Category: C.H.E.F. Recipes (Cheap Healthy Easy Fast)

Don’t have time to cook? Hate to cook? Don’t know what to do with certain foods? Want to save money on meals? I hope to inspire you and help you create delicious meals that are healthy and simple to make as well as fast and affordable.

Tempeh & Carrot Patties
C.H.E.F. Recipes (Cheap Healthy Easy Fast)

Tempeh & Carrot Patties

Dawn Silva/InitiateWellnessLeave a comment

During these difficult Covid19 quarantine days I’m doing my best to keep busy. I’m using this time at home to get some projects done and to cook and create some new interesting flavors; boredom will do that to me. Today I was inspired to cook up some veggie patties for lunch and they are pretty tasty!

If you want to make some and don’t have all the ingredients I used on hand, don’t sweat it – just improvise; creating can put you in a happy mood. I’ll share how to improvise in my ‘recipe’.

Tempeh Carrot Patties

3 large carrots, shredded (use cabbage, cauliflower or broccoli)

1 package of tempeh, crumbled (or 1 can chickpeas rinsed, drained & mashed)

1 small onion, chopped

a few stalks of parsley, chopped (can use dried or any other fresh herbs)

1 cup of mushrooms, chopped (4 large)

1 tsp salt

1 tsp cumin

a few grinds of black pepper (1/4 tsp)

1/4 cup flour – use any type of flour you choose, almond, coconut, chickpea etc.)

2 eggs

Omit any ingredients that you don’t like. Add green peas, shredded Brussels sprouts or asparagus…there are almost no limits – [just don’t sprinkle nutritional yeast on your Shredded Wheat Mom!! ;)]

Mix all ingredients well and drop by tablespoon full into hot pan with oil, coconut oil or butter (add more between batches as needed). Cook until browned 3-5 minutes, flip and cook another 2-3 minutes. Repeat until batter is gone.

Yogurt Topping

about 1 cup plain Greek yogurt (sour cream alternative)

handful of parsley chopped

2 tsp. nutritional yeast

squeeze of lemon or 1 tsp lemon juice

Blueberry Muffins
C.H.E.F. Recipes (Cheap Healthy Easy Fast)

Blueberry Muffins

Dawn Silva/InitiateWellness1 Comment

Everyone likes a little extra treat once in a while and I say, “why not”? I’ve become a fan of this particular blueberry muffin recipe in the past two years. The recipe comes from a great book I found at a Polish pottery store in MA, you can find the book online here. Each of the recipes in the book makes a dozen muffins. They’re simple and quick.

I sometimes add walnuts or pecans and I often leave the tops without sugar. I used brown sugar with cinnamon on this particular day.

So, while I don’t take credit for creating the recipe, I will take credit for making them often and sharing the recipe with you.

Sometimes it’s the simple things that keep us motivated, happy and hopeful.

Enjoy and share your muffin making experiences below!

C.H.E.F. Recipes (Cheap Healthy Easy Fast)

Stuffed Swiss Chard

Dawn Silva/InitiateWellnessLeave a comment

I went to my favorite farm stand in town and picked up some great greens. One particular green I bought was Swiss chard; the leaves were enormous and crispy and bright. I used some in salad and other dishes but I still had a lot of large leaves left so I decided to stuff them and bake them the same way you would for stuffed cabbage. They were a hit so I wanted to share my recipe with you. You can stuff pretty much any large enough vegetable leaf, so go ahead and create!

Stuffed Swiss Chard

  • 1 lb. organic ground chicken ( you can substitute meatless ground protein)
  • 1 med. Onion
  • 1 cup cooked brown rice (you can use quinoa or other whole grains)
  • 1 egg
  • 1 cup Wheatabix cereal = 2 biscuits (you can use bread crumbs)
  • Italian herb blend – oregano, basil, parsley, etc.
  • Dash salt and pepper
  • Cleaned and trimmed Swiss chard leaves or other leaf of choice
  • 12 oz jar of crushed tomatoes – I used my home canned mixture from last year

Mix all in a bowl until well blended. Put about ¼ cup onto middle of a leaf and roll it up covering all meat and place seam side down in an oiled baking dish. Repeat until all leaves and chicken is used up. Pour tomatoes over top of all stuffed leaves. Bake at 350° for 30-40 minutes.

Broccoli Super-food Salad
C.H.E.F. Recipes (Cheap Healthy Easy Fast)

Broccoli Super-food Salad

Dawn Silva/InitiateWellnessLeave a comment

This salad will help cleanse your system and provide you with minerals and vitamins. Choose organic ingredients when you can to avoid pesticides and such.

