Stuffed mushrooms are one of those easy to prepare, tasty and nutritious meals that can please everybody. Generally speaking, stuffed food recipes are versatile, because most of the taste resides in the stuffing. One can choose the stuffing according to personal preferences or to the seasonality of various foods. Spices are another great way of creating unique, personalized healthy recipes with amazing taste and flavors.

Here’s one of my favorite stuffed mushrooms recipes, healthy, cheap and doable in no more than 25 minutes.

Ingredients:

• 8 big Portobello mushrooms
• 1/4 of a small celery root, finely grated (don’t use more than 1/4 root, because otherwise the stuffing will have a dry, crumbling texture which is not very nice)
• 1 egg (the egg plays the role of binding the stuffing mixture elements together, but you can skip it or use only the white if you want a low-fat dish)
• 1 cup coarsely grated cottage cheese
• 8 slices of Emmentaler cheese
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 teaspoon olive oil
• Salt and pepper to taste

Preparation time: 10 minutes

Cooking time: 15-20 minutes (depending on the mushrooms' size)

Serving: 2-3 people

Method:

Clean the mushrooms thoroughly, detaching their stems. Cut the stems into small pieces, then put them in a bowl and mix them with the egg, the grated cottage cheese, the minced garlic, the grated celery root, the thyme and a pinch of salt. Optionally, you can add other herbs or spices such as red hot chili peppers powder, coriander, cumin or dried basil. Oil a baking dish and put the mushrooms inside, making sure they fit well. If they don’t, take a bigger dish. It is important that the mushrooms stay flat on the bottom of the dish, otherwise the stuffing will drip into the dish. Spoon the egg mixture into each mushroom carefully until you finish it. Bake the mushrooms at medium heat for 10-15 minutes, without covering the dish.

After the 15 minutes, take the dish out of the oven, put on top of each mushroom a slice of Emmentaler cheese, then cook them for another five minutes or until the cheese starts melting. Serve hot, with freshly ground pepper sprinkled on top. I prefer a mix of red, white and black pepper. For a delicious variation, you can serve the stuffed mushrooms with a sour cream topping or with hot salsa.

For some of us, going vegetarian is not an option, despite the current trends which try to prove more and more that vegetables and fruits are the healthiest way to stay one’s hunger. If you long for healthy recipes that include some meat and are easy to prepare, your grill and some chicken breast are your best friends. The healthiest option when buying meat is to go for free range, cereal-fed chicken, because it contains less chemicals and less stress hormones than the meat coming from birds that were raised in batteries.

This is a simple recipe that goes well for either lunch or dinner, healthy, tasty and budget-friendly.

Ingredients:

• 1 chicken breast, skinless, boneless, sliced in 6 (slices don’t have to be even, just make sure each of them is thick enough to go through the procedure I’m going to describe below)
• 1 pound button mushrooms (preferably fresh, but canned are also OK)
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 tablespoon dried thyme
• 2 garlic cloves, peeled, cut in quarters
• 1 small carrot, grated
• 1 big onion, chopped small
• Salt, pepper to taste

Preparation time: 30 minutes

Cooking time: 30 minutes

Serves 2

Method:

Beat the chicken breast slices carefully, then sprinkle them with salt and thyme on both sides. Oil and preheat a stove top grill. Grill the meat 4-5 minutes on each side, then put it in a covered dish. Heat a little olive oil in a large frying pan, then add the chopped onion and about two tablespoons of water. Cook the onion for 5-6 minutes, then add the button mushrooms. In case you use fresh mushrooms, make sure to wash them thoroughly, to remove all dirt, but don’t detach the stems. Although they need a longer cooking time, whole mushrooms are better than sliced ones, because they preserve their taste better. After you added the mushrooms, mix them well with the onions, add the garlic, add some salt and pepper, then cover the pan and continue cooking for about 10-15 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Arrange the grilled chicken pieces on the plate, add mushrooms and pour some mushroom sauce with onion bits, then sprinkle some raw grated carrot all over the food. There’s no need for side dish, but if you’re keen on having one, a beetroot salad could make a good companion for this grilled chicken breast with mushrooms recipe.

