The 150 Healthiest 15-Minute Recipes on Earth (12 page)

1 pound (455 g) leanest ground beef or turkey

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

1 tablespoon (15 ml) lime juice (preferably fresh squeezed)

1 jar (16 ounces or 455 g) spicy salsa

1/4 cup (4 g) chopped fresh cilantro, optional

4 cups (220 g) chopped lettuce

2 large heirloom tomatoes, chopped

1 avocado, peeled, pitted, and sliced

1/2 lime, optional

1 can (15 ounces or 425 g) beans (kidney, black, or pinto), drained and rinsed

1/2 cup (58 g) prepared grated Jack cheese

1/2 cup (35 g) toasted pepitas, optional

Place the ground meat in a large skillet over medium-high heat and stir in the salt and pepper. Cook, stirring frequently to break up the meat, for 5 to 7 minutes or until completely cooked, no pink remaining. Remove from the heat, drain any excess fat, and stir in the lime juice, salsa, and cilantro, if using.

While the meat is cooking, arrange the salad in a large salad bowl (clear glass if possible, to see the pretty layers!): lettuce, tomatoes, and avocado. Squeeze the lime juice over the avocado, if using (this tastes great and will also help prevent it from browning). Layer the avocado with the beans, and top with the hot ground meat. Sprinkle the cheese over all and garnish with the pepitas, if using.

Yield
: 4 servings
Per Serving
: 605 Calories; 37g Fat (54.5% calories from fat); 34g Protein; 36g Carbohydrate; 12g Dietary Fiber; 98mg Cholesterol; 1298mg Sodium

From Dr. Jonny
: Some of the things that make lamb such a good food source can’t be seen by just reading the nutrition facts labels. The U.S. Department of Agriculture database will tell you, for example, that a single lamb chop has only a couple of hundred calories, 16 grams of protein, about half the potassium of a banana, and about 18 mg of selenium, an important mineral that happens to be associated with lower rates of cancer. But what the database won’t tell you is that lamb is rarely if ever factory farmed, that Australian and New Zealand lamb is always grass fed, and that lamb meat rarely if ever comes with a side helping of antibiotics, steroids, and hormones, the way factory-farmed meat does. In this hearty offering, the spicy chops are perfectly complemented by orange carrots, all pulled together nicely by the crisp bite of fresh cilantro.

Orange Carrots

1 tablespoon (14 g) butter

1/2 cup (235 ml) orange juice (preferably fresh squeezed)

1 teaspoon orange zest, optional

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon ground allspice or ginger, optional

2 cups (220 g) prepared grated carrots

Lamb Chops

1/2 teaspoon ground cumin

1/2 teaspoon sweet paprika

1/2 teaspoon ground coriander

1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon cracked black pepper

8 loin lamb chops

1/2 cup (5 g) chopped fresh cilantro, optional, for garnish

Preheat the grill to medium heat.

Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Stir in the orange juice, zest, if using, salt, allspice, if using, and carrots. Cover and cook, stirring occasionally, for 5 to 7 minutes or until tender-crisp.

While the carrots are cooking, in a small bowl, combine the cumin, paprika, coriander, cinnamon, salt, and pepper. Sprinkle evenly over the lamb chops and gently rub in. Lightly spray the grill with olive oil and grill the chops for 4 minutes, flip, and grill for about 4 minutes more for medium rare or to desired doneness. Serve two lamb chops with one quarter of the cooked carrots and garnish all with the cilantro, if using.

Yield
: 4 servings
Per Serving
: 670 Calories; 54g Fat (72.8% calories from fat); 32g Protein; 13g Carbohydrate; 2g Dietary Fiber; 148mg Cholesterol; 423mg Sodium

Protein Powerhouse Lamb with Figs in a Flash

From Dr. Jonny
: This warm, sweet flavor combo will delight your taste buds with only a few carefully chosen ingredients. It’s classic Chef Jeannette: amazing flavors and textures combined in delightful and surprising ways. In this case she’s put lamb—almost always a healthy dish as it is not factory farmed and rarely contains antibiotics, steroids, or hormones—together with figs(!) and blue cheese. Talk about an unusual and delicious combo! The spinach adds color and texture, not to mention a boatload of nutrients such as calcium, iron, phosphorus, magnesium, and potassium. Bonus points for using macadamia oil, an excellent substitute for virgin olive oil, high in heart-healthy monoun-saturated fats!

