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Health Recipes

Who said you cannot enjoy tasty food that are healthy. These recipes are from, “Dr. Dean Ornish’s Program For Reversing Heart Disease.”

CARROT CAKE RECIPE

This is a perfect snacking cake which yield 10 slices (10 servings) by Mark Hal

Ingredients
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon, 1 teaspoon ground allspice, ½ teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg, 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves, 1 ½ cups whole wheat pastry flour, 1/3 cup wheat bran, 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder, 1 teaspoon baking soda, 1 cup grated carrots, 1 cup raisins or other dried fruit, 3/4 cup honey, 1 ½ cups water

Instructions
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Combine all the dry ingredients and mix well. In a separate bowl combine the liquid ingredients. Fold the dry ingredients into the wet ones and mix well. Do not over beat or mix. Pour into a nonstick 9 x 5 x 3-inch loaf pan. Bake for 1 hour and 15 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean.

(Serving size of 1 slice has 191 calories, 0.6 grams total fat, trace saturated fat, 0 milligrams cholesterol.)

APPLE STRUDEL

Yield: 18 x 5-inch loaf (10 servings) by Donna Nicoletti

Much of the commercially available phyllo does contain oil, but oil free varieties are available. This recipe proves that you do not need fat for a beautiful crust.

Ingredients
10 18 x 12-inch sheets of oil-free phyllo, 1/4 cup honey, 1/4 cup water, 5 cups thinly sliced apples, 2 tablespoons apple juice, 11/2 ounces raisins, 1/2 tablespoon ground cinnamon, 1 tablespoon vanilla extract or the seeds of 1/2 vanilla bean and 1 tablespoon water, 1 egg white

Keep the phyllo dough covered with a clean, damp cloth until you are ready to work with it. It dries out very quickly.

Mix together the honey and water, then set aside. Peel, core, and slice the apples. Saute the apples with the apple juice, raisins, cinnamon, and vanilla until they begin to soften. Remove from the heat and let cool. When the apples are cool you can begin to assemble the phyllo.

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Lay a phyllo sheet down with the short end of the rectangle in front of you. Brush liberally with the honey water. Lay the next sheet down directly on top of the first sheet and brush it as before. Repeat this procedure with the remaining 8 layers.

Spread the apple mixture evenly in the center of the phyllo. Leave a 1 1/2 inch border the phyllo rectangle. Starting at the short end, roll up the phyllo like a jelly roll. Have a nonstick or vegetable oil-sprayed baking sheet ready. Quickly pick up the roll and transfer it to the baking sheet. Twist the ends of the phyllo to prevent the filling from seeping out. Brush the top of the roll with the egg white.

Bake for approximately 30 minutes, or until golden brown. Let cool before cutting.

Serving size equal 1/10 of a roll, 111 calories, 0.2 grams total fat, trace saturated fat, 0 milligrams cholesterol.

MARINARA SAUCE

by Judy Talbott
YIELD: 4 cups (4 servings)
The carrots lend a subtle sweetness to this very versatile sauce. It appears in the Wild Mushroom Pizza. You can also pour it over pasta.

  • 1 cups coarsely chopped onion
  • ½ cup vegetable stock or water
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1½ cups chopped tomatoes
  • 4 cups chopped tomatoes
  • 1 teaspoon sugar
  • 2 tablespoons freshly chopped Italian parsley
  • 3 tablespoons freshly chopped Italian parsley
  • Salt
  • Freshly ground black pepper

Braise the onions in the vegetable stock until translucent. Add the garlic and cook further for about 1 minute. Add the carrots, continue cooking for about 5 minutes, and then add the tomatoes and the sugar. Cover and simmer over low to medium heat for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the basil and simmer, uncovered, for another 10 minutes. Transfer the sauce to a food processor, blender, or food mill and puree. If you prefer a chunkier sauce, puree only part of the sauce. Add the parsley and salt and pepper to taste.

VARIATIONS: Add your choice of fresh mushrooms when you add the tomatoes.

