Healthy Recipes for Winter

Top Healthy Recipes for Winter

delicious low-calorie winter recipes.Fight winter weight gain with these seasonal diet foods.

1. Honeyed winter salad:

 Bring summer to winter with this fresh salad - it contains 3 of your 5-a-day too.

 Ingredients:

    1 butternut squash, cut into thin wedges
    2 red onion, halved and cut into wedges
    4 parsnips
    Parsnip

    , cut into wedges
    3 tbsp olive oil
    olive oil

    (try garlic or basil infused)
    1-2 tbsp clear honey
    1 small ciabatta, roughly torn into pieces (tomato and olive ciabatta works well)
    1 tbsp sunflower seeds, optional
    225g bag leaf spinach
    Spinach

    2 tbsp white wine vinegar
    1 tsp Dijon mustard


Method:

    Heat oven to 220C/fan 200C/gas 7. Put the vegetables into a large roasting tin, drizzle with half the oil and season to taste. Roast for 20 mins, turning once in a while until softened. Drizzle with the honey. Scatter the torn ciabatta and sunfl ower seeds over the top and return to the oven for a further 5 mins or until toasted.

    Put the spinach into a large bowl and tip in the vegetables and ciabatta. Whisk the vinegar, mustard and remaining oil together, season to taste and toss into the salad until the spinach wilts slightly. Serve immediately.

Recipe from Good Food magazine, February 2006.

2 Easy Salmon Cakes:

 If you are trying to boost your intake of omega-3s, try this simple favorite. It is a great way to use convenient canned (or leftover) salmon. The tangy dill sauce provides a tart balance. 

 
 Ingredients: 4 servings

    3 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
    Colavita Olive Oil Extra Virgin

    1 small onion, finely chopped
    1 stalk celery, finely diced
    2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
    15 ounces canned salmon, drained, or 1 1/2 cups cooked salmon
    1 large egg, lightly beaten

    1 1/2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
    1 3/4 cups fresh whole-wheat breadcrumbs, (see Tip)
    1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
    Creamy Dill Sauce, (recipe follows)
    1 lemon, cut into wedges


Preparation:

    Preheat oven to 450 °F. Coat a baking sheet with cooking spray. Heat 1 1/2 teaspoons oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion and celery; cook, stirring, until softened, about 3 minutes. Stir in parsley; remove from the heat. Place salmon in a medium bowl. Flake apart with a fork; remove any bones and skin. Add egg and mustard; mix well. Add the onion mixture, breadcrumbs and pepper; mix well. Shape the mixture into 8 patties, about 2 1/2 inches wide. Heat remaining 1 1/2 teaspoons oil in the pan over medium heat. Add 4 patties and cook until the undersides are golden, 2 to 3 minutes. Using a wide spatula, turn them over onto the prepared baking sheet. Repeat with the remaining patties. Bake the salmon cakes until golden on top and heated through, 15 to 20 minutes. Meanwhile, prepare Creamy Dill Sauce. Serve salmon cakes with sauce and lemon wedges.

    Make Ahead Tip: Prepare through step 3. Cover and refrigerate for up to 8 hours.
    To make fresh breadcrumbs: Trim crusts from firm sandwich bread. Tear the bread into pieces and process in a food processor until coarse crumbs form. One slice makes about 1/3 cup.
    Easy cleanup: Recipes that require cooking spray can leave behind a sticky residue that can be hard to clean. To save time and keep your baking sheet looking fresh, line it with a layer of foil before you apply the cooking spray.

Ravioli & Vegetable Soup:

Fresh or frozen ravioli cook in minutes and turn this light vegetable soup into a main course. Look for whole-wheat or whole-grain ravioli in the refrigerated or frozen section of the supermarket. Tortellini can be used instead of ravioli as well. Recipe by Nancy Baggett.

