Health4Tips: recipes

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Sunday, October 4, 2015

Zucchini and vegetable slice

I've seen lots of zucchini slice recipes, usually involving up to 10 eggs, heavy cream, lots of hard cheese and rashers of bacon making them tasty but only suitable as "sometimes" food. I have given these recipes the LGH magic wand to make a more nutritious option that you can eat more regularly if you wish. It's tasty and also versatile and can be eaten hot or cold. Add whatever you have in the fridge for a delicious summer meal.
My version had zucchini, carrot, onion, fresh parsley, dill, peas, spinach and red salmon - but this recipe has flexibility to use whatever is in your fridge!

Ingredients
2 large zucchinis

2 large carrots
1 onion
a cup of whatever other vegetables you have handy (fresh frozen or canned) such as spinach, corn, peas, shallots, capsicum
fresh or dried herbs
1 cup of leftover rice or canned cannelini beans or chick peas for low GI energy
200g can red salmon (optional - consider adding diced tofu for protein if you are not a fish eater)
1 cup wholemeal self raising flour
5 eggs (whisked)

squeeze of lemon juice
1/2 cup grated low fat cheese

Method:
Preheat oven to 200 C
Grate your zucchini and carrots into a large bowl
Finely dice onion, herbs and any other veggies and add all into the bowl.
Add rice or drained beans and can of salmon, season with salt pepper and a squeeze of lemon juice

Mix everything well then add flour, whisked eggs and mix through
Sprinkle cheese on top
Spoon into a well greased cake tin /baking dish and bake for 30-40 mins or so until golden on top and springy. Slice into squares. Serve hot with a salad or vegetables, or cold .

Serves 8-10
Keep for 3 days in the fridge or 4 weeks in the freezer.

Bon appetit!

Deliciously decadent chia pudding

Privacy chia , dessert

Chia seeds seem to be one of the newest "superfoods" on the block and get mentioned everywhere. These little black (or white) seeds are probably closest in taste and texture to poppy seeds, but with a whole lot more exciting properties.

Chia seeds are derived from the desert plant Salvia hispanica, a member of the mint family. They can be eaten raw or added to foods and have some pretty impressive nutritional properties:

Omega 3 fatty acids– These essential fats that are important for heart health and brain function. Chia seeds are unusually high in omega 3s, and one of the best plant sources. Of the 30% total fat found in chia seeds, more than half is alpha linolenic acid (ALA), which is the plant form of omega-3.
Fibre - Chia's 34% fibre is higher than that of flaxseeds (linseed) or sesame seeds, and works out to be about 10g in two tablespoons (which would make a significant contribution to the 25–30g it's recommended we consume daily). Chia seeds are so high in fibre you need to be careful not to go overboard when you first start eating them- or your belly will notice!
Protein and calcium - They are also an excellent source of protein and extremely high in calcium – at 631mg per 100g, this is five times the level in milk (although it may not be so readily absorbed).
Chia is also a source of other important minerals including iron, magnesium and zinc. Oh – and it's gluten free, too.

Not surprisingly, many foodies claim chia is a "super" food and list all sorts of health benefits, many of which are over-rated. But while it is a food with some nutritional advantages, it is not magical. What we do know from limited evidence is that including chia seeds as part of a healthy diet may help improve cardiovascular risk factors, such as lowering cholesterol, triglycerides and blood pressure. And although claims of weight loss may be far-fetched, the claim that chia helps you feel fuller for longer is likely more valid, due to its high fibre and protein content.

So what can you do with chia seeds?

Add them wherever you like.I have long been using them sprinkled on breakfast cereal or added to porridge and bakers put them in pancakes, bread, muffins and cakes. But the neat thing about chia seeds are their ability to retain water- in fact they will soak up ten times their weight in liquid - making them ideal for setting and "gelling" puddings and sauces. Apparently they can be used as an alternative to eggs? (Can't say I've tried that one).

I was a little skeptical in making chia puddings as I have bought commercial ones from the supermarket before and to be honest found them gag-worthy - the one I bought in a little tub was cloyingly sweet, watery and a little slimy and went straight in the garbage. So with some hesitation I tried them at home without a completely different outcome - I think using Greek yoghurt changed the texture to a rich creaminess which was divine!