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This is an easy chicken stew recipe which takes relatively little time to prepare. The secret to make it fast is to cut everything small and to choose vegetables that either can be eaten raw or don’t require long cooking time. The beauty of such foods is that you can discover healthy recipes each and every time by simply choosing a vegetables mix rich in those nutrients you’re most interested in. One of the vegetables that can contribute to preparing a healthy dish is celery root, also known as celeriac, turnip rooted celery or celery knob. When consumed raw, celery root belongs into the low glycemic index group of foods, however when cooked, it’s a high GI food. Despite this, celeriac is still beneficial for diabetes sufferers, because of its low sugar content. The following chicken stew recipe is suitable for people who love potatoes but have to stick with a low-carb diet. It’s an easy recipe for two people, but you can easily adjust quantities if you have more mouths to feed.

Ingredients:

• 1 chicken breast, skinless, boneless, cut in small, thin stripes (the smaller, the better, because the faster it will get cooked)
• 1 big onion, finely chopped
• 2-3 green onions, cut small
• 1 medium sized celery root, peeled, diced small
• 1 medium size potato, diced small
• 1/2 can diced tomatoes in tomato sauce
• 2 garlic cloves, peeled
• 1 teaspoon olive oil
• Red hot chili pepper powder (or freshly ground red chili flakes)
• Salt, pepper

Preparation time: 10 minutes

Cooking time: 30 minutes

Serves 2

Cooking method:

Take a large pan or a wok, heat the oil, then stir fry the onion with a little bit of added water, so the oil doesn’t get too hot. Depending on your ability to chop onions, you’ll need to stir fry it for 4-8 minutes (even 10 minutes if you’re clumsy and you chopped it really big, but I’m sure that if you got to read this, then you can finely chop an onion, so 4-5 minutes of stir frying should be enough). When the onion gets soft and almost transparent add the potatoes and the celery root pieces and cook everything together for 5 minutes. Add the chicken breast chunks and continue cooking, stirring quite frequently in the first two minutes, then cover the pan and let the food simmer for about 10 minutes. Now add the tomatoes in sauce, the green onion, garlic, chili, salt and the pepper, stir well and continue cooking for another 10 minutes with the pan covered. Serve hot, with a sprinkle of freshly ground pepper on top.

If you ask yourself why is broccoli good for you, look no further. I’ll tell you why: broccoli is very rich in phytonutrients, vitamin C, vitamin A, vitamin E, calcium, magnesium, folate and fiber. Each of those nutrients is important for the good functioning of our digestive system and for our general well-being. Like all vegetables belonging to the crucifers group, broccoli has been proven to reduce the risk of cancer and of cardiovascular diseases. A study by Jed Fahey of the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine in Baltimore showed that three-day-old broccoli sprouts help preventing stomach cancer and ulcers by suppressing Helicobacter Pylori, the bacteria which seems to play a major role in the appearance and evolution of the above mentioned conditions (http://www.webmd.com/digestive-disorders/news/20090406/broccoli-sprouts-good-for-the-gut). However, healthy eating is above all a personal matter, therefore one should always be careful and avoid those foods his body responds negatively to. This is the spirit of the following broccoli casserole recipe, in which most ingredients can be replaced with something else in case your idea of healthy recipes is not overlapping mine.

Ingredients:

• 1 broccoli head, fresh, cut into florets (you know the broccoli is fresh when the florets have a dark green color with a possible tint of brown; if it’s yellowish, it’s not so fresh and you shouldn’t buy it)
• 1 teaspoon olive oil (if you use a non-sticky baking dish, you can give up the oil)
• 3 potatoes, sliced 1/2 can peeled and chopped tomatoes in tomato sauce
• 1 cup sweet corn (frozen or canned)
• 1 cup shredded cheese (for a vegan recipe variation, use tofu cheese instead)
• 1 cup bell peppers, chopped (can be a mix of red, green and yellow peppers, for a nicer color mix)
• 3 eggs (vegans can replace eggs with egg substitute)
• 1/2 cup sour cream or low fat yogurt (vegans can use a tofu-based sour cream replacement either homemade or bought)
• Salt and pepper to taste

