The 150 Healthiest 15-Minute Recipes on Earth (25 page)

Place the leaves gently into the boiling salted water and cook for 5 minutes. Without tearing the leaves, drain them carefully into a colander, letting them cool a bit while you prepare the stuffing.

In a food processor, pulse together the beans, tomato paste, garlic, parsley, if using, salt, red pepper flakes, lemon juice, and olive oil until well combined but still chunky. Turn out into a bowl and mix in the bulgur until well combined. Adjust the seasonings, if necessary.

To stuff the collards, lay a collard leaf in front of you—the V will be at the top of the leaf. Spoon a few tablespoons of the bulgur mixture onto the bottom of the leaf and roll the bottom edge up to cover it. Roll the sides in over the bottom fold and roll it, gently but tightly, away from you, from the bottom up.

Lay it on your serving platter, seam side down, and lay the red pepper strips over the tops of the rolls to garnish, if using.

Yield
: 4 servings
Per Serving
: 449 Calories; 7g Fat (13.2% calories from fat); 24g Protein; 78g Carbohydrate; 20g Dietary Fiber; 1mg Cholesterol; 816mg Sodium

From Dr. Jonny
: Being a pizza lover and not wanting to OD on carbs presents a bit of a problem, so I’m always looking for nutritious solutions to my pizza cravings that won’t break my carb budget. This recipe fits the bill and then some—it just might be the lightest pizza ever. And no pizza I’ve ever seen is particularly high in fiber—but this one is, lowering the glycemic impact even further. Chef Jeannette nicknamed it “vegetarian salad pizza,” but don’t let the healthy-sounding nickname put you off. This is a delicious pie, loaded with colorful vegetables and high-fiber beans. You can make this meal rock by pairing it with a good red wine (see suggestions in To Complete the Meal!). Remember, there’s a reason red wine is one of the seven “magical” foods that constitute the polymeal (the concept on which we built our book
The Healthiest Meals on Earth
). That reason is spelled
resveratrol
, the most promising anti-aging substance on the planet (see Nutritional Note on resveratrol on
page 245
).

1 teaspoon olive oil

1 whole-grain, premade, thin pizza crust (10 ounces or 280 g, about 12 inches (30 cm); we like Rustic Pizza organics)

3 cups (115 g) prepared chopped romaine lettuce

2/3 cup (73 g) prepared grated carrots

4 Campari tomatoes, quartered (or use 2 large plum tomatoes, sliced)

3 small lemon cucumbers, unpeeled, quartered (or use 1/2 peeled regular cucumber, chopped)

2 prepared roasted red peppers, drained and chopped

1 can (15 ounces or 425 g) navy beans, drained and rinsed

3/4 cup (53 g) prepared sliced mushrooms, optional

4 ounces (115 g) crumbled feta cheese (or use 2 ounces [55 g] fresh-grated Parmesan)

3 to 4 tablespoons (45 to 60 ml) high- quality prepared Caesar dressing, or to taste (we like Annie’s Natural Organic Caesar dressing)

Preheat the oven to 450°F (230°C, gas mark 8).

Lightly oil a baking sheet (or you can use a pizza stone) and place the crust in the center. Brush lightly with olive oil. Reduce the oven temperature to 425°F (220°C, gas mark 7) and cook the crust for 8 to 9 minutes or until lightly browned.

While the crust is toasting, in a large bowl, combine romaine, carrots, tomatoes, cucumbers, red peppers, beans, mushrooms, if using, feta, and dressing and toss gently to combine. Slice the pizza crust into quarters and serve as “scoops” under the salad.

Yield
: 4 servings
Per Serving
: 743 Calories; 17g Fat (20.1% calories from fat); 38g Protein; 117g Carbohydrate; 37g Dietary Fiber; 26mg Cholesterol; 717mg Sodium

From Dr. Jonny
: If meals were baseball teams, this terrific one-pot would be considered an all-star. It has all the biggies: foods that have been consistently found to be staples in the diets of the longest-lived people on earth. I’m talking about high-fiber beans (associated with lower rates of digestive issues, diabetes, and obesity), nuts (linked to lower rates of heart disease), and greens and tomatoes, which are filled with antioxidants. These are all mixed with quinoa, a grainlike seed that was once blended with fat into what the Incans called “war balls” for their ability to sustain marching armies for days on end. (In fact the Incas held the crop to be sacred and referred to quinoa as
chisaya mama
or “mother of all grains.”) Quinoa is also the highest-protein “cereal” on the planet. Did I mention that this dish tastes great, too?

