Heart Healthy Recipes

The recipes I am sharing are those that my husband and I enjoy in our home.  He is an interventional cardiologist who values the importance of living an active lifestyle while feeding your body with clean food. Therefore, we have made it a priority to eat about 90% at home. We focus on fruits, vegetables, whole grain, nuts and beans with a splash of sea food and chicken (both of which are rare).

By doing this, we have kept our weight off... Of course, there are pit falls along the way where we are unable to resist our sweet tooth, but gratefully, we are able to bounce back and continue living a healthy lifestyle.

I hope that you try these recipes and enjoy them as we have.

Believe me, these are not just heart healthy, but they will help you keep the weight off (don't forget moderation!).

Bon Apetite


SWEET POTATO DAL 


4 garlic cloves
1 large onion
4 cups vegetable broth
1 3/4 cup dried lentils
1 1/2 large sweet potato
1 Tbsp garam masala
1 Tbsp ground mustard
2 tsp crushed red pepper

1. Sautee the garlic and onion in a thin layer of water
2. Add garam masala, ground mustard and crushed red pepper (sautee for 2 minutes)
3. Add vegetable broth and bring to a boil
4. Add dried lentils until the water boils; then, simmer for 5 minutes
5. Add sweet potatoes and bring to a boil; then, simmer
6. Add spinach (as much as you want) until fully cooked (about another 10 minutes)

Note: From the Happy Herbivore cookbook

TOFU FRIES (Who said you cannot have fries?)

Ingredients:

1 pack extra firm tofu

Your favorite seasoning

Spray oil 

1. Pre-heat your oven - Broil at high temparature

2. Cut your tofu into fries (whichever size you want; not too thin as it might burn)

3. Spray your baking sheet with oil

4. Sprinkle your favorite seasoning(s)

5. Turn each fry, spray the other side with oil and repeat #4

6. Broil fries for about 20 minutes

7. Enjoy!

Note: This recipe is from the Happy Herbivore cook book (I highly recommend it!)

VEGETABLE SOUP

Ingredients:
15 oz can tomato sauce
7 oz can tomato paste
5 Truvia (optional - only if you want sweet soup)
1 green pepper
1 medium onion
2 to 3 cloves minced garlic
1 small zucchini
1 small yellow squash
3 small carrots
15 oz can hominy
1 vegetable broth (optional)
Italian spices: rosemary, basil, oregano, thyme
salt and pepper to taste
1 tsp crushed red pepper

1. Boil a thin layer of water
2. Add minced garlic, chopped onions and crushed red pepper
3. When boiling add Italian spices and chopped vegetables
4. Add desired amount of water (for soup), tomato sauce, tomato paste (plus broth if you choose)
5. Allow to boil for 10 minutes; then simmer until cooked to your liking

Note: This recipe is derived from the Happy Herbivore recipe book


EASY VEGETARIAN PIZZA (almost vegan depending on the crust)

Ingredients:
15 oz can of Tomato paste
2 Tbsp catsup
1 truvia (if you like sweet sauce)
2 red bell peppers
1 small shallot
4 roman tomatoes
10 pineapple rings

We use an organic whole wheat flour for our crust which we buy from the farmers market. Sometimes we use a low calorie pita option (50 calorie pita from the grocery store)

Pre-heat your oven to 425 degrees

1. Mix the tomato paste, catsup and truvia in a bowl. This is the paste you will use (I add pepper to taste or hot sauce if I feel like it)
2. Chop your toppings and set aside
3. Spread your paste mix to 3 to 4 crusts depending on how much you like
4. Distribute your available toppings
5. Place in oven at 425 degrees for 20 minutes; then lower temparature to 375 degrees for another 20 minutes depending on how you want your vegetables cooked

NOTE: I always play around with the toppings, but this is my husband's favorite! Basically, you can customize it however way you want! Hope you enjoy it as much as we do!