6 Recipes for Healthy Living

From salads to main dishes, here are some flavourful ways to enjoy more healthy choices in your diet.

Blueberry, Watermelon and Walnut Salad with Chicken (shown above)

This meal-sized salad has it all: antioxidant-packed fruits, a lean source of protein, healthy fatty acids in the walnuts, leafy greens and bell peppers for the vitamin C — all topped with a tangy homemade dressing made with olive oil, citrus and honey.

1 cup California walnuts, chopped (250 mL)

Vinaigrette:

1/4 cup lime juice (50 mL)
1/4 cup olive oil (50 mL)
2 tbsp honey (30 mL)
1/2 tsp salt (2 mL)
1/4 tsp ground black pepper (1 mL)

Salad:

2 cups seedless watermelon, cubed (500 mL)
1 cup fresh blueberries (250 mL)
1 large yellow bell pepper, cut in bite-size pieces
6 cups mixed baby greens (1.5 L)
4 4 oz (125 g) skinless, boneless chicken breast halves, grilled or sautéed until cooked through

Preheat oven to 350°F (180°C).

On a baking sheet, spread walnuts in one layer. Bake until just toasted and aromatic, about 8 minutes. Remove and let cool.

Vinaigrette:

In a small bowl, whisk together lime juice, oil, honey, salt and pepper.

Salad:

In a medium size bowl, combine watermelon, blueberries, walnuts and bell pepper. Add half of the vinaigrette; toss to coat. In a large bowl, toss greens with remaining vinaigrette.

Divide greens among four plates, and top with fruit and walnut mixture. Slice each chicken breast diagonally and serve with the salad.

Makes 4 servings.

Tip: Make a double recipe of the vinaigrette, and use half of it for marinating the chicken before grilling. Discard any vinaigrette used for marinating.

PER SERVING: about 535 cal, 32 g pro, 35 g fat (4 g sat. fat), 29 g carb, 5 g fibre, 66 mg chol, 378 mg sodium.

(Recipe and image courtesy of the California Walnut Commission. For more recipe ideas and information about the health benefits of walnuts, visit www.walnutinfo.com.)

More ways to enjoy chicken:

Chicken Under a Brick
Mediterranean Stuffed Chicken
Lemon and Honey-Flavored Chicken with Zebra Tomatoes and Haricots

NEXT: Two-Tone Rice Salad with Shrimp and Feta

Two-Tone Rice Salad with Shrimp and Feta

Two-Tone Rice Salad with Shrimp and Feta recipeThis hearty salad is ideal for a crowd and makes great leftovers. The black and brown rice add a source of fibre to every serving and the recipe can be modified to be gluten-free. (Make sure your brand of feta is gluten-free and substitute the wine vinegar with any gluten-free vinegar.) Shrimp and lentils bring protein, all on a bed of leafy greens.

1/2 cup (125 mL) sliced almonds
1/4 cup (50 mL) extra-virgin olive oil
1 lb (500 g) thawed large shrimp, peeled and deveined
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 tsp (2 mL) dried oregano
3 tbsp (45 mL) red wine vinegar
2 tbsp (25 mL) grainy or Dijon mustard
1/2 tsp (2 mL) salt
1/4 tsp (1 mL) pepper
1 1/2 cups (375 mL) cooked U.S. black japonica rice
1 1/2 cups (375 mL) cooked U.S. long-grain brown rice
1 cup (250 mL) cooked brown or green lentils
1 cup (250 mL) halved yellow or red cherry tomatoes
3 green onions, thinly sliced
1 cup (250 mL) crumbled feta cheese
3 cups (750 mL) baby spinach or arugula leaves

In dry skillet, toast almonds over medium heat, stirring often, until golden and fragrant, about 3 minutes. Transfer almonds to bowl and return skillet to stove top over medium-high heat; add 1 tbsp (15 mL) of the oil. Sauté shrimp, garlic and oregano until shrimp are pink and cooked through, 3 to 5 minutes. Transfer to bowl.

Meanwhile, in large bowl, whisk remaining oil, vinegar, mustard, salt and pepper. Add Black Japonica rice and brown rice, lentils, tomatoes and green onions; stirring well to coat.

Stir in shrimp mixture, feta and spinach; sprinkle with almonds.

Makes 6 to 8 servings.

PER SERVING (1 1/4 cups [300 mL]): 316 calories, 17 g fat, 4 g saturated fat, 58 mg cholesterol, 505 mg sodium, 29 g carbohydrates, 4 g fibre, 15 g protein. % RDI: 15% calcium, 20% iron, 15% vitamin A, 9% vitamin C.

(Recipe courtesy of the USA Rice Federation. For more recipe ideas, visit www.riceinfo.com.)

More scrumptious salad ideas:

Power packed pomegranate salad
Strawberry and Fava Bean Salad with Pecorino
Colourful Tomato and Cucumber Summer Salad

NEXT: Grilled Salmon with an Herb Crust and Sesame Bok Choy and Carrot Stir-Fry

Grilled Salmon with an Herb Crust

Time to make use of your herb garden — or fresh bunches from the farmers’ market! Heart- and brain-healthy salmon gets a kick from a do-it-yourself herb paste.

12 ounces fresh or frozen skinless salmon fillets, about 3/4 inch thick.
1/3 cup coarsely snipped fresh oregano
1/3 cup coarsely snipped fresh cilantro
1/4 cup sliced green onions
1 tablespoon lemon juice
2 teaspoon olive oil
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 clove garlic

Thaw fish, if frozen. Rinse fish; pat dry with paper towels. Cut into 3 serving-size pieces, if necessary; set aside.

