Avocado Boats Recipe – Healthy and Delicious

Avocado Boats

Whenever I mention the word Avocado, everyone starts thinking of Guacamole. Truthfully speaking, this is one of the most useful things to have around the kitchen on a day to day basis. Despite the slightly higher fat content, the fruit contains huge amounts of antioxidants and nutrients which are vital to your body.

As a result, they form a great source of certain vitamins like Vitamin B, E and K and contain high amounts of Potassium in them. Also, the fat in them are mostly monounsaturated, and so, it is considered to be quite healthy for your body.

Ingredients:

4 avocados

100 gm. medium, shelled prawns

20 gm. low-fat yoghurt

2 teaspoon finely chopped flat-leaf parsley leaves

1 stalk of celery, chopped fine

The juice of half a lemon

½ green bell pepper, chopped fine

Pepper to taste

Salt to taste

Procedure:

Microwave the prawns with a few teaspoons of water for 3-4 minutes at 100% or until they are fully cooked. Remove and let them cool down. At this point of time, combine the yoghurt with the celery, lemon juice, parsley leaves, green bell pepper, and a good bit of pepper. After the prawns are cooled down enough, chop them up roughly, and add them to the mayonnaise mixture.

Halve each avocado lengthwise, and remove the seed. Then, using a sharp knife, carefully remove the flesh from the hard green shell, taking care that the fruit does not break into parts. Working quickly, now you should arrange the de-skinned avocados on a plate, and spoon one-quarter of the prawn stuffing in the cavity of each piece. Sprinkle with salt, if desired with more lemon juice and parsley, and serve immediately.

Prepare this recipe at the very last minute, and eat it as soon as you do. If you are really not going to eat, then put them in an airtight container or Ziploc bag and store them in the refrigerator for up to a day.

Baked Salmon with Herbs

Baked Salmon with Herbs

Salmon is a great source of Omega-3 fatty acid and protein and is often considered to be the “healthy red meat”. Its delicate texture and amazing flavor makes this fish one of the most popular in the world.

Whether baked or grilled, Salmon actually tastes incredibly good and at the same time, it has a lot of nutrients in it.

And in this recipe we will be baking the salmon in the oven with a lot of fresh herbs, to make sure the salmon retains its freshness, and at the same time, is flavorful and unusual to the taste buds.

This is an easy recipe that can be prepared ahead. You can easily marinate the salmon and just before eating, bake it till it is done, and serve.

Ingredients:

500 gm. salmon steaks (available easily)

1 tablespoon white wine vinegar

1 tablespoon fresh parsley, chopped fine

1 tablespoon fresh thyme, chopped fine

½ teaspoon freshly crushed black pepper

2 cloves of garlic

1 teaspoon olive oil

Salt to taste

Procedure:

Apply salt all over the salmon steaks. Using a mortar and pestle, or with the help of a food processor, grind together the vinegar with the parsley, thyme, black pepper, garlic, and olive oil till the mixture is a fine paste. If required, add a bit of water to make sure the paste is evenly ground.

Heat the oven at 180 degree centigrade. Put the salmon steaks on a single layer in the baking dish, and bake till the salmon is cooked through, about 12-20 minutes, depending on the thickness of the fish slices. Once done, remove, and let rest for 3-4 minutes before serving.

Salmon when baked retains most of its nutrients and freshness. For this recipe it is crucial to use good quality fish, as it will really make a difference to the flavors in the end.

Spinach – Superfood With Huge Supply of Vitamin K

Healthy Recipe with Spinach and Mushrooms

Everyone knows about the benefits of spinach, but the best part is, they are quite tasty too. In this recipe, we will be steaming a big bunch of them with some tasty mushrooms. It is the perfect recipe when you are really not up to cooking. Using baby spinach leaves make this recipe even simpler to cook up.

The freshness of spinach is a must, so make sure you have the choicest leaves in your hand. However, it is a good idea to give the spinach leaves a wash, and then drain them thoroughly.  A salad spinner comes in handy. This recipe easily feeds two to four people, depending on how hungry they are. It is also an excellent side dish.

