Read The 150 Healthiest 15-Minute Recipes on Earth Online
Authors: Jonny Bowden
The 150 Healthiest 15-Minute Recipes on Earth (26 page)
1 package (10 ounces or 280 g) chopped frozen spinach, thawed and drained
3/4 cup (188 g) fresh ricotta cheese
1 teaspoon dried basil
2/3 cup (74 g) sun-dried tomato strips in oil, drained
1/4 cup (12 g) finely chopped chives or scallions (greens only)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
9 ounces (255 g) fresh, whole wheat pasta
1 tablespoon (15 ml) olive oil, or to taste
1/4 cup (25 g) grated Parmesan cheese
Put a large pot half full of salted water on to boil over high heat. In a medium bowl, mix the spinach, ricotta, basil, sun-dried tomatoes, chives, salt, and pepper together well (a mixer will do this in seconds). When the water is boiling, add the pasta and cook according to the package directions (usually only for a minute to two), and drain. Combine the hot pasta and ricotta mixture, drizzle the oil over all to moisten, and garnish with the Parmesan to serve.
Yield
: 4 servings
Per Serving
: 428 Calories; 13g Fat (25.8% calories from fat); 22g Protein; 63g Carbohydrate; 10g Dietary Fiber; 29mg Cholesterol; 871mg Sodium
From Chef Jeannette
If You Have 10 More Minutes
: With a few substitutions, you can turn this dish into a veritable fresh fest! The spinach is frozen, cooked, but if you have an extra few minutes, chop up a couple of packed cups of fresh baby spinach and use that instead. Sun-dried tomato strips are packed with flavor, but to lighten up on calories, substitute three fresh ripe heirloom tomatoes, chopped. You can even substitute the dried basil for 1/4 cup fresh chopped!
Fresh whole-grain pasta has a light, delicious feel. Fresh ricotta cheese doesn’t even taste like the same animal as supermarket ricotta—airier, with a melt-in-your mouth quality. Look for it at a local dairy, cheese shop, or natural food store. Many whole foods and high-end grocers also carry it.
To Complete the Meal
: Serve it with a salad made with 6 ounces (170 g) of chopped romaine lettuce; one can of artichoke hearts, drained and halved; one small red onion, sliced; two sliced fresh tomatoes; and a prepared red wine vinaigrette (if you’re making the pasta with fresh tomatoes, use jarred roasted red pepper strips instead). Garnish with a little Parmesan, if desired.
From Dr. Jonny
: Here’s a little-known fun fact about avocados that I’ll bet you didn’t know: They have fiber. Lots of it. A whopping 13.5 grams per avocado, which puts them right smack in the middle of the category of food with the most fiber on the planet, beans. Sure, avocados have a reputation as being “fattening,” but that’s only because they’re moderately high in calories, not because there’s anything inherently “fattening” about them. Fact is, they’re loaded with some of the healthiest fat on the planet (the same monounsaturated fat found in olive oil). They have twice the potassium of a banana, a decent amount of folate (163 mcg), and provide about 4 grams of protein. What a superstar food! And what a rich, satisfying soup you can make from them, which is exactly what Chef Jeannette has whipped up in this creamy soup recipe, which you can put together in literally minutes with zero cooking. Wait till you try it!
Avocado Soup
2 ripe Hass avocados, peeled, pitted, and coarsely chopped
2 cups (60 g) baby spinach
2 cups (475 ml) low-sodium vegetable broth
Juice of 1 lime
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
Few dashes hot sauce, optional, to taste
1/3 cup (77 g) plain Greek yogurt
1/3 cup (87 g) jarred salsa
Cheesy Tortillas
4 sprouted corn tortillas (6 inches or 15 cm)
drizzle olive oil
2 medium heirloom tomatoes, sliced thick
2/3 cup (75 g) shredded jalapeño Jack cheese
Preheat the broiler.
