What do you think when you hear or read the phrase “heart healthy”? Fish? Egg whites? Salads? Beyond that, here are some amazing cozy, delicious, heart-healthy meals!
Chicken Cacciatore
Ingredients:
1 Tablespoon olive oil
3 slices of prosciutto, chopped
1 medium onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 Tablespoon sage
1 Tablespoon rosemary
4 skinless chicken breasts
1 cup of dry white wine
1 ½ cup of cherry tomatoes, or one can of diced tomatoes
1 Tablespoon tomato puree
1 cup of chestnut mushrooms
½ teaspoon parsley
Instructions:
Heat oil in a frying pan, and once the oil is hot, fry the prosciutto. Remove the prosciutto and lay it on a paper towel to remove any excess grease. Use the same pan to fry up the onion, garlic, and herbs for about 5 minutes. Lay the chicken breasts on top of the onion and garlic mix and season with salt and pepper. Make sure to brown the chicken on both sides. Once cooked, remove the chicken and pour the wine in to deglaze the pan. Allow the wine to boil and reduce slightly before lowering the heat to medium. Return the prosciutto to the pan, and add tomatoes, tomato puree, and mushrooms. Cover for 15-20 minutes until the sauce thickens. Then return the chicken to the pan and cook the chicken through. Seve the dish and top with parsley.
Burrito Bowl
A burrito bowl is an easy and fun way to get lots of vegetables into the meal for everyone int eh family to enjoy.
Ingredients:
1 cup of basmati rice
1 Tablespoon olive oil
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 Tablespoon apple cider vinegar
1 teaspoon honey
1 chopped chipotle pepper in adobo
1 cup of chopped curly kale
Avocado
Tomato
Red onion
Instructions:
Cook the rice separately. Heat oil in a frying pan, add garlic, and cook until fragrant. Add in beans, vinegar, honey, and chipotle pepper. Season with salt and pepper and warm through.
Boil chopped curly kale for one minute, drain and squeeze out any excess water.
For bowls, divide rice and top with bean mixture, kale, avocado, tomato, and onion.
Lentil Curry
This affordable meal is packed with flavor, and the veggies and beans provide heart-healthy fiber.
Ingredients:
2 Tablespoon Avocado Oil
2 medium onions, chopped
2 Tablespoon Curry Paste
3 ½ cups of vegetable stock
16 oz frozen vegetables
½ cup dried lentils
1 cup cooked rice
Instructions:
Heat oil in a large pan and saute onions until golden. Stir in the curry paste and cook until onions are coated in sauce. Slowly add the vegetable stock, making sure to scrape the bottom of the pan to pull up any bits cooked to the bottom of the pan. Heat the stock to a simmer. Add in frozen vegetables, cover, and heat until warmed through. Then add in lentils and simmer for twenty minutes until vegetables and lentils are cooked through. Cook rice separately. For serving, place rice on the bottom of the bowl and top with curry.
Creamy Chicken and Leek Pot Pie
While leek isn’t a commonly used vegetable in dishes in America, it provides a subtle flavor of onion to this creamy pot pie.
Ingredients:
2 cups of parsnip, peeled
1 ½ cups of peeled potato
2 cups of boneless skinless chicken breast
2 teaspoon cornstarch
1 Tablespoon olive oil
4 leeks, sliced
Zest of lemon
2 Tablespoon parsley
2 Tablespoon plain yogurt
1 Tablespoon whole-grain mustard
Instructions:
Chop parsnips and potatoes into chunks and boil in water until tender. Drain the water into a cup and mash the parsnips and potatoes.
Heat oil in a large frying pan and cook the leeks. Cut the chicken into small chunks and toss it into cornstarch. Add chicken to the cooked leeks and 1 cup of potato water. This will make the combination creamy without adding cream. Once the combination boils, return to simmer for 10 minutes. Remove the combination from heat and stir in the lemon zest, yogurt, and mustard.
To make the pot pies, layer the chicken combination on the bottom and the parsnip-potato combo on top into small ramekins. Bake in the oven for 30 minutes at 375 degrees Fahrenheit. The pot pie is ready when the potatoes are golden on top.
Light Rice Pudding
A sweet treat is not typically synonymous with heart-healthy unless you are talking about dark chocolate. This creamy treat tricks your tastebuds into thinking you are enjoying a full-fat treat, but you are enjoying a flavorful, creamy dish.
Ingredients:
½ cup Cooked Rice
¼ cup Sugar
3 cups of 2% milk
Nutmeg – fresh grated or a pinch
Instructions:
Grease a glass dish. Pour in rice and sugar and mix in milk. Sprinkle the nutmeg on top. Cook for 2 hours until the pudding is combined – it should give a little wiggle.
Consider topping with sliced fresh fruit or nuts for variety and flavor changes.
Enjoy!
