Baked Sweet Potato Fries

Serves: 4
From: Costco

2 medium sweet potatoes, peeled (or 1 package frozen pre-cut sweet potatoes)
2 tablespoons good olive oil
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees
Have the sweet potatoes length wise and cut each half into 3 long spears
Put olive oil and pepper into a bowl.  Mix potatoes in oil.
Spread on a baking sheet that has been sprayed with Pam.
Bake for 15 minutes and then turn with a spatula.
Bake for another 5-10 minutes, until lightly brown.

Apple Sandwiches with Granola and Peanut Butter

Serves 2
From:  Whole Foods

2 small apples, cored and cut crosswise 1/2 inch thick rounds
1 teaspoon lemon juice
3 tablespoons peanut or almond butter
2 tablespoons semisweet chocolate chips
3 tablespoons granola

If you won't be eating these right away, start by brushing the apples slices with lemon juice to keep them from turning brown.

Spread one side of half of apple slices with peanut or almond butter then sprinkle with chocolate chips and granola.  Top with remaining apple slices, pressing down gently to make the sandwiches.  Transfer to napkins or plate and serve.

Green Beans Almondine

From: http://www.veganchef.com/

Green Beans Almondine

water
1 cup whole raw almonds
2 lbs. green beans, ends trimmed, and strings removed
salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
2 T. olive oil
2 T. lemon juice
1 T. toasted sesame oil
1 1/2 T. freshly chopped parsley
2 t. freshly chopped thyme

Begin by blanching the almonds. In a small saucepan, place 3 inches of water, and bring to a boil. Add the almonds and cook for 1 minute. Remove the saucepan from the heat and set aside for 3 minutes to cool. Remove the almonds from the water, squeeze each almond between your thumb and forefinger to remove the skin, and set them aside for 5 minutes to dry and cool. Using a sharp knife, split the almonds in half lengthwise, and set aside. Place the green beans in a large steamer basket and steam for 3-5 minutes or until tender. Transfer the steamed green beans to a large bowl. Season the green beans to taste with salt and pepper, toss gently, and set aside. In a non-stick skillet, place the olive oil and halved almonds, and cook the mixture over medium-high heat for 3-5 minutes or until the almonds are golden brown. Remove the skillet from the heat, add the remaining ingredients, and stir well to combine. Pour the hot almond mixture over the green beans and toss well to thoroughly coat the beans with the mixture.

Serves 6-8

Wilted Spinach Salad with Warm Feta Dressing

Wilted Spinach Salad with Warm Feta Dressing

• 1 9-ounce bag fresh spinach leaves
• 5 tablespoons olive oil, divided
• 1 medium red onion, halved, cut into 1/3-inch-thick wedges with some core attached
• 1 7-ounce package feta cheese, coarsely crumbled
• 2 tablespoons Sherry wine vinegar

Preparation

Place spinach in large bowl. Heat 2 tablespoons oil in heavy large skillet over high heat. Add onion; sauté until brown and softened, about 7 minutes. Transfer to bowl with spinach; remove skillet from heat. Add remaining 3 tablespoons oil and cheese to skillet. Stir to melt cheese slightly, about 1 minute. Stir in vinegar. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Pour over spinach; toss to coat and wilt slightly.

The Best Salmon Marinade

Serves: 4-5
Source:  http://www.food.com/recipe/the-best-salmon-marinade-286303

Ingredients:

• 4 salmon fillets or 4 salmon steaks
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 3 tablespoons soy sauce
• 2 scallions, chopped (2 green onions)
• 1 garlic clove, finely chopped
• 2 teaspoons fresh ginger, peeled and finely chopped
  
  

Directions:

Prep Time: 10 mins

Total Time: 40 mins

1. 1 Mix oil, soy sauce, scallions, garlic, and ginger to make a marinade, pour over salmon and marinate for 1 hour in the refrigerator. (no longer than an hour or the salt in the soy will begin to cook the meat).
2. 2 Grill, bake or grill salmon for about 4 minutes per side (when salmon flakes when pierced with a fork).
3. 3 **** (for a smokier flavor, add a couple splashes of liquid smoke to marinade -or- soak cedar planks in water for a few hours and grill the salmon on the cedar on the bbq). FABULOUS FAMILY FAVORITE (KIDS TOO). ****.

