Healthy Recipes

March recipes are quick, easy and healthy for you. We have Feta & Herb Dip with Crudites with lots of freshly chopped herbs that add zing to this white bean dip to serve with vegetables; Amy's Cilantro Cream Sauce which can be used as a dip or as a sauce for fish or chicken; and last, but certainly not least, we have Almond Power Bars that are no bake, high-protein, high-fiber bars in Melissa Diane Smith's recipe for Amaretto Protein Bars. These bars are a cinch to make, and a great healthy snack for the kids, both old and young.

Feta & Herb Dip with Crudites
Serve with assorted vegetables, such as baby carrots, bell pepper strips, radishes, snow peas, broccoli and cauliflower florets.

Yield: 8 servings, 1/4 cup each
Prep: 30 minutes

1 15-ounce can white beans, rinsed
3/4 cup nonfat plain yogurt
1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese
1 tbsp lemon juice
1 tsp garlic salt
1 tsp freshly ground pepper
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
1/4 cup chopped fresh dill
1/4 cup chopped fresh mint
1/4 cup chopped fresh chives

Place beans, yogurt, feta, lemon juice, garlic, salt and pepper in a food processor and puree until smooth. Add herbs; puree until incorporated. Chill until ready to serve.

NUTRITION INFORMATION per serving: 32 Calories, 12g Fat (1g sat, 0 g mono); 4mg Cholesterol; 5g Carbohydrate; 2g Protein; 1g Fiber; 167mg Sodium; 77mg Potassium.

Nutrition bonus: Calcium, Protein, Fiber, Folate.

MAKE AHEAD TIP: Cover and refrigerate for up to 2 days.

Source: Eating Well

Amy's Cilantro Cream Sauce
Great sauce for fish or chicken, or simply as a dip. Taste and add additional seasoning if necessary. Tomatillo sauce is usually spicy, so be prepared!

Yield: 4 servings

1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened
1 tbsp sour cream
1 (7 ounce) can tomatillo salsa
1 tsp freshly ground black or red pepper
1 tsp celery salt
1/2 tsp ground cumin
2 tsp garlic powder
1 bunch fresh cilantro, chopped
1 tbsp fresh lime juice

Combine cream cheese, sour cream, salsa, pepper, celery salt, cumin, garlic powder, cilantro and lime juice in a blender or food processor. Blend until smooth and creamy. Place in a serving bowl.

Nutritional Information per serving: 230 Calories, 20.5g Fat, 63mg Cholesterol, 868mg Sodium, 7.1g Carbs, 0.7g Dietary Fiber, 5g Protein

Source: All Recipes

Almond Power Bars

Yield: 20 bars

2 cups almonds (raw)
1/2 cup flax meal (flax seeds ground in a blender or coffee grinder)
1/2 cup shredded coconut (unsweetened)
1/2 cup unsalted roasted almond butter, MaraNatha^® makes an excellent one and I can get it at my local grocery store)
1/2 tsp Celtic or Himalayan sea salt
1/2 cup coconut oil
4 drops stevia
1 tbsp Agave nectar (look into WildOrganics.net)
1 tbsp vanilla extract
1 cup dark chocolate (optional)

Place almonds, flax meal, shredded coconut, almond butter and salt in a food processor. If you prefer macadamia nuts to almonds, substitute raw macadamia nuts for the almonds and raw macadamia nut butter for the roasted almond butter.
Pulse briefly, about 10 seconds.
In a small sauce pan, melt coconut oil over very low heat.
Remove coconut oil from stove, stir sweeteners (stevia and agave) and vanilla into oil.
Add coconut oil mixture to food processor and pulse until ingredients form a coarse paste.
Press mixture into an 8 x 8 glass baking dish.
Chill in refrigerator for 1 hour, until mixture hardens.
In a small saucepan, melt chocolate over very low heat, stirring continuously.
Spread melted chocolate over bars; return to refrigerator for 30 minutes, until chocolate hardens.

Remove from refrigerator, cut into bars and serve.

No bake, high-protein, high-fiber bars based upon Melissa Diane Smith's recipe for Amaretto Protein Bars in her book, Going Against the Grain. The chocolate topping makes them seem a bit decadent (skip it if you must, they'll still come out great) - though dark chocolate is rich in antioxidants and has re-entered the echelon of power foods.

Source: Elana's Pantry

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Posted March 2009 | Permanent Link

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