Chef With A Heart
Recipes
These recipes are all about cooking and eating heart healthy. The recipes posted are a nice mixture of breakfast, lunch, and dinner including snacks and desserts. For more recipes, tips and information please visit our blog at Chef with a Heart Blog
Pretzel Chicken
Ingredients
1 pound boneless chicken breast; cut in bite-size pieces
1/4 cup flour
1 egg
1/2 cup honey mustard
4 ounces no salt pretzels (crushed)
Directions
1) In large bowl, toss chicken and flour. In small bowl, whisk egg and 2 tbsp. mustard.
2) Dip chicken in egg then roll in pretzels.
3) Bake at 425 degrees on parchment-lined baking sheet until cooked, turning once, 15 minutes. Season; serve with mustard
Coconut Curry Chicken
Ingredients:
3 Chicken Breast (cut into chunks)
1 tbsp Coconut Oil
1 (13.5oz) can Coconut Cream
1 cup Chicken Broth (low sodium)
2 cups Carrots (diced)
1 cup Celery (diced)
2 Roma Tomatoes (diced)
1 1/2 tbsp Curry Powder
1 tbsp Ginger (grated)
3 cloves Garlic (minced)
Black Pepper to taste
Directions:
1) Saute the chicken in coconut oil in medium saucepan.
2) When the outside of the chicken has turned white, add in coconut cream and chicken broth and combine well.
3) Add in the carrots, celery, tomatoes, ginger and curry powder.
4) Cook on meduim heat with the lid on for 40 minutes. Stir occasionally.
6) Add in minced garlic and black pepper to taste.
7) Cook for another 5 minutes and serve.
Baked Chicken Fajitas
Ingredients
1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into strips
2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
2 tsp chili powder
2 tsp cumin
½ tsp garlic powder
½ tsp dried oregano
1 large tomato (diced)
1 small can diced green chiles
1 medium red onion, sliced
2 bell peppers, seeded and sliced (any color you prefer)
Directions
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Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Slice chicken and veggies into strips.
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Place chicken strips in a greased 13×9 baking dish.
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In a small bowl combine the oil, chili powder, cumin, garlic powder and dried oregano.
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Drizzle the spice mixture over the chicken and stir to coat.
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Mix diced tomatoes and green chiles in a bowl.
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Next add the tomatoes, peppers, and onions to the dish and stir to combine.
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Bake uncovered for 30-35 minutes or until chicken is cooked through and the vegetables are tender.
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Serve on tortillas with desired toppings.
Serves 6
Roasted Broccoli Rabe
Ingredients
1 large bundle of broccoli rabe/rapini
4 tbsp of Olive Oil
4 garlic cloves (crushed)
1 tsp crushed red pepper
Directions
1) Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.
2) In a deep skillet, bring a few inches of water to a boil. Salt the water, add the broccoli rabe and cook until just tender, 2 to 3 minutes.
3) Drain and transfer to a kitchen towel to dry. Transfer to a rimmed baking sheet, toss with 2 tbsp. EVOO and the crushed garlic and crushed red pepper.
4) Spread out in an even layer and roast until crispy at the edges, 18 to 20 minutes.
Creamy Tomato Soup
Ingredients:
1 small Yellow Onion
3 Garlic Cloves (finely minced)
4 tbsp tomato paste
2 (14.5oz) cans Diced Tomatoes (low sodium)
1/2 cup Fresh Basil
1/2 tsp Fresh Thyme Leaves
1/2 cup Vegetable Broth
1/2 cup Milk (any kind of milk)
1 cup plain yogurt (greek or nonfat)
Black Pepper to taste
Directions:
1) Heat a nonstick-sprayed pot over medium high heat. Add onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until golden, about 5 minutes. Stir in the minced garlic and cook for another minute
2) Stir in tomato paste amd cook until the tomato paste darkens, about 1 to 2 minutes.
3) Add the tomatoes with juices, basil and thyme and simmer. Stir occasionally, until slightly thickened and reduced.
4) Use an immersion blender or food processor and pluse to combine. Add vegetable broth, milk and yogurt. Process until completely smooth.
