Last week we spoke about healthy sehri meals. This week I thought it would be a good idea to look at what foods are used to break your fast before the big iftar meal. After a long day of fasting this is a good time to replenish your body with good hydration and nutrients. My number one source of hydration is pure coconut water. You get refreshing flavor with electrolytes and nutrients to replenish your body. If you don’t have coconut water, plain water with a squeeze of lemon or rose water is also great. Once I’m hydrated I will have a small snack before the big iftar meal. Below are a few of the traditional foods I’ve had to break my fast.

Dates Stuffed with Almonds

Ingredients:
3 dates, pitted
3 raw almonds

Preparation:
Take each almond and stuff it into where the pit of the date was. Enjoy!

Almond Shake

Ingredients:
Two cups of milk
1/4 cup of blanched almonds, skin removed
2tsp. of sugar
A pinch of cardamom powder

Preparation:
Place all ingredients in a blender and blend for 30 seconds. Add ice if desired. Enjoy!

Dried Fruit and Nuts

Ingredients and Preparation: For this one I suggest buying an all natural trail mix of dried fruit and nuts.

Fresh Fruit Bowl

Ingredients:
Dice up any of your favorite fresh fruits and chill in the refrigerator for at least an hour.
Honey and chopped nuts (optional)

Preparation:
Scoop into little bowls and drizzle with honey and nuts if desired. Enjoy!

I hope you enjoyed some these simple recipes. Next week, we will take a look at foods for Eid!

Top image courtesy of Coconut Water Products, almonds by Almond Brothers

This week Kanwal Ullah shares with our Ajnabee friends her own recipes for Ramadan Sehri, those wonderful pre-dawn meals that are eaten during the Holy Month of Ramadan as the first meal of the day. I will definitely take advantage of such wonderfully nutritious recipes even in my Italian Catholic lifestyle, since breakfast should always be the most important meal of the day. And now, over to the fabulous Kanwal!

Ramadan Mubarak to all! With Ramadan in full swing it’s important to get your nutrition in during the pre-dawn meals, especially since this is what will be holding you up for 15 hours! My sehri meals usually consist of some healthy fats, fiber and protein. I will also have a cup of coffee and two glasses of water with a multi vitamin. My only issue is that at 4:00am in the morning I am not too motivated to be cooking for a long time. So, I developed some fast, filling sehri meals that will keep you focused and full throughout your day. These meals are so nutritious and filling that I would continue to have them even after Ramadan is over!

PEANUT BUTTER AND FRUIT

Ingredients:

Two slices of high fiber, whole wheat bread
Thinly sliced fruit slices (I like apples or peaches)
Two tablespoons of peanut butter
One teaspoon of cinnamon

Preparation:

Spread the peanut butter and cinnamon on both pieces of bread. Top with fruit slices.

DATES AND NUT OATMEAL (This can be made the night before)

Ingredients:

1/2c. of oven toasted oats
1c. almond milk (I like the unsweetened kind by Silk)
1tsp. cinnamon
2 dates sliced
10 almonds chopped

Preparation:

Cook the oatmeal according to the directions, using almond milk instead of water. Add the rest of the ingredients and stir until cooked.

EGG AND TOAST WITH YOGURT

Ingredients:

Two slices of whole wheat, high fiber toast
One soft boiled egg, mashed
Salt/pepper if desired
One cup yogurt
1/2 cup of high fiber cereal

Preparation:

Spread the egg on top of both toasts, add salt/pepper if desired. Mix the yogurt and cereal together. Enjoy!

Top image courtesy of GulfNews.com

Edamame is a young soybean that is packed with fiber and protein! Not to mention, soybeans are low in calories and fat. These wonderful beans can be served steamed, still in their pods and sprinkled with salt or you can easily buy the frozen, shelled edamame and throw them in salads, soups and main dishes. I especially love edamame in the summertime when you crave clean, fresh salads. An edamame salad is also great to bring on picnics and you can easily dress them with vinaigrette. I thought, why not combine two summer favorites of edamame and corn and make an edamame and corn salad. Enjoy the recipe below for my simple Edamame and Corn Salad.

Ingredients:

1c. of shelled edamame (I buy the frozen kind)
1 15oz. can of corn
1 red pepper, thinly sliced
1TB. of rice vinegar
1TB. of soy sauce
1tsp. of sesame oil
2tsp. of garlic powder
1TB. of freshly ground black pepper

Preparation:

Place all of the ingredients in a bowl and stir to combine. Let the flavors marinate with each other for at least an hour before serving.

