Baked Parmesan Asparagus with Breadcrumbs: A nutritious side dish…
Asparagus is a type of stem vegetable, which is a Foods of the Month in March. Stem vegetables are vegetables that are the stem of a plant, rather than the root or the leaves. Other stem vegetables include celery, rhubarb and fennel. Asparagus can be eaten in a variety of ways, but we love this recipe for Baked Parmesan Asparagus with Breadcrumbs. The cheese and the whole wheat breadcrumbs make it extra tasty!
Stem vegetables like asparagus are perfect for springtime meals, since this is when they are in season. Take advantage of asparagus in these months by making this recipe. By itself, asparagus is a healthy choice. One cup of cooked asparagus has only 27 calories, and provides a good source of iron, Vitamin A and fiber. It’s also a naturally fat free food (like most vegetables), so you can feel good about eating this Baked Parmesan Asparagus with Breadcrumbs recipe. Add some good fats from the extra virgin olive oil and some whole grains from the breadcrumbs and we give asparagus even more of a nutritional boost! We suggest serving this dish with fish, another March Foods of the Month, or chicken for a healthy and complete dinner.
For those of you who are in a time crunch when it’s dinnertime, we have the perfect recipe for you! This Easy Baked Salmon and Veggies recipe only takes about 5 minutes to prepare, and bakes in the oven for another 25 minutes. It’s a wholesome meal that you can have on the table in exactly 30 minutes.
This dish is totally packed with nutrition too. The salmon is full of omega 3 fatty acids which help brain development and keep your skin healthy. Pick two types of vegetables – we chose broccoli and cherry tomatoes but you can use whatever you have on hand. The vegetables ensure that you are getting a healthy dose of Vitamins and minerals to keep your bodies running smoothly. Also, don’t forget the serving of protein that comes along with the salmon. It’s really a filling and delicious meal!
For those of you who want to add a bit more bulk to this meal, know that you can serve it over pasta or whole grain brown rice as well. Simply prepare the pasta or rice while the the salmon and vegetables bake in the oven. It will make the protein and vegetables last a bit longer and will help you feel fuller longer by adding more fiber to this perfect meal.
1 package precut broccoli, or 1 large head broccoli, chopped into pieces
1 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
Salt and pepper, to taste
The juice of 1 lemon
Instructions
Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
Arrange the salmon in the center of a baking dish and add the sun-dried tomatoes on top. Add the cherry tomatoes on one side and the broccoli on the other.
Drizzle the fish and the vegetables with the olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper.
Bake in the oven for 25 minutes. The vegetables should look blistered and the fish should have some white fat coming out of it to indicate that it's fully cooked.
Juice the lemon over the dish and serve plain or on top of pasta or brown rice.
A restaurant-worthy Healthy Shrimp Tower… made in your kitchen!
Doesn’t this Healthy Shrimp Tower look like something that only an experienced chef could make? Good news, it’s not! This recipe really only takes a few minutes to prepare and is a super healthy weeknight dinner option, or it can be lunch too. If the structure of the Healthy Shrimp Tower looks too difficult for you to recreate, you could just mix all the ingredients together in a bowl and serve. But, we do love the pretty presentation that is the result of stacking all the ingredients! We also love that this recipe uses shrimp, which is a March Foods of the Month.
What is the secret to getting the “tower” look? A measuring cup! Packing all the ingredients into a measuring cup makes this perfectly compact shrimp and brown rice tower. To save time, purchase precooked, tailed removed small shrimp and precooked brown rice. You will love the speed and ease of recreating this delicious and gorgeous meal in your own kitchen.
Using a round measuring cup with a handle, start to assemble your tower. It will be backwards. Use a spoon to firmly pack down the cucumber and mayonnaise miture. Next, add the avocado, then the shrimp. Use the spoon again to make sure they are packed in tightly.
Finally, add the brown rice, again using the spoon to make sure that everything is packed in tightly.
Carefully and quickly flip over the measuring cup with the ingredients onto a plate. If you packed it tightly enough, you will get a layer tower like the photograph.
Sprinkle with the sesame seeds and add an optional splash of soy sauce. Enjoy!
Do you ever find a recipe that you just LOVE and know will be part of your regular rotation? That is how we feel about this recipe for Greek Yogurt Mac and Cheese. It never would have occurred to us to put Greek yogurt in a cheese sauce, but now that we have tried it, it makes perfect sense! The Greek yogurt adds a good amount of protein to this dish. In February, we celebrate reduced-fat dairy as an OrganWise Guys Foods of the Month. Greek yogurt is considered reduced-fat dairy. And, so is the cheese found in this recipe!
What makes this recipe for Greek Yogurt Mac and Cheese special in our books? There are a few things. Using whole wheat pasta provides a good serving of whole grains and fiber. Every pasta dish is better with some added vegetables, we think. The broccoli provides some powerful antioxidants like Vitamin C, Vitamin A, and Vitamin B6. Broccoli is also a good source of calcium. Add in reduced-fat cheese and Greek yogurt and this is the perfect meal to keep your bones healthy!