Ingredients:

200 gm. baby spinach leaves, thoroughly cleaned

100 gm. button mushrooms, quartered

2 cloves of garlic, minced fine

1 tsp. soy sauce

2 teaspoon extra-virgin olive oil

½ tsp. cayenne pepper

Salt to taste

Procedure:

In a large pan, heat the oil over medium-high heat, and coat the sides with it. Add the garlic into the pan, and let it cook for about 20 seconds. Put the mushrooms in, and start stirring vigorously, for about 3-4 minutes. Do not add salt, as it will make the mushrooms release their water.

Now, while the mushrooms are steaming, add the spinach, and stir vigorously, tossing till the spinach starts to wilt, about 2-3 minutes. As soon as the spinach wilts, drop the temperature to a simmer, add cayenne pepper, soy sauce and salt. Shake the pan, and stir through till everything is mixed. Serve immediately.

The best thing about this recipe is that the spinach is not cooked down too much. With a huge supply of Vitamin K, spinach is considered to be super food, and this recipe makes sure the freshness of spinach is kept intact, while a lot of mushroom ups the flavor quotient considerably.

Mixed Salad with Tomato, Olive and Feta Cheese

Mixed Salad with Tomato, Olive and Feta Cheese

Feta cheese is a great source of getting some protein and calcium into your system. It is a great source of protein for those who do not eat meat or fish.

As this cheese is quite salty, a little goes a long way, and it is one of the best ways of brightening an otherwise boring salad very easily. The recipe here feeds four easily, or can be served to six people as a side dish.

Ingredients:

1 small head of lettuce chopped into chunks and washed thoroughly

2 tomato cut in quarters

1 onion, sliced thinly

1 green bell pepper, sliced thinly

A handful of olives, preferably black olives brined in water

2 teaspoons of crumbled feta cheese

For the Dressing:

2 teaspoon extra-virgin olive oil

2 tablespoons red wine vinegar

A big pinch of ground mustard

A big pinch of pepper

Salt to taste

Procedure:

Combine all ingredients of the dressing and whisk till they are mixed. Set aside. In a large bowl, put the lettuce leaves in, followed by the bell pepper, olives, tomatoes, onions, and stir together.

Add some of the dressing, and toss lightly, till the salad is coated with a bit of the dressing. If needed, add more dressing, and mix well. Sprinkle the feta cheese on top and serve.

The essential idea is to not mix in the cheese, but sprinkle it on top, which tricks the mind into thinking that you are eating a lot of cheese, while in reality the amount is quite low.

You can increase or decrease the amount of the cheese as per your discretion, and you can also substitute it with shaves of parmesan cheese or any other strongly flavored cheese.

For a more filling version, chopped pieces of cooked chicken, or a hard-boiled egg can be added to this.

Chicken Meatballs in Tomato Sauce

Chicken Meatballs in Tomato Sauce

Chicken is incredibly flavorful, nutritious, and deliciously low-calorie. Adding them to a salad sounds great, but what about something truly decadent, without giving up your health-consciousness? This meatball recipe makes sure that the chicken is really moist, juicy, and tasty, but at the same time, it has impossibly low calories. Now doesn’t that sound too good to be true?

Ingredients:

500 gm. chicken breast meat, minced (or you can use regular chicken mince)

1 egg white

1 teaspoon all-purpose flour

1 cup tomato paste

1 onion, chopped

1 teaspoon garlic

½ teaspoon ground cinnamon

½ teaspoon ground allspice

1 teaspoon ground cumin

½ teaspoon dried rosemary

2 bay leaves

Salt to taste

Black pepper to taste

1 teaspoon olive oil

Procedure:

Mix together the minced chicken, the egg white, salt, pepper, and flour. Set aside.