  • 1 head broccoli chopped into bite sized pieces
  • ½ small onion – red onion or scallions will work nicely
  • 2-4 carrots, sliced thin, chopped or run through a spiralizer (Cut a slice lengthwise before spiraling to make separate pieces) – I used 2 large carrots, one purple & one yellow
  • handful dried cranberries
  • 1 Tablespoon Chia seeds
  • ¼ cup sunflower seeds
  • ¼ cup sliced almonds – I only had whole so I ground them coarsely
  • about 4” chunk of cheddar cheese, diced tiny (optional) for non-dairy use 2 Tablespoons Nutritional yeast
  • ½ cup Green Goddess Dressing (Organic) (or dairy-free equivalent)
  • 1 cup plain yogurt – Greek or regular (Organic) (or dairy-free equivalent)

Mix all ingredients and chill several hours to overnight. Enjoy!

*Variations include diced apple, chopped orange slices, grapes, berries or other types of nuts. Create!

Mahi Mahi with Lime Couscous
C.H.E.F. Recipes (Cheap Healthy Easy Fast)

Mahi Mahi with Lime Couscous

Dawn Silva/InitiateWellnessLeave a comment

2016-03-23 14.39.03
Marinate the mahi-mahi Serve alongside or on top of couscous and a fresh salad

1-2 fillets for each person depending on the size – place in baker/casserole/pan

3 small limes, juiced (buy organic so you can wash them and simmer the couscous water with the peel)

2 Tablespoons olive oil

4 Tablespoons cilantro, chopped

1 teaspoon ground ginger or 1” fresh ginger squeezed through garlic press

Salt & Pepper

Mix all ingredients and pour over fish pieces – refrigerate for a few hours or you can cook it immediately for milder flavor and quicker preparation.

Cook at 325° for 20-30 minutes.

While fish is cooking, prepare your salad and couscous.

Lime Couscous

Add the washed peels from the freshly squeezed organic limes to a saucepan. Add the recommended amount of water per serving of couscous and a dash of salt and simmer for about 10 minutes, remove lime peels and add couscous and a little oil and continue to cook as recommended on package, usually about 10-15 minutes.

Wash your salad greens and spin dry.

Yogurt, Lime, Cilantro Dressing

2 Tablespoons plain yogurt

3 Tablespoons olive oil

1 Tablespoon chopped cilantro

2-3 Tablespoons lime juice

Dash salt & pepper

Water if needed to thin consistency-teaspoon at a time until desired thickness

Add all ingredients to a jar, cap it and shake it – let sit until just before serving and dress salad and toss before serving.

Sweet Potato & Lentil Stew (simple & quick)
C.H.E.F. Recipes (Cheap Healthy Easy Fast)

Sweet Potato & Lentil Stew (simple & quick)

Dawn Silva/InitiateWellnessLeave a comment

Collage 2018-03-22 11_07_32Here’s a light, healthy, satisfying and filling stew that will help you feel more grounded. Lentils help cleanse and purify your blood, sweet potatoes add fiber, potassium and helps kick cravings for sweets. Recipe makes about 6-8 servings.

*Add spinach or kale about 5 minutes before serving to add extra healthy goodness.

  • 3 Tbs. Olive oil
  • 4 medium sweet potatoes cut into 1” cubes
  • 1 large onion, chopped
  • 2 cloves garlic, chopped or pressed
  • 2 carrots, chopped or thinly sliced
  • 1-2 leeks cleaned and sliced
  • 1 cup green/brown lentils
  • 6 cups vegetable broth
  • 1 Tbsp. Bell’s seasoning or a combination of ground sage, thyme, rosemary, oregano and ginger
  • salt & pepper to taste

Heat oil in large saucepan, saute
the sweet potatoes, add leeks, onion, carrots and garlic stir to coat – add lentils, broth and spices – simmer 20-25 minutes. Enjoy!

Spring Vegetable Stew
C.H.E.F. Recipes (Cheap Healthy Easy Fast)

Spring Vegetable Stew

Dawn Silva/InitiateWellnessLeave a comment

 

Health is Wealth

  • 8 Small white or red potatoes cut into 1” chunks
  • 4-6 garlic cloves, minced
  • 1 medium onion, chopped
  • 2-3 small leeks, white part only, sliced about 1 inch slices
  • 6-6 carrots
  • 1 lb. sugar snap peas
  • 2 cups any combination spring greens (spinach, kale, collards, arugula, chard, cabbage)
  • 1 cup white cannelini beans or 1 can rinsed & drained
  • 2 quarts broth (chicken or vegetable)
  • 1 teaspoon lemon juice
  • Freshly ground black pepper

Add broth to a stockpot, bring to a simmer, add potatoes, onions and leeks – simmer 10 minutes, add carrots and snap peas – simmer 10 more minutes, add remaining ingredient sand simmer 5 min. Add lemon juice & ground pepper and serve.