5) Rinse out pot and pour the soup back into the clean pot. Cook over low heat until warm. Season with black pepper.
Roasted Acorn Squash
Ingredients:
2 small Acorn Squash
2 tbsp Butter (unsalted, melted)
2 tbsp Light Agave Nectar
1 tsp Cinnamon
1/8 tsp Ground Cloves
1/8 tsp Ground Cardamom
Directions:
1) Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Cut squash in half through the stem end and remove seeds. Cut each half into six wedges and place wedges on large baking sheet.
2) In a small bowl, combine melted butter, agave, cinnamon, cloves and cardamom.
3) Use a pastry brush to lightly brush squash pieces with the butter mixture, reserving about 1 tbsp for brushing on after cooking.
4) Roast the squash for 12 minutes in the oven. Use tongs to flip the squash pieces and continue to roast until they are nicely browned and tender, 10 to 12 minutes more. The bottom of the pieces will be browner than the tops.
Pumpkin Custard
Ingredients:
1 cup Pumpkin Puree
1 tsp Cinnamon
¼ tsp Ground Ginger
2 pinches Nutmeg
2 Eggs
½ cup Agave Nectar
1 tsp Vanilla Extract
1 cup Coconut Milk (canned, full fat)
Directions:
1) Pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees.
2) Combine pumpkin and all spices in one bowl.
3) In a smaller bowl, beat the eggs lightly then whisk in the agave nectar, vanilla and coconut milk.
4) Whisk the egg mixture into the pumpkin mixture until well combined.
5) Pour mixture in 8 small (¼ cup) ramekins or one medium ceramic baking dish.
6) Place ramekins in roasting pan and add enough boiling water to the dish to come up 2” high around ramekin or baking dish.
7) Carefully place in the oven and bake for 60 minutes or until a knife inserted into the center of the custard comes out clean.
The Thanksgiving countdown has begun. It's time to plan your menu, buy your ingredients and get your hands dirty. Thru out the month of November I will post different Thanksgiving recipes on here and my blog www.chefwithaheart.blogspot.com.
The recipes will be some of your favorites with a healthy low sodium twist.
Whipped Sweet Potatoes
Ingredients:
2 Medium Sweet Potatoes
1 banana, unpeeled
1/4 cup butter (unsalted, room temp)
1/3 cup Honey
1/4 Dark Brown Sugar
Directions:
1) Heat oven to 375 degrees.
2) Prick the sweet potatoes all over with a fork, put them on a baking sheet and roast for 30 minutes.
3) Toss the banana into the pan and continue roasting for 10 to 15 minutes, until both banana and potatoes are very soft.
4) Remove the pan from oven and cool potatoes until cool enough to handle.
5) Scoop out the flesh into a large mixing bowl. Peel the banana and add to the mixing bowl along with butter, brown sugar and the honey.
6) Beat in mixer on low speed until everything's well combined and the mixture is fluffy.
7) Place in a serving bowl and serve hot.
Turkey Pan Gravy
Ingredients:
1 cup Turkey Juices (from bottom of roasting pan)
1/2 cup hard dry cider**
1 tbsp margarine (softened)
1 tbsp Flour (shifted)
3 tbsp fat-free half and half
Directions:
1) Strain 1 cup of the juices from the roasting pan into a saucepan and stir in the cider, bring to a boil.
2) Cream the margarine with flour, then gradually whisk into cider mixture.
3) Cook for 2 minuites, adjust seasoning and stir in the half and half.
4) Heat gently for 1 minute and serve with cooked turkey.
** Hard cider is the fermented, alcoholic cider. (compared to non-bubblyy, non-alcoholic cider) Dry just means a cider that's not too sweet.**
Apple Cranberry Crisp
Ingredients
3 medium Red Apples, (peeled, sliced)
1 cup fresh Cranberries
1/2 cup Apple Juice
1 1/2 tsp All-Purpose Flour
1 1/2 teaspoon Pumpkin Pie Spice
TOPPING:
1/4 cup Brown Sugar
1 tsp Cinnamon
1 cup Rolled Oats
2 tbsp Butter (unsalted, cold)
Directions
1) Preheat the oven to 350*F. Combine the apples and cranberries; the pour into an 8 or 9 inch baking dish.
