Healthy Recipes

Fresh Grilled Corn and Tomato Salad

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Grilled corn on the cob mixed with ripe grape tomatoes tossed in a light fresh basil vinaigrette, you can serve it warm or cold but the longer it sits the better!

Make sure you grill the corn ahead of time and make the salad a few hours in advance before serving it chilled!

Ingredients

6 ears of corn
1 pint grape tomatoes
8 basil leaves, julienne
1/2 tsp dijon mustard
2 tsp red wine vinegar
1 Tbls olive oil
salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

  • Remove out husk and silks from corn. Grill on oiled grill gates over medium high heat. You are looking to get the outside slightly charred, about 10 minutes rotating every few minutes. Take corn off the grill and set aside.
  • Slice grape tomatoes in half and add to a large bowl.
  • When the corn is cool enough to be handled, cut the kernels off the cob and place in the bowl with the tomatoes.
  • In a separate bowl, mix the remaining ingredients for the vinaigrette. Pour vinaigrette over the corn and tomato mixture.
  • Place in fridge a few hours in advance until ready to serve or serve immediately if you prefer it warm. Enjoy!

Source: TSGL

Healthy Recipe: Chickpea Salad

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Chickpea is a legume rich in plant fibers that facilitate digestion, rich in magnesium which is essential for heart health and bone, and rich in iron which is not lost even during cooking

When we talk about the biochemical composition, chickpea is not very different from other legumes: contain up to 23% protein, 58% carbohydrate and about 5% vegetable oil.

Enriched with iron more than meat, and this mineral is not lost by cooking. From arab ancient writings, chickpea is mentioned as a powerful aphrodisiac: “man would drink potion before sleeping that consists of honey, crushed garlic, crushed chick pea and water” .

This legume contains many plant fibers that are responsible for lowering cholesterol. Chickpea have another useful property: it expels sulphates from our body, harmful compounds that are used as preservatives in food processing.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration stated that 1 of the 100 people overly sensitive to sulphates. This sensitivity can be shown in any period of life, and the symptoms are weakness, nausea, diarrhea, rash, wheezing.

Chickpea is a natural source of calcium, copper and magnesium, which, according to new scientific research plays an important role in binding of calcium to bones.

That refers to the fact that osteoporosis occurs not because of a lack of calcium, but due to the deficit magnesium.

Except that, this mineral participates in regulating heart rate and lowering cholesterol levels and is very important for pregnant women because it reduces the risk of miscarriage and premature birth.

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Ingridients:

-2 pounds chickpea
-2/3 pound cauliflower
-3 small tomatoes
-1/4 pound walnuts, finely chopped
-2 small onions
-1 cup of chopped parsley
-2 tbs coriander
-fresh lemon juice
-2 tbs olive oil
-salt and pepper

Boil the chickpeas in a pot until grains are soft. Then strain it. Mix it in blender.

Move the Chickpeas in a bowl. Add the cauliflower and add all remaining ingredients.

Season with salt and pepper to taste and mix well.

Allow the salad to for 15 minutes to soak up all the flavors. Then serve it with toasted bread.

Source: secretly healthy

5 Smoothies That Will Help You to Lose Belly Fats

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To lose belly fats it is very important to consume food that is great source of fiber, vitamins, minerals and food that is great cholesterol free protein source such as nuts and seeds. Berries are great source of these nutrients.

Blueberries for example contain: vitamins K, C, manganese, fiber, coumaric acid, quercetin, resveratrol, etc.

Strawberries are rich source of: anthocyanins, vitamin B complex, niacin, vitamins C, A, E, antioxidants such as: lutein, zea-xanthin, manganese, etc.

-Preparation of strawberries-peach smoothie:

1 peach

1 cup strawberries

2 tsp. flax seeds

Glass of water

Put these ingredients into blender and get irresistible smoothie.peach-cherries-smoothie5

Preparation of apricot-orange smoothie:

1 cup apricots

1 orange

1 peach

Glass of water

Put these ingredients into blender and blend it.apricot-orange-banana-smoothie3

Preparation of blackberries-raspberries smoothie:

½ cup blackberries

½ cup raspberries

½ cup strawberries

2 tsp. flax seeds

Blend these ingredients and the final result is incredible smoothie.blackberries-raspberries-4
Preparation of peach-cherries smoothie:

1 peach

1/3 cup cherries

1 banana

¼ cup crushed almonds

300 ml water

Put these ingredients into blender and you will get incredible smoothie.
Preparation of blackberries-blueberries smoothie:

½ cup blackberries

½ cup blueberries

Handful of spinach

¼ cup crushed hazelnuts

300 ml water

Put these ingredients into blender and blend it.

