Healthy Cooking - Bursting with Omega 3's

For those of us into healthy eating, we know that healthy eating and healthy cooking go hand in hand.  Any healthy eating plan, or proper diet, will educate you on the importance of Omega 3's and all that they do for the body, heart, and diet.   If you don't know by now how utterly important they are then you need to brush up on recent information with regards to healthy eating and essential nutrients the body needs regularly. 

There are quite a few delicious foods that offer Omega 3's and this healthy cooking recipe is literally bursting with them.

Almond Crusted Salmon with Caramelized Onions and Basil

     --------Courtesy of Isabel De Los Rios

Serve this dish as a main course along with roasted or mashed sweet potatoes, steamed vegetables and a green or bean salad.

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1 teaspoon coconut oil
• 1 sweet onion, thinly sliced
• Sea salt and pepper to taste
• 1/2 to 1 teaspoon lime juice
• 1/2 cup almond meal
• 4 teaspoons honey mustard or sweet prepared mustard
• 4 (4- to 6-ounce) skinless salmon fillets, skin removed
• 1/4 cup thinly sliced green onions
• 1/4 cup basil leaves

Directions

1.  Preheat oven to 375ºF. Grease the bottom of a large baking dish with 1 teaspoon coconut oil. 
2.  Heat butter in a large skillet over medium low heat. 
3.  Add onion, salt and pepper and cook, stirring occasionally, until golden brown and caramelized, 30 to 45 minutes. 
4.  Stir in lime juice and keep warm. 
5.  Put almond meal into a wide, shallow dish and season salmon with salt and pepper. 
6.  Brush the top of each salmon fillet with mustard and then roll in almond meal, pressing to make sure it sticks. 
7.  Arrange salmon in prepared baking dish in a single layer and bake until just cooked through and flesh flakes with a fork, about 15 minutes. 
8.  Transfer salmon to plates, top with caramelized onions, garnish with green onions and basil and serve.

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Healthy Cooking- Walnut Butter Recipe

The Diet Solution, amongst many others in the professional health world tell us that raw nuts is a great option for easy, healthy on-the-go snacks. Raw nut butters is a great way to add variety into your meal plans, as well as a tasty, healthy, filling snack full of Omega 3's. Great for on the the go people.

Most nutty snacks found in the stores are roasted, and we know that roasting nuts removes many of their healthy sought after properties.  So, as usual, the best way to get what you want is to make it yourself.  Here's how. 

This healthy cooking recipe is for Walnut butter, however you can use any raw nut of your choice.

Walnut Butter 

------Compliments of Isabel De Los Rios

- 3 cups raw walnuts

- 1-2 tablespoons olive oil

- 1/2 teaspoon sea salt

1.  Add all the ingredients into a blender or food processor.

2.  Start out on the lowest variable speed and then flip to high. It should become pretty smooth in about 1 minute.  At this point,do a taste test and add more oil or salt as needed.  Do not add any more oil than you have to, otherwise you will be able to pick up the taste in your finished product. You only need the oil for blending efficiency.

3.  For a sweeter taste add honey or Stevia.

Store tightly and keep refrigerated.

.......And some great ways to use your walnut butter recipe.

1.        Almond Butter with apple sauce with cinnamon sprinkled on top - a great after dinner snack if you're looking for something sweet.

2.       Almond or Walnut Butter on pretty much any fruit. 

3.       Nut Butter and Apple Butter Sandwich

4.       Cashew Butter on celery sticks

5.       Walnut Butter in oatmeal - I mix the walnut butter right into my warm oatmeal.

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Healthy Cooking - The Best Cuts to Grill

Indoor and outdoor grilling is without a doubt the best way to enjoy delicious cuts of meat or fish with a healthy kick.  However, there are some things one needs to know with regards to meat selection in order for grilling to keep it's healthy cooking quality.

Do you know how to select the best tasting and most healthy cuts of meat?

LEAN CUTS

Poultry

Chicken - Skinless, white meat 

Turkey - breast

Beef

Flank steak

Top loin

T-bone

Porterhouse

Tenderloin

90% lean ground beef

Veal 

Any trimmed cut

Pork

Pork chops

Tenderloin 

Lamb

Select cuts with "loin" description

Game

Rabbit

Buffalo

Game Birds

Pheasant

Quail

Osterich

Also, fish is a lean protein. While not technically "meat," you might try salmon, tuna, mahi mahi, halibut or tilapia — all sturdy enough for grilling.

The Calories and Fat

Aim for 3 to 4 ounces per serving — that's about the size of your palm.

You may see “lean” or “extra lean” on some meats. According to guidelines, meats marked “lean” must contain less than 10 grams of total fat, 4.5 grams of saturated fat and 95 milligrams of cholesterol per 3.5 ounces. Meats labeled “extra lean” contain less than 5 grams of total fat, 2 grams of saturated fat and 95 milligrams of cholesterol. But be careful when grilling up anything that's "extra lean" — they may turn out rubbery or dried out. 

More Tips

When shopping, look for meats that have the least amount of visible fat. If the cut is marbled, that means it's streaked with fat. For burgers, remember that ground turkey or chicken can have as much fat as ground beef because they often have a mix of dark meat and skin. Make sure you pick ground breast meat — or look for low-fat ground chicken or turkey.

Other Benefits

Not only are lean meats better for you, but they're better for your grill, too. Fatty meats drip more and can cause more flare-ups, which can, in turn, burn your foods. Grease dripping on your grill also wears out the grill's metal parts faster.



So now you know some simple little tricks to grilling.  Utilizing these few tips will ensure that your grilling experience is a healthy one, low in fat, easy on the stomach and most of all encompassing healthy cooking.