Cleansing Healthy One Bowl
C.H.E.F. Recipes (Cheap Healthy Easy Fast)

Cleansing Healthy One Bowl

Dawn Silva/InitiateWellnessLeave a comment

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I’m a big fan of getting all the nutrients from a meal in one dish; I like one dish casseroles, soup and stew and absolutely a “Buddha” bowl of health!

Since the holidays have come and gone there’s no better time to either start a healthy body, healthy diet regimen. All it takes is making the right choices, portion control and a little bit of exercise every day. Today I’m going to share a simple strategy for making a Healthy One Bowl for lunch or dinner. Don’t be fooled, this might not seem filling and satisfying but I promise you it is!

Pick a base layer:

Brown rice, quinoa, rice noodles, barley, bulgur

Pick a protein:

Beans (rinsed well and drained or fried that has been soaked overnight and simmered until soft), tofu, lean chicken or fish, or omit this option depending on what you feel like or have on hand that day

Pick your veggies: (and fruit if you wish)

Steamed, sautéed or raw – sweet potato (baked), squash, kale, spinach, pea sprouts, beets, carrots, celery, asparagus, broccoli, cauliflower, peas, bean sprouts, other sprouts, any greens you enjoy… Fruit choices, sliced or chopped apple, pear, pineapple, mango, kiwi, orange/Clementine

Choose your toppings:

Hard/soft boiled eggs-chopped, chickpeas, avocado, berries, nuts, seeds

Add a sauce, olive oil salt and pepper work well, *tahini paste blended well with olive oil, lemon juice and nutritional yeast makes a great drizzle for any “One Bowl”.

*thin it with water if needed until it’s thin and syrupy enough to drizzle.

Leftovers from dinner, or make extra for a few lunches following, make great addition to a Healthy One Bowl. The only rules to a healthy one bowl are choose low-fat/fat-free, whole, natural foods. Make meal time easy for yourself and remember that mealtime is merely a time to fuel your body.

Detoxifying Baked-Stuffed Winter Squash
C.H.E.F. Recipes (Cheap Healthy Easy Fast)

Detoxifying Baked-Stuffed Winter Squash

Dawn Silva/InitiateWellnessLeave a comment

cropped-htc-10-10-12-082.jpgEating lean and clean after big celebrations such as winter holidays and summertime barbeques can be beneficial to keeping yourself in good health. Here is a wintertime squash recipe that can help your body get rid of toxins and sluggish cells.

Choose Acorn, pumpkin, butternut or buttercup squash

1 cup Brussels sprouts cleaned and cut into quarters (use frozen if fresh aren’t available)

1 cup mushrooms (optional) sliced

1 small red onion

1 large clove garlic –chopped

Olive oil

Seeds – sesame, sunflower, poppy, ground flax, pumpkin

1 small apple – diced small

Salt & pepper to taste

Cut squash in half, oil cut side, sprinkle with salt and lay cut side down on baking sheet. Bake at 375° for 45 -60 minutes until knife goes in easily. Remove from oven.

While squash is baking, sauté Brussels sprouts, mushrooms, onion & garlic for about 20 minutes.

Place each squash half on dinner plate and spoon sautéed mixture into each half – sprinkle with seeds and apple. Season with salt & pepper and serve.

*Optional: sprinkle with nutritional yeast for a cheesy flavor.

Root Vegetable Stew
C.H.E.F. Recipes (Cheap Healthy Easy Fast)

Root Vegetable Stew

Dawn Silva/InitiateWellnessLeave a comment

20151028_1934322-3 carrots
4-5 yellow beets (red will ‘stain’ the whole meal
2-3 yams/sweet potatoes
1-2 white potato
1 small celery root (celeriac)
1 large onion sliced thickly
2-4 large garlic cloves

1” piece of ginger peeled and sliced
handful green beans, peas and or corn if desired.
Any other root vegetable you have on hand.
6-8 cups of water or broth.
2 Tablespoons mixed herb spices such as Italian or other savory mixes. It depends on how you want it to taste each particular time you make it. Freedom to cook!

Cut all veggies into bite sized chunks, but not too small as they will cook down a bit. Add them all except the yams and beans, corn & peas to a large stockpot and simmer for about 40 minutes. Add the yams and rest of ingredients and simmer about 10 minutes more until yams are soft.

Serve over brown rice, quinoa, farro, other whole grain or alone as it is.
I served it over baked spaghetti squash – it was deliciously healthy!

*You can add black beans, Cannellini or kidney beans for added protein, fiber, vitamins and substance.

Enjoy!