Many of us keep on fretting over the thought of what to cook for dinner after a long and tiring day at office. Not anymore. Here are some quick and healthy dinner recipes options for all.
A busy lifestyle has its own constraints, one such being no time left for lavish cooking, which keeps most of the working professionals on a look out for quick and healthy dinner ideas.
Here are some super easy dinner recipes for people who are always in hurry. Not only they are quick but are also healthy, packed with the power of wholesome nutrition and they are delicious too.
Baked Honey Mustard Chicken
Quick and easy, this chicken dinner recipe is something that will make your kids smack their lips and fingers too once they are done
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Ingredients
● 6 skinless, boneless, chicken breasts cut in halves
● 1 tsp dried basil
● 1 tsp paprika
● 1/2 tsp dried parsley
● 1/2 cup honey
● 1/2 cup mustard sauce
● Salt and pepper to taste
Method
● Preheat oven on 350 degrees F (175 degrees C)
● Sprinkle salt and pepper on chicken breast and keep it in a lightly greased baking dish. In a small bowl, combine honey, basil, mustard, paprika and parsley, mix all the ingredients well. Pour half of this mixture over the chicken and brush it all over.
● Bake chicken breasts in preheated oven for 30 minutes, take out from oven, turn the chicken pieces over and brush with the remaining honey mustard mixture.
● Bake for another 10 to 15 minutes or until the chicken is no longer pink and juices start running clear.
● Once done, let it cool for 10 minutes and serve.
Mexican Style Sweet Potatoes
Sweet potatoes are packed with the goodness of natural nutrients required to maintain a healthy body, most importantly they are savored best when baked. So , why not use sweet potatoes today to cook up some exotic dinner with Mexican flavors in it. This amazing baked sweet potato recipe is definitely going to excite up your palette.
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Ingredients
● 2 sweet potatoes
● 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
● 1/2 white onion, diced
● 1/2 red pepper, diced
● 1 clove garlic, minced
● 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
● 1 can (13 ounces) black beans, rinsed and drained
● 1 lime, juiced
● Parsley, chopped
Method
● Preheat oven to 400 degrees and bake sweet potatoes for an hour
● Once they are done remove them from oven and slice lengthwise.
● Scoop out flesh so there is only a thin layer remaining lining the edges. Set aside.
● Heat olive oil in a frying pan over medium heat.
● Add all vegetables and garlic, and cook until tender, add salt to taste.
● Add black beans and lime juice. Mash mixture with the edge of a fork to break up beans.
● Add sweet potato flesh and mix until thoroughly combined.
● Stuff each potato skin with bean mixture and serve with a drizzle of extra-virgin olive oil and chopped parsley.
Pesto Cheese Pizza
Its time to give your favorite cheese pizza a healthy makeover by replacing your traditional marinara sauce with heart healthy pesto sauce. Additionally, the whole wheat base will keep your belly full for longer. Top it with, olive oil and pine nuts, which are all about eating healthy. So give your pizza delivery boy a run for his money with this fresh and flavorful recipe.
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Ingredients
● 1 packaged refrigerated whole-wheat pizza dough/base
● 2 cups basil leaves
● 1/4 cup pine nuts, toasted
● 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
● 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
● 2 tablespoons water
● 1 large clove garlic, quartered
● 1/2 teaspoon salt
● 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
● 1/4 cup part-skim ricotta cheese
● 1/4 cup shredded low-fat mozzarella cheese
Method
● Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
● Grease a pizza pan and spread dough/base evenly onto pan. Set aside.
● To make pesto sauce, put basil leaves, toasted pine nuts, Parmesan, oil, water, garlic, salt, and pepper in a food processor.
● Blend until fairly smooth, occasionally scraping down the sides.
● Spread 1/4 cup pesto sauce onto pizza dough, covering evenly.
● Put remaining pesto in a tightly sealed container and store in the refrigerator.
● Spread ricotta on top of pesto and sprinkle mozzarella on top.
● Bake for 20 minutes, or until golden brown and bubbly.
● Serve hot
Vegetable and Goat Cheese Quesadilla
Despite the ample usage of cheese, this goat cheese quesadilla recipe is a perfect fit for your healthy diet. The whole wheat tortilla we have used here is full of fiber and the veggies are good source of anti-oxidants. Additionally, goat cheese is easy to digest for those who are lactose intolerant.
