Healthy Style Recipes

For Healthier Diets

Oh..Oh..I said that bad 4 letter word

D-I-E-T

SUMMER ROLLS

This variation on the spring roll is not fried so there is not a lot of added fat. They are also lighter and cooler; perfect for when the days get hot. Summer rolls are common to Oriental cuisine and the only specialty item you need are rice flour wrappers (as opposed to spring roll or wonton wrappers). You can usually find these in Asian supermarkets, gourmet groceries and even over the internet.

12 Rice Paper Wrappers

1/4 Lbs Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breast (optional) - cut in strips

2 cloves Garlic - pressed or minced

1 tsp. Fresh Ginger - grated

3 Scallions - cut in strips

1 cup Napa Cabbage - shredded

1 Carrot - Shredded

4 oz. Mushrooms - cut in strips

1/2 cup Bean Sprouts

1/4 Cup Soy Sauce

1 tsp. Rice Wine (optional)

1 pinch Sugar

1/2 cup De-fatted Chicken Stock or Vegetable Stock

1/4 tsp. Rice Wine Vinegar

White Pepper - to taste

1 tsp. Toasted Sesame Oil

1 tblsp. Cornstarch - mixed with

2 tblsp. cold Water

Cilantro, lettuce and Basil - for edible garnish

In a small bowl or cup mix together soy sauce, rice wine, stock, sugar and pepper, set aside. Stir fry chicken and vegetables in sesame oil. When the vegetables are cooked but still crisp, add the soy sauce mixture. Bring to a simmer and add cornstarch mixture and cooked until thickened. Remove from pan and set aside to cool. To make the wraps, (have a little water handy for sealing them) take one wrapper and place 1 to 2 tablespoons of filling about 1/2 " from the long, outer, edge. Place a damp towel over the rest of the wrappers so they do not dry out. Fold the long edge in, then the side edges and roll up tightly. Seal the outer edge with a little water and set aside. Continue to make rolls until you use up all the filling. Place a damp paper towel over the finished ones until you serve. Serve with cilantro, basil and lettuce.

Serving Suggestions: These rolls are often served cut in half or bite-size pieces with the garnish and dipping sauces like plum sauce, duck sauce and/or a spicy soy based dipping sauce. The traditional way to eat them is to wrap them in a lettuce leaf with basil and/or cilantro. They are great for a picnic, potluck or luncheon. Of course they are also a great start to any Asian meal

Asian Chicken Salad

This is a very popular dish in many restaurants but the dressing is usually very oily. In this version you get the same great taste with almost no oil. You also save a lot in fat if you trim your chicken breasts of all visible fat and skin.

2 Chicken Breasts - split in half

4 cups fresh assorted Greens - Bib Lettuce, Frieze, Spinach, Red Leaf Lettuce, etc.

1 Cucumber - split in half, seeded and sliced in match sticks

1 Carrot - shredded

1-2 Green Onions - thinly sliced

1/2 pkg. Raman Noodles - uncooked, broken into small pieces

2 Mandarin Oranges or 1 small Tangerine - peeled, broken into sections

Five Spice Powder, Salt and Pepper to taste - optional

1/2 cup light Soy Sauce - I prefer low sodium

2 tblsp. Rice Wine Vinegar

3 tblsp. lo-fat Chicken Broth

1 clove Garlic - pressed or finely chopped

1 tsp. fresh Ginger - pressed or grated

1 pinch of Sugar

1/2 to 1 tsp. Toasted Sesame Oil

In a small bowl combine soy sauce, vinegar, broth and sugar. Whisk well until sugar is dissolved. Add garlic and ginger and mix well. Add oil and whisk until well blended. Set aside. Season chicken if desired and grill for 3 to 5 minutes on each side or until cooked through. This will go quickly since the chicken breast pieces are very thin. Set aside. In a large bowl, combine greens and add cucumber, carrots and green onion. Whisk dressing again and drizzle over salad. Toss well so that the salad is well coated. Arrange salad on plate. Slice chicken on the diagonal and arrange artfully on the salad. Top with noodle pieces and garnish with orange sections. Serve immediately.

Serving Suggestions:

This recipe can be served as a main course or an appetizer. For an appetizer just cut the portions in half. It is a really elegant dish for a summer luncheon and a beautiful addition to any dinner party. It is especially refreshing for a summer dinner

Chicken Picatta

This is one of my favorite dishes. I used to order it every time we went to an Italian restaurant until I realized how much oil it was swimming in. I decided to modify it and now I like my version better, I hope you will too.