Place the avocados, spinach, and broth in a strong blender or food processor, blending until smooth. Season with the lime juice, salt, pepper, and hot sauce, if using, to taste and pulse briefly to incorporate.
In a small bowl, combine the yogurt and salsa and mix well.
Lay the sprouted corn tortillas on a broiler pan and drizzle or brush lightly with olive oil. Lay two slices of tomato on each tortilla and sprinkle with the cheese, dividing evenly. Broil the tortillas for about a minute or until the cheese is melted and the tomatoes are hot, watching carefully to prevent burning.
Divide the soup among four bowls and garnish with the yogurt salsa, to taste. Serve the soup with the tortillas.
Yield
: 4 servings
Per Serving
: 369 Calories; 20g Fat (46.8% calories from fat); 12g Protein; 40g Carbohydrate; 10g Dietary Fiber; 2mg Cholesterol; 433mg Sodium
From Dr. Jonny
: I admit it: One of my guilty pleasures is pizza, though I rarely eat it. One reason is the dough, which offers little more than empty calories and a lot of starch and carbs. Enter Chef Jeannette’s clever turn on the old favorite. Potatoes, while not the most nutritious vegetable on the planet, are nonetheless a lot better than the white dough used for conventional pizzas, and recent research ranked russet potatoes fifth among 100 different foods tested for antioxidant activity! One medium potato with the nutritious skin (very important to keep that in there!) has way more potassium than two medium bananas, not to mention about 4 grams of fiber. Stuff that baby with nutrient-rich vegetables such as broccoli, tomatoes, and peppers, and you’ve got a real winner. This dish is filling, satisfying, and cheesy, nicely complemented by the fresh-tasting sauce.
4 medium baking potatoes (choose Idaho, russet, or yukon Gold)
1 package (12 ounces or 340 g) fresh or package (10 ounces or 280 g) frozen broccoli florets
2 medium heirloom tomatoes, quartered
2/3 cup (100 g) prepared, diced, colored bell peppers
2/3 cup (74 g) sun-dried tomato strips in oil, lightly drained
1 tablespoon (15 ml) olive oil
3/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon dried basil, plus extra
1 teaspoon dried oregano, plus extra
Pinches salt and fresh ground black pepper, to taste
1/2 cup (60 g) shredded mozzarella cheese (or feta), or to taste
Preheat the broiler.
Scrub the potatoes well and pierce with a fork. Place potatoes in the microwave with 3 tablespoons (45 ml) of water in a small bowl or cup. Microwave on high for 8 to 10 minutes or until tender, turning the potatoes once at 4 minutes for even cooking.
While the potatoes are cooking, bring water to boil in a large pot with a steamer basket. When the water is boiling, place the broccoli in the steamer and cook until tender-crisp (about 3 minutes for fresh, 4 to 5 for frozen). Set aside.
While the broccoli and potatoes are cooking, combine the tomatoes, peppers, sun-dried tomato strips, olive oil, garlic powder, basil, oregano, salt, and pepper in a food processor.
Process until mostly smooth (about 35 seconds), scraping down the sides as necessary. Adjust the seasonings if necessary.
When the potatoes are tender, remove from the microwave and place on a broiler sheet.
Working carefully so you don’t burn your hands, slice each one lengthwise down the middle and gently pull the halves apart. Stuff each potato with one quarter of the broccoli, pizza sauce to taste, and one quarter of the mozzarella, sprinkling the basil and oregano over the cheese.
Broil for 2 to 3 minutes or until the cheese is melted and bubbly.
Yield
: 4 servings
Per Serving
: 300 Calories; 10g Fat (29.5% calories from fat); 10g Protein; 46g Carbohydrate; 7g Dietary Fiber; 13mg Cholesterol; 143mg Sodium
From Chef Jeannette
To Complete the Meal
: Add a prepared protein, such as a free-range rotisserie chicken. You can also add additional cooked proteins to the potato with the broccoli, such as cooked chicken, diced organic ham, or drained and rinsed canned navy or black beans. If you don’t want the extra protein, finish the meal with a large dark green salad with the remainder of the prepared diced peppers and a drizzle of Caesar or balsamic dressing.