2) In a small bowl, whisk together the apple juice, flour, and pumpkin spice. Pour over the fruit.
3) In another bowl combine brown sugar, cinnamon, walnuts and oats. Cut butter into small pieces and then mix into the bowl of topping ingredients.
4) Sprinkle mixture evenly over the apples and lightly press down.
5) Bake until hot and bubble, 40 to 45 minutes. Serve warm and Enjoy!
The recipes below include everything from breakfast, entrees, side dishes, desserts and snacks.
ROASTED SALMON with a STRAWBERRY-BALSAMIC SAUCE
Ingredients:
2 salmon fillets
1/2 tsp coarse black pepper
For the Strawberry-Balsamic Sauce
1 cup fresh strawberries, chopped
4 Tbsp balsamic vinegar
4 Tbsp water
4 Tbsp honey
Directions:
1) Heat oven to 400 degrees.
2) Place salmon on foil lined baking pan. Lightly season salmon with black pepper.
3) Cook salmon in oven for 15-20 minutes or until desired doneness is achieved.
4) Meanwhile combine strawberries, balsamic vinegar and water in a small pot on the stove. Allow mixture to come to a boil and reduce the liquid by about half.
5) Then add the honey, mix until combined and reduce the liquid mixture again.
6) Once reduced place mixture in a small blender or food processor and blend until smooth.
7) Place a couple of tablespoons of mixture on plates before laying down salmon fillet.
8) Drizzle more of the sauce over top along with some chopped strawberries, if desired.
Zucchini Fries
Ingredients:
1 lb. zucchini squash
¼ cup whole wheat flour
1 cup panko bread crumbs
1 tbsp parmesan cheese
1 Tbsp Italian seasoning blend
1 large egg
1 tbsp Water
Directions:
1) Rinse and dry the zucchini. Cut the ends off and then cut each one into strips, approximately ⅓ inch thick.
2) Place the zucchini strips on a large zip top bag and add the flour. Shake the bag to coat the zucchini in flour.
3) In a wide, shallow bowl combine the panko bread crumbs, parmesan cheese, and Italian seasoning. Stir to combine.
4) In a second wide, shallow bowl, whisk a raw egg with about 1 Tbsp of water until fairly smooth.
5) Begin to preheat your oven to 425 degrees. Cover a baking sheet with foil and then place two wire cooling racks over top. One by one, take the flour coated zucchini strips and dip them in the egg and then the seasoned bread crumb mixture. Place the breaded zucchini on the wire cooling racks.
6) Once all of the zucchini strips are breaded, bake them for approximately 15 minutes or until they are a medium golden brown color. Cooking time will vary with the thickness of your zucchini strips, so keep a close eye.
MANGO-STRAWBERRY QUINOA
Ingredients:
1/3 cup Quinoa
1 cup of Water
1 whole Mango (peeled)
1/2 cup strawberries (fresh)
1 stalk of Celery
1/4 cup Red Onion
1 tbsp Curry Powder
Directions:
1) Place quinoa and water in a pot.
2) Boil the quinoa until the water is gone.
3) Slice mango and strawberries into small chunks.
4) Chop the stalk of celery and red onion.
5) Mix everything together with curry powder in a medium bowl.
6) Enjoy!
Apple & Nut Butter Rounds
Ingredients:
Sweet, Meduim-Firm Apple
Nut Butter (peanut, almond or sunflower seed butter)
Granola
Directions:
1) Cut a cored sweet, medium-firm apple crosswise into thick rounds.
2) Spread with nut butter and sprinkle lightly with granola.
Chocolate Banana Wontons Bites with Caramel Sauce
Ingredients:
Chocolate Banana Wontons:
1 medium banana, mashed with a fork
1/8 tsp. ground cinnamon
3 tbsp dark chocolate chips
16 wonton wrappers
1 tsp. coconut oil, melted
Caramel Sauce:
1/3 c. coconut milk (not light)
1/2 tsp. vanilla
pinch of salt
1/4 c. sugar
2 tbsp. water
Directions:
For Baked Banana Wontons-
1) Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
2) Combine cinnamon, dark chocolate chips and banana in a small bowl. Place a teaspoon of banana filling in the center of each wonton wrapper.