Here's the recipe:

CHIA BREAKFAST PUDDING

1 cup milk (cows milk, almond, soy, whatever)

1 cup Greek yoghurt

1/3 cup chia seeds

2 tsp vanilla extract

2 TBSP honey or maple syrup (or stevia or whatever sweetener you prefer)

a sprinkle of cinnamon

Fresh fruit

Method:

Mix milk, yoghurt, vanilla, cinnamon and honey in a jug and whisk until smooth.

Add chia seeds and stir well. Let sit on the bench for 20 mins or so until it starts to set then stir again to ensure the seeds haven't all sunk to the bottom.

Pour mixture into four containers and cover in the fridge overnight to set fully. You can eat them in 2 hours but they taste best after 8 or so.

I layered them with strwberries, blueberries, passionfruit pulp and coconut. I sprinkled almonds on the top of mine and ate it out of the jar, my husband spooned his into a bowl and topped it with muesli. Delicious!

OTHER OPTIONS

Once you have the liquid : seed ratio right, then go wild. Blend fresh or frozen berries with your yoghurt, add nutmeg and star anise for a chai flavour, use coconut milk (watch the saturated fat) and sliced mango for a tropical summer feel, or add oats or quinoa to make a bircher pudding. They also work for dessert options as below:

CHIA MOCHA CHOCOLATE MOUSSE

Want the amazing texture of chocolate mousse with extra health benefits? Chia puddings can go there too!

1 cup milk (cows milk, almond, soy, whatever)

1 cup Greek yoghurt

1/3 cup chia seeds

1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

2 tsp vanilla extract or coffee extract for a mocha flavour

2 TBSP honey or maple syrup (or stevia or whatever sweetener you prefer)

berries and choc chips for topping (or nuts, honeycomb, crushed cookies, whatever!)

Method:

Mix milk, yoghurt, vanilla/coffee, cocoa and honey in a jug and whisk until smooth and the cocoa is well mixed through.

Add chia seeds and stir well. Let sit on the bench for 20 mins or so until it starts to set then stir again to ensure the seeds haven't all sunk to the bottom.

Pour mixture into four containers and cover in the fridge overnight to set fully. I poured ours into fancy dessert glasses and topped with fresh raspberries and dark choc chips. You can eat them in 2 hours but they taste best after 8 or so.

Bon appetit!

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Potato salad recipe (and the wonders of resistant starch!)

Privacy potato , recipes

Like many other diabetics, I have to tread carefully with white potatoes. The high carbohydrates and high GI nature of potatoes means that they push my blood sugar up - even though they are nutritious and delicious! That is, unless I eat them in potato salad. So why are cold potatoes different to warm potatoes? Its all because of a wonderful component called resistant starch.

So what is resistant starch?

Resistant starch is a type of dietary fibre that is fermented in the large bowel and feeds the gut microbiome - the bacteria in your bowel that do so much good. Despite the messages to eat more fibre, and people are doing that, most people are increasing their fibre with processed foods like cereals, which don't necessarily contain resistant starch. More fibre yes, but all the great health benefits, no. There is evidence that a healthy gut microbiome plays a role in preventing diabetes, obesity and some cancers, and may even have a role in mental health, so it’s worth taking a moment to understand how to keep it healthy. So rather than just eating any kind of fibre, we particularly need to be eating more resistant starch for a healthy gut and a healthy body.

So where do you find resistant starch?

It can be found in some starchy fruits and vegetables (eg bananas and sweet potatoes), in legumes (have I told you how awesome beans, chick peas and lentils are lately?) and interestingly, in some cooked and cooled starchy foods. Cooking and cooling starchy foods like rice, pasta and potatoes, and eating them cold, lowers the GI and increases the amount of resistant starch. Add some healthy fats and lemon juice and you lower the GI further – so when it is too warm to eat beautiful lentil soups and chick pea curries, change to summer starch foods like potato salad, rice salad and pasta salad!

Add lentils to your meals, cook and cool some rice to add to salads, diced and roast some sweet potatoes to throw in everything – there are loads of easy ways to get slow burning energey and make your bowel bugs happy at the same time.

For resistant starch goodness, add
lentils and beans to everything!

For more interesting information on resistant starch check out this post from Precision Nutrition here:
All about resistant starch

Most potato salads have heavy creamy dressings which are often also quite sweet and can stack on the calories with unnecessary fats. Not mine! So I guess I should share my magical potato salad recipe too!

