughingly call it "Bean Curd Pie." Yummy, though.

Couscous with Sun-dried Tomato and Mushrooms.

From EAting well magazine. A favourite of ours. Easy and we bring along on bike and stop somewhere for a picnic.

2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 onion, chopped (1 cup)
1/2 cup sun-dried tomatoes (not packed in oil), snipped into strips
2 cups sliced mushrooms
1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme or 1 teaspoon dried
2 1/2 cups reduced-sodium chicken broth
Dash of hot sauce, or more to taste (or fingertip dab of Salam olek, a Malaysian chil paste)
1 1/2 cups couscous
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
Salt & freshly ground pepper to taste

Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add onions and tomatoes and stir until the onions are softened, 2 to 3 minutes. Add mushrooms and thyme and stir until the mushrooms give off their liquid and begin to soften, about 5 minutes. Add broth and hot sauce and bring to a boil. Stir in couscous. Remove from the heat and cover. Let stand until the liquid has been absorbed, about 5 minutes. With a fork, fluff the couscous and stir in parsley. Season with salt and pepper to taste

Here's another good one from Eating Well, we had it for dinner last night (and lunch today!)

Gnocchi with Tomatoes, Pancetta & Wilted Watercress

Makes 4 servings, about 1 cup each

Ingredients

2 ounces pancetta, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 large tomatoes, chopped
½ teaspoon sugar
¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper
2 teaspoons red-wine vinegar
¼ teaspoon salt
1 pound gnocchi (see Shopping Tip)
4 ounces watercress, tough stems removed, coarsely chopped (6 cups packed)
⅓ cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Instructions

1. Put a large pan of water on to boil.
2. Cook pancetta in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until it begins to brown, 4 to 5 minutes. Add garlic and cook, stirring, for 30 seconds. Add tomatoes, sugar and crushed red pepper and cook, stirring, until the tomatoes are almost completely broken down, about 5 minutes. Stir in vinegar and salt. Remove from the heat.
3. Cook gnocchi in the boiling water until they float, 3 to 5 minutes or according to package directions. Place watercress in a colander and drain the gnocchi over the watercress, wilting it slightly. Add the gnocchi and watercress to the sauce in the pan; toss to combine. Serve immediately, with Parmesan.

Nutrition Information

Per serving: 377 calories; 7 g fat (3 g sat, 1 g mono); 16 mg cholesterol; 63 g carbohydrate; 14 g protein; 3 g fiber; 686 mg sodium; 329 mg potassium.

Nutrition bonus: Vitamin C (50% daily value), Vitamin A (45% dv), Calcium & Iron (15% dv).

4 Carbohydrate Servings

Exchanges: 4 starch, 1 vegetable, 1 fat

Snap,

Sounds delish! I'll have to make it later this week. Thanks for sharing.

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Originally Posted by tc1

Chicken quesadilla. From the store bought roasted chicken I always have in the fridge, put a handful of meat on a tortilla, shredded cheese, sriracha hot sauce, olives if I have them, microwave for 30-45 seconds. Yum! Balanced, too.

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We make chicken fajitas/quesadillas all the time. I saute a bunch of peppers (all colors), onions and cook up some chicken with fajita mix. Then I keep it all in the fridge until the mood strikes. DH can easily make his own quesadilla with as much or little cheese as he likes and we dip them in fresh salsa. Lots of chicken, lots of veggies. Sometimes I add black beans too. It's so yummy.

It's not much of a recipe or dish but I've been really loving plain yogurt (homemade if I have the time) and stewed prunes for breakfast.

The only downside is the syrup in the prunes. But mmmmm I love the sour, creamy yogurt and sweet prunes.

Kind of reminds me of the Fig and Yogurt gelato I had once. Mmm gelato.

My standard take-to-work breakfast is one apple, chopped into bite sizes, plain yogurt, and granola sprinkled over the top. If I have other fresh fruit I add it too (like blueberries!)

mmhmm.


take bread. toast it. slap on PB and it melts perfectly onto the hot toast. slice a banana. put the naner on the bread. EAT.

my mouth is watering.

Last wk., I didn't get home until 7:30 pm after work ..since I went grocery shopping.

I was ravenous...and for supper slapped togther low fat cottage cheese and on the side sockeye salmon out of the tin with a glop of Dijon mustard mixed into salmon. Added some Swedish rye crackers. Yea, missing veggies but had dried figs and 1/2 fresh dragonfruit.

This is the meal most requested at my house (when i'm cooking):
chicken breaded lightly and browned in cast iron pain. salt and pepper and garlic. throw that in the oven with
fresh peeled potatoes sliced into sixths or quarters depending on the size. get some olive oil on your hands and rub all the pieces of the chicken with it. throw those in the oven too, more salt & pepper, paprika or rosemary good here.

veggies: kale, collards, turnip greens or swiss chard boiled or steamed until tender... serve plain, with lemon or vinegar on the side.

you bet it's healthy!