Interested in recipes that are healthy and taste good? So am I. Here are some of my favorites
Lean Lasagna
I cannot take credit for this one. It is one of my favorite Beachbody recipes, but I've adapted it a little to add more flavor and cleared up a few things.
Ingredients
2-3 cloves of garlic (depends on your taste)
medium bunch of basil leaves (a good handful, maybe 20-30 leaves, depending on your taste)
1 bag spinach, raw
1 lb soft tofu, drained and patted dry
1 lb firm tofu, drained and patted dry
1 lb lasagna noodles, whole wheat if you can, cooked al dente
3 cups tomato sauce (pick your favorite, a low fat option, Ragu has one, but watch the sugar hiding in sauce!)
1 cup mozzarella cheese, shredded, part-skim or skim
salt and pepper to taste
Directions/Notes
If you haven't already boiled your noodles, cook per package directions while making filling.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
In the food processor, chop the garlic, then add basil leaves and pulse a few times. Add the spinach and chop. The whole bag might not fit right away, so add in batches. Put this into a large bowl.
Add both the soft and firm tofu to the bowl and crumble. I like a think rubber spatula for this, but find what works for you. You'll want it to break down pretty well, but with small chunks, this gives you the illusion of the ricotta texture.
Add minced parsley, and salt and pepper to taste. (You can be a little aggressive on the seasoning because the tofu and noodles both absorb a lot.) Mix well and adjust seasoning if desired.
Spread a layer of tomato sauce in the bottom of a 4-quart rectangular baking dish. Top with a layer of noodles. Top the noodles with a layer of the tofu filling. Repeat with another layer of noodles and top with more sauce. Repeat the layering with the remaining filling, noodles, and sauce. Sprinkle the mozzarella on top.
Bake for 45 minutes, or until bubbly. Remove from oven and let sit for 5 minutes before cutting.
Serves 8
Prep time: 15-20 minutes
Cook time: 45 minutes
Nutritional Information per serving (using Ragu heart healthy Tomato & Basil and fat free mozzarella)
Calories: 301; Fat: 6g; Saturated Fat: 0g; Carbs: 47g; Protein: 21g; Cholesterol: 3mg; Fiber: 9g; Sugars: 6g
Tuna Salad - Mayo Free!
If you want the creamyness of traditional Tuna salad but know that too much mayo is bad for you, give this one a try!
Just like any tuna salad, add your favorite things to add texture or crunch or flavor...this is just a jumping off point!
Ingredients
2 cans albacore tuna, packed in water, drained
3 Tbsp non-fat yogurt
3 Tbsp light sour cream
2 Tbsp Dijon mustard
1 Tbsp horseradish sauce (less if you don't like the kick, watch which you buy, many are mixed with mayo or high in sugar)
2 stalks celery, chopped
1 tsp garlic powder
1 Tbsp dill pickle, chopped
salt and pepper to taste
Directions/Notes
Flake the tuna and combine all the ingredients in a bowl. Adjust seasoning as desired. Alternate mix-ins, water chestnuts, sweet gerkin, substitue yellow mustard for the Dijon or use a horseradish mustard and eliminate the horseradish sauce.
I highly recommend serving this on toasted whole-grain bread and its great with some spinach on top...for a great tuna melt, add some low-fat cheddar cheese on top and pop it under the broiler.
Chicken Bruschetta Parm
Ok, it sounds weird, but I love nothing more than that crispy bread, drizzled in olive oil with tomatoes, basil and mozzarella on top...but that does not make a meal, though I could eat that many. I though, why not put it on a chicken breast! Pounding out the chicken breast really makes the serving look substantial too.
4 4oz chicken breast pieces, pounded thin
1/4 cup Italian style bread crumbs
1/4 cup wheat germ (buy a jar, keep it in the fridge, throw it into everything where you can)
2 ripe tomatoes
small bunch of basil (about 10-15 leaves or so)
1/4 cup shredded mozzarella cheese, part skim
salt and pepper to taste
(For even, quick, cooking, pound the 4oz pieces of chicken breast thin. Place breast piece between 2 layers of plastic wrap, add about 1/2 to 1 tsp water to keep it moving, and pound till thin and even.)
Heat a pan to medium-high heat and spray with a mist of cooking spray.
Combine italian bread crumbs and wheat germ, season with salt and pepper, dredge the breast pieces in bread crumb mixture. (If you use plain bread crumbs, season it up with some garlic powder, dried oregano, basil, salt and pepper).
Cook breast pieces until cooked through, about 3 minutes per side (more if they are not that thin).
When you flip the chicken, top each piece with 1 Tbsp of shredded cheese. To help melt the cheese, make an aluminum tent over the pan.
While chicken cooks, chop tomato. Stack basil leaves and roll into a tight tube, slice thinly. Add to tomatoes, season with salt and pepper. (For a little variation, and some finely minced garlic, or finely chopped red onion, or add a drizzle of balsamic vinegar to your tomato basil mixture.)
Transfer chicken to serving plate and top each piece with 1/4 of the tomato mixture.
Great side: Boil up some whole wheat noodles (for 4 people, I recommend 6oz dry), rotini is good. Steam up 2 bags of broccoli (I love some steam in the bag). Combine the two, toss with 1-2 tsp of olive oil, garlic powder, salt and pepper. This will be more broccoli than noodles, but you still get your pasta...yum.