Ingredients:
white potatoes (you can add sweet potatoes as well for added colour and flavour)
2 hard boiled eggs
Greek yoghurt
red onion
fresh parsley
dijon mustard
whoelgrain mustard
honey

I haven't listed amounts here as you can really fiddle with this until it tastes right for you.

Method:
Roughly chop your potatoes ad steam them with skins on until tender. You can get lower GI potatoes called Carisma from Coles) but any potatoes will work for this. Adding orange sweet potato (kumara) will make it extra interesting!

Hard boil two eggs, chop them up and pop them in the fridge to cool, along with your potatoes. About an hour in the fridge or half an hour in the freezer should do the trick.

Finely dice a red onion, a bunch of fresh parsley. If you want extra bursts of flavour you could also add chopped gherkins, capers, capsicum, a tin of corn or even a little bacon.

For the dressing mix a cup of plain Greek yoghurt with a tablespoon of dijon mustard, a tablespoon of grain mustard and a drizzle of honey. Mix well then fold the dressing through the potatoes, eggs, onions and herbs.

Serve with a quarter of lemon to squeeze on the side. Left overs will keep in the fridge for 2 days or so (if you don't eat it all first!)

Bon appetit!

Potato salad makes a delicious and nutritious side dish

Thai green curry cauliflower and coconut soup

Privacy cauliflower , curry

Another rainy day means another soup recipe - and another successful experiment! This is another delicious fragrant and spicy soup that will warm you up, its vegetarian and vegan friendly, cheap and easy to make and is quite low in carbohydrates.

The major ingredient in this soup is cauliflower, and even those who are not cauli fans are unlikely to realise it! It has a similar texture to a potato soup but without all the high GI carbs. Cauliflower is a fantastic vegetable and as a part of the brassica family (also known as cruciferous vegetables) cauliflower contains antioxidants, phytonutrients, lots of fibre and is high in vitamin C, B6, K and folate. Many studies have suggested that increasing consumption of plant foods like cauliflower decreases the risk of obesity, diabetes, heart disease and overall mortality while promoting a healthy complexion, increased energy, and overall lower weight.

The coconut milk in my recipe does add more kilojoules and fat, but it is not too much across this big pot of soup, and I have chosen a reduced fat variety. If you are closely watching your saturated fat intake you could consider using evaporated milk and a few drops of coconut essence instead. If you're in Australia you can buy a low fat evaporated milk that is coconut flavoured for exactly this purpose!

INGREDIENTS:

1 large leek sliced
1 bunch coriander
1 whole head of cauliflower roughly chopped
4 cups vegetable stock
1 can reduced fat coconut milk
2 TBSP Thai green curry paste
1 TBSP olive oil
1 TBSP minced garlic (or 2 cloves fresh garlic chopped)
1 tsp minced ginger
1 TBSP dried paprika
1 TBSP dried chilli flakes (omit if you don't like it spicy!)
Greek yoghurt and coriander leaves or sliced shallots to serve

METHOD:

Slice leek, roughly chop cauliflower, chop stems of coriander just above the roots, set leaves aside for later.

Toss onion and coriander stems in a heavy based pot with olive oil, garlic, ginger, paprika and chilli flakes and saute for a few minutes. If you are not a fan of coriander or you don't have any fresh, use 1 tsp of dried ground coriander seeds.
Add chopped cauliflower and saute for a few minutes. Add green curry paste and stir for 5 minutes until fragrant.

Add vegetable stock, coconut milk, a pinch of salt and black pepper.

Simmer for 30 minutes on low heat until cauliflower is very soft.

Whizz with a stick blender or food processor until your soup is thick and creamy.

I served in a bowl with a dollop of Greek yoghurt in the middle. Serve topped with chopped shallots or coriander leaves for extra bite, or lemongrass stems if you have them. Delicious with a slice of dense multigrain bread or a traditional sourdough to soak up the flavour.

Easily serves 6 hungry people :) Bon appetit!

Tonight's taste test - Curried carrot and red lentil soup

Privacy legumes , recipes

Tonight is cool and wet so it's time to start winter cooking. I decided to make an experiment tonight and it worked!! A delicious fragrant and spicy soup, this one is vegetarian and vegan friendly, cheap and easy to make and very filling with lots of fibre and low GI carbohydrates from the lentils (which are from the legume family).