3) Fold wrappers into a triangle and press edges together to seal.
4) Brush both sides of each finished wonton with coconut oil. Place wontons on a baking sheet.
5) Bake for 8-10 minutes or until corners are browned and crispy.
For Caramel Sauce-
1) Whisk together coconut milk and vanilla in a small bowl. Set aside.
2) Combine sugar and water in a small heavy-duty saucepan over medium-high heat. Do not stir! Allow mixture to come to a boil.
3) Once it begins to boil, watch it very closely. Eventually the mixture will start to smell like caramel and turn a golden color, then light brown. This will take about 6 minutes.
4) When you see that it’s started to turn brown, slowly pour in coconut milk mixture, whisking constantly and quickly. If the sugar hardens around the whisk, don’t worry; it will melt. Just keep whisking!
5) Continue to heat over medium-high until mixture has thickened and is a light caramel color, about 5 minutes more.
6) Drizzle immediately over wontons.
SHRIMP CEVICHE
Ingredients:
1 garlic clove
1 jalapeno
1/2 a cup of lime juice
2 roma tomatoes
1 red onion (small)
1 half of Avocado
1/2 a bundle of cilantro (1.5 cups chopped)
1 lb prepped cooked shrimp
1 Mango; peeled
Black Pepper to taste
Directions:
1) Using the food processor, chop the garlic clove, jalapeño, Roma tomatoes, and red onion. You can add the lime juice if you need a little liquid to allow the processor to do it’s job. Place in a large mixing bowl.
2) With a knife chop the cilantro, shrimp, mango, and avocados and add it to the mixing bowl. (Do not put these items in food processor, please chop by hand)
3) Mix all the ingredients together (including any of the lime juice you didn’t already add). Add the black pepper to taste.
BREAKFAST PARFAIT
Ingredients
3/4 cup Greek Yogurt (low fat)
1 kiwi
1/4 cup blackberries
1/4 cup papaya
1 tbsp almonds
1 tbsp Oats
Directions
Place yogurt in a small bowl. Top with fruit and sprinkle with oats and almonds.
SAUTEED KALE
Ingredients:
4 cup tightly packed fresh kale
2 cloves fresh garlic
1-3 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 Tbsp balsamic vinegar
1/2 chopped red onion
1 cup assorted veggies, such as carrots and red peppers, sliced or julienned
1/3 cup white raisins
1/4 cup toasted pine nuts
Directions:
1) Heat oil in large saute pan over medium heat.
2) Add onions and carrots. Cook until onions are translucent and carrots tender crisp; about 5 min.
3) Add crushed garlic and red peppers, stirring frequently for 3 to 5 min.
4) Add balsamic vinegar, white raisins and kale, continuing to stir for another 5-7 min.
5) Toss with pine nuts. Serve hot.
6) Enjoy!
Pumpkin Spice Muffins
Ingredients:
1 (15 oz) can Pumpkin Purée
1 box Spice Cake Mix (just mix)
1/4 tsp Vanilla Extract
Directions:
1) Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line 24 muffin tins with paper liners.
2) In a mixer, combine cake mix, Pumpkin purée and vanilla extract together. Continue to mix until the batter is smooth without any lumps.
3) Pour approximately 1/4 cup of batter into every cupcake wrapper.
4) Bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes.
TROPICAL GREEN SMOOTHIE
Ingredients:
1 tbsp flaxseed
1 cup coconut water
1 tsp honey
1 whole orange, peeled
3/4 cup frozen mango chunks
1/2 frozen banana
2 handfuls of spinach
Directions:
Put all ingredients in a high speed blender and blend until smooth.
BAKED CHICKEN with PEACHES
Ingredients
1 6oz skinless, boneless chicken breast
1 fresh Peach, peeled and sliced
1 pinch fresh Black Pepper
Directions
1) Pre-heat oven to 375-degrees.
2) Sprinkle chicken breast with pinch of black pepper.
3) Place in baking pan and top with peach slices.
4) Bake in oven for 30 minutes or until internal temperatures reaches 165 degrees.