Preparation time: 30 minutes

Cooking time: 45 minutes

Serves 4

Cooking method:

Put the potato slices in boiling water with salt and boil them for about 10 minutes. In another pan, boil the broccoli, the corn and the bell peppers for 2-3 minutes. Drain the vegetables after boiling and let them cool for about 5 minutes. Don’t relax yet, though, because you have other things to do while vegetables cool. In a bowl, mix two eggs with the chopped tomatoes and the tomato sauce, then add the shredded cheese to the mixture. If the cheese is salty, don’t add anymore salt. Add ground black pepper according to your taste. Take a casserole dish and sprinkle it with olive oil, then place a layer of potato slices inside. You don’t want perfection, just try to cover as much as you can of the dish bottom. Add the broccoli florets and the rest of the vegetables on top of the potatoes layer, trying to distribute them evenly across the surface. Pour the egg, cheese and tomatoes mix over the dish. Beat the last egg with 1/2 cup of sour cream or low-fat yogurt, add some water (if you prefer, you can use milk or tomato juice instead of water), salt and pepper to taste, then pour it over the vegetables. Cover the dish and put it in the oven. Bake it for 40-45 minutes at 350F. Serve the food hot with sour cream or salsa on top. Leftovers can be served either cold or reheated at the next day’s breakfast.

Baked salmon is simply delicious, no matter what ingredients you decide to accompany your fish with. If you’re already asking yourself how is salmon healthy and why does it get featured on a healthy eating recipes website, then it’s my pleasure to tell you that salmon is not only highly nutritious, but also rich in protein and good fats such as the Omega 3 oil that helps preventing coronary heart disease. Salmon is also an important source of vitamin D, which is an essential nutrient that contributes to our health and well-being. Latest alternative medicine trends favor discovering and treating causes of conditions rather than their symptoms, and this is how we got to the concept of functional medicine which is based on the theory that most chronic conditions occur as a follow of internal inflammation in our body, therefore healing that inflammation would automatically lead to the disappearance of the chronic ailment that gives us those symptoms. Specialists in functional medicine conduct research that proved vitamin D to play a major role in reducing the internal inflammation. As salmon provides a high vitamin D intake, it’s included on the healthy foods list of many medical doctors and nutritionists who follow this approach of functional medicine.

Back to our healthy salmon recipe, this is how I cook it:

Ingredients:

• 1 salmon fillet, approx. 1 1/2 inch thick, 1 pound weight, fresh, with skin
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 5-6 black olives, whole
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 5-6 allspice berries (or some fine herbs which you like most)
• Salt, pepper
• Lemon

Preparation time: 5 minutes

Cooking time: 20 minutes

Serves: 3-4 people

Method:

Preheat the oven at 400 F. Put the olive oil in a baking dish, then add the fish fillet over it. Turn the fish on all sides, so it gets covered with a thin oil layer all over, then leave it with the skin up. Spread the minced garlic, the olives and the allspice berries in the baking dish, then add some salt and about one cup of water. Put the dish in the oven and bake the salmon at 400 F for about 10 minutes. You can cover it, but it’s OK even if you don’t. After the 10 minutes passed (you’ll know it even if you forget to check on the time, because your whole house it’s going to start smelling like baked garlic), take the dish out of the oven and turn the salmon fillet with the other side up. Let the fish bake for 10-15 minutes more at lower temperature.

Serve it sprinkled with freshly ground black pepper and with freshly squeezed lemon juice. Decorate the plates with 3-4 lemon slices. Wild rice, sauted vegetables or baked potatoes with parsley make excellent side dishes for baked salmon.