Heat olive oil, and add the bay leaves, followed by the onion and garlic. Fry for 5-6 minutes, stirring over medium-low heat. When the onion and garlic are soft, add the tomato paste, and all the spices and rosemary. Stir and cook till the tomato paste reduces to half, about 6-7 minutes. Add 1 cup of water. Let the sauce boil, then bring it to a steady simmer. Using a small scoop or two spoons, form small balls or quenelles from the chicken mince, and put it into the sauce. Once all the chicken meat has been used up, cover the pan, and let the chicken cook for 10 minutes, or until the meatballs are fully cooked. Remove from heat, and serve.

The beauty of this recipe lie with the fact that instead of using a lot of calorie-filled breadcrumbs, this recipe uses only a teaspoon of flour as the binder, and instead of the whole egg, only uses the egg white. That keeps the calorie levels really low and at the same time, the recipe does not compromise with the taste.

If you are on protein diet or just want to be 100% diet meal do not fry the chicken boil it.

Carrot and Orange Smoothie

Carrot and Orange Smoothie

Carrots are the perfect blend of nutrition and taste, and filled with Vitamin A. Doctors often recommend it to people who are suffering from night blindness, skin problems and also to those who want to lose weight.

Oranges are filled with vitamin C and it is imperative to have them as fresh as possible, as Vitamin C evaporates into the air if cooked for more than a few minutes, or kept outside for long duration.

So, while making smoothies where your focus is on getting as much Vitamin C as possible into your system, it is a good idea to eat them as soon as you make them.

Ingredients:

1 carrot, chopped into large pieces

1 orange, juiced

1 teaspoon chia seeds

½ cup ice

1/3^rd cup fat-free yoghurt

Procedure:

In a food processor or blender, put the carrot, chia seeds and yoghurt in with the ice, and blend for 1-2 minutes, or until they are thoroughly blended together. Add the orange juice, blend for 15 seconds more, and then pour the smoothie into a tall glass. Drink up immediately.

This recipe combines the goodness of both carrots and oranges together into a power-packed smoothie, which is perfect for a fast breakfast, or a post-workout energy boost. It takes only a few minutes in a blender to make this, and the addition of healthy chia seeds and fat-free yoghurt makes it super-nutritious.

Chia seeds are now being hailed as one of the new super foods which contain a lot of protein and dietary fibers essential for the human body. Besides, you can also add a teaspoon of honey to this to sweeten it, and replace yoghurt with soy milk or coconut milk, and you can also skip the ice to make it a richer smoothie.

Cold Cucumber and Mint Soup

Cucumbers are essentially recommended by each and every weight loss diet as it is really low in calories and helps keep the stomach stay full for hours. They contain high amounts of potassium, and a small amount of Vitamin C, which make them great as an addition to any salad. Cucumber also cools down the body and soothes your skin.

They are also intensely hydrating to the skin, so they are often used to remove dark circles under the eyes and reduce swelling of the skin.

Ingredients:

2 cucumbers, peeled and chopped, about 3 cups in total

1 cup of non-fat buttermilk

2 tablespoon mint, chopped

1 clove of garlic

1 bell pepper, chopped

1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar or red wine vinegar

Salt to taste

A pinch of black pepper

Procedure:

In a food processor, combine the cucumbers with the bell peppers and grind into a coarse paste, adding the mint and the garlic at the very last minute, and blend for 15 seconds. Put the ground cucumber in a bowl with the cold buttermilk, and stir to combine.

Add the vinegar, ½ cup of cold water, and a pinch of black pepper, and store it in an airtight container in a fridge till it is ready to be served. At serving time, remove from the fridge, add salt to taste, and serve in small bowls.

It is incredible to note that this humble vegetable (and it also falls into the fruit category) can be made into a really cooling soup, and the addition of nonfat buttermilk enhances the flavors of the soup largely.

Low-fat buttermilk is really tasty, and using it in this soup brings in some much-needed milk-protein and gives the soup a boost of flavors and nutrition as well. Bell peppers are also rich in Vitamin C.