Legumes are foods like peas, beans and lentils and they are nutritional powerhouses with fantastic nutrient qualities, a great source of plant based protein, low GI carbohydrates and resistant starch. The coconut cream in my recipe does add more kilojoules and fat, but it is not too much across this big pot of soup. If you are closely watching your saturated fat intake you could consider using yoghurt or evaporated milk instead.

INGREDIENTS:

1 brown onion diced
1 bunch coriander
4 large carrots diced
1.5 cups dried red lentils
4 cups vegetable stock
1/2 can reduced fat coconut cream
2 TBSP Thai red curry paste
2 TBSP olive oil
1 TBSP minced garlic (or 2 cloves fresh garlic chopped)
1 tsp minced ginger
1 TBSP dried ground cumin
1 TBSP dried chilli flakes (omit if you don't like it spicy!)

METHOD:

Dice brown onion, chop stems of coriander just aboove the roots, set leaves aside for later.

Toss onion and coriander steams in a heavy based pot with olive oil, garlic, ginger, cumin and chilli flakes and saute until onion is transparent

Add red curry paste and stir for 2-3 minutes until fragrant.

Add diced carrots and saute for 2-3 minutes until softened then add lentils and stock.

Simmer for 30 minutes on low heat until carrots and lentils are very soft.

If you like your soup lumpy, leave it as is. I whizzed mine with a stick blender until thick and no large pieces remain.

Add reduced fat coconut cream to taste (I used a bit less than 1/2 can) and stir through chopped coriander leaves in last 5 minutes to serve.

We each had a small bowl to taste test it and then I filled five containers for the freezer so this recipe could easily serve 6-8 people.

Bon appetit!

Recipe - easy cheesy veggie bake

Privacy dinner , recipes

I posted a picture of this meal on a Facebook group a few days ago and have have had lots of requests for the recipe for my vegetable pots in the photo. These are nothing fancy, just steamed vegetables in a basic cheese sauce. But, if someone in your family is not a lover of vegetables, or if you are getting sick of steamed vegetables, its another nice way to serve them.

Please note, this is not a really low calorie recipe as it uses milk, cheese and a little butter and flour, but it is a lovely home cooked comfort food and a delicious option. Unless you have specific health reasons not to, you shouldn't be afraid of using ingredients like this occasionally as part of a a balanced diet. Everything in moderation, remember? Just make sure you keep the rest of your meal light for balance. My meal is the one at the back left, I had it with steamed beans and carrots and 150g of baked fresh salmon. Yum!

First roughly chop your vegetables into small pieces and lightly steam your vegetables of choice. For these pots I used cauliflower (as they were on special at $2.50 for a whole head of cauli last week!) and also sweet potato which is a great low GI carb to include. My husband is not a huge sweet potato fan so his was cauliflower and a little white potato. Really, you can include any vegetables you like - broccoli, beans, zucchini, squash, peas, corn, carrots, asparagus, spinach .. it all works!

I cut the cauliflower into pieces about the size of a golf ball and sliced the sweet potato and potato into thin circular slices (I left the skin on). While you are steaming your vegetables, its time to make the cheese sauce and preheat your oven to around 200 degrees C.

Melt 2 tablespoons of butter in a small saucepan on low heat. Once its melted, add two tablespoons of flour (wholemeal flour is great- but use whatever plain flour you like to use) and stir until well mixed. You should end up with the flour mixing into the butter so you have a ball of paste a little like cookie dough. If its too runny add a little more flour.

Next add 2 cups of cold milk gently to your mixture and start whisking. This will work perfectly fine with full fat or low fat milk. It will be lumpy to start with, but as the milk warms and the butter dissolves it will become smooth. Keep whisking with the sauce on low heat (don't let it boil) for about 5-10 minutes as the sauce thickens. Don't walk away from it :) I add dried parsley, black pepper and a handful of grated parmesan cheese in the last few minutes for flavour. You will know when your sauce is ready as it starts to thicken.

