Morning Muesli
Ingredients:
- 1/2-3/4 cup plain uncooked oatmeal (regular or quick oats, not steel cut)
- 1/2-3/4 cup yogurt
- 1/2 cup cut up fruit
Instructions:
In a large cereal bowl, layer plain uncooked oatmeal, yogurt, and cut up fruit. Sprinkle with 2-3 tsp of nuts or seeds or ground flax seed for flavour, variety, and added nutrition.
Bukhari Rice
Ingredients:
- 2 tsp olive oil
- 5-6 whole cloves
- 5-6 cardamom pods
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 1 tsp dried coriander
- 1 tsp of cumin
- 1 tsp of turmeric
- 1 tsp of black pepper
- 1 tsp of salt
- 1 dried lime
- 1 medium carrot, shredded
- 1 medium onions, diced
- 1 cup of long-grain rice
- 3 cups of water
Instructions:
Rinse 1 cup of long-grain rice until the water runs clear then strain and set aside. Heat a pot over the stove and add 2 tsp of olive oil. Sauté 1 medium shredded carrot and 1 medium diced onion in the oil until they become slightly soft. Add the cloves, cardamom pods, cinnamon stick, coriander, cumin, turmeric, black pepper, salt, and dried lime to the pot and stir until the spices are fragrant. Add your rinsed rice and cover with water until the rice is submerged and there is 1 cm of water above it. Bring to a boil, then let simmer on low heat for 20 minutes or until tender. Remove from heat, stir, and let cool slightly. Serve with your favorite heart healthy protein foods and a side salad.
Heart-healthy tip: For those on a salt restriction, eliminate salt from the recipe.
Pasta and Homemade Tomato Sauce
Ingredients:
- Whole grain or whole wheat pasta
- ½ can of low sodium, crushed tomatoes (less than 5% of DV for sodium)
- 1 cup of water
- 1 tsp of olive oil
- 4 cloves of garlic, minced
- 1 tsp black pepper
- 1 tsp salt
- Herbs of your choice (fresh or dried)
Instructions:
Cook your favorite pasta according to package instructions and set aside. Whole wheat or whole grain pastas are a great choice. Heat a saucepan and add 1 tsp of olive oil. Add 4 minced garlic cloves and stir until golden. Add ½ can of low sodium crushed tomatoes, 1 cup of water, 1 tsp of salt, 1 tsp of pepper and any herbs of your choosing. Cover and bring to a boil, then let simmer on low heat for 20 minutes. Add the sauce to your pasta and enjoy!
Tabbouleh
Ingredients:
- ¼ cup of fine bulgur (cracked wheat)
- 2 bunches of parsley
- 1 bunch of mint
- 3 medium tomatoes
- 3-4 green onions
- 1 tsp of salt
- ¼ cup of lemon juice
- 2 tbsp of olive oil
Instructions:
Soak ¼ cup of fine bulgur in ¼ cup of lemon juice and set aside. Wash all of your produce well and set aside to dry or pat dry with paper towels. Once your produce is completely dry, finely mince 2 bunches of parsley, 1 bunch of mint, 3 medium tomatoes, and 3-4 green onions and place in a bowl. Add your soaked fine bulgur, 1 tsp of salt and 2 tbsp of olive oil to the bowl. Mix the contents until well combined and enjoy!
Heart-healthy tip: For those on a salt restriction, eliminate salt from the recipe.
Vegetarian Lasagna
Ingredients:
Sauce:
- 1 tbsp canola oil
- 3 medium zucchinis, finely chopped
- 1 medium onion, finely chopped
- 10 large mushrooms, finely chopped
- 1 can (796 ml) diced tomatoes, drained
- 1 can (796 ml) crushed tomatoes
- 1 can (540 ml) lentils, drained
- 1 bag (750 g) frozen mixed vegetables
- 2 cloves garlic, minced or 1 tbsp garlic purée
- 2 tsp oregano and 2 tsp basil (use puréed forms – much tastier!)
- ¼ tsp ground black pepper
Lasagna:
- 8 whole wheat/whole grain lasagna noodles, cooked
- 2 packages (300 g each) of frozen, chopped spinach, thawed and well drained
- 500 g container cottage cheese
- 1 large egg ½ tsp ground pepper
- ½ tsp ground nutmeg
- ½ cup parmesan/mozzarella cheese
Instructions:
In a large saucepan, heat oil over medium heat. Cook onion, mushrooms, and zucchini until onions are tender, about 10 minutes. Add remaining ingredients, cover and simmer, stirring occasionally, until sauce is thickened (about 2 hours). Combine drained spinach, cottage cheese, egg, pepper and nutmeg. Spread 4 cups of spaghetti sauce on the bottom of a 13×9 inch baking dish. Place 4 noodles over the sauce layer. Spread half of the spinach mixture over the noodles. Repeat the layer. Sprinkle the top with parmesan or mozzarella cheese. Bake at 350⁰F for 1 hour or until bubbling hot. Remove from the oven and let stand for 10-15 minutes.
Heart-healthy tips:
- Choose whole grain or whole wheat more often to increase fiber intake.
- Choose legume based noodles to increase your protein intake.
- Choose low-fat, sodium reduced cottage cheese.
- Choose frozen vegetables to save time.
Porridge
Ingredients:
- 6 cups rolled oats
- 1 cup whole grain cereal (such as Bob’s Red Mill whole grain cereal mix)
- ¾ cup toasted wheat germ (you can buy it already toasted)
- ½ cup oat bran
- ½ cup dried fruit (e.g. raisins)
- ½ cup raw sunflower seeds
- ¼ cup chia seeds
- ¼ cup hemp hearts
Instructions:
Combine all ingredients together and store in a covered container for up to 1 week at room temperature or for up to 3 months in a refrigerator.
Hot version: To prepare 1 small serving, take 1/4 cup of porridge, add about 1/2-2/3 cup water (or unsweetened soy milk or unsweetened nut milk) and fruit(s) of your choice. Put in the microwave on oatmeal setting or set on high for approximately 2 minutes.
Cold version: To prepare 1 small serving take 1/4 cup of porridge, add about 1/2-2/3 cup Greek/Skyr yogurt or 3/4 cup regular yogurt. Add fruit of your choice.
Almond, Farro, and Black Bean Salad with Cilantro
Ingredients:
- 2 ounces slivered almonds
- 1 1/2 cups water
- 1/3 cup farro
- 1 540 ml can black beans, rinsed and drained
- 1 cup fresh or frozen, thawed shelled edamame or frozen green peas, thawed
- 1/3 cup diced red onion
- 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
- Grated rind and juice of 1 large lemon
- 2 teaspoons Dijon coarse-grain mustard
- 1 medium garlic clove, minced
- 1/2 teaspoon salt or to taste
- 1/8 teaspoon dried red pepper flakes, optional
- 1 cup chopped fresh cilantro
Instructions:
Heat a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Add almonds and cook for two minutes or until beginning to lightly brown, stirring frequently. Remove from the saucepan and set aside on a separate plate. Add water to saucepan, bring to a boil over high heat, stir in farro, reduce heat to medium-low, cover and simmer for 15 minutes or until just tender. Drain in a fine mesh sieve and run under cold water to cool quickly. Shake off excess liquid. Meanwhile, combine remaining ingredients, except cilantro, in a medium bowl. Stir in drained farro and cilantro and mix until blended.
Note: For an even fresher flavor, add one cup diced cucumber.