Serves 1 generously, or 2 as a side.

Small image courtesy of TheDailyGreen.com

A few days ago I was perusing the isles of the new Trader Joes that opened up. This is where I found quinoa. I’ve heard such great things about quinoa, such as it being a complete protein. According to Wikipedia:” It is a pseudocereal rather than a true cereal, or grain, as it is not a member of the grass family.” As a chenopod, quinoa is closely related to species such as beets, spinach, and tumbleweeds. So, I decided to experiment with this chenopod and I bought a box and decided to make my first meal with quinoa and black beans. I hope you enjoy my recipe below for Quinoa and Beans!

Ingredients:

1/2c. of quinoa, rinsed and drained
1tsp. of adobo seasoning
1 small can of black beans, rinsed and drained
1/2c. of frozen or spinach
1/2c. of part skim shredded cheese
Freshly cracked black pepper
Dollop of your favorite salsa

Preparation:

Cook the quinoa according to the instructions on the box, add the adobo seasoning. Once the quinoa is cooked, add the black beans, spinach and cracked pepper. Serve in two dishes, with a dollop of your favorite salsa. Enjoy with a tablespoon of light sour cream or guacamole.

Servings: 2

Top image courtesy of Orosend.com

Friday nights are my pizza night. Sure, it’s easy to pick up the phone and order a pie, but what fun is that, especially when you can easily make your own pizza quicker than it takes to call Dominos?!?! You are also saving yourself a ton of calories, sodium and use of artificial ingredients. Making your own pizza pie is so much healthier, so that you won’t feel guilty having more than one slice. With just a few ingredients, you can have yourself a deliciously quick pizza.

Ingredients:

2 Whole Wheat Tortilla for thin crust or 2 Whole Wheat Naan for thicker crust
½ cup of pizza or spaghetti sauce
½ cup of shredded mozzarella
1 cup of any diced veggies of your choice (you can even use frozen ones)
1TB. of extra virgin olive oil
Freshly cracked black pepper

Preparation:

Preheat your oven to 375 degrees. Take your veggies and toss them with the olive oil, set aside. Take your tortilla or naan and spread ¼ cup of the pizza or spaghetti sauce on each tortilla/naan. Top with ¼ cup of shredded mozzarella on each tortilla/naan. Top with veggies or your choice. Place the pies in the oven and bake until the crust is golden brown and the cheese has melted. Take out of oven and let the pizza’s cool slightly, then slice in fourths.

Enjoy!

Servings: 1 (YUP… That’s 8 slices of guilt-free deliciousness!)

Top image courtesy of IHasAHotDog.com

As I was walking to work this morning I was thinking how unbelievably humid it is! As usual, my stomach was growling at full force and I wondered what to eat for breakfast. I needed something heavier than cereal and milk, yet still cool, light and refreshing to beat the heat. That’s when I thought about making myself a healthy Fruit and Yogurt Parfait. You really cannot go wrong with fresh fruit and yogurt. I like to use Greek yogurt because it is packed with protein which help keep you full. I usually avoid the full fat Greek yogurt and go for non-fat or 2%. On a hot day like today, go ahead and eat this for breakfast.

Ingredients:

1c. Greek Yogurt
1c. of rasperberries or blueberries or strawberries
1TB. of crushed walnuts

Preparation:

In a tall glass, pour 1/4 cup of the Greek yogurt then layer in 1/4 cup of fruit and then layer in a small helping of the walnuts. Repeat this four times or until you have run out of ingredients. Enjoy!

Servings: 1

Top image courtesy of VeryCulinary.com

With the hot and humid weather outside, sometimes you want to have lighter option for lunch or dinner, rather than a heavy meal. One of my summertime favorites is spaghetti squash. This wonderful squash is a sneaky little thing. From the outside it looks like any other squash with an oval shape and thick skinn and a bit bitter when not cooked. Now, when you bake the squash the bitterness turns into a wonderful, lightly sweet, yet nutty taste! Even better, take a fork and scrape away at the insides of the cooked squash and you get sturdy strands which resemble spaghetti! I hope you enjoy my recipe below for a very fast and easy Spaghetti Squash dish.