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Ingredients
● 1 tablespoon olive oil
● 1/4 cup thinly sliced white onion
● 1/2 teaspoon cumin
● Salt
● Pepper
● 1 whole-wheat tortilla
● 1/2 cup shredded hard goat cheese
● 1/2 large tomato, sliced
● Small handful fresh herbs, such as basil or sage
Method
● Heat olive oil in a large saucepan over medium heat.
● Add onions and sauté until translucent (about 5 minutes), season with cumin, salt, and pepper.
● Remove onions from pan and set aside.
● In the same pan over medium heat, lay tortilla flat.
● Sprinkle cheese evenly on top.
● Top half the cheese with cooked onions, tomato, and herbs.
● When cheese begins to melt, fold cheese-only side of tortilla over.
● Cook for another minute.
● Serve hot with salsa sauce
Easy Sesame Salmon
You don’t have to be a non vegetarian to try this easy dinner meal, all you to do here is to replace salmon with tofu, just drain it for few hours to get the moisture out and then keep it in fridge for a day for marination.
But because we are using salmon here, lets go ahead with that only. If possible for you marinate the salmon in morning itself and let is sit in fridge for rest of the day, by the time of dinner it will be all flavorful.
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Ingredients
● large clove garlic, minced
● 2 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce or tamari
● 2 tablespoon rice vinegar
● 1 teaspoon minced or pureed ginger root
● Pinch dried chili flakes
● 2-3 skinless wild salmon fillets
● 2-3 tablespoons white sesame seeds
Method
● In a zip-top bag, combine garlic, soy sauce, rice vinegar, ginger, and chili flakes.
● Place salmon fillets in the bag and let them marinate in the fridge for at least an hour or as stated above.
● Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
● Pour sesame seeds onto a plate in such a way that they scatter into a single layer.
● Lay salmon fillets face-down in sesame seeds to coat the top.
● Place crusted salmon on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
● Bake for 15 to 20 minutes, depending on fillet thickness.
● If you want, switch the oven to broil for the final minute of cooking to lightly toast sesame seeds.
Pan Seared Fish Tacos
Some might argue that fish in summer is not an ideal choice, but this summer fish recipe is perfect for humid nights, when you are falling short of dinner options. Grouper, mahi-mahi, red snapper, cod and halibut are some of the options you can consider for this recipe. Make sure you follow each step carefully to avoid fish from sticking to the pan. Also, the fish should be completely dried before you put it in the pan. Oil should really hot.
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Ingredients
● 1 pound fresh grouper
● Salt
● Freshly ground black pepper
● 2 tablespoons canola oil
● 8 corn tortillas
● 1 avocado, diced
● 1 peach, diced
● 1/4 cup diced red onion
● 3/4 cup finely shredded red cabbage
● 1/4 cup minced fresh cilantro
● 2 limes, quartered
Method
● Pat fish dry with paper towels and season both sides with salt and pepper.
● Heat oil in a frying pan over medium-high heat.
● When oil is rippling, add fish flesh side down.
● Cook 3 to 5 minutes per side.
● Remove fish from the heat, and divide into eight equal portions.
● Assemble tacos: Top each tortilla with fish, avocado, peach, onion, cabbage, cilantro, and a generous squeeze of lime juice.
Green Energy Bowl
If you are into clean eating, then this energy bowl recipe is what you all need to satiate your hunger. The heady mix of veggies and pats makes for a nourishing dinner. The oats groats we have used here are the minimally processed form of oats that come with healthier texture as compared to your regular oats. They are also rich in more soluble fiber then any other grain. If you cannot find them, use brown rice or regular oats instead
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Ingredients
● 1 tablespoon coconut oil
● 1/4 cup chopped sweet onion
● 1/4 cup chopped broccoli
● 3/4 cup cooked sprouted oat groats (or brown rice or rolled oats)
● 1/2 cup spinach
● 1/4 cup kale
● 1/4 cup finely diced zucchini
● 1/4 teaspoon or salt
Method
● Heat coconut oil in pan over medium heat.
● Add onion and cook until translucent.
● Add broccoli and toss with onion.
● Add oat groats, spinach, kale, and zucchini.
● Season with salt.
● Toss until well mixed.
● Cover pan until broccoli and zucchini are tender.
● Serve hot
All these recipes are quite different from your regular Indian meal, thus come packed with nutrition and taste you might have never experienced before. Try each one of them for seven days to enjoy scrumptious healthy meals at night.
