We all are fond of good food, but that doesn’t mean we should not keep the track of the extra fats and cholesterol we consume with our favorite foods. Being conscious about the health of your heart is essential to keep the heart from getting diseased. Most of the cardiovascular diseases develop due to obesity or being overweight, whereas some may develop when the cholesterol gets accumulated into the blood vessels and make them narrow, thus reducing the blood supply to the heart. It is an old saying that “precaution is always better than cure”. This statement means that taking care of your heart and keeping it healthy is better than treating it after having a heart problem. Along with regular exercise, adopting certain changes in your eating habits can make you stay healthy for long. Here are a few recipes of delicious appetizers for healthy heart.
1: Potato Pearls
These appetizers are delicious and can be made in advanced, refrigerated and baked later.
Ingredients :
- Potatoes – 1 pound
- Wheat germ – ½ cup
- Finely chopped green onions or chives – ½ cup
- Paprika – ½ tablespoon
- Pepper and salt for taste
Directions:
Preheat the oven at 375 degree. Pour water in a bowl with potatoes and boil it until soft. Peal and mash them. Add salt, pepper and onions and shape into balls of almost 1 inch in size. Mix wheat germ and paprika together in a plate and roll potato balls for coating with this mixture. Use paper towel to apply a coat of the nonstick spray on the baking sheet. Keep this in the oven and allow it to bake for nearly 20 minutes. Serve hot in a dish with a toothpicks.
Above mentioned quantity can make 10 servings and each ball contains 10.02 g carbohydrates, 0.64g fat, 2.46 proteins.
Formerly, most of the foods were fried, but now they can be broiled or baked which can help to reduce the fat and cholesterol content. Coat the vegetables with savory and cook until golden brown. To make a simple shakebake coating, blend half cup of finely crumbled corn flakes with one teaspoon seasoned salt; sage, paprika and onion powder (1/2 teaspoon each); thyme, garlic powder and pepper (¼ teaspoon each). The foods that need to be coated can be dipped or moistened in a mixture of eight tablespoon water and four tablespoon Ener-G egg replacer, whisked to a foam. Place it in the oven and allow it to bake until crispy and brown (for around 15 minutes) at 375 degree. Serve hot and eat immediately.
2: Asparagus Guacamole
Fat free dish with flavor of avocados.
Ingredients:
- Tomato paste – 2 teaspoon
- Cooked asparagus – 1 cup
- Lemon juice – 1 teaspoon
- Garlic powder – ¼ teaspoon
- White powder – 1/8 teaspoon
- Chopped onion – 1 tablespoon
- Fat free mayonnaise – 3 tablespoon
- Diced chili peppers – (2 tablespoon or according to taste)
- Cumin – ½ teaspoon
You can also use black pepper (fine ground)
Directions:
Pour all the ingredients in a food processor or blender and allow it to mix well. For making corn chips, cut the corn tortillas into pieces or strips and bake at 325 degree (around 20 minutes). You can also buy the baked fat free tortilla chips from the store. Serve asparagus guacamole with these chips.
This recipe makes six servings and each has 0.21g fat, 16.2 calories, 1.4 g protein and 3.0g carbohydrate.
For preparing rich and thick salsa, pour five tablespoons of dried and chopped onions in a jar, put one tablespoon each of ground cumin, garlic powder, cilantro, chopped green onion and oregano. Add hot sauce for desired taste. Pour tomato shake, juice into the jar and keep it in the refrigerator overnight. You can also add finely diced celery, cucumber, and sweet bell peppers for flavor. Use less salt tomato juice for fresher and sweeter taste. It can be kept for three weeks if refrigerated.
3: Oven-Fried Yucca
For reducing the fat, prefer cooking oil spray.
Ingredients:
- Cassava (fresh yucca), peeled and sliced into 3 inch pieces – 1 pound
- Cooking oil spray
Directions:
Put the yucca in a kettle and pour cold water in it covering the yucca by one inch. Heat the water till it boils and cook the yucca at simmer until it is tender (for around 20 to 30 minutes).
Heat oven till 350 degree.
Take a slotted spoon and transfer the yucca on a cutting board. Allow it to cool and cut into ¾ inch wide.
Spray non stick cooking oil on a cookie sheet. Place wedges of yucca on the cookie sheet and sprinkle cooking oil spray over it. Use foil paper to cover this and allow it to bake for 8 minutes. Remove the cover and return to the oven for additional baking (baking for nearly 7 minutes).
This recipe yields 6 servings.
4:Pupusas Revueltas with Chicken
Low fat cheese and ground chicken help to reduce calories and fat.
Ingredients:
- Vegetable oil – 1 tablespoon
- Ground chicken breast – 1 pound
- Minced garlic – 1 clove
- Grated mozzarella cheese (low fat content) – ½ pound
- Green pepper, minced and seeded – 1 medium sized
- Finely diced small onion – ½
- Finely chopped tomato – 1 small
- Masa harina (instant corn flour) – 5 cups
- Water – 6 cups
- Salt – ½ teaspoon
Directions:
Heat a nonstick skillet over low flame and saute chicken in oil for few minutes or until it turns white. Stir the chicken constantly to avoid it from sticking.
Add green pepper, garlic, tomato and onion. Let this mixture to blend and cook well with chicken. Remove the frying pan from the stove and allow the mixture to cool. When it comes to room temperature, keep it in the refrigerator.
Take the instant corn flour into a mixing bowl, add the required amount of water to it and stir it well to make a stiff dough (like tortilla).
Mix in cheese to the refrigerated chicken mixture.
Make 24 pieces out of the dough. Roll each piece into ball with your hands and flatten them into a circle of around half inch in thickness.
Heat the iron skillet and cook each of the pupusas from both sides until golden brown.
Serve with Curtido salvadoreño.
This recipe yields 12 servings with 2 pupusas in each serving.
5:Curtido Cabbage Salvadore
This is an heart healthy recipe which can be cooked in very little amount of salt and oil.
Ingredients :
- Grated carrots (small – 2
- Oregano – ½ teaspoon
- chopped cabbage – 1 medium head
- Olive oil – 1 teaspoon
- Sliced onion (small) – 1
- Dried red pepper – ½ teaspoon
- Brown sugar – 1 teaspoon
- Water – ½ cup
- Vinegar – ¼ cup
- Salt – 1 teaspoon
Directions:
Pour water and cabbage into a pan and allow the cabbage to blench for 1 minute in boiling water. Take the cabbage off the water.
Transfer the cabbage in a big bowl and add sliced onions, grated carrots, olive oil, salt, oregano, red pepper, vinegar, water and brown sugar.
Before serving, place this mixture in refrigerator for nearly two hours.
Serve this curtido cabbage salvadore with pupusas revueltas.
This recipe yields 8 servings.
These delicious appetizers for healthy heart are made in cooking oil spray and hence are less in fat content. They can be made easily and quickly.