**This is an amazingly easy basic white sauce that is so versatile once you've got it mastered. Instead of the cheese, add a teaspoon each of dijon and grain mustard for a beautiful sauce for corned beef. Add a heap of chopped fresh dill for a sauce to serve with fish. I certainly don't recommend you add creamy sauce to every meal, but it's a wonderful alternative from packet sauces with all their salt and added preservatives**

Back to our veggie pots. Take your sauce off the heat.

Choose small oven proof dishes and give them a spray with olive oil spray. Now layer your vegetables. I put sliced orange sweet potato on the bottom and then cauliflower on the top for two pots, and plain potato and cauliflower in the third. Pour your white sauce over the vegetables. Don't panic if it has got a little lumpy in the time you were doing the pots, it does that, just give it another quick whisk and pour it in, it will work out fine, I promise!
Top your pot with a sprinkle of grated cheese and I put one slice of sweet potato on top - just for decoration and so I could tell the different mixtures apart.

Pop it in the oven for 10 minutes or until the top is golden. By steaming your vegetables first the cooking time is really quick. Serve as a side dish with a lean protein and some more vegetables :)

Serves 3 medium sized or 4 small vegetable pots.

Recipe alternatives:
While I made this as a side dish, you could easily use this basic recipe to make a full meal, just don't forget the principles of a balanced plate. Remember it should be half fruit or vegetables, quarter lean protein, quarter low GI carbs and some good fats. Consider making a slightly larger pot with a small can of red salmon or cannellini beans, some sliced sweet potato, a large serve of broccoli or cauliflower, a handful of peas, the mustard or dill sauce and cheese on top. A tasty balanced one pot wonder!!

Lyndal @ Lean Green and Healthy

Recipe - super easy Thai red curry soup (veggie)

Privacy curry , recipes

It's a cold wet drizzly day here today and as I was working from home I thought it was time to put the slow cooker on. I decided to make a batch of soup, had a read through my recipe books, couldn't find anything I felt like so made one up ! LOL I was happy for it to be a freezer meal or lunch for tomorrow if it tasted ok. Fortunately my experiment was a roaring success and after a taste test by the family, the menfolk have decided they would just like soup and toast for dinner. SCORE!

I made this one in the slow cooker, but you could just as easily do it on the stove or in a pressure cooker. If you are not a fan of spicy foods then halve the amount of curry paste- this is not screamingly hot but does pack a warming punch :)

You will need:
1/2 butternut punpkin (or whatever pumpkin you like!)
1 large piece of sweet potato
4 stalks of celery
I'm sure you could add other veg if you wished!
1 400g can of chick peas
4-6 cups of vegetable stock
150ml coconut cream (I used the full fat version as it is a small amount in a big batch of soup, but feel free to use fat reduced if you are watching calories more closely)
2 tsps ground coriander
2 tsps ground cumin
2 tsps ground cinnamon
2 tablespoons Thai red curry paste (Indian tandoori paste would work fine too)
Fresh coriander (cilantro) or parsley and a dollop of Greek yoghurt to serve

Peel and roughly chop your root veggies, dice the celery, drain the chick peas and pop it all in the slow cooker (or in a heavy based pot on the stove). Add dry spices, curry paste, stock and give it a stir. Feel free to add extra stock / water depending on the size of your pot.

Simmer until vegetables are soft. I cooked for 3 hours in the slow cooker, but probably 40 minutes on the stove would give you the same result. Whizz with a stick blender or food processor until a smooth consistency then add coconut milk to blend and return to the heat until warmed through.

Serve hot with a dollop of Greek yoghurt, some chopped fresh coriander, black pepper and some crusty grainy low GI bread. Guaranteed to warm your soul!

Lyndal @ Lean Green and Healthy

Recipe - mini breakfast frittatas

Privacy breakfast , recipes

I saw a version of these on the internet with lots of high salt ingredients like sausage and feta, and lots of processed cheese - I thought I'd try a slightly toned down healthier version. I have used a little lean bacon for flavour but you could certainly omit that if you wish. You could also put all your vegetables in raw, I just know my son is not a fan of raw mushrooms and capsicum so cooking it with a small amount of bacon would make him more likely to eat them!

