Marissa's Awesome Lentils

I'm lucky to have a sister who loves cooking even more than I do. She's currently attending the French Culinary Institute and has sent over some seriously inspired, health-conscious recipes. I just got the below lentil recipe from her and cannot wait to try it out! While lentils are higher on the caloric scale if you eat a lot of them, 1/2 a cup is only about 115 calories- a great side to a simple chicken dish or the perfect pairing with some broccoli. Try the below and I promise you'll be left feeling super satisfied!

Lentils: Lentils are a powerhouse when it comes to nutrients & vitamins. First off they're an excellent source of fiber which, as I mentioned in my Cherry Chocolate Chip Cookies recipe, is great for lowering overall cholesterol & also in aiding in the process of elimination.

Lentils also offer almost 90% of your RDA of folate. Why is folate important? Folate is a B Vitamin and is necessary for the formation of red blood cells as well as for the metabolism of proteins. It is especially important for pregnant women because of it's role in the formulation of genetic material in every cell in the body and it's role in the prevention of neural tube defects.

Because folate is a water soluble vitamin (Meaning it is not stored in your body it is used as needed then eliminated), it is important to make sure you continually incorporate it into your diet.

Marissa's Awesome Lentil's

1) cook and drain lentils (enough to serve 2 people)
2) put lentils back in pan and add about 1/4-1/3 cup chicken stock and 1 tbs Olive Oil
3) reduce till almost no liquid left
4) once chicken stock is reduced add 1/2 cup red wine and reduce that until no liquid is left
5) add 1 tbs plain yogurt and chopped fresh mint leaves

Season to taste with Salt & Pepper and enjoy a super satisfying side dish!

Quick Vegitarian Dinner in No Time

I've found myself super busy the past few weeks. Whenever this happens my eating habits seriously suffer. I have trouble eating enough food and end up consuming not-so-healthy, quick-fix options (A Luna Bar or Power Bar here or there is fine, but is not enough to suffice for a whole meal!). On Tuesday I was able to quickly throw together the below Broccoli Parm dish in no time. Not only was it perfect for my post-gym fatigue but it gave me a reason to slow down and actually enjoy a real meal :)

Broccoli: Where do I even start with this super-veggie. Broccoli packs a serious nutrient-rich punch: it's high in Vitamin C (Ounce for Ounce it has more than an orange!), Vitamin A, Folate, Vitamin K, Potassium, Manganese, B Vitamins, Protein... the list goes on further. It also has been shown to reduce the risk of certain cancers such as lung, colon, breast, ovarian, & bladder. How does it protect against these? Broccoli is rich in a phytochemicals called isothiocyanates. Research has shown that isothiocyanates stimulate the body's production of its own cancer-fighting substances called "phase two enzymes". These enzymes neutralize cancer causing free-radicals before they can damage the DNA of healthy cells.

Another cool thing about broccoli is that it contains a compound called sulforaphase which has been shown to actually boost the liver and skin cells' detoxifying abilities. And now, on top of this, new research is also coming out showing that sulforaphane can help repair sun-damaged skin cells. That's so awesome to me and makes me want to just go eat broccoli :)

Broccoli Parm

1/2 c. whole grain pasta (I like Barilla Plus for its high fiber & protein content)

1 cup chopped broccoli

1/4-1/2 c. Tomato Sauce (really whatever one you have in your pantry)

1/4 c. Shredded Mozzarella

Cook pasta according to package directions.

While pasta is cooking, place broccoli in veggie steamer, cover and cook until fork-tender.

Combine pasta, broccoli, tomato sauce in a dish top with mozzarella and place in the oven at 350 until cheese is melted.

Seriously it's that easy and it really is that satisfying, and now that you know how amazing broccoli I'm sure you're super excited to incorporate this killer ingredient into your diets too :)



http://archives.cnn.com/2000/FOOD/news/04/13/broccoli.benefits.wmd/

http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=foodspice&dbid=9