Healthy Recipes

In my quest for healthy eating, I came across many great and healthy recipes.  Here are some of my favorites:

Quinoa-Stuffed Peppers

Ingredients:

• 1 medium onion, finely chopped (1 cup)
• 2 Tbs. olive oil
• 2 ribs celery, finely chopped (1/2 cup)
• 1 Tbs. ground cumin
• 2 cloves garlic, minced (2 tsp.)
• 1 10-oz. pkg. frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry
• 2 15-oz. cans diced tomatoes, drained, liquid reserved
• 1 15-oz. can black beans, rinsed and drained
• 3/4 cup quinoa
• 3 large carrots, grated (1 1/2 cups)
• 1 1/2 cups grated reduced-fat pepper Jack cheese, divided ( I don't use this, but you can)
• 4 large red bell peppers, halved lengthwise, ribs removed

Directions

1. Heat oil in saucepan over medium heat. Add onion and celery, and cook 5 minutes, or until soft. Add cumin and garlic, and sauté 1 minute. Stir in spinach and drained tomatoes. Cook 5 minutes, or until most of liquid has evaporated.

2. Stir in black beans, quinoa, carrots, and 2 cups water. Cover, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer 20 minutes, or until quinoa is tender. Stir in 1 cup cheese (I don't do this because I limit my dairy intake, but you can). Season with salt and pepper, if desired.

3. Preheat oven to 350°F. Pour liquid from tomatoes in bottom of baking dish.

4. Fill each bell pepper half with heaping 3/4-cup quinoa mixture, and place in baking dish. Cover with foil, and bake 1 hour. Uncover, and sprinkle each pepper with 1 Tbs. remaining cheese (I don't do this because I limit my dairy, but you can). Bake 15 minutes more, or until tops of stuffed peppers are browned. Let stand 5 minutes. Transfer stuffed peppers to serving plates, and drizzle each with pan juices before serving. 

Baby makin' buckwheat pancakes

1/3 cup flour, whole wheat

1/3 cup flour, buckwheat

3/4 tbs baking powder

¼ tsp salt

3 tbs granulated sugar or brown sugar

1/3 cup full-fat yogurt (preferably organic)

1/2 cup full-fat milk (preferably organic)

1 whole egg (preferably oganic)

1 tb butter, melted

Slivered almonds

Sliced strawberries or blueberries (optional for topping)

Directions

1. In one large bowl, mix dry ingredients together - both flours, baking powder, salt, sugar
2. In another bowl, mix wet ingredients together - milk, egg, yogurt, butter
3. Combine the two sets of ingredients into one bowl and stir well
4. This batter is lumpy so don't try to beat out the lumps
5. Heat skillet over medium heat
6. Add butter or non-stick spray to the pan
7. Pour 1/4 cup batter into the pan and add slivered almonds on top
8. When bubbles pop up on the top of the pancakes, time to flip
9. Repeat until all buckwheat pancakes are cooked.
10. Top with Strawberries or blueberries and organic syrop