1 1/4 pounds (567 g) thin, boneless lamb loin medallions (have the butcher cut the meat from the bone of loin chops to save time, or slice lean lamb fillets)

Salt and fresh ground black pepper

1 tablespoon (15 ml) macadamia nut oil (or other neutral high-heat oil)

1/4 cup (80 g) black fig preserves (or 3 tablespoons [60 g] fig jam)

1/2 cup (235 ml) red wine

4 cups (120 g) baby spinach

1/4 cup crumbled (30 g) blue cheese (or chèvre or feta), or more, to taste

2 tablespoons (220 g) toasted slivered almonds, optional

Trim the fat from the chops and sprinkle with salt and fresh ground pepper to taste.

Heat the oil in a skillet over high heat. Add the lamb and cook for 1 to 2 minutes per side until nicely browned. Remove from the pan and set aside.

Reduce the heat to medium, add the preserves and wine, whisk together, and cook, stirring occasionally, for 2 to 3 minutes until the sauce has started to thicken a bit.

Add the chops and their juices back to the pan and cook the lamb to desired doneness (about 1 minute per side for medium rare).

Serve the lamb over the spinach, topped with blue cheese and a drizzle of the fig sauce, to taste. Garnish with the almonds, if using.

Yield
: 4 servings
Per Serving
: 838 Calories; 63g Fat (69.8% calories from fat); 32g Protein; 30g Carbohydrate; 7g Dietary Fiber; 89mg Cholesterol; 235mg Sodium

Luscious Moroccan Lamb Burgers in Less Time

From Dr. Jonny
: One person who sampled these babies put it this way: “These are freaky good.” You could almost expect that, given that this is one of those dishes where just reading the ingredients can make your mouth water. (At least it did mine.) Chèvre, the generic name for goat cheese, is just luscious, and mixed with lamb and raisins it becomes nothing short of divine. And though you may have some feeling about eating creatures as sweet as lambs (I share those feelings), the fact is that lamb is one of the healthiest of meats. Being young, it doesn’t accumulate as many toxins as older animals, and it is almost never “factory farmed” (though many Colorado lambs are “finished” at feedlots, and there are a few other isolated exceptions). This means lamb meat is unlikely to contain antibiotics, steroids, or hormones. Most of the fat in lamb is monounsaturated (the same kind found in olive oil), and it’s a wonderful source of high-quality protein. P.S.: A friend made these for a dinner party one night, and everyone was dueling over the last one! Worth mentioning is the benefit of cumin for the digestive system—it’s traditionally been used for all kinds of digestive ailments from gas to indigestion.

1 pound (455 g) lean ground lamb

1/3 cup (82 g) tomato sauce

1/4 cup (20 g) quick-cooking oats

1/3 cup (50 g) raisins, optional

1 teaspoon prepared minced garlic (or 1 large clove, minced)

1/2 teaspoon ground coriander

1/2 teaspoon ground cumin

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/8 teaspoon cayenne, optional

1/4 teaspoon black pepper

1/4 cup (38 g) chèvre or feta

Red onion rings, to taste

4 slices ripe tomato, optional

Preheat the grill to medium-low heat.

In a large bowl, mix together the lamb, sauce, oats, raisins, if using, garlic, coriander, cumin, salt, cayenne, if using, and black pepper well with your hands. Form into 4 1/2-inch (11 cm) patties and grill for 4 to 5 minutes per side or until desired doneness. Garnish with a spread of cheese, red onion, and a slice of tomato, if using.

Yield
: 4 servings
Per Serving
: 412 Calories; 28g Fat (59.5% calories from fat); 21g Protein; 21g Carbohydrate; 3g Dietary Fiber; 83mg Cholesterol; 473mg Sodium