Source: healthy food base

Top 15 Juice Recipes for Good Health

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Give your body a much-deserved makeover with these healthy and refreshing juices with amazing benefits from clear skin to healthy detox.

Healthy juices are a great snack to tide you over between meals. All you need is a blender, fresh fruits or vegetables and milk. Juices will not only fill you up but are also healthy. We list out 15 top juice recipes that work well at anytime, any season.

organ cleansing detox juice recipe
Ingredients:
• 2 grapefruits
• 1 medium-sized beetroot
• 1 green apple
• 1 small lemon
• 1-inch ginger root (optional)
Method:
Mix all the above ingredients together in a blender and consume the juice immediately.

Vegetable juice recipe
Ingredients:
• Fresh cabbage (band gobhi) – 125 gms
• Fresh lemon ( nimbu ) – 1
• Celery ( ajmoda shaak ) – 25 gms
• Fresh pear ( naashpati ) – 250 gms
• Ginger root (adrak)- 1 inch
• Filtered Water – 500 ml
• Fresh Mint (pudina ) – 4 to 5 leaves
Method:
1. Chop the pear, cabbage, celery and ginger into small pieces and put it in a blender along with a cup of water; blend well for 1 minute.
2. Add the fresh lemon juice to the blended juice. Pour the juice in a glass and serve chilled with mint leaves.

Beetroot and Carrot Juice
If you love juices then introduce yourself with a nutrient-abundant beetroot-carrot juice. This juice provides health benefits from head to toe, especially for good vision. Try this juicy recipe to colour your diet with fibre, minerals and carotenoids.

Ingredients:
• 1 beetroot
• 1/2 kg carrots
• 1/2 piece of ginger (adrak)
• 2 tbsp (chopped) mint leaves (phudina)
• Black salt (sanchal) to taste
• 1 tbsp lemon juice
Method:
1. Blend all the ingredients in a mixer with some water except black salt and lemon juice.
2. Strain the liquid.
3. Pour in a glass add black salt, lemon juice and ice cubes.
4. Garnish with mint leaves.

Ingredients:
• 1 ¼ (chopped) spinach leaves (without stems and tough rib)
• 1 cup chilled fresh orange juice
• 1 ¼ cup cubed mango
• ¼ cup (chopped) fresh mint
• 2 medium ribs celery (finely chopped)
• ¼ cup (chopped) flat-leaf parsley

Method:
1. Combine all ingredients in a blender.
2. Keep blending it, until it is a smooth puree.
3. Pour into two chilled glasses and sip it.

Cabbage, Cucumber, Grapejuice recipe
Ingredients:
• 1/2 head purple cabbage
• 2 large cucumbers
• 2 handfuls purple grapes

Method:
• Wash all the ingredients thoroughly.
• Juice the cabbage, cucumbers and grapes in a juicer and drink immediately.

Watermelon Smoothie

Ingredients:
• 1 ½ cup roughly chopped watermelon
• 1 ½ musk melon (if you have some. Or you could add some more watermelon)
• Juice of 2 lemons
• 1 cup skimmed yogurt
• Some ice cubes

Method: Add all ingredients to a blender and blend into a smooth consistency. Enjoy your watermelon smoothie!

Natural Peanut Butter and Banana Smoothie

Ingredients:
• 100ml ice
• 200ml skimmed yogurt
• 1 tbs natural preservative-free peanut butter
• 1 chopped (ripe) banana
• 1 tsp honey

Method:
Blend all ingredients together, and add a little milk (if needed) to get a thin drinking consistency for this natural peanut butter and banana smoothie.
Green tea and mango splash
Experience the island winds as you sip this cooling concoction prepared with a mixture of fresh mangoes and green tea.
You can add strawberry or any other fruit you like.

Ingredients:
• 1 cantaloupe
• 1-2 Tbsp of raw ginger

Method:
• wash cantaloupe well. Slice.
• Slice of outer rind.
• You can juice the cantaloupe with or without the seeds. I juiced it with the seeds and loved it. It is a tad sweeter without the seeds.
• Juice in the ginger as well.
• Serve or chill.