From Dr. Jonny
: Ask almost anyone for a list of healthy foods and you’re sure to hear broccoli mentioned pretty quickly. But the thing of it is, broccoli has a couple of lesser-known relatives that are frequently overlooked, and both of them bring a lot to the table, no pun intended! Broccoli rabe is a fiber heavyweight—one bunch provides more than 12 grams of the stuff, putting it right up there with beans, also included in this recipe, on the list of fiber all-stars. It also has more potassium than almost any other food I’ve researched—one bunch provides an almost unbelievable 1,499 mg (a medium banana has 422 mg). And baby broccoli, or broccolini, is just delicious. It’s less crunchy than the regular kind and has a nice, almost sweet, taste, more similar to asparagus without the sulfurlike smell! Both rabe and baby broc are members of the brassica family of vegetable royalty (which also includes Brussels sprouts and cabbage) and are loaded with plant compounds called
indoles
, which are known to have cancer-fighting activity. There’s probably not a more guilt-free way to enjoy a potato than this one!
4 medium baking potatoes
1 tablespoon (15 ml) olive oil
3 cloves garlic, minced (or 1 1/2 teaspoons prepared)
1 teaspoon chili powder, or to taste
1 teaspoon ground cumin
Pinch salt
Pinch cayenne pepper, optional
2/3 cup (73 g) shredded carrots
6 cups (180 g) baby spinach (or baby arugula or chopped escarole)
1 can (15 ounces or 425 g) kidney beans, drained and rinsed
1 jar (16 ounces or 455 g) salsa
1/2 cup (8 g) chopped fresh cilantro, optional
1/2 cup (58 g) shredded pepper Jack cheese (or regular Monterey Jack, mozzarella, or Cheddar)
Scrub the potatoes well and pierce with a fork. Place potatoes in the microwave with 3 tablespoons (45 ml) of water in a small bowl or cup. Microwave on high for 8 to 10 minutes or until tender, turning the potatoes once at 4 minutes for even cooking.
While the potatoes are cooking, heat the olive oil in a large skillet or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the garlic, chili powder, cumin, salt, cayenne, if using, and carrots and sauté for 2 minutes, stirring frequently to combine. Stir in the spinach and cover for 2 minutes or until starting to wilt. Remove the cover and stir in the beans and salsa. Cook for 2 to 3 more minutes or until the mixture is hot and the vegetables have reached their desired tenderness. Stir in the cilantro, if using, and remove from the heat.
Working carefully so you don’t burn your hands, slice each potato lengthwise down the middle and gently pull the halves apart. Stuff each potato with one quarter of the bean mixture and top with one quarter of the cheese.
Yield
: 4 potatoes
Per Serving
: 596 Calories; 10g Fat (13.9% calories from fat); 35g Protein; 98g Carbohydrate; 32g Dietary Fiber; 13mg Cholesterol; 657mg Sodium
From Chef Jeannette
To Complete the Meal
: These potatoes need only a light accompaniment, such as a green leafy salad topped with sliced avocado, a sprinkling of pepitas, and a drizzle of olive oil with salt—or a glass of homemade sangria. Try it with a bottle of Spanish Rioja, 2 cups (450 ml) of seltzer, 2/3 cup (160 ml) of fruit juice (try pineapple or orange), 4 cups (640 g) of chopped fruit (try unpeeled orange, lemon, lime, pineapple, berries, or mango), and a tablespoon or two of honey to sweeten.
If You Have 5 More Minutes
: To add a little variety, substitute 4 cups (280 g) of chopped broccoli rabe or chopped broccolini for the spinach. Add 3 to 5 minutes more for cooking to soften, adding a couple of tablespoons of water and covering for a minute or two.
