Read The 150 Healthiest 15-Minute Recipes on Earth Online
Authors: Jonny Bowden
The 150 Healthiest 15-Minute Recipes on Earth (32 page)
From Dr. Jonny
: Almost every “health conscious” person has been indoctrinated with the idea that it’s always best to choose white meat chicken, but I disagree. Dark meat—which we admittedly don’t use all that often in these recipes—is a perfectly fine choice. Sure it’s a bit higher in calories, but still not very caloric (178 calories per 100 grams), and the meat itself has iron, potassium, phosphorus, zinc, and selenium, not to mention a whopping 23 grams per cup of high-quality protein. The majority of the fat in dark meat chicken is actually monounsaturated (the same kind found in avocados and olive oil) and the few grams of saturated fat aren’t a problem at all, “conventional” wisdom to the contrary. Skinless thighs provide a rich, quick-cooking protein the whole family will love. Just pair it with light fair, such as the classic Caribbean rice and peas dish recommended here!
1/2 cup (120 ml) pineapple juice
1/4 cup (60 ml) low sodium tamari
1 tablespoon (15 ml) dark rum 1
tablespoon (6 g) prepared minced ginger (or grated fresh)
1 teaspoon (10 g) prepared minced garlic (or 2 cloves minced)
1/8 teaspoon red pepper flakes
8 boneless, skinless chicken thighs (about 2 pounds [910 g])
Preheat oven to 425°F (220°C, gas mark 7).
Place the juice, tamari, rum, ginger, garlic, and red pepper flakes in a medium shallow roasting pan and mix to combine.
Add the thighs to the pan in a single layer and turn to coat.
Bake for 10 minutes, turn the thighs over to re-coat or baste, then cook for 10 to 15 more minutes or until chicken is cooked through but still very moist.
Yield
: 4 servings
Per serving
: 253 Calories; 10.8g Fat (38% calories from fat); 28.2g Protein; 4.9g Carbohydrate; Trace Dietary Fiber; 99mg Cholesterol; 436mg Sodium
From Chef Jeannette
To Complete the Meal
: Serve with hot peas and rice. Prepare 1 cup (130 g) of frozen peas and 1 1/2 cups (248 g) frozen cooked brown rice (or use leftovers or parboiled quick-cooking) according to package directions, combine and toss with 2 teaspoons (10 ml) low-sodium tamari and 1/4 cup (28 g) toasted sliced almonds.
If You Have an extra 30 Minutes
: Let the chicken soak in the marinade before cooking for a stronger flavor, up to overnight if you can prepare it the day before.
From Dr. Jonny
: For me, “hash” connotates low-quality fatty meat and a bunch of white potatoes highly salted and mixed into an unappetizing goo. (It also reminds me of my less-than-wonderful experiences at sleepaway camp, but that’s a whole different story. Don’t get me started.) Anyway, this version uses sausages—not just any sausage, mind you, but a nitrate-free (and lower-fat) version that is not only tasty but has fewer calories than regular sausage (not to mention it’s not made of “mystery meat”). This baked hash will put you in mind of the Italian provinces—it’s also a great way to use up any leftover vegetables. Bonus benefit: It will erase any pesky remnant memories of sleepaway camp. Or maybe that’s just me.
2 teaspoons olive oil
4 organic chicken sausages, Italian-style
2 cups (220 g) prepared diced potatoes (1/2-inch [1 cm] “hash brown” potatoes)
1 cup (150 g) prepared diced tricolor peppers (or dice 1 large red or green bell pepper)
1 large zucchini, grated or diced
1 pint (300 g) cherry tomatoes, halved
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon dried basil
1 teaspoon garlic granules
Salt and fresh-ground pepper
Preheat the oven to 375°F (190°C, gas mark 5).