Super Sinus Juice

Ingredients:
• 1 large orange or minola, peeled
• 1/2 lemon, de-seeded and peeled
• 1 medium sweet or tart apple, chopped
• 1 Tbsp fresh ginger, skin removed
• Cayenne spice

Directions:

Wash all your ingredients.Peel your orange and 1/2 lemon – and remove the lemon seeds. Orange seeds are OK, since they aren’t as bitter. Chop your apple into chunks that will fit in your juicer. You can juice the entire apple – core and all. Chop ginger into small chunks. Before you start juicing, be aware that there are two procedures for this juice. You can use just your electric juicer. Or you can use both an electric juicer and a citrus juicer: Add the citrus directly to your juicer and juice it pulp/skin and all. This will result in a ‘thicker’ juice since some of the pulp/skin juice will be extracted and is a bit thicker than pure citrus juice. Juice the citrus in a citrus juicer/squeezer separately and add it to the apple/ginger juice. This will result in a thinner, less pulpy juice. Your choice. Start juicing all your ingredients. Stir gently to swirl the flavors. Pour into serving glasses and top with cayenne. One tiny pinch to a few bold dashes will work. You can always add more later.

Almond Papaya and Banana Smoothie

Ingredients:
• 100ml ice
• 200ml skimmed yogurt
• 1 chopped (ripe) banana
• 1 cup chopped (ripe) papaya
• 5-8 almonds
•1 tsp drinking chocolate or coffee (for the strong hearted)

Method:
Blend all ingredients together for an icy cold and smooth almond papaya and banana smoothie.

Peach lychee Juice

Ingredients:
•1 (20-ounce) can lychees in syrup, drained and rinsed (or 20 peeled and seeded lychees)
•1 cup frozen and thawed sliced peaches (7 ounces)
•3/4 cup coconut water (or water)

Preparation:
In a blender, combine lychees, peaches, and coconut water; blend, scraping down sides occasionally, until smooth. Strain juice and, if desired, thin with water. Refrigerate up to 2 days (shake before serving).

Berry Green Smoothie

Ingredients:
• 1/2 cup Greek yoghurt (or normal yoghurt without whey)
• 1 cup berries (strawberries, blueberries, blackberries etc)
• 1 cup spinach
• 1 tbsp bran
• Ice cubes as required

Method:
1. Add yoghurt and spinach and blend until blended
2. Add the berries, bran and ice cubes to this and blend until smooth
3. Serve immediately

Mango Juice

Ingredients:
• 1 banana
• 1/2 cup yogurt
• 1 cup orange juice
• 1 cup ice cubes

Method:
Add 1 banana, 1/2 cup yogurt, 1 cup orange juice, and 1 cup ice cubes to a blender and blend. Now add 1 large, chilled mango (chopped) and pulse till it blends well.

Source: yahoo news

Healthy recipe: Oats upma

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Oats may seem boring to eat due to its bland taste but by adding spices to it, one can make it not only more tasty but also more nutritious. What’s even better is that it makes for a healthy breakfast as well as a dinner option. This oats upma is low-fat, nutritious and delicious.

The main ingredient, oats, contains a legume-like protein, avenalin, known to be equivalent to soy protein. It is also rich in soluble fibre, vitamin E, fatty acids and antioxidants. It aids in weight loss, satiates hunger, cures constipation and has cholesterol-lowering properties. With so many health benefits, it makes for a wonderful nutritious meal which everyone should have, every week if not every day. Here’s the recipe.

Ingredients

Rolled oats – ¾ cup
Finely chopped onions – 1
Chopped, cooked carrots (optional) – 1
Cooked corn (optional) – ¼ cup
Chopped ginger – ½ inch
Chillies – 3
Water – 1 ¾ cups
Oil – 2 tsp
Salt to taste

For seasoning

Curry leaves
Mustard seeds
Cumin seeds
Roasted peanuts
Method

Step 1: Dry roast oats in a pan till their whiteness disappears and they turn golden brown. Take them out of the pan.

Step 2: Heat oil in the same pan. Add mustard seeds, cumin seeds, curry leaves and green chillies.

Step 3: Add onion and sauté till it turns golden brown, and then add ginger and sauté again.

Step 4: Add water, salt and cooked veggies. Cover the pan with a lid, and bring water to boil.

Step 5: Add oats and mix well. Lower the flame and simmer till the water is absorbed.

Step 6: Add roasted peanuts and mix.

Plate it, and relish for breakfast or dinner.

Source: The health site

Breakfast Wheat Berries

Wheat berries sweetened with honey and perfumed with rose water and spices make a delicious breakfast on their own or stirred into yogurt. Whether you use farro,  kamut, spelt or wheat berries (and whether you are cooking them for breakfast or for dinner) the trick here is to cook the grains for as long as it takes for them to really soften and to splay (that is, to burst at one end).

