Weekly Health Recipe

Fruity Pasta Salad

Ingredients 

50 g fine green beans
125 g lean cooked ham
1 pear
350 g mixed coloured pasta shapes
75 g 25% reduced-fat mature Cheddar cheese, grated
100 g peeled fresh pineapple, diced
1⁄2 small onion, finely chopped
4 tablespoons mayonnaise
4 tablespoons plain low-fat yogurt
1⁄2 teaspoon chopped pickled gherkin, or to taste (optional)
1 teaspoon caster (superfine) sugar, or to taste
juice of 1⁄4 lemon, or to taste
pepper to taste
cayenne pepper (optional)
120 g mixed salad greens, such as arugula, watercress or baby spinach
1 tablespoon sunflower oil (optional)
1⁄2 teaspoon balsamic vinegar, or to taste
2 tablespoons coarsely chopped walnuts
2 tablespoons dried cranberries (optional)

Directions

Top and tail the green beans. Dice the ham,  Peel, core and dice the pear.
Cook the mixed pasta shapes in boiling water for approximately 10–12 minutes, or according to the package instructions, until al dente. Drain and rinse the pasta in cold water, then drain again.
Cook the beans in boiling water for about 3 minutes or until bright green and just tender, but still crisp. Drain and rinse under cold water, then drain again. Set aside.
Combine the cooked pasta with the Cheddar cheese, ham, pear, pineapple, onion, mayonnaise, yogurt, gherkin (if using) and sugar. Add a little extra gherkin or sugar, if desired. Mix together well, then adjust the flavour of the dressing with lemon juice, pepper and cayenne pepper, if using.
Dress the mixed salad greens with the sunflower oil (if using), the balsamic vinegar and a squeeze of lemon juice. Divide the dressed leaves among 4 plates and top with the fruity pasta salad.
Arrange the green beans, walnuts and dried cranberries (if using) around the salad and serve immediately.

Serves 4

479 calories
22 g protein
15 g total fat
4 g saturated fat
35 mg cholesterol
64 g total carbohydrate
12 g sugars
6 g fibre
766 mg sodium

Pumpkin Muffins

Ingredients

Makes 36 Muffins

1 1/2 cups raisins
4 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
4 cups white sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1 1/2 teaspoons salt 1 1/2 teaspoons nutmeg
1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cloves
6 eggs 1 (29 ounce) can pumpkin
1 cup unsweetened applesauce
1 cup chopped walnuts

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 C). Grease three 12 cup muffin pans, or line with paper muffin liners. Soak raisins in hot water for ten minutes to plump, then drain.
In a large bowl, combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt, nutmeg, cinnamon, and ground cloves. In a separate bowl, mix the eggs, pumpkin, and applesauce, until smooth. Add this mixture to the dry ingredients and stir thoroughly to make a smooth batter. Stir the raisins and walnuts into the batter. Spoon batter into the prepared muffin cups.
Bake for 30 to 35 minutes in the preheated oven, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.

Per Muffin
Calories: 207
Total Fat: 3.3g
Cholesterol: 35mg
Sodium: 236mg
Total Carbs: 42.1g
    Dietary Fiber: 1.6g
Protein: 3.6g

Spiced Lentil Soup

Ingredients

1 cup lentils, rinsed and drained 
1 can (28 oz) stewed tomatoes 
2 potatoes, peeled and chopped 
2 carrots, peeled and sliced 
1 onion, chopped 
1 rib celery, chopped 
3 cloves garlic, minced 
3 bay leaves 
3 tbsp curry powder 
1 tsp ground cumin 
1 tsp ground coriander 
2 cans (14.5 oz each) low-fat, low-sodium chicken or vegetable broth 
1 tsp freshly ground black pepper

Directions

Place all ingredients plus 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper in 4-quart or larger slow cooker. Stir to combine. Cover. Cook on low 8 to 10 hours or on high 4 to 5 hours, or until lentils are tender. Discard bay leaves before serving. Serves 4

Calories 273
Fat 1.6 g 
Sodium 931.1 mg
Carbs 53.9 g
Total sugars 10.3 g
Protien 13.8 g 

Lemon Dijon Chicken

Ingredients

2 skinless,boneless chicken breast halves - cut into 2 inch pieces
1/4 lime, juiced
1/2 Lemon Juiced

4 tablespoons Dijon mustard
freshly ground black pepper

Directions

Place chicken in a skillet over medium heat. Pour in lime and lemon juices, and stir in Dijon, black pepper, and Creole-seasoning. Cook, turning chicken occasionally, until the chicken pieces are done, about 15 minutes. Makes 2 servings

Amount Per Serving
Calories: 301
Total Fat: 3.1g
Cholesterol: 137mg

Chai Fruit Skewers

Ingredients

Chai spice
1 tsp (5 mL) cinnamon
1 tsp (5 mL) ground ginger
1 tsp (5 mL) ground cardamom
½ tsp (2 mL) ground cloves
pinch of black pepper
2 cups (500 mL) pineapple, 8 large chunks
2 kiwi fruit, cut into 8 large chunks
8 strawberries
4 blackberries
4 skewers
2 cups (500 mL) low-fat frozen yogurt

Directions

In a clean shaker combine the chai spice ingredients.
On each skewer place two pieces of pineapple, kiwi fruit, strawberries and 1 blackberry. Lightly sprinkle each side with chai spice. You will have some of the spice mixture left over.
Heat barbeque to medium heat. Grill fruit for 5 minutes or until warm. Serve over frozen yogurt.

