Healthy / fit recipes - quick and easy recipes - page 18

In this quick, healthy recipe for porridge adapted from Food & Wine magazine, quinoa simmers with dried figs, maple syrup, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Milk and a sprinkling of chopped, toasted pecans and halved figs complete this nourishing breakfast.

This alternative to basil and pine nut pesto is great on pizza, pasta, or straight from a spoon.

Polenta, writes Chez Panisse’s Cal Peternell in Twelve Recipes, is “more ratio than recipe.” The standard is 4 parts water to 1 part polenta, simmered for 30 minutes. Be careful to add the polenta to the boiling water in a slow, steady stream with one hand as you whisk with the other—this will prevent lumps from forming. (If you end up with a few lumps despite your best efforts, don’t sweat it; it’ll still taste delicious.) Enriching it at the end with butter and cheese isn’t strictly necessary.

For this quick and easy chicken pho recipe, you’ll need rice vermicelli noodles, shredded meat from a rotisserie chicken, chicken broth, ginger, Asian fish sauce, basil, cilantro, mung bean sprouts, hoisin sauce, and Sriracha.

A classic French vinaigrette with red wine vinegar, Dijon mustard, shallot, lemon juice, and olive oil is one of the most versatile sauces in the kitchen. Use it to dress a simple green salad or an elaborate composed one, employ it as a quick marinade for raw meats or a casual accompaniment for grilled ones.

For this fresh, healthy summer salad recipe that balances sweet, tart, and salty, grilled watermelon, combines with feta, and mint.

For this healthy, refreshing salad recipe, jicama combines with ruby grapefruit and mango with lime, cayenne pepper, and cilantro.

Most granola is a fancy twist on toasted oats—consider that when contemplating the exorbitant prices retailers charge for it. The thing is, granola is incredibly easy to make at home, and for a fraction of the cost. This recipe is a granola base to which you can add whatever dried fruit, nuts, or other tasty bits make you happy. Feel free to tweak this with other spices, a little less honey, more salt—it’s quite forgiving, and customizing your own blend is the fun of making your own.

This is a smoothie with a secret: a handful of fresh spinach leaves, a powerful source of vitamins, minerals, and fiber (in addition to the blueberries’ fiber and antioxidants) that provide tons of nutrition without tasting that way. It’s great for adults and kids alike. Serve with a spoon and scoop of Granola for a more filling, crunchy treat.

For many, being a teenager in the ’80s meant hanging at the mall and consuming as many cups of Orange Julius as possible. As a nod to this frothy, orangey drink, which remains one of the best takes on a smoothie ever, we created this recipe, a fancier homemade version of the original. For more healthy inspiration, check out our Fruity Smoothie, Healthy Blueberry Smoothie, and Apple-Lemon-Ginger Juice.

Greek yogurt gives this healthy smoothie a gently tangy edge, a great boost to your morning. To make it vegan, use almond milk in place of regular milk and replace the yogurt with coconut milk. We suggest making with our Granola recipe as a more filling option with an added crunch.

Super-healthy antioxidant açaí berries are the beautifully purple center of this delicious breakfast bowl or afternoon after-yoga pick-me-up. It’s actually a two-part recipe. First, you blend up a straight-up smoothie, with unsweetened açaí purée (we like the one from Sambazon), frozen banana and peach slices, apple, honey, coconut milk, and—for extra body and protein—a bit of natural almond butter. The second part is what goes on top, a freestyle mix of whatever texture.

Matcha is all the rage, and we’re finding new ways to incorporate it into our cooking and baking, besides just matcha tea. Why are we so mad about matcha? Well, it’s green tea, but times 10. Matcha is the ground-up whole leaves, so you get more of all the antioxidants, caffeine, and other good-for-you stuff. And, it doesn’t hit you hard with a burst of energy and then a crash, like coffee can do. It’s more of a long, slow influx of energy. A little goes a long way.

Time can be short in the morning, and you know breakfast is important. With overnight oats, you slap it together the night before and have it ready in the fridge to grab quickly and eat on the go. It’s a balanced, nutritious, homemade breakfast that’s delicious too: There’s fiber, protein, probiotics, calcium, and fresh fruit in this recipe. So much better than store-bought cereal.

The perfect accompaniment to a meal, or a healthy snack on its own, these kale chips are easy, fast, and healthy. Smoked paprika and truffle salt give added depth of flavor, but don’t feel like you have to use those spices. Add some heat with some red pepper flakes or cayenne, maybe sprinkle on a little cheese if you so desire. Just make sure to keep an eye on these while they’re in the oven as they tend to burn fast!

Are you surprised to see such a fancy dessert? Don’t be! Christina Lane made this one dairy-free and naturally sweetened so that she doesn’t feel badly about eating it for breakfast. And she tops it with fruit soaked in honey just because it tastes good. (Honey is acidic and it breaks down the fruit while it rests.) Lane used figs because summer was in full swing when she perfected this recipe, but mango and raspberries are great here too.