Total time: About 1 1/2 hours, mostly unsupervised simmering (plus overnight soaking)

  • 1 cup wheat berries
  • 5 cups water
  • Salt to taste
  • 1/4 cup honey, agave syrup or brown sugar, or more to taste
  • 1/2 to 1 teaspoon rose water, to taste
  • 1 teaspoon ground anise or fennel seeds
  • 3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1/8 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
  • 1/2 cup raisins or other chopped dried fruit of choice
  • 1/3 cup chopped walnuts, almonds, hazelnuts, or a mixture for garnish
  • 2 cups plain low-fat yogurt (optional)
  • Pomegranate seeds for garnish (optional)

1. The night before, combine wheat berries, 1 quart of the water and salt and bring to a boil in a saucepan. Reduce heat, cover and simmer 1 hour. Remove from heat, stir in the honey, agave syrup or sugar, rose water, anise or fennel seeds, cinnamon, nutmeg and raisins or dried fruit. Cover and leave overnight (or for 5 to 6
hours).

2. In the morning, add remaining cup of water to the wheat berries and bring to a simmer. Cook 30 to 45 minutes, stirring often, until berries are soft and splayed at one end. There should be some liquid surrounding the wheat berries (add more water if necessary). Taste and add more sweetener if desired.

3. Serve on their own with some of the liquid in the saucepan (stir in some milk if desired), or spoon about 1/3 cup yogurt into bowls and top with a generous spoonful of the berries, with some of the sweet broth. Top with a handful of chopped nuts and a few pomegranate seeds if desired.

Yield: Serves 4 to 6

Advance preparation: The cooked wheat berries will keep for 3 to 4 days in the refrigerator. The dried fruit will continue to swell and will lose flavor, but it will
be captured in the broth.

Nutritional information per serving (4 servings): 358 calories; 7 grams fat; 1 gram saturated fat; 5 grams polyunsaturated fat; 1 gram monounsaturated fat; 0 milligrams cholesterol; 75 grams carbohydrates; 6 grams dietary fiber; 9 milligrams sodium (does not include salt to taste); 6 grams protein

Source: The New York Times

Steel-Cut Oats With Amaranth Seeds, Chia Seeds and Blueberries

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Fresh blueberries are not in season at the moment, so I put my frozen organic wild blueberries to good use in this hearty mix. The chia and the amaranth pump up the nutritional value of this cereal — both are high in calcium, amaranth is high in protein, and chia seeds are a great source of healthful omega-3s. They also contribute texture. For even more great texture, top the cereal with chopped toasted hazelnuts or almonds.

Total time: 5 minutes (plus overnight soaking)

For each bowl:

  • 1/4 cup regular or quick cooking steel-cut oats
  • 1 tablespoon amaranth seeds
  • 1 teaspoon chia seeds
  • Salt to taste (I use a generous pinch)
  • 1 heaped tablespoon fresh or frozen blueberries, or more to taste (out of season I recommend small frozen wild blueberries)
  • 3/4 cup water
  • 1 teaspoon honey or maple syrup, plus more as desired for drizzling

Optional toppings: milk, chopped toasted skinned hazelnuts, chopped toasted almonds, grated apple or pear, freeze-dried blueberries

1. The night before, stir together steel-cut oats, amaranth seeds, chia seeds, salt and blueberries in a medium microwave-proof bowl. Bring water to a boil and pour over mixture. Add honey or maple syrup and stir, then cover bowl with a plate.

2. In the morning, microwave mixture for 2 minutes on 100 percent power. Remove bowl from microwave and carefully remove plate (bowl will be hot and steam will rise from cereal). Stir mixture, cover again and return to microwave. Heat for 2 minutes more, or until mixture is no longer watery.

3. Transfer to a serving dish and sprinkle on toppings of your choice.

Yield: Serves 1

Nutritional information per serving: 167 calories; 3 grams fat; 1 gram saturated fat; 2 grams polyunsaturated fat; 1 gram monounsaturated fat; 0 milligrams cholesterol; 30 grams carbohydrates; 4 grams dietary fiber; 8 milligrams sodium (does not include salt to taste); 6 grams protein

Source: The New York Times

Omelets With Roasted Vegetables and Feta

If you have roasted vegetables on hand an omelet is a wonderful vehicle for them. Omelets are so quick to make, and so satisfying, whether you make them for breakfast, lunch, or dinner. You can cut up your roasted vegetables into slightly smaller pieces if you want a less chunky omelet.

