Sunday, September 30, 2012

Healthy in a flash.




Don't feel like cooking?  What if you knew you'd only be in the kitchen for 15-20 minutes?(minus clean-up time, which hopefully you can pawn off on someone else in your house) With a tiny bit of planning, that's almost faster than take out...and a lot healthier!  I will admit that some of the recipes in here take a little more than 15 minutes the first time you try them, but they are so easy!

What have I made out of this cook book so far?  Tonight's dinner was the "Better Broccoli Pizza Potatoes" found on page 144.  It's the best of both worlds:  A cheesy baked potato that is also filled with garlic-y red sauce and good-for you broccoli.  Like many of the recipes, there is room for adding your preferred protein (meat or beans) or adding a salad for a more complete nutrition.  To be honest, we just had two each, one medium and one smaller.

Last Wednesday I made the "Quick Energy Coconut-Lime Salmon and Couscous" on page 93.  The Salmon took more time than I thought it would, simply because the recipe requires you to grill them.  I don't own a grill, so I decided to bake the salmon, which tasted good but took more than 8 minutes total.  The 'sauce' (which is more like a gross-looking paste) tasted better than I thought it would, and the entire meal exceeded my expectations, even reheated two days later.

Friday's dinner, and my favorite, was the "Anytime Fast Fruity Skillet Cake" from page 162.  Breakfast for dinner isn't something I do often, but this was a nice change of pace. I love the ingenious way it's made in the oven instead of on top of the stove.  No splattering mess like frying pancakes, and since I made it with oat flour, I didn't feel bad about eating half of it as a meal.  The batter has no sugar or butter, so you're mostly eating egg, whole wheat (or oat) flour, and the milk of your choice (see, very versatile!).  Using coconut oil to cook it adds a nice flavor, too. Syrup is unnecessary, but should you choose to add it, you're in for a decadent treat.  Next time I might think about whipped cream, too.

There is an entire meatless section I haven't even tried yet.  Right now I have this from the library, but it's definitely a keeper.  Ordering from Amazon soon.