(1 skewer and cup/125 mL yogurt)

Calories: 182
Protein: 6 g
Fat: 2 g
Saturated fat: 1 g 
Carbohydrate: 38 g
Dietary fibre: 3 g
Sodium: 65 mg

Honey Glazed Carrots

Ingredients

2 tbsp olive oil 
1 1/2 lb carrots, cut into 1/4"-thick slices 
2 tbsp honey

Directions

1. Heat oil in skillet over medium-high heat. add carrots and salt to taste, and saute 2 minutes.

2. Cover and reduce heat to low. Cook until tender, about 15 minutes. add a few tablespoons of water if necessary to prevent sticking.

3. Add honey and toss to coat. Season with freshly ground black pepper.  Makes 4 Servings

Calories153.7 CAL
Fat 7.1 G
Sodium105 MG
Carbs 23.2 G
Total sugars 15.8 G
Dietary Fiber 4.3 G
Protien 1.4 G

Bruschetta

Ingredients

Italian bread: 8 slices, 1 cm thickness
Romano tomatoes: 5-6 medium
Garlic: 1 clove
Olive oil: 2 tbsp
Balsamic vinegar: 1 tbsp
Sweet basil: 2 tbsp, chopped
Fresh mozzarella: 1-2 tbsp, shredded
Salt
Pepper

Directions

1. Bring some water to boil and add tomatoes to it. Wait for about 20-30 second.

2. Strain the hot water and leave tomatoes in a bowl of ice-cold water for a couple of min.

3. Peel off tomato skins. Discard juice and seeds and dice tomatoes.

4. Add chopped basil, olive oil and balsamic vinegar to tomatoes. Season with salt and pepper. Leave to marinate for 10-15 min.

5. Meanwhile, grill bread slices for 1 min on each side and rub garlic on them.

6. Transfer bread slices into an oven plate and spoon over the tomato mixture. Sprinkle over with shredded mozzarella cheese.

7. Broil in 450 F preheated oven for 3 min until the cheese has melted completely.
 

Couscous Breakfast Cereal

Makes 3 to 4 servings

This pasta is great to try for breakfast, warm or cold. With an added dollop of yogurt on top, this will become your favourite on-the-go breakfast.

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups (375 mL) 1% milk
1/2 cup (125 mL) chopped apple
1/3 cup (75 mL) diced dried apricots
1/4 cup (50 mL) dried cranberries or chopped pitted prunes
1/2 tsp (2 mL) cinnamon or nutmeg
3/4 cup (175 mL) whole-wheat couscous

Directions

In saucepan, combine milk, apple, apricots, cranberries and cinnamon and bring to a gentle boil. Stir in the couscous and remove from heat.
Cover and let stand for 5 minutes or until couscous is tender and milk is absorbed. Fluff with a fork and serve with fresh fruit and yogurt if desired.

Tuna and White Bean Salad

Ingredients

Tuna: 1 can (190 grams), drained
White bean: 1 can (540 ml), drained
Pickles: 1/2 cup, chopped
Fresh parsley: 1-2 tbsp, chopped
Fresh mint: 1 tbsp; chopped
Onion Spring: 1-2 tbsp, chopped
Red bell pepper: 1/4 cup, chopped
Fresh lemon juice: 1-2 tbsp
Olive oil: 1-2 tbsp
Salt and pepper

Directions

1. In a bowl, combine all ingredients and mix thoroughly.

2. Taste and adjust the seasoning, lemon juice and olive oil.

Carrot Ginger Soup

Ingredients

1 lb chopped Carrots
1 medium Onion, chopped
1 stalk celery, peeled and chopped
1 tsp, Ginger grated
 5 cups Chicken broth
Zest and juice of half a lime
3 tbsp Butter (or replace with olive oil)
Pinch of salt 

Directions

1. Heat butter in a large pan over a moderate heat.

2. Add the onions, carrots, celery and salt.

3. Reduce heat and saute until the vegetables are soft.

4. Add ginger and cook for another two minutes.

5. Pour in the broth, reduce heat to low and bring to the boil.

6. Puree the soup using a blender. Stir in the lime zest and juice.

7. Chill and serve in individual bowls.

Tips: For a vegetarian version of this soup, use vegetable stock instead of chicken broth

Turkey Meatballs

Ingredients

1 20 oz. package ground turkey
¼ cup oatmeal
1 cup frozen chopped spinach (defrosted and squeezed dry)
½ cup onion, finely chopped
¼ cup Parmesan cheese
2 egg whites (beaten)
2 cloves garlic, minced
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon ground pepper

Directions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Combine all ingredients in a medium-size bowl. Shape meat mixture into 12 balls and place on a non-stick baking sheet. Bake for 10 minutes, flip and bake another 10 minutes or until browned.

Hummus

Ingredients

2 cups canned garbanzo beans, drained
1/3 cup tahini
1/4 cup lemon juice
1 teaspoon salt
2 cloves garlic, halved
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 pinch paprika
1 teaspoon minced fresh parsley

Directions

Place the garbanzo beans, tahini, lemon juice, salt and garlic in a blender or food processor. Blend until smooth. Transfer mixture to a serving bowl.
Drizzle olive oil over the garbanzo bean mixture. Sprinkle with paprika and parsley.

Quinoa Salad

Ingredients

• ½ cup quinoa
• ½ cup water
• ½ cup Hot apple cider
• ¼ tsp cinnamon
• 1 green apple chopped
• ¼ cup pecan pieces
• ¼ cup dried cranberries
• 2 stocks of celery chopped into bite sized pieces
• 3/4 cup non fat plain yogurt
• 1 tsp lemon juice 

Directions

Boil Quinoa, water, apple cider and cinnamon in a pot over med heat Bring to a boil, cover and reduce to low. Let simmer for approx. 10-15 minutes until fully cooked.  Remove from heat and allow Quinoa mixture to fully cool. Once cooled, stir in apple, celery, pecans and celery. In a small bowl combine Add lemon juice to yogurt and stir. Add yogurt to the mixture and stir.