 

  Ingredients:4 servings

    1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
    Colavita Olive Oil Extra Virgin
    2 cups frozen bell pepper and onion mix, thawed and diced
    2 cloves garlic, minced
    1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper, or to taste (optional)
    1 28-ounce can crushed tomatoes, preferably fire-roasted
    1 15-ounce can vegetable broth or reduced-sodium chicken broth

    1  1/2 cups hot water
    1 teaspoon dried basil or marjoram
    1 6- to 9-ounce package fresh or frozen cheese (or meat) ravioli, preferably whole-wheat
    2 cups diced zucchini, (about 2 medium)
    Freshly ground pepper to taste.

Preparation:

    Heat oil in a large saucepan or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add pepper-onion mix, garlic and crushed red pepper (if using) and cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Add tomatoes, broth, water and basil (or marjoram); bring to a rolling boil over high heat. Add ravioli and cook for 3 minutes less than the package directions. Add zucchini; return to a boil. Cook until the zucchini is crisp-tender, about 3 minutes. Season with pepper.  

Garlic and Parmesan Chicken Wings:

 The trick to keeping these oven-baked chicken wings crispy, is parboiling the wings in a flavorful liquid, which helps season the chicken and produce a surface texture in the oven that your guests will swear came straight out of a deep fryer.

Ingredients:
    cooking spray
    3 quarts cold water
    1/3 cup balsamic vinegar
    1/4 cup salt
    1 bay leaf
    1 teaspoon dried thyme
    1 teaspoon dried oregano
    1 teaspoon dried rosemary

    8 cloves garlic, minced
    1 pinch salt
    3 tablespoons olive oil, or as needed
    1 tablespoon freshly ground black pepper
    2 teaspoons red pepper flakes, or to taste
    4 pounds chicken wings, separated at joints, tips discarded
    2 tablespoons fine bread crumbs
    1 cup finely grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, divided.


 Directions:
    Preheat an oven to 450 degrees F (230 degrees C). Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil and coat foil with cooking spray.
    Combine water, vinegar, 1/4 cup salt, bay leaf, thyme, oregano, and rosemary in a large stockpot and bring to a boil. Add chicken wings, return to a boil, and cook for 15 minutes. Remove chicken wings with a slotted spoon to a cooling rack and allow to dry for 15 minutes.
    Mash garlic and a pinch of salt together in a mortar and pestle until smooth.
    Combine mashed garlic, olive oil, black pepper, and red pepper flakes in a large bowl. Add chicken wings and bread crumbs; toss to coat. Sprinkle with 1/2 cup Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese. Transfer to the prepared baking sheet and sprinkle with remaining 1/2 cup Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese.
    Bake in the preheated oven until browned, 20 to 25 minutes.








Honey Orange Firecracker Shrimp:

 Recipe by: James & Peteeboy
"Colossal-size shrimp seasoned and fried crispy with honey, orange, garlic, and red pepper. You can dress this up with either orange, lemon, or lime zest and fresh thinly-sliced basil."

 

Ingredients:
35 m; 8 servings; 289 cals

    24 jumbo shrimp, peeled and deveined
    1 cup cornstarch
    1 tablespoon garlic powder
    1 1/4 teaspoons salt
    1 teaspoon ground black pepper

    1/2 cup canola oil
    1 cup tupelo honey
    1 tablespoon grated orange zest
    2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
    1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper, or to taste.

 Directions:

    Wash shrimp well and submerge in cold water in a bowl; set shrimp aside.
    Place cornstarch, garlic powder, salt, and black pepper in a large plastic bowl with a tight-fitting lid, close the lid, and shake several times to mix. Place half the wet shrimp into the container, cover, and shake to coat shrimp with cornstarch mixture. Remove shrimp to a platter and repeat with remaining shrimp.
    Heat canola oil in a large skillet over medium heat until the oil is hot and shimmering but not smoking. Tap excess cornstarch from the shrimp and pan-fry in batches until shrimp are opaque inside and brown and crisp outside, 2 to 3 minutes per side. Drain cooked shrimp on paper towels while you fry the remaining shrimp.
    Clean skillet and pour in honey; bring to a boil over medium heat and stir in orange zest, lemon juice, and cayenne pepper. Serve hot shrimp on a serving platter drizzled with honey sauce to taste.