1 cup (170 g) quinoa, rinsed

2 cups (475 ml) vegetable broth

1 tablespoon (15 ml) olive oil

2 teaspoons prepared minced garlic (or 4 cloves, crushed and chopped) 1 pound (455 g) escarole, stemmed and chopped

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 cup (150 g) grape tomatoes (or halved cherry tomatoes)

3 tablespoons (45 ml) vegetable broth, white wine, or water

1 can (15 ounces or 425 g) chickpeas, drained and rinsed

1/3 cup (45 g) toasted pine nuts or chopped hazelnuts

4 to 5 dashes hot sauce, or to taste

1/4 cup (20 g) shredded Parmesan cheese, optional

In a medium saucepan, add the quinoa and broth and bring to a quick boil over high heat. Reduce the heat slightly, cover, and simmer for about 12 minutes or until the quinoa is tender and tails have popped.

While the quinoa is cooking, in a 4- to 6-quart (3.8 to 5.7 L) sauté pan, heat the oil over medium.

Add the garlic and escarole, turning gently to combine. Cover for 1 minute, remove lid, stir, add the salt and tomatoes, and cook for 1 minute. Add the broth and chickpeas and cook for about 2 minutes until the beans are hot, the tomatoes are soft, and the escarole is tender.

When the quinoa is done, gently fold in the escarole mixure and nuts. Add the hot pepper sauce to taste, and correct the seasonings, if necessary. Garnish with the Parmesan, if using.

Yield
: 4 servings
Per Serving
: 793 Calories; 23g Fat (25.5% calories from fat); 36g Protein; 117g Carbohydrate; 27g Dietary Fiber; 5mg Cholesterol; 1329mg Sodium

The Healthiest Minestrone Stew

From Dr. Jonny
: This stew is a perfect example of what I spoke about in my introductory chapter: nutrient density. The minestrone-like stew is simply brimming with vitamins, minerals, and phytochemicals, not to mention fiber from the double helping of beans. Best of all, you don’t have to sacrifice a thing in the taste department. There’s a small amount of whole wheat orzo for your toothy carb fix, a huge improvement over a bucket of white noodles! You also get some fat from the Parmesan cheese, which won’t hurt you but will help make you feel full and add some sparkle to the mix. The canned tomatoes are filled with antioxidants such as lycopene. As a bonus, the whole shebang is low in calories—and high on flavor! Enjoy!

4 cups (950 ml) vegetable broth

2 cans (14.5 ounces or 413 g each) diced tomatoes with basil, garlic, and oregano, undrained

2 tablespoons (28 ml) red wine

1 teaspoon dried basil

3/4 teaspoon dried oregano

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper, or to taste

1/3 cup (53 g) whole wheat orzo (we like Rice Select)

1 can (15 ounces or 425 g) chickpeas, drained and rinsed

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

3 cups (210 g) frozen or fresh, prepared vegetables of your choice (e.g., corn, broccoli florets, cauliflower florets, red bell pepper strips, sliced carrots, cut green beans, etc.)

1 1/2 cups (45 g) prepared chopped or baby spinach

1/4 cup (25 g) grated Parmesan cheese, for garnish, optional

In a large soup pot, combine the broth and tomatoes and bring to a boil over high heat. Stir in the red wine, basil, oregano, salt, pepper, orzo, chick-peas, beans, and frozen or fresh-cut veggies. Reduce the heat and simmer for about 6 minutes. Stir in the spinach and simmer for 2 to 3 more minutes or until all the veggies are tender. Garnish with the Parmesan and serve.

Yield
: 4 to 6 servings
Per Serving
: 687 Calories; 9g Fat (11.9% calories from fat); 39g Protein; 116g Carbohydrate; 35g Dietary Fiber; 5mg Cholesterol; 1399mg Sodium

From Dr. Jonny
: Well-done, wet-noodle type pasta not only tastes like cardboard, it also affects your blood sugar in a much more negative way than cooking pasta al dente, which is actually the proper way to make pasta anyway. Why? Because overcooking destroys fiber and turns a perfectly good food into a mush that doesn’t have to be broken down by the body. When this food is high in carbs—as pasta is—the result is a much higher glycemic impact on your blood sugar than you get from a food that is more chewy and fibrous. This tender fresh pasta cooks up in seconds—all it really needs is a hot bath—and the carb load is offset by the protein and healthy fat in the fresh ricotta. Bonus nutrition points for the calcium and vitamin D in the cheese, the anti-oxidant lycopene in the tomatoes, and the iron, calcium, magnesium, potassium, and fiber in the spinach!