In a food processor, combine oregano, cilantro, green onions, lemon juice, oil, salt, pepper, and garlic. Cover and process until chopped. (Or use a sharp knife to finely chop oregano, cilantro, green onions and garlic.

Transfer to a shallow dish. Stir in lemon juice, oil, salt and pepper. Generously coat both sides of fish with herb mixture.

Place fish on the greased rack of an uncovered grill directly over medium coals. Grill for 6 to 9 minutes or until fish flakes easily when tested with a fork, turning once halfway through grilling.

Makes 3 Servings.

(Submitted by 50PLUS.com reader, O’Doud)

More ways to enjoy a fish dish:

Grilled Salmon with Strawberry Ginger Salsa
Black Cod en Papillote with Walnuts
Steamed Cod with Gingered Tomatoes

NEXT: Sesame Bok Choy and Carrot Stir-Fry

Sesame Bok Choy and Carrot Stir-Fry

Not sure how to cook up this healthy dark green vegetable? Garlic, onions and ginger all bring nutritional value along with flavour in this reader recipe.

1 teaspoon dark sesame oil
4 cloves garlic, minced
3 carrots, cut diagonally
into 1/4-inch slices
1/2 cup chopped green onions
5 cups bok choy, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
1/4 cup vegetable stock (preferably low-sodium)
2 teaspoons minced ginger root
1 teaspoon granulated sugar

In a large nonstick skillet or wok, heat oil over medium heat. Add garlic, carrots and green
onions; stir-fry for 3 minutes. Add bok choy and stir-fry another 2 minutes.

Stir in vegetable stock, ginger and sugar. Reduce heat and simmer 5 minutes.

Makes 2 servings.

(Submitted by 50PLUS.com reader, JSC788.)

More ways to enjoy your veggies:

Spice-Roasted Cauliflower and Jerusalem Artichokes
Anna Olson’s Roasted Root Vegetables
Spiced up Ontario greenhouse vegetable pasta

NEXT: Quinoa Stuffed Zucchini and an easy Freezer Salsa

Quinoa Stuffed Zucchini

Quinoa stuffed zucchini recipe Fresh from the garden or market, zucchini makes the perfect base for protein-rich whole grain quinoa. Garlic, green onions and tomatoes bring antioxidants to the table too.

Ingredients:

1/4 cup (50 mL) PC Organics Quinoa
2 medium zucchini, about 1 lb/500 g
15 grape tomatoes, quartered
2 green onions, chopped
1/4 cup (50 mL) crumbled, drained PC Feta Cheese in Brine (Light)
2 tsp (10 mL) PC Splendido Extra Virgin Olive Oil – Cold Pressed
1–1/2 tsp (7 mL) PC Blue Menu Roasted Garlic
1 egg white

Instructions:

1. In small saucepan, bring 1/2 cup (125 mL) water to a boil. Stir in quinoa. Reduce heat to low and simmer, covered, for 15 minutes. Remove from heat and let stand for 5 minutes. Fluff with a fork. Set aside.

2. Preheat oven to 375°F (190°C).

3. Slice zucchini in half lengthwise. Scoop seeds onto work surface. Roughly chop seeds. Measure out 1/3 cup (75 mL) of chopped zucchini seeds; discard remainder.

4. In bowl, stir together measured zucchini seeds, cooled quinoa, tomatoes, green onions, feta, olive oil, garlic seasoning and egg white. Spoon mixture evenly into zucchini halves. Place in 8–inch square (2 L) glass baking dish. Add ½ cup (125 mL) water to bottom of dish. Bake uncovered) in centre of oven for 35 minutes or until zucchini is tender.

(Source: www.newscanada.com. For more summer recipes visit pc.ca).

More meatless ideas:

Lighter Eggplant Parmesan
Raw Pad Thai
Moroccan Chickpea Stew

NEXT: Freezer Salsa

Freezer Salsa

Salsa not only makes a tasty dip for whole grain crackers or vegetables, you can use it to top baked chicken, sandwiches and tacos. This version lets you control the ingredients — and the heat — and no canning is required!

10-12 large ripe tomatoes
2 large cooking onions or 2 medium Spanish onions
1 tbsp vegetable oil
8 garlic cloves minced
8 jalapeno peppers or 4 1/2 (127g) diced green chilies
2-3 sweet green peppers
2 (5 1/2 oz or 156 ml) cans tomato paste
1/4 cup white or cider vinegar or lemon juice
1 tbsp paprika
2 tsp sugar
1 1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp cayennne pepper (or 1/4 tsp to make it a little milder)

Core seed and coarsely chop tomatoes, peel and finely chop onion. Saute onion and garlic at
medium heat in large saucepan or kettle (7 to 10 minutes).

Seed jalapeno peppers and finely chop (if using canned chilies, chop and use water in can). Seed and coarsely chop sweet pepper.

When onions are soft, stir in tomato paste. Add tomatoes, peppers, paprika, sugar, salt and
vinegar. Boil and stir often. Adjust heat to gently bubble, and cook uncovered. Stir occasionally until thick about 30 minutes.

Store covered in refrigerator up to 1 week or freeze. (Freezing improves flavour.) Enjoy!

(Submitted by 50PLUS.com reader, akela)

More delicious dips:

Southwest Roasted Sweet Potato Dip
Roasted red pepper hummus
Roasted Zucchini And Yogurt Spread