Total time: About 2 minutes (plus the time it takes to roast the vegetables if you haven’t already done so)

For each omelet:

  • 2 eggs
  • Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
  • 2 to 3 teaspoons milk
  • 2 teaspoons unsalted butter or extra virgin olive oil
  • 1/3 cup Roasted Winter Vegetable Medley
  • 1 tablespoon crumbled feta

1. Break eggs into a bowl and beat with a fork or a whisk until frothy. Whisk in salt and pepper to taste and 2 to 3 teaspoons milk.

2. Heat an 8-inch nonstick omelet pan over medium-high heat. Add 2 teaspoons unsalted butter or olive oil. When butter stops foaming or oil feels hot when you hold your hand above it, pour eggs right into the middle of the pan, scraping every last bit into the pan with a rubber spatula. Swirl pan to distribute eggs evenly over the surface. Shake pan gently, tilting it slightly with one hand while lifting up edges of the omelet with the spatula in your other hand, to let eggs run underneath during first few minutes of cooking.

3. As soon as eggs are set on the bottom, spoon roasted vegetables over the middle of the egg “pancake” and sprinkle feta over vegetables. Jerk pan quickly away from you then back towards you so that the omelet folds over onto itself. If you don’t like your omelet runny in the middle, jerk pan again so that omelet folds over once more. Cook for 30 seconds to a minute longer. Tilt pan and roll omelet out onto a plate.

Yield: Serves 1

Advance preparation: The roasted vegetables will keep for 3 days in the refrigerator.

Nutritional information per serving: 317 calories; 23 grams fat; 10 grams saturated fat; 3 grams polyunsaturated fat; 9 grams monounsaturated fat; 402 milligrams cholesterol; 13 grams carbohydrates; 3 grams dietary fiber; 274 milligrams sodium (does not include salt to taste); 15 grams protein

Source: nytimes

 

Recipe: Low Fat Palak Paneer

Ingredients:

  • 2 1/4 cups chopped spinach (palak)
  • 1/2 cup fresh fenugreek (methi) leaves
  • 1/2 cup finely chopped onions
  • 25 mm (1”) piece ginger (adrak)
  • 2 1/2 green chillies , finely chopped
  • 1/2 cup sliced low fat paneer
  • 1/2 tsp dried mango powder (amchur)
  • 3 tsp oil
  • Salt to taste

Procedure:
Wash spinach and fenugreek properly by removing thick stems.Cook them in microwave for 40 seconds, blend the cooked leaves in a blender. Now put the oil in a pan add onion, green chillies,and ginger and fry it for 5 mins. Add paneer , spinach, amchur powder, and salt . cook for 3 to 4 minutes and serve.

Source: Zee news

6 Ways Mushrooms Can Improve Your Health

Button mushrooms provide vitamin D
If dried and grown in the right way, mushrooms are one of the few foods that can provide you with this elusive vitamin, which your body generally makes from sunlight. Consuming dried white button mushroom extract was found to be as effective as taking supplemental vitamin D2 or D3 for increasing vitamin D levels.

Shitake mushrooms protect your liver
Shitake mushrooms contain lentinan, which has been isolated and used to treat stomach and other cancers due to its anti-tumor properties. It has also been found to protect your liver, relieve other stomach ailments (hyperacidity, gallstones, ulcers), anemia, ascites, and pleural effusion

Reishi mushrooms can help treat lung cancer and leukemia
In China, the reishi mushroom has been called the “mushroom of immortality” because of all of its perceived health benefits. One of its more useful compounds is ganoderic acid (a triterpenoid), which is being used to treat lung cancer, leukemia and other cancers.

Turkey tail mushrooms may help treat breast cancer
A seven-year, $2 million NIH-funded clinical study in 2011 found that turkey tail mycelium improves immune function when dosed daily to women with stage I–III breast cancer. PSP, a polysaccharide complex in turkey tail, has been shown to significantly enhance immune status in 70 to 97 percent of cancer patients. Turkey tail may also be useful in treating chronic fatigue syndrome.

Himematsutake mushrooms

Himematsutake mushrooms may help decrease insulin resistance Also called the Royal Sun Agaricus, the Himematsutake mushroom is a relative of the common button mushroom. This mushroom is very popular in Japan because of its medicinal properties of decreasing insulin resistance in diabetics, normalizing cholesterol and improving skin and hair. –

How do you get all the health benefits of mushrooms?
Eat them raw or take a whole food mushroom (powdered pill) product if you’re reasonably healthy and just looking to maintain good health. If you eat them raw, it’s best to make sure they’re certified organic, since the flesh of mushrooms easily absorbs air and soil contaminants.

Source: Health Central