1 lbs. boneless, skinless, Chicken Breast - sliced thin for scaloppini

2-4 cloves Garlic - pressed or minced fine

1 large Shallot - minced fine

1 cup lo-fat Chicken Stock

1/4 cup White Wine

juice of 1 Lemon

Basil, Oregano, and Pepper to taste

Flour for dusting

1-2 tsp. Olive Oil

1 tblsp. Capers (optional)

Dust chicken pieces until well coated. Heat 1 tsp. oil on high and lightly brown chicken on both sides. Do not over cook. Remove and set aside. Lower heat to medium. Add remaining oil and sauté garlic and shallot until translucent. Add seasonings and Chicken. Turn up heat to high and add wine. Boil off alcohol and add stock and lemon juice. Reduce until slightly thickened. Add capers if desired and serve.

Serving Suggestions:

This is a great looking dish. It can be served with rice, pasta, spaghetti, or even my favorite spinach fettucini. A large green salad and some Italian bread and you are ready to feast! Bon Apetite!!

Summer-Mixed Fruit Cobbler

When summer comes, everyone wants a quick and easy desert to make with fresh fruit. Cobbler is an obvious choice. Usually it has a lot of butter but I have found this to be unnecessary. I also cut the sugar down, and I have found that when you mix fruit the flavors even out and you can use less sugar.

2 cup Peaches or Nectarines - peeled and diced

2 cups Mixed Berries - strawberries, raspberries, blueberries

2 tblsp. Sugar

2 tblsp. Light Margarine (stick) - very cold

1/2 cup Flour

1/4 cup light Brown Sugar

Cinnamon and Nutmeg - to taste

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine fruit and sugar in a 9x12 square casserole dish and set aside. Mix brown sugar, spices and flour. Cut margarine into small dice and then cut into flour mixture. It should have the consistency of oatmeal. Spread over fruit and bake for 25 to 30 minutes.

Serving Suggestions:

Let this cool to warm or room temperature so it will thicken. You can experiment with reducing the margarine and sugar further. I usually just serve this with fat free cool whip.

Barley Vegetable Soup

Here is an old family recipe that I converted. It is very hearty, especially on those cold winter nights. It's what my Grandma would have called "stick-to-your-ribs" food. This recipe used to be very time consuming and full of fat. Now you can have the same great dish without all the guilt. We all know how good fiber is for us..well this is full of it!

1 large Onion - diced

1 clove Garlic - pressed or minced

3 Carrots - diced

3 stalks of Celery - diced

3 large Roma Tomatoes - seeded and diced

1 small Zucchini - diced

1 cup Frozen Peas

3/4 cups Barley - soaked for 1/2 hour

6 cups of Vegetable, lo-fat Beef or Chicken Stock

Oregano, Basil, Salt and Pepper - to taste

Spray Olive Oil

Heat a large pot and spray with olive oil. Add onion and garlic and sauté until soft. Add tomatoes and cook another few minutes until the pieces break down. Add herbs and spices. Add stock, carrots, celery, zucchini and barley. Bring to the boil. Cover and simmer for 1 hour. Add frozen peas and cook another 10 to 15 minutes. Adjust seasonings and serve hot.

Serving Suggestions:

This soup can be made into an even heartier meal by adding chicken breast or lean beef cubes. If you do add meat be sure to skim any fat when you bring it to the boil.(Cook seperate and add into soup pot) You can also garnish this with a little fresh basil and some no-fat sour cream if you want to get fancy.

Slimed-Down French Toast

Nothing beats French Toast when you want comfort food. You want it to be light and fluffy, you want it to be sweet and crisp and you want to eat a lot of it. I haven't received any complaints from this recipe, in fact the only thing people want is... seconds.

1 1/2 lbs. loaf of low-fat Bread

1 cup Egg substitute

1/4 cup Skim Milk

1 tblsp. Vanilla Extract

Cinnamon and Nutmeg - to taste

butter flavored Cooking Spray or Spray Oil

Set your oven on warm or lowest temperature and place platter in oven. In a large, somewhat shallow, bowl place egg substitute, milk and vanilla. Whisk well until light and fluffy. Heat non-stick griddle or pan on medium high. While the pan is heating soak as many slices as will fit in the pan on both sides. Be careful, they will be quite soggy and can fall apart. Spray pan and sprinkle each piece with spices before placing soaked bread pieces in pan. Sprinkle the up side with spices, cook until brown, then turn over and continue to cook until other side is also brown. Place onto platter in warm oven. Continue until you have cooked all of the pieces. Serve warm.

Serving Suggestions:

This french toast is best served with light/maple syrup, fruit spreads or apple butter. If you want to get really fancy you can sprinkle the french toast with powdered/confectioner's sugar and serve the toppings on the side. I like to serve this with crisp turkey bacon, fruit juice and coffee when I am serving a special brunch. If you haven't tried the turkey bacon it is very good.

Well I hope you will try some of these yummy recipes....

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