Ingredients:

1 Spaghetti Squash
Spaghetti sauce or pizza sauce, of your choice
Shredded Cheese of your choice
Freshly cracked black pepper

Preparation:

Cut squash in half and remove the seeds. Prick the skin side of the squash a few times with a fork or knife. Place in a shallow baking dish with one cup of water for about 30 minutes (rind side up), or until fork tender, in a 375 degree oven. Once cooked and slightly cooled, take a fork and carefully scrape out the flesh to get ‘strands of spaghetti’. Toss with sauce and cheese and freshly ground black pepper. Enjoy!

Servings: 2

Follow Kanwal’s healthy eating journey on Ask-Kanwal.Blogspot.com

Top image courtesy of OneWholeClove.Typepad.com

Taco bowls are one of the quickest and easiest dishes to make. They can also be very healthy when made at home. The brown rice and black beans add plenty of fiber and protein to this dish. Also the finely diced mushrooms are great ‘filler’ for ground meat. The recipe below is a very basic taco bowl dish and can be modified to add your favorite ingredients such as shredded lettuce or ground meat.

Ingredients:
1/2 cup cooked, brown rice
1/2 cup mushrooms, very finely diced
1/4 cup salsa of your choice
2tsp. of taco seasoning mix
1cup of black beans, rinsed and drained
1/4 cup of Mexican taco cheese, shredded

Preparation:
In a bowl combine the taco seasoning mix and black beans. Set aside. In another bowl, place the brown rice in a layer. Layer the mushrooms on top. Layer the black bean mixture on top of this. Layer the salsa next, followed by the cheese. Enjoy!

Servings: 1

Top Image courtesy of TreeHugger.com

** Editor’s note: Lets all thank our favorite chef with a round of applause, for reinventing a tasty classic and making it HEALTHY!!! Kudos Kanwal!!

I had the pleasure of taking a wonderful Greek cooking class over the weekend. One of my favorite dishes that we cooked was Greek meatballs, also known as Keftedes. These Keftedes were delicious, however they did not seem to be very healthy! That was not an issue for me because I knew I would find a way to reinvent the dish to retain all the flavor, yet take away its deep fried characteristic! These wonderful meatballs are baked instead of fried. I also decided to use half the amount of beef, and replace the other half with ground turkey. I hope you enjoy this favorite recipe for revamped Greek Meatballs.

Ingredients:

1TB. of olive oil
1 large onion, finely chopped
3 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
1/2lb. ground turkey
1/2lb. ground sirloin
3 eggs
1/4c. fresh parsley, minced
3TB. of fresh mint, chopped
1TB. of fresh oregano, finely chopped
1/4tsp. cinnamon
Salt/pepper to taste

Preparation:

Add the olive oil to a sauté pan and turn on heat. Once hot, add the onions and garlic. Cook until translucent. In a large bowl, combine the onions, garlic, ground meats, eggs, parsley, mint, oregano and cinnamon. Season with salt and pepper. Shape the meatballs into golf ball size balls. Bake in a pre-heated oven for 40 minutes on 350 degrees, or until meatballs have browned. Be careful here, you may want to cut one of the meatballs in half to make sure it’s completely cooked.

Serve with Greek yogurt and pita. Enjoy!

Yields approximately 25 meatballs.

It’s always great to get broccoli in your diet, but cooked the same way all the time can be a bit boring. Sure, you can steam or sauté broccoli, but for your next party I suggest you roast broccoli. Roasting broccoli retains all the nutrients in the vegetable and adds a great crunch. I love making ‘Masala Broccoli Bites’ and serving this with a simple yogurt dip. The super special part of this recipe is you can use frozen broccoli florets rather than ‘floretting’ them yourself. I hope you enjoy the recipe below.

Ingredients:

One bag of frozen broccoli florets, thawed
1TB. of canola oil
1TB. of garam masala
2tsp. of smoked paprika
1tsp. of salt
1tsp. of cumin powder
1tsp. of coriander powder

Preparation:

Add all of the ingredients in a large mixing bowl. Toss to coat broccoli evenly. Turn your oven onto 475 degrees. Place the broccoli on a baking sheet and allow to roast in the oven for 30 minutes or until broccoli has slightly charred. Allow broccoli to cool and enjoy with a sprinkling of fresh lemon juice or fresh yogurt! Enjoy!

Servings: 4-6