The key to the tastiest cheese sauce is making it from scratch. This is called a roux. We used extra virgin olive oil (a good fat) instead of butter to keep this Greek Yogurt Mac and Cheese recipe a bit healthier.
Once you make this recipe one time and see how easy it is, you will be back for more. It’s the perfect kid-friendly dinner that can be on the table in a snap!
1 box whole grain pasta like elbows, bowties, or penne
1 10 oz. package frozen broccoli florets
2 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
2 tbsp. all purpose flour
1/2 cup low-fat milk
2 cups reduced-fat sharp cheddar cheese, shredded (we like to shred our own but you can buy prepackaged)
3/4 cup low-fat, plain Greek yogurt
1/2 cup Panko breadcrumbs
Salt and pepper, to taste
Instructions
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Cook the pasta according to directions. After cooking for about 3 minutes, add the frozen broccoli florets. When pasta is al dente, drain and set aside.
Use a saucepan on medium heat to make the cheese sauce. Add the olive oil. When it begins to heat up, add the flour and mix together until smooth. Next, add the milk and mix. Finally, add the shredded cheese and mix well until no lumps remain.
Let the cheese sauce cool, then add the Greek yogurt. Mix well and season with salt and pepper.
Add the cheese sauce to the pasta and broccoli and mix together until the pasta and broccoli are coated in cheese.
Spray a small casserole dish or glass baking dish with nonstick spray. Add the pasta and top with panko breadcrumbs. Bake for 15 minutes, until the cheese is bubbly.
Happy Valentine’s Day! In honor of this holiday that celebrates all things love, we want to share with you a heart-healthy, body friendly dessert option. This may look decadent, but it’s incredibly healthy thanks to some tips from vegan cooking. Have you ever tried to cook vegan before? This Vegan Valentine’s Dessert is the perfect way to start if you are a newbie.
The photo of this dessert looks like cream, refined sugar, eggs and flour, right? Guess what? There is none of that in this recipe! Instead, this Vegan Valentine’s Dessert is made mostly with nuts and dates. We use almonds, cashews, coconut oil, coconut milk, dates, and a few other small ingredients in this recipe. That’s all! The beautiful pink color is not because of food coloring… it’s strawberry! Read below for this delicious and healthy Vegan Valentine’s Dessert recipe. You will love it.
2 cups raw cashews, soaked in a bowl of boiling water for 1 hour
1/4 cup coconut oil, melted
1/3 cup honey
The juice of 1 lemon
3/4 cup light coconut milk (including the cream from the top
1 vanilla bean, seeds scraped out or 1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 1/2 cup frozen or fresh strawberries, chopped
Instructions
Line a loaf pan with plastic wrap.
Using a food processor, process together the dates, almonds, coconut flakes and water. It should form a thick, sticky mixture that will be the "crust" for this dessert.
Once combined, transfer the crust to the loaf pan. Spread it (using a spoon on your fingers) in an even layer over the bottom of the bread pan. Refrigerate while you make your filling.
Next, make your filling. Using the food processor again, process together the cashews, coconut oil, honey, lemon and coconut milk. Process until a smooth, creamy mixture is formed. Add the vanilla and process again.
Remove the crust from the fridge, then pour half of the filling mixture over the crust (leave the rest in the food processor, you will use it later). Sprinkle 3/4 cup of the chopped strawberries over the mixture. Freeze for 1 hour.
Use the second half of the filling mixture to make the third, pink layer. Process together the mixture with the remaining 3/4 cup strawberries until it is pink. Remove dessert from freezer and pour the rest of the pink filling over the second layer.
Freeze for 3 hours. Remove, cut into slices and drizzle with melted dark chocolate. Enjoy!
Notes
Store this dessert in the freezer. It will melt like ice cream!
Are you not getting hungry just looking at this picture of our Avocado Brownies? Avocados, a type of good fat, are a February Foods of the Month. Did you know that you can use avocado instead of butter or oil in recipes for baked goods? That is exactly what we did in this recipe for Avocado Brownies!
The great thing about these Avocado Brownies is that they are packed with heart-healthy fats. The fat in avocado helps to lower bad cholesterol (LDL) while boosting good cholesterol (HDL). Additionally, avocados are full of additional nutrients that butter and oil lack. Think of these little vegetables are a food that is packed with fiber, potassium, Vitamin C and Vitamin B-6.
Another thing that we love about this recipe is that it is relatively low in sugar. By using applesauce and maple syrup, you can avoid adding any white sugar. If you want to boost the flavor even more, we recommend adding some dark chocolate morsels and walnuts to the existing recipe. The dessert is truly decadent and healthy!
Microwave the chocolate chips until melted, then use a mixer to combine with the wet ingredients (applesauce, maple syrup, vanilla extra). Crack in each egg, one at a time, to the wet mixture until they are well incorporated.
Add the mashed avocado to the wet mixture
Meanwhile, use a large bowl to mix the dry ingredients (flour, cocoa powder and sea salt). Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and continue to mix until thoroughly combined, forming a batter.
Pour the batter into a a nonstick 9 x 9 pan lined with parchment paper and bake for 30 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean.
Save Recipe