  • Serving size = 1 cup
  • 94 calories
  • 0.8 grams total fat
  • 0.2 grams saturated fat
  • 0 milligrams cholesterol

BANANA BREAD

This quick bread is perfect for snacks, even breakfast. Yield: 9 x 5 x 3-inch load (10 servings) by Mark Hall

Ingredients
2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour, 1/2 cup whole wheat flour, 1 tablespoon baking powder, 1/4 teaspoon baking soda, 4 very ripe bananas (mashed), 1/2 cup apple juice concentrate, 2 teaspoons vanilla extract, 1/2 cup raisins, 3 egg whites, 2/3 cup water.

Instructions
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Mix all dry ingredients together. In a separate bowl, combine all the wet ingredients. Fold the dry ingredients into the wet ones. Do not over mix or the bread will not rise. Pour the batter into a 9 x 5 x 3-inch nonstick loaf pan or one that's been sprayed with vegetable oil. Bake for 1 hour. Cool, slice and serve.

(Serving size of 1 slice (1/10 pan) has 204 calories, 0.7 grams total fat, 0.1grams saturated fat, 0 milligrams cholesterol.)

WILD MUSHROOM PIZZA

MAKES 1 12-INCH MEDIUM THICK-CRUSTED PIZZA by Pamela Morgan

Use the best mushrooms you can find for this elegant pizza.
Dough:

  • 1 package active dry yeast
  • 1 cup warm tap water
  • 1 pinch of sugar
  • 3 to 3 ½ cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • Cornmeal

Topping:

  • 1 cup Marinara Sauce (See. Recipe on this page for Marinara sauce)
  • 1 pound wild mushrooms, thinly slicked
  • 4 to 5 fresh basil leaves, torn
  • ½ teaspoon each dried oregano and dried thyme or 4 to 5 sprigs each of thyme and oregano
  • Freshly ground black pepper

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F. Empty the package of yeast into the warm water with the sugar and stir until the yeast granules dissolve. Let this sit for 10 to 15 minutes until a thin layer of bubbles forms over the water.

Combine 3 cups of flour and the salt in your food processor or bowl. And the yeast-water mixture and process continuously until a ball is formed. Knead for 10 minutes by hand or follow your processor’s instructions. If the dough sticks to your fingers easily, gradually add more flour as you continue kneading until it no longer sticks.

Transfer the dough to a bowl that has been lightly rubbed with oil. Place the bowl in a warm, dry place, cover lightly and let the dough rise for 30 to 60 minutes until doubled in bulk, then punch it down to release the air. Take the dough out of the bowl and knead for 1 minute more. The dough is now ready to be shaped.

Stretch the dough with your fingertips to form a circle. It should be flat in the middle and thicker around the edges. Sprinkle cornmeal over a pizza stone or heavy baking pan and then transfer the dough to the stone or pan.

Spread the tomato sauce evenly over the uncooked dough. Arrange the mushrooms (raw, or braised for 1 minute in a small amount of the marinara sauce) over the tomato sauce. Sprinkle the herbs on top and bake for 10 to 15 minutes, until the crust has browned.

  • 1/6 pan = 290 calories
  • 1.1 grams total fat
  • 0.1 grams saturated fat
  • 0 milligrams cholesterol

VARIATIONS: For a zucchini-mushroom pizza, slice one 8-ounce zucchini and then grill until cooked and lightly browned. Arrange this over the mushrooms. Add the herbs and bake as above.

For an eggplant-mushroom pizza, slice one medium eggplant (approximately ¾ pound) into ¼-inch slices. Use ½ teaspoon of salt to sprinkle over the eggplant and let it sit for about 1 hour on paper towels. Rinse off the salt and then grill until cooked. Arrange the eggplant over the marinara sauce with some of the wild mushrooms and the herbs. Bake as above. If you must pay close attention to your salt intake, you may omit salting the eggplant, which is done to remove the excess moisture.

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