You will need:
(To make 12 frittatas - if you have a 6 muffin tray then halve the recipe or make two batches)
Fillings of your choice - I used cherry tomatoes, a handful of baby spinach, fresh mushrooms, two pieces of lean short cut bacon trimmed of extra fat, half a capsicum (bell pepper). You could use any vegetables you have in the fridge - onions, silverbeet, roasted diced sweet potato, carrots, grated zucchini, and even add leftover cooked chicken, tinned red salmon, tinned corn or asparagus - use your imagination!
12 eggs - basically one egg per muffin cup
Small amount of grated cheese
Mixed dry herbs
pepper for seasoning
a splash of milk
olive oil spray to grease your muffin tray (May not be needed if you have a silicone tray)

Grease your muffin tray with olive oil spray (or use muffin cases) and heat your oven to 200 degrees C
Dice your ingredients finely
Fry your bacon, mushrooms and capsicum in a hot pan with a little olive oil if needed and a sprinkle of mixed herbs until softened and golden. Take off the heat.

Starting with one egg per muffin cup, crack your eggs into a jug and whisk with a splash of milk. I did 6 at a time as it was easier to manage. Season your eggs with black pepper and perhaps some herbs if you wish.

In each cup of your muffin tray add some finely chopped spinach, diced tomato and the bacon/mushroom/capsicum mix until around half full.

Carefully pour your egg mixture on the top of the vegetables. Top with a small sprinkle of grated cheese (I had run out so used a little flaked parmesan instead). If you wish you can sprinkle with sweet paprika for some extra flavour and colour.

Cook for 15-20 minutes until golden and firm.
Allow to cool for 5-10 minutes in the tray to make them easer to remove.

These could be frozen in individual ziplock bags, or alternatively keep in a container in the fridge for 2-3 days.

For a quick balanced breakfast, zap one in the microwave for 30 seconds, and team with a piece of fruit or a slice of grainy toast for low GI carbohydrate energy. These would also be great cold in a lunchbox.

Bon appetit!

Lyndal @ Lean Green and Healthy

Recipe - Light and tasty beef stroganoff

Privacy beef , dinner

I was standing in the supermarket today and noticed mushrooms on special. A 500g pack of mushrooms for $1.99 - bargain! So I stood for a moment thinking of options and then thought "STROGANOFF!" So here is my beef stroganoff recipe to share with you all. If you don't eat meat, this would make a lovely creamy veggie casserole, just add lentils for protein and swap the beef stock for veggie stock.

You will need:

500g lean beef thinly sliced (I cheated and bought it already sliced in stir fry strips)

500g mushrooms thinly sliced

2 tablespoons paprika

2 tablespoons plain flour (I use GF flour)

2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce (again I use GF)

3 tablespoons tomato paste

1/2 cup brandy (optional, but I love what it does to the flavour)

1/2 cup beef stock

2 lemons

2 onions (I had a leek leftover in the fridge so I used 1 onion and one leek today)

2 teaspoonfuls of minced garlic (or 2 cloves fresh garlic)

a bunch of fresh parsley

dried parsley and dill

Greek yoghurt (full fat yoghurt works better in this recipe as the fat makes it more stable, but low fat should be fine, just may not freeze as well. )

Olive oil

Black pepper

Pasta or salad for serving

First pop your beef in a bowl with the paprika, flour and a generous amount of black pepper. Stir well and mix through until the meat is well coated and set aside. Slice your mushrooms, dice your onions (and/or leek) and roughly chop the parsley. If you are making pasta, put a pot of water on the stove to boil.

Next put a drizzle of olive oil in a deep heavy based pan and cook the meat quickly in batches. It doesn't need to be fully cooked, just golden brown on the outside and a bit pink in places is fine. Keep it quick, you don't want it to get too tough. As each batch cooks, place it in a bowl and set aside for a moment. Also don't worry if it sticks a little on the bottom of your pan, that will all add to the sauce later!

Once your beef is done, in the same pan cook your onions/leeks and garlic (with a little olive oil if needed) for 5 minutes or so until translucent. Then add your sliced mushrooms, dried parsley and dill to taste. Let the mushrooms cook for 5-10 minutes.

Next add the brandy and the juice of 1 lemon to the pan, this will deglaze the bottom of the pan. Use your spoon to scrape up the tasty bits. Return your beef to the pan, stir in the tomato paste, Worcestershire sauce, add the beef stock and another generous grind of black pepper (I do love the pepper in this dish!)

By now you will have a nice beefy looking dish. Turn to simmer, pop the lid on and let it cook for 10-15 minutes while the pasta cooks. We usually use penne or spirals (or both!) as it holds the sauce so nicely.

