Expand Your Eating Horizons
If you have a standard breakfast meal or dinner dish that you tend to turn to often, you're not alone. Most people stick to a few familiar foods—there's comfort in the familiar. But it can be easy to fall into a diet rut when your recipe repertoire is limited to just a handful of dishes.
Trying new ingredients, new recipes or even new ways of preparing your favorite and familiar foods can expand your eating horizons and keep you motivated and excited about your healthy-eating plan. Use the three recipes below, which contain a few unique ingredients, for some inspiration:
OVEN ROASTED BEETS
Makes 4 servings
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Total Time: 15 minutes
Ingredients
4 medium beets, peeled and cut into ¼-inch-thick slices
1 large onion, chopped
Grapeseed Oil. You may be used to cooking with canola, vegetable or even olive oil. Now it's time to add another oil to your pantry. Grapeseed oil, which his the most versatile oil, has a light, clean flavor that can be used to cook vegetables, meat, poultry, fish and tofu.
1/2 tablespoon grapeseed oil
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon fresh thyme
Directions
1. Heat oven to 400 degrees.
2. Toss vegetables with grapeseed oil, salt and pepper to taste.
3. Place vegetables on a sheet pan and roast until onions are browned and beets are soft, about 20 minutes.
4. While hot, toss with thyme and serve.
Nutritional Information
1 serving
Calories: 62
Protein: 1.6 g
Carbohydrate: 10.7 g
Dietary Fiber: 2.7 g
Total Fat: 1.9 g
Saturated Fat: 0.2 g
Cholesterol: 0 mg
Sodium: 138 mg
Calcium: 20 mg
QUINOA SALAD WITH PEACHES AND CHICK PEAS
Makes 4 servings
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Total Time: 15 minutes
Quinoa. Pronounced keen-wah, this crunchy whole grain is high in protein. It's a great alternative to rice or pasta side dishes.
Ingredients
1 cup quinoa
2 cups chopped fresh peaches
1 1/3 cups canned no-salt-added garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed
2 tablespoons finely chopped chives
1 cup fresh parsley or Italian parsley
1/4 cup rice wine vinegar
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/8 teaspoon salt
4 cups salad greens
Directions
1. Place quinoa in a medium sized pot and cover with water. Bring to boil and cook until quinoa starts to become translucent around the edge, about 5 minutes. Drain quinoa.
2. Put quinoa in a large bowl and gently fluff with a fork. Toss in all other ingredients except for salad greens and season with pepper to taste. Serve cold or at room temperature over salad greens.
Nutritional Information
1 serving
Calories: 367
Protein: 11 g
Carbohydrate: 61 g
Dietary Fiber: 8 g
Total Fat: 10 g
Saturated Fat: 1.3 g
Cholesterol: 0 mg
Sodium: 246 mg
Calcium: 78 mg
CARROT ALMOND SOUP
Makes 4 servings
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Total Time: 30 minutes
Ingredients
1 pound (about 7 medium) carrots, peeled and roughly chopped into three or four pieces
3 1/2 cups unsweetened almond milk
Almond Milk. Move over cow's milk. THIS DRINK is mildly-rich tasting and low in fat and calories (about 40 to 60 calories per cup compared to 83 calories for fat-free cow's milk and 102 calories for one percent; note that it has slightly less calcium and vitamin D). Try it in shakes and soups or as a substitute for milk in most baked goods.
2 teaspoons fresh thyme (or 1/2 teaspoon dried)
1/4 teaspoon salt
16 whole almonds, toasted
Freshly ground black pepper
Directions
1. Place carrots in a large pot and cover with water. Bring to a boil and cook until tender but not mushy, about 10 minutes.
2. Drain carrots and puree in a blender or food processor with milk, thyme and salt.
3. Return to pot and heat thoroughly over medium heat, stirring often, for about 5 minutes.
4. Divide soup among 4 bowls (approximately 1 1/2 cups of soup per serving) and garnish with 4 almonds per bowl. Season each with pepper to taste and serve.
Nutritional Information
1 serving
Calories: 110
Protein: 3 g
Carbohydrate: 14 g
Dietary Fiber: 5 g
Total Fat: 5 g
Saturated Fat: 0 g
Cholesterol: 0 mg
Sodium: 226 mg
Calcium: 381 mg