Grilled Veggie and Goat Cheese Wrap

Grilled Veggie and Goat Cheese Wrap

Servers: 4
Source: ?

Marinade:
½ C olive oil
¼ C red wine vinegar
Onion powder
Garlic salt
Fresh black pepper

Mix ingredients for marinade.

½ pound button mushrooms, sliced
1 red bell pepper cut in pieces
1 eggplant cut in chunks
1 onion, cut
1 green pepper cut in pieces
Black olives
Goat cheese
Whole wheat tortillas

Prepare ingredients through green pepper and put in marinade. Cover veggies with marinate. Let it process for a half hour turning once during that time. Grill the veggies. When the veggies are cooked and have cooled, line tortillas with them. Sprinkle goat cheese and black olives over the top. Wrap tight and serve.

Basil Balsamic Marinade for Grilled Fish

Basil Balsamic Marinade for Grilled Fish

Serves: I make about 4 filets
Source: Cooks.com

½ C. balsamic vinegar
¾ C. olive oil
Few drops of hot pepper sauce
¼ C minced fresh basil (1/8 C dried)
Fresh ground pepper

I think this is best with a white fish such as Mahi Mahi, Talopia, Wali, or Northern. Whisk together the vinegar, oil and hot sauce. Stir in the basil and pepper. Pour over fish and marinate about 45 minutes. Turning once before grilling.

Tortilla chips

Tortilla Chips
Source: Lisa Turner
Serves: 4

3-6 inch thin wheat tortillas
1 Tablespoons olive oil
1/2 teaspoon cumin

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Stack tortillas and cut into 1/4 inch strips.  In a medium bowl, toss together with olive oil and cumin.  Spread in a single layer on a large baking sheet.  Bake, stirring frequently, until golden brown 10 - 15 minutes.  Remove from oven and let cool slightly.

Summer Vegetable Casserole

Summer Vegetable Casserole


From: Unknown


Extra-virgin olive oil for drizzling

½ pound new red potatoes with skin on, sliced

Freshly ground pepper

1 yellow bell pepper, sliced

1 small onion sliced

1 large garlic clove minced

1 teaspoon thyme leaves

½ pound plum tomatoes, sliced

2 small zucchini, sliced on the diagonal


Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Coat a 9 inch baking dish with Pam spray. Spread the potatoes in the dish in an even layer; drizzle with oil and season with pepper. In a bowl, combine the bell pepper, onion, garlic, and thyme. Season with pepper. Arrange two-thirds of the bell pepper mixture over the potatoes and drizzle with oil. Top with the tomatoes and the zucchini. Drizzle with oil and season with pepper. Cover with the remaining bell pepper mixture.

Cover the casserole with foil and bake for 40 minutes. Increase the oven temperature to 425 degrees. Uncover the casserole and bake for about 20 minutes longer, until the vegetables are tender and glazed on top. Let stand for 10 minutes. Serve warm.

Tangy Bean Salad

Tangy Bean Salad


From: Health Starts Here at Whole Foods

Serves 4

3 tablespoons apple cider vinegar or rice vinegar

1 tablespoon reduced sodium soy sauce

1 tablespoon sesame tahini

1 teaspoon mustard

3 tablespoons water

2 ½ cups cooked and drained no-salt-added garbanzo beans

½ cup thinly sliced green onions

½ cup grated carrots

Parsley, chopped to taste


Whisk together vinegar, tamari, soy sauce, mustard and water in a medium bowl. Add beans, green onions, carrots and parsley; toss to combine and set aside at room temperature to let marinate for a least 15 minutes before serving.

dropthenumbers

Early this year, my husband was told he had high cholesterol.  My husband is slender, eats well, works out, and has a family history of high cholesterol.  The doctor wanted to start him on medication right away, but instead, we opted to research how to lower it through diet.  Six months later, with no medication and limited exercises my husband's cholesterol dropped from 256 to 194.  We spent a great deal of time reading and researching what needed to change.  Through my research, I learned how important it is to eat healthy foods to improve your overall health.  I have been asked by a number of people to share my recipes so I started this blog as a way to do that. 

I am not a doctor or dietitian, and I did not create these recipes.  I may have altered some of them slightly, but I can't take credit for them.  If I know where I found them, I will credit the author. 

Enjoy and good health!