The holidays are all about celebrating but afterwards your body may need a break. Furthermore, if you’re trying to make some lifestyle changes in the new year, rethinking your family’s diet is a great place to start. So if you’re trying to eat healthier in 2017, check out these easy post-holiday recipes!
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Cookie’s Cooks: Healthy and Delicious Post-Holiday Recipes
11th Jan 2017
Hearty Kale and Chorizo Soup
Spicy chorizo and nutritious kale make this Food Network recipe a hearty meal. If you’re in a hurry, skip the cod and simply add in extra potatoes.
What You’ll Need
½ tbsp olive oil
1 cured chorizo, sliced on the bias
¼ large Spanish onion, diced
1 large garlic clove, chopped
3 sprigs fresh thyme
1 bay leaf
8 cups organic chicken stock
3 Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled and diced
1 can white kidney beans, rinsed and drained
1 fresh cod fillet, seasoned with salt and white pepper
Directions
1. Sauté chorizo over medium hight heat until crispy. Remove from pan and set aside.
2. Reserve 1 tbsp. of the oil from the chorizo. Add onions and garlic and saute in oil until soft.
3. Mix in thyme, bay leaf, diced potatoes, beans and stock and turn up heat to medium high.
4. Drop in chopped kale and bring to a boil for 6-7 minutes. Turn down heat and cook for an additional 10 minutes. Return chorizo to the pot.
5. Meanwhile, melt butter in a separate pan and sear cod on both sides until just browned.
6. Add cod to soup pot and cook all the way through.
7. Remove bay leaf, ladle into bowls and season with salt and pepper to taste.
Eva’s Chicken and Cashew Lettuce Wraps
This easy and delicious recipe from the Food Network is loaded with big flavor and healthy vegetables. Also, kids will love the fact they get to eat dinner with their fingers!
What You’ll Need
1 lb ground chicken or turkey
1 tbsp minced ginger
8 shiitake mushrooms, thinly sliced
1 small carrot cut into thin matchsticks
1 green onions cut into thin matchsticks
2 tbsp hoisin sauce
2 tbsp water
¼ cup cashews, chopped
10 leaves lettuce leaves (leaf, Boston or iceberg)
1 tsp vegetable oil
Directions
1. Warm oil in a skillet over high heat. Cook chicken until browned, breaking it up into small pieces with back of a spoon, about 10 minutes
2. Add ginger and cook one minute. Transfer to plate.
3. Cook mushrooms in remaining oil until golden. Mix in the carrot and green onion and cook one minute.
4. Add chicken back to the skillet and toss with Hoisin sauce and water. Sprinkle with cashews. Remove from heat, cover and let sit for 5 minutes.
5. Divide filling between lettuce leaves.
6. Roll up and serve immediately.
Wintry Quinoa Salad with Butternut Squash, Cabbage and Apples
Get your daily dose of vegetables with this versatile side dish. If you can’t find everything organic, make sure to wash everything thoroughly before you start assembling. From Organic Authority.
What You’ll Need
1 organic butternut squash, diced (other winter squash will work too)
1 bundle organic kale, chopped
1/4 head of purple or green organic cabbage, thinly slice
1/2 organic lemon, juiced
2 tbsp organic extra virgin olive oil
2 tbsp organic apple cider or other fruit vinegar
2 organic carrots, shredded
1 organic red pepper, diced
1 cup cooked organic quinoa
2-3 stems organic celery, chopped
1 organic apple (of your choice!), chopped
1/2 cup organic parsley, chopped
1/4 cup organic raw pumpkin or sunflower seeds
Salt and black pepper to taste
Directions
1. Steam the diced butternut squash until tender.
2. Cut and prepare the vegetables while the squash is steaming.
3. Combine lemon juice, vinegar, and olive oil.
4. In a large bowl, massage the kale and cabbage with the lemon juice, vinegar and olive oil mixture
5. Incorporate carrots, pepper, quinoa, celery, apple and parsley to the bowl and mix evenly.
6. Once the squash has cooled, season with salt and pepper to taste and add to the bowl.
7. Sprinkle with optional pumpkin or sunflower seeds and serve with dressing of your choice on the side.
Coffee Banana Smoothie with Oats and Chia
This smoothie tastes so delicious you’ll have a hard time believing it’s good for you! The blend of almond butter, oats, and chia will keep you full until lunchtime, while the coffee and honey add a sweet buzz. From Little Broken.
What You’ll Need
¾ cup brewed coffee
1 large banana*, cut into chunks
1 tbsp. smooth unsalted almond butter
2 tbsp. old fashioned rolled oats
1 tbsp. chia seeds, plus extra for garnish
1 tbsp. honey
1 cup ice
What You’ll Need
1. Add all ingredients to a blender and pulse until smooth.
2. Serve immediately.
