Quick Healthy Recipes For You

Archive for the ‘Quick Healthy Recipes’ Category

Cheese Frittata

This recipe is so quick and easy you can have it on the table very fast but it is still versatile enough to add extras and change it completely by different herbs or cheeses, adding a chutney to serve or as a main with veggies or green salad.

If you have more people then add more to your frittata and serve with vegetable dishes  and salads to extend it.

To serve 2

• Beat or whisk 4  large eggs or 6 small bantam eggs (organic or free range best)
• Heat olive oil (about 2 tablespoons, more or less according to size your your pan, heavy based pan best so it will not burn.
• Add salt and pepper to taste
• Pour into hot pan
• When Frittata is set on the base add sliced cheese, sprinkle herbs
• Set under the grill to puff up and brown

We like this served with a peach chutney, or  tangy Tamarillo  or  Tomato salsa, crisp French Baguette  and a green salad

I use a Magic Bullet to quickly whisk it up and have it cooking in minutes

Extras to add to expand the recipe or make it a more satisfying meal

Cooked potato, pumpkin, beans, peas, celery, mushrooms, egg plant, zucchini and practically anything else you may have on hand or in the garden.

Serve with baked potato crisps and a glass of your favourite wine

Want something  quick, healthy and delicious  ?

Quick Hummus Recipe for 1 1/2 cups of Dip

• 1 can chick peas
• 1 Tablespoon Olive oil
• 1/4 cup water
• Juice of one lemon
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon paprika – optional
• 1 clove garlic  minced or chopped finely if not using a processor

Combine all ingredients and blitz in a blender or food process until smooth or the consistency you desire.  Serve with Pita Bread, crackers, on pizza as a base, corn chips

Chilli Sauce is a great addition

Emma Peel, Chief Executive of Egg Production

Fresh Organic Produce - the life force of your body

This is Emma Peel,  chief exective of Egg Production !! Regular as clockwork she delivers a completely balanced meal completely enclosed in its individual hygienic case.  Things that are good for you have simple names, they are not shrink wrapped, dosed in additives and sprayed with chemical concoctions.  They arrive without ornate packaging, without expensive advertising if you discount the proud cacklings of the hens as they announce their most recent achievement in the form of an egg !

Consider for a moment how  Emma Peel, would have spent her days,  trapped  in a small cage the size of an A4 sheet of paper had  she had been raised in the Poultry industry,without  access to sunlight, fresh air and unable to scratch around or forage and do what hens do.  I invite you to consider this when you purchase eggs next time  and ask yourself is there really any comparison between  fresh organic eggs and mass produced poultry industry ones ?

Healthy Urban Kitchen Cookbook

Yes, fresh is best, local markets, farmers markets and simple food, preferably collected or  dug up right in front of your eyes is the sustainable way to go.   How much will a packet of Cheezels will enhance your life force  ?

How far will Chicken Nuggets sustain you ?  How much energy will a hamburger provide and more importantly, how much of a taste sensation will some woolly, cardboard tasting snack give you ?

Healthy Urban Kitchen Cookbook

Yep, things that are good for you do have simple names, like eggs, fruit, milk, vegetables and yes, even carrot – how simple is that ? I have a “recipe” for you today, take one carrot, pull it from the ground, eat it, that’s it !    I bet you it will be the sweetest carrot you have ever eaten !

Carrot and Raisin Salad

• 2 large grated carrots
• Large handful of raisins
• 2 Tablespoons olive or salad oil
• orange juice or lemon juice from one fruit
• pineapple pieces ( fresh if possible)

Gently stir the whole lot together

Serve garnished with coriander, chives, parsley or what ever herbs take your fancy.

Hunger forcing you to come out to investigate the pantry ?

You will be eating this pizza faster than you can drive for takeaways and quicker than the pizza delivery could arrive as well as know exactly what is in it.

Ingredients are usually stored in your larder, freezer but once you have the idea you can easily improvise

For each person take out one frozen Lebanese or Pita pocket each ( the large size if you are ravenous0 either microwave it to thaw or remember to take out before you get to the ravenous stage !  Choose wholemeal for a healthy choice or garlic if you prefer and Paninis  work just as well.

Drizzle Olive oil over your pita bread and scatter some herbs of either dried for speed or chop up something like spring onions, chives, garlic chives,but basil or oregano is tastiest if available .

Spreading over tomato paste is optional or just slice tomatoes and sprinkle cheese over, more herbs scattered on top and pop into a hot over until deliciously browned and crispy

Serve with a green salad.