When your pasta is done, take your stroganoff off the heat, stir through a good dollop of Greek yoghurt (2-3 tablespoons should do it) and your large bunch of fresh chopped parsley. Taste and season if needed. We usually serve it atop a serve of low GI pasta for my husband and son, and a big pile of baby spinach leaves for me. I garnish with a little parsley, a little more black pepper (LOL) and wedges of fresh lemon. This is a great meal to go with a salad, or if its a cold night, some hearty steamed veggies.

This recipe should serve 4 -6 people depending on your appetite. And of course, pop any leftovers in the freezer to avoid getting fast food on a busy night!

Bon appetit! Lyndal @ Lean Green and Healthy

Recipe - healthy pizzas (with flatbread or eggplant)

Privacy dinner , pizza

After finding a cute photo of pizzas made out of eggplant the other day I got inspired to do some experimenting. Regular pizzas from the pizza shop can be incredibly high in calories, fat and salt - as they are usually fried and covered in cheese, sweetened sauces and lots of fatty processed meat. Wood fired gourmet pizzas are sometimes a better option, but the meat and cheese is still an issue. For people who can't eat gluten, pizza bases can pose an extra challenge, and for people wit diabetes the large amount of processed carbohydrates in the dough can be a nightmare. I love the flavour combinations, but pizza is just something I don't eat any more... until tonight!

Tonight I made two different pizza preparations. One for me, that I made on eggplant slices, and one for the boys that I made on slices of large Lebanese flat bread. Alternately make individual pizzas on smaller pita bread. If you prefer to make your own pizza bases that's easy to do, I was just going for a really easy option that would give a thin crispy and not too heavy dough base.

You will need:
One large eggplant
A pack of flat bread
sauce for your pizza (I used tomato paste and basil pesto on different pizzas)
Pizza toppings - whatever you fancy - feta, spinach, tomatoes, olives, capsicum, mushrooms, basil, artichokes, roasted root vegetables, anchovies, pepperoni (use anchovies and pepperoni sparingly!) pineapple, onions, whatever you like on your pizza!

For the bread pizzas
Heat your oven griller to 200C and use a baking tray or pizza stone
Place the bread under the grill until one side is toasted slightly - watch it, this bread cooks fast and it's easy to burn the edges.
Take it out and turn it over to the soft side
Add your sauce of choice - I made one pizza with basil pesto and the other with tomato paste

Add a sprinkle of grated cheese (not too much) then your favourite toppings. Health wise be sparing with the high fat/salt/calorie toppings like processed meat and go mad with the vegetables - lots of greens, mushrooms, tomatoes, capsicum, herbs and so forth
Back under the griller for 5-10 minutes at most and its done

For the eggplant pizzas
Heat your oven griller to 200C and use a foil covered baking tray
Slice your eggplant into 1-2 cm thick circular slices

Spray your foil tray with olive oil spray, place your eggplant on, spray/brush with a little olive oil and sprinkle with black pepper
10 minutes under the hot grill until golden then remove.
Turn over as you did with the flat bread, coat with your sauce of choice and pile high with toppings, I used mushrooms , capsicum, tomatoes, feta, anchovies, basil pesto and a sprinkle of grated cheese.
Back under the griller for 10 minutes and its done.

Whichever way you make them, serve your pizzas with a lovely green salad for even more veggie goodness.

Bon appetit!!

Lyndal @ Lean Green and Healthy

Health4Tips

Sunday, October 4, 2015

Zucchini and vegetable slice

Thursday, October 1, 2015

Deliciously decadent chia pudding

Wednesday, September 30, 2015

Potato salad recipe (and the wonders of resistant starch!)

Friday, May 1, 2015

Thai green curry cauliflower and coconut soup

Sunday, April 26, 2015

Tonight's taste test - Curried carrot and red lentil soup

Friday, June 13, 2014

Recipe - easy cheesy veggie bake

Tuesday, June 10, 2014

Recipe - super easy Thai red curry soup (veggie)

Saturday, June 7, 2014

Recipe - mini breakfast frittatas

Recipe - Light and tasty beef stroganoff

Wednesday, June 4, 2014

Recipe - healthy pizzas (with flatbread or eggplant)

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