After a Tough Year and the Flurry of the Holidays, Get Back on Track with These Simple Recipes for Healthy Eating
With 2020 (thankfully) behind us, and the food frenzy of the holidays now just a memory, it’s time to look ahead to 2021 and happier, healthier, times for all of us. Between any bad eating habits picked up while quarantining, to the (to be expected) overindulgence of traditional holiday goodies throughout December, it’s likely that even the healthiest eaters may have found themselves falling off the healthy eating wagon for the past few months. The good news though? January is the perfect time to get back on track and get healthy after the holidays. And the even better news? With a few simple substitutions and easy recipes, the return to healthy eating – and the move to even healthier meals and snacks in 2021 – is even easier than you think!
The new year is a great time to really look at the foods and ingredients you are eating – getting rid of things you just know aren’t good for you, and instead stocking up on healthier alternatives that can help you live a healthier lifestyle. So while the occasional “splurge” might be ok, you’ll be much more likely to stick to a healthier diet if you stock your refrigerator and pantry with the healthier items that can set you up for success – whether you are following a Keto plan, or committed to eating sugar-free and/or gluten-free in the new year.
Some great things to have readily on hand as we move into the heart of the winter to help you eat healthier in 2021 … and to make healthy meal preparation fast and easy for you and your family? Nutritionists agree that you should keep your kitchen stocked with staples like plenty of fruits and vegetables, Greek yogurt, nuts, whole grains, extra virgin olive oil, canned seafood (did you know that canned tuna or salmon is packed with omega-3 fatty acids that help protect your heart, boost brain power, elevate mood, maintain eyesight, and keep joints mobile?), canned beans and, in a throwback to holiday times, pumpkin puree (not only for holiday pies, pumpkin puree is packed with vitamins and nutrients, and can be added to soups, stews, smoothies, oatmeal, pasta sauce, and casseroles!)
The start of 2021 is the perfect time to jump-start a healthy eating routine, and set yourself on a healthy course, and work towards a healthier YOU, for the year ahead. Following are some of my favorite (and easy) recipes, where I’ve concentrated on building around healthy ingredients to make them gluten free, sugar free, vegan and Keto-friendly. I think you’ll be surprised to see just how easy it can be to not only eat healthier with some simple substitutions – but to make 2021 your healthiest year yet.
Here’s to a happy, and healthy, 2021 for all!
Hearty Legume Stew
Ingredients
- 1 cup Sliced carrots
- 3/4 cup Chopped onion
- 2 cloves Garlic minced
- 1/2 cup Chopped sweet red pepper
- 1 tbsp Olive oil
- 2 cans Vegetable broth 14.5 oz each
- 1 can Green pidgeon peas
- 1 can Black beans rinsed & drained
- 1 can Kidney beans rinsed & drained
- 1 can Black eyed peas rinsed & drained
- 1 can Garbanzo beans rinsed & drained
- 1 can Lentils drained
- 1 can Stewed tomatoes cut up
- 4 tsp Ground cumin
- 1/4 tsp Ceyenne pepper
- 2 tbsp Fresh cilantro minced
Instructions
- In a large saucepan or Dutch oven, saute the carrots, garlic, onionand red pepper in oil until crisp-tender. Add the broth, beans, tomatoes, corn,cumin and cayenne; bring to a boil.
- Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, for 30-35 minutes or untilvegetables are tender, stirring occasionally. Stir in cilantro.
Sweet Potato Biscuits
Equipment
- Baking sheet
- Parchment paper
- Small Bowl
- Large bowl
- 2-inch biscuit cutter
Ingredients
- 1 cup Chilled sweet potato puree
- 3/4 cup Chilled almond milk
- 2 1/4 cups Gluten-free flour cup to cup or measure to measure
- 2 tbsps Brown sugar
- 2 1/2 tsps Baking powder
- 1/2 tsp Baking soda
- 1 tsp Kosher salt
- 1/4 cup Honey
- 1 stick Cold unsalted butter cut into cubes
- 1 tbsp Melted butter for brushing
- Salt & pepper to taste
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- In a small bowl, whiskthe sweet potato puree with the almond milk
- In a large bowl, whisk theflour with the brown sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Sprinkle thecubed butter or vegan butter over thedry ingredients; using a pastry blender or two table knives, cut the butterinto the flour until the mixture resembles very coarse crumbs, with some of thebutter about the sie of peas. Stir in the sweet potato mixture just until asoft dough forms.
- Turn the dough outonto a floured work surface and pat it into a 1-inch-thick round. Using a 2-inch round biscuit cutter, stamp out as many biscuits as you can. Gentlypress the scraps together and stamp out more biscuits.
