Fitness Food and You

This salad tastes as good as it looks. Please make this while summer is still here!

ingredients

1 pound fresh green beans

1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved

1 shallot, thinly sliced

6 medium radishes, thinly sliced

honey vinaigrette ingredients

1 T red wine vinegar

1 T lemon juice

½ t strong Dijon mustard

1 t honey

¼ t sea salt

2 T extra virgin olive oil

1 T minced fresh oregano

2 t fresh thyme

1/4 cup crumbled feta cheese

directions

In a small bowl, combine the red wine vinegar, lemon juice, Dijon mustard, honey and sea salt. Whisk to combine. While whisking, slowly add olive oil to emulsify. Stir in fresh oregano and thyme.

In a large saucepan, add 1 tablespoon of salt to 2 quarts of water, and bring to boil. Add the green beans and cook for 1 minute, until tender and vibrant green. Drain and cool.

In a large bowl, combine the green beans, cherry tomatoes, sliced radishes. Toss with the dressing. Sprinkle with the crumbled feta cheese and serve.

(Adapted from a recipe found on http://www.artofcheese.com)

This is a delicious and much healthier alternative to mashed  potatoes. Leaving the skins on adds iron, potassium and fiber!

ingredients

small, red potatoes

extra-virgin olive oil

fresh, chopped herbs of your choice

directions

Preheat the oven to 425⁰. Pierce the potatoes with a fork and bake for about an hour.

Meanwhile, chop  fresh herbs of your choice (i.e., parsley, chives, dill, rosemary, thyme).

Remove the potatoes from the oven, place them in a large bowl and smash them with a masher. Drizzle the potatoes with extra-virgin olive oil and add the fresh herbs. Mix thoroughly and serve.

(This recipe came from a good friend of mine. So easy! I used fresh dill and parsley. YUM!)

ingredients

2 T chopped fresh rosemary

3 t low-sodium soy sauce

1 ½ T extra-virgin olive oil

1 T grated lemon rind

2 T fresh lemon juice

2 t grated orange rind

1 T fresh orange juice

1 t grated peeled fresh ginger

2 t honey

¼ t salt

¼ t freshly ground black pepper

5 garlic cloves, chopped

1 ½ pounds swordfish steaks, cut into 1-inch pieces

¾ cup (2-inch) sliced green onions

12 (1-inch) pieces red bell pepper

cooking spray

directions

Combine the first 12 ingredients in a large zip-top plastic bag; add the fish. Seal and marinate in the refrigerator for 30 minutes, turning once.

Prepare the grill.

Remove the fish from the bag and discard the marinade. Thread the fish, green onions, and bell pepper alternately onto each of 4 (10-inch) skewers. Place on the grill rack coated with cooking spray and grill for 8 minutes or until desired degree of doneness, turning once.

(Adapted from a recipe found on myrecipes.com, which came from Cooking Light, 2002)

Summertime is the best time to make this simple, delicious cucumber salad.

ingredients

1-1 ½ lbs (about 3 medium) cucumbers

salt and freshly ground peppers

2 T rice vinegar

1-inch piece fresh ginger, peeled and minced

1 t sugar

2 T low-sodium soy

cilantro leaves for garnish

directions

Slice the cucumbers and toss them with the salt, pepper, vinegar, ginger, sugar and soy sauce. Adjust the seasoning, garnish with the cilantro leaves and serve.

(Adapted from a recipe from Mark Bittman’s cookbook, “Everything Vegetarian”)