Optional Extras depending on what is on hand:

• Sliced or chopped mushrooms
• Crushed pineapple
• Any leftovers like potato is good
• Onions of any kind

Enjoy

I was given this recipe recently by an Italian friend  - yes, the same one who showed us how to make pasta from scratch ! AND he demanded we make it exactly how he told us but we like to experiment ….

Quantities are not exact and can be varied according to how many people and what you have in the pantry and feel free to make your own additions.

Delicious Italian Primo Lentil Dish

Very simple, quick and easy to make and yet it  tastes delicious

• Take chopped onion, celery, garlic and fry until translucent, (or “blonde” as our friend calls it ) something like Wolfgang Pucks skillet would be ideal to cook it in.
• Add sausages, or spare ribs if you prefer.   Brown and cook
• Add half a glass of wine and let cook for a few minutes
• Add one tin of tomatoes ( or half a large tin)
• When all the water has evaporated and 10 minutes before you wish to serve it add  one tin of lentils including the liquid, stir through and let simmer
• Serve garnished with your favorite herbs
• We have cooked this four times since getting the recipe, once with pork and fennel sausages. Our Italian friend said it didn’t go and we thought it was extra scrummy  !
• Enjoy

Curried eggs are a moist and delicious spread for sandwiches:

4 hardboiled eggs (shelled and mashed)

1 & 1/2 Teaspoonsful of curry powder ( 2 if you prefer it hotter)

Salt and pepper to taste

Add mayonnaise or butter until smooth and chopped parsley is an optional extra.

Gluten Free Recipes

This same recipe can be used for a shared lunch.

Hard boil 4 – 6 eggs , cool in cold water ( makes them easier to shell) until cool. Shell and cut in half lengthwise.

Take out the yolks and mash with the above ingredients and place the yolks back in the whites.

Serve on lettuce leaves

Link for Devilled Eggs Recipe

Ria Patels Simple Egg Curry Recipe

Gluten Free Recipes

Quick, simple and easy ideas for serving your home made pasta from our Italian friends. You will notice there are no amounts as our friends just add more things as and when people turn up for a meal and don’t get hung up on the actual amounts – it makes cooking a lot more casual and enjoyable.

Serve with your own delicious home made spaghetti, pasta or fettucini to make a quick healthy and delicious meal.

1. Saute breadcrumbs with olive oil, garlic, chilli ( small amount of chilli – always easy to add a bit more later !) saute until crisp then add parsley when cooled as well as fresh tomato, add seasonings, salt and pepper and serve with pasta. Some great fresh herbs to use are oregan0, basil and sage – not all at once of course !
2. Bacon, mushroom, tomato and onion sauteed in olive oil with garlic and chilli
3. Saute onion, chilli, garlic in olive oil, add one tin of tomatoes or fresh if you prefer and a tin of tuna ( in oil)

I have had a lot of comments and many of you are curious how I got interested in pasta making again so I thought I’d share with you a funny tale of how I came to haul out the long forgotten pasta machine from my pantry!

Our Italian friends came to visit today.

We live in the country and they are from the city and we talked about missing fresh pasta here in the country.

“How many eggs do they lay ?” he asked as he watched our free range hens scratching in the garden. Suddenly he sat up straight.

” You gotta pasta machine ?”

I disappeared into the pantry and emerged dusting off a long forgotten box with an Italian made Imperia pasta maker.

“It’s an excellent machine” he stared at me in amazement.

“Its almost new, you’ve barely used it” he said in disbelief, “pasta making is so easy !” …..and ……

“You have a goldmine here” . Barely able to contain his excitement, he talked non-stop of how to make home made fresh pasta and how simple it was to make and how we could have a never ending supply of freshly made, economical pasta. Then followed an animated discussion of the different ways to serve pasta and what you could do with it.

I was almost sorry I’d hauled out the box but my mouth was watering at the descriptions

But what is the recipe I asked. “Recipe, recipe ? You don’t need a recipe” he scoffed, ” just make one small pile of flour with a “dent” in the middle and put in two eggs and then, slowly, slowly, bring the flour into the egg” and leaning back thinking he added “you might need some water”

When I pressed him for the amount, he said it depended…… then seeing the look on my face added “about two fingers worth !!! Bearing in mind that my friend has been a chef, restauranteur and previously a baker, I think maybe he made pasta on autopilot !

“Anyone can make it – you have eggs, you have flour and you have the machine. You have a goldmine” he said again, looking puzzled as to why we hadn’t thought of it before and shrugged.

We all sat down to eat lunch and discuss food (of course, what else) followed by him making a beeline for the armchair “to take a short rest” and promptly went to sleep ! His job was done it seems.