Spread the olive oil evenly over the bottom of a Dutch oven. Slit the sausages and spread their contents out in the bottom of the pan. Sprinkle the potatoes evenly over the sausages. Mix in the peppers and zucchini. Top with the tomatoes and sprinkle the oregano, basil, and garlic evenly over all. Season to taste with salt and ground pepper. If the sausage is low fat, drizzle a small amount of olive oil over the vegetables.
Top with a sprinkling of red pepper flakes, if using. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until all the vegetables are tender.
Yield
: 4 servings
Per Serving
: 286 Calories; 13g Fat (40.0% calories from fat); 25g Protein; 18g Carbohydrate; 4g Dietary Fiber; 75mg Cholesterol; 792mg Sodium
From Chef Jeannette
To Complete the Meal
: Serve with lightly scrambled eggs for more protein, or a large Italian salad for more antioxidants; use plenty of romaine lettuce, diced red onions, grated carrots, diced red bell peppers, sliced mushrooms, and a prepared balsamic or Italian vinaigrette.
Sausage and Red Cabbage
From Dr. Jonny
: I can’t take credit for this recipe, but I am delighted that Chef Jeannette came to the same conclusion I came to years ago—protein foods taste great with apples! (I’ve cooked eggs and apples together, chicken and apples, just about anything and apples.) Here Chef Jeannette pairs a lean chicken sausage with my favorite cooking fruit. As usual, the sweetness from the apple balances the rich, warm, and satisfying meat, resulting in a taste delight. This particular dish has overtones of a heavier German dish but is light on calories, especially compared to, say, bratwurst and sauerkraut! The red cabbage and onions add a healthy dose of antioxidants and cancer-fighting plant chemicals, not to mention a hearty taste. (Note: You’ll be surprised at how good this dish tastes stir-fried in my favorite cooking oil, Barlean’s Organic Coconut Oil.)
1 tablespoon (15 ml) coconut oil
4 links (3 ounces or 85 g each) high-quality chicken apple sausage (e.g., Applegate Farms Organic Chicken and Apple Sausage)
1 small red onion, sliced
1 pound (455 g) prepared shredded red cabbage (about 4 cups [280 g])
*
2 cups (220 g) presliced green apples, unpeeled and roughly chopped
1/2 cup (120 ml) apple cider
1 tablespoon (15 ml) apple cider vinegar
1 tablespoon (12 g) Sucanat
2 tablespoons (28 ml) red wine
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
Heat the coconut oil in a Dutch oven or large sauté pan over medium-high heat. Slit open the casings from the sausage and remove them from the meat (or slice thickly to save time). Break the skinless sausage up and add to the pan. Add the onion and cook for 4 minutes or until the sausage is lightly browned, stirring frequently. Add the cabbage, apples, cider, vinegar, Sucanat, red wine, salt, and pepper, stirring gently to combine. Reduce the heat, cover, and cook for 15 to 20 minutes or until the cabbage is tender, stirring occasionally.
Yield
: 4 servings
Per Serving
: 169 Calories; 5g Fat (27.4% calories from fat); 10g Protein; 22g Carbohydrate; 4g Dietary Fiber; 32mg Cholesterol; 389mg Sodium
*
If you can’t find prepared sliced red cabbage, quarter and core a 1 1/2-pound (710 g) head and feed it through a food processor using the slicer attachment, or slice thinly (widthwise) by hand (do this after chopping the apple and before you heat the oil).
From Chef Jeannette
To Complete the Meal
: Serve with 12 ounces (340 g) of prepared baked or roasted sweet or white potatoes (e.g., Cascadian Farms Organic Wedge Cut Oven Fries) for a hearty winter meal, or microwave four small garnet yams and serve with a sprinkling of ume plum vinegar for a calorie-free condiment (or use tiny pats of butter). (See
page 181
for directions to microwave sweet potatoes). For a superspeed side with fewer carbs, prepare 10 ounces (280 g) of frozen cooked summer squash with a little coconut oil and a sprinkle of salt stirred in.