Cauliflower is not only the prettier cousin of cabbage, but also a healthy vegetable and a complete food. Cauliflower is a natural source of vitamin C (good for strengthening the immune system) and folate (important for pregnant women in the prevention of spina bifida and other neural tube malformations in newborns). Cauliflower is rich in dietary fiber, excellent for digestion and for the prevention of colon cancer. Recent research has shown that one of the compounds in cauliflower, the indole-3-carbinol, may have positive effects in preventing or slowing down the development of breast and prostate tumors. Apart from its healthy side, cauliflower also has a tasty side, as it makes delicious meals, be it raw, steamed, stir-fried or roasted.

This cauliflower curry recipe is one of my favorites. Easy to prepare, it’s one of the healthy eating recipes which can make a great idea for a light dinner meal, even at late hours.

Preparation time: 15 minutes

Cooking time: 20 minutes

Serves 2-3 people

Ingredients:

• 1 medium sized cauliflower
• 6-8 medium sized mushrooms (champignons or any other sort of your choice)
• 4-5 garlic cloves, finely sliced
• 1 bell pepper (red, green or yellow, whatever you have available), chopped
• 1 yellow onion, finely chopped
• 1 cup diced tomatoes in sauce (canned)
• 1 small carrot, grated or Julienne cut
• 1 tablespoon curry powder (either bought or homemade, depending on how much time you’ve got and whether you’re in the cooking mood or just need to feed some hungry mouths)
• 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
• Salt and pepper to taste

Break the cauliflower apart into medium to small florets, discarding the leaves and the core. Put the florets in a pot with salty boiling water and let them boil for 2-3 minutes, then let them drain. Wash and cut the mushrooms into 1/4 inch thick slices. Heat the olive oil in a wok. Stir fry the onions for 3-4 minutes, adding about 2 tablespoons of water, so the oil doesn’t get too hot. Add the mushrooms, the garlic the curry powder and some salt and cook everything for about 5-6 minutes. If you aren’t sure when the mushrooms are done, you can always taste one. Just remember to use a fork and not your fingers to grab the mushroom from the pan.

When mushrooms become soft, add the diced tomatoes, the tomato sauce and the bell pepper and cook everything at medium temperature for 5 more minutes, making sure to keep the wok covered and to stir from time to time. Add the carrot and the boiled cauliflower florets (remember not to overdo the boiling, you don’t want the cauliflower completely cooked, but just a bit softened, when you add it to the vegetable mix). Cook it for 4-5 minutes, stirring gently for a couple of times, in order to make sure that you cover all the florets with the nice, flavored yellow sauce that’s already formed on the wok bottom.

Serve hot with sour cream and freshly ground black pepper on top. If you want a vegetarian meal, you can replace the sour cream with salsa or with a few drops of Worcestershire sauce.

This is a yummy recipe for red pepper soup. Healthy and delicious.

Preparation time: 15 mins
Cooking time: 35 mins

This is a delicious and nutritious lentil and vegetable soup recipe, ours contains chicken stock, but if you are vegetarian then you can substiute the chicken stock for vegetable stock.

Preparation time: 15 mins
Cooking time: 30 mins

This is a great recipe for a healthy snack that still satisfies even the strongest cravings. Bagel chips are a great substitute for normal chips, or potato crisps, because they are not fried. Our recipe for bagel chips involves baking bagel slices that have been lightly drizzeled in olive oil, and this means they are are completely fat free! Lets press on and find out how to make bagel chips.

This easy spinach frittata is another delicious healthy snack recipe.

Preparation time: 10 mins
Cooking time: 20 mins

Ingredients

1 small onion
250g baby spinach leaves
½ teaspoon olive oil
1 tablespoon water
1 pinch ground nutmeg
2 egg whites
2 tablespoons skim milk
½ teaspoon olive oil

Steam spinach for just 10-20 seconds, drain and chop roughly.

Heat oil in a non-stick skillet or fry pan, add onion and water. Cover and cook until onion is soft.

Combine the spinach, onion mixture, nutmeg, egg whites and milk in a bowl.

Heat a large skillet and place dollops of the mixture onto it. Cook the frittata until lightly browned underneath.

Serves: 2

Per Serving: 0.8g fat; 194kj