Healthy and Hearty Meals for January
While many of us love to escape the cold weather for a few days or weeks this winter, it is no doubt that this time of the year calls for hearty meals, even after the holidays are over. If you happen to be in the New York, Stowe, Chicago, Boston or spending time in cities such as Vail, Aspen, Denver, and in the mood to cook a hearty, but healthy meal, we wanted to share some of our favorite meals to inspire you in the kitchen this January. These recipes rely on ingredients that pack in these essential compounds, like colorful fruits and veggies, lean proteins and whole grains, for a delicious and nutritious meal that everyone will enjoy!
Spiced Meatball and Escarole Soup
1¼ pounds ground lamb or turkey
2 large onions, sliced
3 large garlic cloves, minced
1 tablespoon ground coriander, ground cumin
2 teaspoons dried oregano
2 teaspoons ground turmeric
½ teaspoon paprika
2¾ teaspoons kosher salt, plus more as needed
1¼ teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
¼ cup tomato paste
8 cups vegetable broth
About 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 large head escarole, torn into 2-inch pieces
1½ cups cooked cannellini or Gigante beans
Lemon wedges
The first step is making the meatballs, in a large bowl, mix the lamb or turkey, garlic, coriander, cumin, oregano, turmeric, paprika, 1 teaspoon of the salt and 1 teaspoon of the pepper. Make small, evenly sized meatballs, about 2 ounce each.
In a hot pot, add 2 tablespoons of olive oil and cook the meatballs until golden brown and crispy on all sides, about 7 to 9 minutes overall. Move to a plate. Reserve 3 tablespoons of the fat from the pan.
In the same pot, add the onions, ¼ teaspoon of the salt and the remaining ¼ teaspoon pepper to the fat remaining in the pot. Cook over medium-high heat, stirring often, until the onions are golden, and everything is softened, 8 to 10 minutes. Add the tomato paste and cook for about 1 minute to cook off the raw tomato flavor. Add the vegetable broth and 1 teaspoon salt and bring to a boil.
Add the escarole, beans, meatballs, and salt to taste and return the soup to a simmer. Cook for another 4 to 6 minutes until the meatballs finish cooking through. Taste and season with a bit more salt and pepper.
And there you have a simple, but delicious and hearty Spicy Meatball, white bean and escarole soup to warm you up this winter!
Brussel Sprout, Butternut Squash & Quinoa Salad
2 cups chopped butternut squash raw
1½ cups chopped brusssel sprouts raw
¼ cup chopped red onion
½ tsp salt
½ tsp pepper
1 tsp rosemary
1 cup quinoa *uncooked
3 tbsp maple syrup
2 tbsp maple syrup
3 tbsp apple cider vinegar
¼ cup dried cranberries *
¼ cup crumbled goat cheese
Clean and chop the butternut squash and brussel sprouts. You will want to skin and clean out the seeds and guts in the butternut squash. For the sprouts, you can chop or slice them into equal size pieces similar in size to the butternut squash, so they cook at the same rate.
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. In a large bowl, add olive oil. salt, pepper and rosemary, butternut squash and brussel sprouts. Coat everything evenly and lay flat on a rimmed cooking sheet. Drizzle 2 tablespoons of maple syrup over the raw veggies just before popping them into the oven. Bake for 20 minutes or until soft enough to stick a fork through.
Cook your quinoa. While it is cooking according to package instructions, crumble your goats chèvre up if using and measure out your maple syrup and apple cider vinegar.
Once your quinoa and veggies are done cooking. Add to a large serving bowl together. Pour the maple syrup, vinegar and cranberries, goat cheese, raw red onions, over the mixture and mix well. Serve immediately.
Baked Spicy Slamon with Broccoli
1½ lb skinless raw salmon filet
2 tbsp green onions
3 garlic cloves chopped
1½ tsp fresh ginger peeled and chopped
1/4 cup olive oil
¼ cup low sodium soy sauce
2½ tbsp brown sugar
1 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
1½ tbsp Sriracha *see notes
1 tsp black pepper
1 cup cooked rice
4 - 6 cups steamed broccoli
In a small bowl whisk all the marinade ingredients together (sriracha, oil, seasoning, peeled and chopped ginger, soy, brown sugar, onions, chopped garlic). Place salmon in a baking dish and pour marinade over the salmon. Rub the marinade over both sides making sure the entire salmon is covered. Cover the baking dish with foil and let it marinate in the fridge for 15 min - 2 hours
Preheat oven to 375º Remove salmon from the fridge. Pop the baking dish into the oven and bake for 15 minutes. Uncover after 15 minutes and cook for another 5 - 10 minutes depending on size and preference on doneness for salmon. Note that the baking time could vary depending on the thickness of the salmon. Garnish with more chopped green onions and serve with white rice and steamed broccoli
Healthy Shepherd's Pie
Topping:
1.5 cups russet potatoes peeled and chopped
1.5 cups cauliflower florets
½ cup parmesan cheese
1 tablespoon olive oil
¼ teaspoon garlic powder
¼ teaspoon pepper
¼ teaspoon salt
½ cup chicken broth low or no salt
Filling:
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 lb ground turkey
1 cup diced onion
1 tablespoon minced garlic about 2 garlic cloves
½ cup carrots diced
1/4 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon pepper
1 teaspoon fresh rosemary chopped
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1/2 cup chicken stock low or no salt
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1 cup frozen peas
1 cup frozen corn
Bring a large pot of water to a boil on the stove. Add potatoes and cauliflower florets. Boil for 10 minutes, until soft. While the potatoes/cauliflower cook, heat olive oil in a pan.
Brown ground turkey for 5 minutes. Add onions, garlic, and carrots. Cook for an additional 5 minutes until the turkey is cooked through. Add salt, pepper, rosemary, thyme, chicken broth, tomato paste, and frozen veggies. Stir until combined. Then Drain cooked potatoes & cauliflower.
In a large mixing bowl, mash the potatoes, cauliflower, olive oil, garlic powder, pepper, and parmesan cheese.
In a greased 8×8 baking dish, layer the ground turkey/veggie filling. Top with cauliflower/potato filling. Bake at 350° for 30 minutes until the topping is golden brown.
Contributor — Joanna Rios