Volume 2: Recipes submitted by employees of Mental Health Connecticut
MHC is proud to present this recipe e-book that is full of recipes submitted from our very own staff! As part of the wellness initiative, staff were encouraged to enter their favorite healthy recipe so that great ideas could be shared by all. Part of what makes eating healthy so hard is that it can be tedious and ideas on how to make food interesting and healthy can be hard to come by.
Please enjoy these recipes and Happy Cooking!
Special Thanks to Our Contributors: Lori Champagne Suzi Craig Jill Currier Jackie Davis Marjorie Farley Hollen Monroe Lyne Stokes Sue Westerberg, RN & MAX, Mental Health Awareness eXpert
Tomato Cucumber Salad Ingredients 4 red tomatoes cut into wedges 1 yellow tomato cut into wedges 1 cup sliced English cucumber 1/2 cup shopped yellow pepper 2 Tbsp fresh lemon juice 3/4 tsp kosher salt 1/4-1/2 tsp pepper Optional: 1 Tbsp minced and seeded jalapeno Garnish: 2 Tbsp fresh basil Directions 1. Combine all main ingredients in a large bowl. 2. Cover and chill for at least 1 hour. 3. Garnish with basil leaves.
Green Onion Potato Salad (almost fat free)
Ingredients 2 pounds of red potatoes 2 tablespoons of olive oil 1 bunch green onions, chopped (separate the dark green parts from the white and light green parts) 3 gloves minced garlic 3/4/cup plain yogurt 1 teaspoon yellow mustard 1 punch of cayenne pepper
Salt and black pepper to taste
Directions 1. Bring potatoes to boil in salted water, reduce heat and simmer until tender. 2. Drain and rinse with cold water until cool enough to handle. 3. Peel potatoes and cut into 1/2 inch cubes 4. Heat oil in skillet over med heat, cook white and light green onion pieces until soft, add garlic stir and remove from heat
5. In a bowl, stir in potatoes, onion and garlic mixture, yogurt, mustard, cayenne pepper, dark green onion pieces, salt and pepper. Mix until evenly combined. 6. Enjoy!
Black Bean Veggie Burgers Ingredients ½ cup grated onion 1 cup grated carrot ¼ cup finely chopped parsley 1 ½ cups cooked black beans 2 eggs (or flax eggs to make this recipe vegan – see below*) 1 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce 2 Tbsp olive oil 1 cup oats, processed into flour in a blender (or use oat flour from the store) 1 ½ cups Italian seasoning bread crumbs ½ cup sunflower seeds
Directions 1. Place black beans, eggs, olive oil and Worcestershire sauce in a blender and pulse until well combined. 2. In a large bowl, combine the remaining ingredients, mix well. Add the bean mixture from the blender and combine. 3. With wet hands, form mixture into round balls and press into patties. Pack the mixture tightly together to help burgers form nicely. 4. Heat a few Tablespoons of olive oil or coconut oil over medium heat, about 4-5 minutes on each side. Patties also cook well on the grill.
½ cup chopped walnuts 2 Tbsp garlic powder 1 ½ teaspoons of chili powder 1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon Italian seasoning ½ teaspoon black pepper 1 teaspoon sea salt
*Flax eggs: for one “egg” mix 1 Tablespoon of ground flax seed with 3 T of water
Zoodles Ingredients 2 medium zucchini or summer squash, available at the farmers market in the summer –in the winter I use various frozen veggies i.e. spinach or peas. 1/2 Tbsp unsalted butter
Kosher salt, to taste Freshly ground black pepper 1 Tbsp chopped fresh parsley leaves 1/2 tsp fresh grated lemon zest
2 tsp extra virgin olive oil, divided
3 Tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice (from 1 lemon)
4 minced garlic cloves, divided
1/8 tsp hot red pepper flakes
12 extra large peeled and deveined shrimp Directions 1. Use a mandolin fitted with a julienne blade or a spiralizer to cut the zucchini into noodles. Cut the strips into 6 to 8-inch strips. The “zoodles” also be bought already cut at most major grocery stores. I buy mine at whole foods. I have tried it with beet “zoodles” for an interesting twist. 2. In a large nonstick pan, melt the butter and 1 teaspoon olive oil over medium heat. Add the garlic and saute for 1 minute. Add the shrimp, kosher salt, and the pepper and saute about 5 minutes until the shrimp has turned pink. 3. Add the remaining oil and garlic to the skillet, cook 30 seconds then add the zucchini noodles, kosher salt and pepper. Cook 2 minutes, stirring. 4. Remove from the heat, add the shrimp, parsley, lemon zest, lemon juice, and red pepper flakes. Toss well to combine and serve immediately.