From Dr. Jonny
: My mother, bless her heart, was not exactly a great cook. (True story: Until I was a teenager, I actually thought spaghetti and meatballs came out of a can.) But she knew how to make meat-loaf, which she actually did rather well. So meatloaf occupies a warm fuzzy spot in my culinary memory bank, just like it does for so many other people. Problem is, the conventional version is high in fat and calories, stuffed with bread crumbs (unnecessary carbs and calories), and most often made with meat that contains hormones, steroids, and antibiotics. This crowd-pleasing low-cal version makes some clever substitutions that won’t lose you an iota of flavor or comfort, but will gain you a heck of a lot of healthy nutrition. Lean turkey instead of feedlot-farmed mystery meat, rolled oats instead of bread crumbs, and vegetables fill it out. The chutney lends a sweet and exotic spiciness. My mother would have loved it!
1 egg
1/2 cup (125 g) prepared chutney, or to taste for heat and sweet (e.g., Trader Joe’s Mango Ginger Chutney or Native Forest Organic Pineapple Chutney)
1 to 1 1/2 pounds (455 to 710 g) leanest ground turkey
1/3 cup (27 g) whole rolled oats
1 cup (110 g) prepared shredded carrots
1 cup (120 g) grated zucchini or summer squash, optional
1 teaspoon mustard powder 1 teaspoon onion powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon cracked black pepper
Preheat the oven to 375°F (190°C, gas mark 5). Lightly spray a twelve-cup muffin tin with cooking oil.
In a large bowl, whisk together the egg and chutney. Add the turkey, oats, carrots, zucchini, if using, mustard powder, onion powder, salt, and pepper, and mix with your hands until well combined. Gently spoon the meat evenly into twelve muffin cups (do not pack). Bake for about 30 minutes or until cooked through.
Yield
: 12 mini loaves
Per Serving
: 95 Calories; 3g Fat (29.5% calories from fat); 7g Protein; 9g Carbohydrate; 1g Dietary Fiber; 38mg Cholesterol; 120mg Sodium
From Chef Jeannette
To Complete the Meal
: Steam 6 cups of fresh or 10 ounces (280 g) of frozen green beans, toss with 1 1/2 tablespoons (25 ml) of Italian or balsamic salad dressing (or make your own with 1 tablespoon (15 ml) of lemon juice, 1 teaspoon of Dijon mustard, 1/2 teaspoon of garlic powder, and a pinch of salt), and top with 1/3 cup (37 g) of toasted sliced or slivered almonds.
NUTRITIONAL NOTE
Protein
comes from the Greek, meaning “of prime importance.” You need protein—or more accurately, the building blocks of protein known as amino acids—to construct just about everything your body needs to run effeciently. Muscle proteins known as actin and myosin enable every muscular movement under the sun, from flexing your biceps to blinking your eyes. A protein called hemoglobin carries oxygen throughout the bloodstream. Proteins make up bones and muscles, hormones and neurotransmitters. Without protein (and without fat) you would simply die. (The same can’t be said of carbohydrates, interestingly enough, but that’s a whole other discussion.)
You get protein from either animal foods (fish, chicken, turkey, meat, milk, eggs) or plant sources such as tofu and beans. Controversy ranges about protein quality, and several ranking systems have been developed to measure how well the body absorbs and uses protein from a given food source. (These systems include biological value, net protein utilization, protein efficiency ratio—you get the idea.) On most of these scales milk and eggs score very high, closely followed by beef and soybeans; protein from vegetables or grains, such as corn, scores much lower.
The fact that a protein food scores very high in one of the ranking systems isn’t the whole story, however. Beef always scores pretty high because it provides important amino acids that are easily incorporated into the body, but most commercial beef comes with a helping of steroids, antibiotics, and hormones that you certainly don’t need or want. Choose protein sources that are both high on the scales of bioavailability and also low on the scales of pollutants and contaminants. Examples include grass-fed beef, free range chicken and turkey, eggs, and wild salmon.