- Arrange the biscuits on the prepared baking sheet and bake for about 15 minutes, until golden brown. Brush with the melted butter and serve warm.
Savory Tomato Tart
Equipment
- Medium bowl
- Pie plate
Ingredients
- 1 Gluten-free pie crust
- 8 Tomatoes thinly sliced
- 1/2 cup Sweet onion thinly sliced
- 3/4 cup Fresh basil chiffonade
- 1/2 cup Mayonnaise or veganaise
- 1/2 cup Sour cream or tofutti
- 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese grated or vegan parm
- 1/4 cup Gruyere cheese grated or vegan mozzarella
- 1/4 cup Mild cheddar cheese shredded or vegan cheddar
- Salt & pepper to taste
- 4 drops Tabasco
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400°F.
- In a medium bowl, blend mayonnaise, sour cream, salt, pepper, tabasco, and cheeses.
- Place gluten free pie crust into a pie plate and place it into the oven. Par brake for 10 minutes and take out of the oven.
- Place the thinly sliced tomatoes on paper towels. Sprinkle lightly with salt to let the excess liquid drain. Let set for 10 minutes.
- When the pie crust is out of the oven, place some tomatoes slices on the bottom of the crust, slightly overlaying them. Add thin layer of sweet onions and basil; season lightly with pepper. Do this for 3 layers.
- Top with the mayonnaise layer; and top with thinly sliced tomatoes and basil.
- Bake at 400°F for 25 minutes or until golden.
Baked Green Bean Bites with a Cumin, Cilantro Sauce
Equipment
- Blender
- Parchment paper
- Baking sheet
- Large bowl
Ingredients
- 2 cups Green beans cooked & pureed
- 3/4 cup Gluten-free bread crumbs
- 1/2 cup Almond milk
- 2 Eggs
- 1/2 cup Onions diced small
- 1/2 cup Celery diced small
- 3/4 cup Peppers orange, yellow, red, diced small
- 1 tbsp Olive oil
- Salt, pepper, and garlic power to season
Cumin, Cilantro Sauce
- 1 tsp Cumin
- 1 pint Heavy cream
- 1/2 cup Fresh cilantro
- Salt & pepper to taste
Instructions
- Heat oven to 350. And place parchment paper on a baking sheet pan.
- In a large bowl, mix pureed green beans, gluten free bread crumbs, eggs with seasonings. Add almond milk; mix. Set aside.
- Saute onions, celery, and peppers in olive oil until translucent. Let cool and add to green bean mixture. Careful not to "cook" the eggs with the heat of the pepper mixture.
- When cool, add onion mixture to the green bean mixture. Mix well. More almond milk may be added, if needed.
- Place rounded spoonfuls onto parchment paper. Bake for 12 minutes or until a little golden.
- Mix all ingredients for the cumin, cilantro sauce together in a blender.
- After the green bean bites are done baking, serve immediately with the cumin, cilantro cream sauce.
Lemon Cherry Pound Cake
Equipment
- 12-cup bundt pan
- Large bowl
- Small Bowl
Ingredients
- 1 can Cherry pie filling about 21 oz.
- 2 cups Gluten-free flour cup to cup or measure to measure
- 1 tsp Salt
- 1 tsp Baking Powder
- 1 tsp Baking Soda
- 1 stick Unsalted butter at room temperature
- 1 cup Sugar
- 2 Eggs
- 1 tsp Vanilla
- 1 cup Sour Cream
- 2 Lemons zested
- 1 tbsp Fresh lemon juice
For the Glaze:
- 3 tbsp Unsalted butter melted
- 3 tbsp Milk
- 1 cup Powdered sugar
- 2 tbsp Lemon juice
- 1 dash Salt
Instructions
- Empty the cherry pie filling into a strainer and rinse off syrup.
- Preheat the oven to 350ºF.
- In a large bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt.
- In a smaller bowl, beat together the butter,sugar, eggs and vanilla until creamy
- Add in the sour cream and lemon zest and beat until combined. Gradually add in the flour mixture and blend well.
- Pour the batter into the bundt pan and spoon the cherries overthe top. Using a spoon or butter knife, swirl the cherries slightly into thebatter.
- Bake in the preheated oven for approximately 50 minutes or untila cake tester comes out clean.
- Allow the cake to coolthoroughly before turning it out of the pan.
- While the cake is cooling, make the glaze by adding the milk andmelted butter to a bowl. Whisk in the confectioner’s sugar until it’s fullyincorporated and stir in the lemon juice and salt. When the cake has beenremoved from the pan, drizzle on the glaze.