Summer Seafood Stew Ingredients 1- 14oz can Stewed Italian Tomatoes 1 -Zucchini Squash 1 -Yellow Summer Squash 1 -Small Onion 8 ounce (approx.) sliced mushrooms (fresh or canned) ½ pound shrimp (uncooked) ½ pound bay scallops (uncooked) Directions 1. Slice or cut squash into approximately ¼” pieces 2. Peel and cut onion into strips 3. Add tomatoes, squash, onions and mushrooms into a large sauce pan and bring to a boil. 4. Let simmer until vegetables are almost cooked (approximately 10 minutes depending on size cut) 5. Add shrimp and scallops, continue to boil until cooked (approximately 5 minutes) 6. Serve over rice, pasta or better yet…. Spaghetti squash!
Chilled Caprese Tortellini Salad Ingredients 1 large bag (16-19 oz) of cheese tortellini (I recommend Buitoni) 8 ounces of ciliegine mozzarella, cut in halves 1 pint of cherry tomatoes, cut in halves 2/3 cup of fresh basil, finely chopped Additional basil for garnish (3-4 leaves) ½ - 2/3 cup of Italian dressing (I prefer Olive Garden’s brand) 1/3 cup grated parmesan ¼ tsp McCormicks Italian seasoning Salt and pepper to taste Directions 1. Cook the tortellini per the instructions on the bag. Drain and run under cold water. Pat dry on paper towels and add to large mixing bowl.
2. Add the mozzarella, tomatoes, basil, and McCormicks seasoning. Toss gently. 3. Pour ½ cup dressing to coat. Taste and add remaining if preferred. 4. Add parmesan, salt, and pepper. Toss and taste. Add additional seasoning as needed. 5. Chill for one hour. 6. Pour into serving dish and garnish with fresh basil.
Garlic Roasted Butternut Squash Soup
Ingredients 1 -2 medium Butternut squash (peeled and cubed) 3 cloves of garlic, finely chopped 3 Tbsp fresh parsley 10 leafs of sage, chopped 1/2 tsp salt 1/4 tsp black ground pepper
1 Tbsp Italian seasoning 2 Tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil 1 1/2 cup water
Directions 1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees 2. Mix the oil, garlic cloves, parsley, sage, salt, pepper, and Italian seasoning in a large bowl. 3. Add the squash and toss to coat 4. Place the coated mixture in a shallow baking dish and roast for 55 minutes until the squash is fork tender.
5. Remove the squash from the oven and let cool. 6. Blend the squash with the water until smooth. 7. Transfer to a pot and heat on the stove until warm.
Slimmed Down Corn Chowder (Adapted from the cookbook “Great Greens”) Ingredients 2 Bacon Slices, Chopped ½ Celery Stalk, Diced ½ Large Onion, Diced 2 Cups Chicken Broth
4-5 Baby Red Potatoes, cut in ½ inch cubes 2 Tbsps. Fresh Thyme 2 Bay Leaves ½ Tsp. Salt ¼ Tsp. Pepper 2 Cups Hot Milk 3 1/2 Cups Corn Kernels (Fresh or Canned) 1 Cup Baby Spinach Optional: ½ Lb. Cooked Shrimp, Thawed and Tails Removed Directions 1. Heat a large Dutch oven or heavy-bottomed soup pot over medium-high heat. Once pot is hot, reduce heat to low and fry bacon, stirring until all fat is rendered and bacon is crisp. Remove the bacon and reserve the fat in the pot. (You can set aside the bacon for another use or sprinkle it on top of each serving.) 2. Add the celery and onion to the pan and saute over low heat for 3-4 minutes. Increase the heat to medium-high and pour in the chicken broth, scraping up any bacon bits that have stuck to the bottom. 3. Add the potatoes, thyme, bay leaves, salt and pepper. Bring to a boil, cover, and reduce heat to low. Simmer until potatoes are tender, 12-15 minutes. 4. Add the milk and simmer for 5 minutes. Add the corn and spinach and simmer 3-4 minutes longer. Turn off heat. Remove bay leaves and discard. Add shrimp, if using, and warm through. 5. Serve and Enjoy!
Avocado Shrimp Salad Ingredients 2-3 Ripe Avocados cut into medium sized cubes 1 red onion diced 1 pound of cooked cleaned large shrimp cut in half 1-2 limes- juiced 1-2 Tablespoons of olive oil
Âź-1/2 cup of fresh chopped cilantro Salt and Pepper to taste Optional: 1-2 diced tomatoes
Directions 1. Place all ingredients in a large bowl 2. Mix, chill, and enjoy!