35 Power Foods To Include in Your Diet

 http://my.clevelandclinic.org/heart/prevention/nutrition/35powerfoods.aspx

Power foods are items you should include in your diet that give you:

• The richest amount of nutrients,
• The least amount of calories,
• And the most health benefits
• To decrease your risk of heart disease

 1) Asparagus
    
 Rich in : B6, folate, fiber 

 Asparagus Recipe

• Cook time: 10 minutes

Ingredients

• 1 bunch of medium sized asparagus, about 1 lb
• 2 Tbsp of the most exquisite extra virgin olive oil
• 2 Tbsp freshly grated Parmesan cheese
• 1 teaspoon lemon zest - freshly grated lemon rind
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Method:

1) Prepare the asparagus by rinsing them thoroughly, break off any tough, white bottoms and discard. Cut into 1 to 2 inch sections, slicing the asparagus at a slight diagonal.

2) Fill a medium sized saucepan half way with water, bring to a boil. Add the asparagus and reduce heat slightly to a simmer. Parboil the asparagus for exactly 2 minutes. Drain the hot water. While the asparagus are still hot, toss them in a bowl with the olive oil, Parmesan, and lemon rind. Salt and pepper to taste. Serve warm or room temperature.

Note that when you are working with so few ingredients, it's important to make sure they are of the highest quality.

Yield : Serves 4.

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Recipe from SimplyRecipes.com

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2) Bell Peppers

Rich in : B1, B2, B6, folate, C, fiber

Three Pepper Salad Recipe

Recipe Type: Salad, Sweet Bell Peppers, onion, Diet
Yields: 6 to 8 servings
Prep time: 15 min

Ingredients:

1 red sweet pepper, cored and seeded
1 yellow sweet pepper, cored and seeded
1 orange sweet pepper, cored and seeded
1 small sweet onion (Walla Walla, Vidalia, or Maui), peeled
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley or fresh basil leaves
Coarse salt and freshly-ground black pepper
1 tablespoon rice vinegar
1 tablespoon sesame oil
1/4 cup (2 ounces) crumbled feta cheese

Preparation:

Slice sweet peppers into matchstick-size pieces and place in a large bowl.

Slice onion into matchstick-size pieces and add to the bowl. Add parsley or basil. Sprinkle with coarse salt and pepper. Add rice vinegar and sesame oil, stirring to mix well.

Cover and refrigerate approximately 1 hour before serving. To serve, toss salad again and sprinkle with crumbled feta cheese.
Makes 6 to 8 servings.

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Recipe from WhatsCookingAmerica.net

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 3) Bok Choy

 Rich in : B6, C, K, Calcium, fiber

 
 Baby Bok Choy with Garlic and  Shrimp Recipe

Ingredients:

4 oz. bok choy mui/baby bok choi (cleaned and rinsed)
1/8 teaspoon salt or to taste
1 tablespoon oil
1/4 cup peeled baby shrimps
3 cloves garlic (finely chopped)

Method:

Heat up a wok with the cooking oil and saute the chopped garlic until light brown or aromatic. Add the baby shrimps and stir-fry until the shrimps are half-cooked. Add in a pinch of salt to the shrimp, and then follow by the baby bok choy. Quickly stir-fry the vegetables, dish out and serve hot.

Cook’s Notes - Do not overcook your vegetables. They should retain the vitality and crunchiness.

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Recipe from RasaMalaysia.com
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 4) Broccoli

 Rich in : B6, C, E, K, folate, fiber

 Beef and Broccoli Salad

Ingredients:

4 (6-ounce) pieces of beef tenderloin steak, 1-inch thick
   
    Salt and pepper
    Vegetable oil cooking spray
    1 head broccoli, stem trimmed of fiberous skin, cut in florets and  
              stem cut into chunks
    1 sack mixed baby greens, 6 to 8 ounces
    1 red bell pepper, seeded and very thinly sliced
    4 scallions, sliced on an angle, 1-inch pieces
    1 cup pea pods, sliced on an angle
    1 cup shredded carrots
    8 hot cherry peppers or pepperoncini, chopped
    2 tablespoons chopped cilantro leaves, optional

Dressing:

    1/4 cup duck sauce or sweet and sour sauce
    1-inch ginger root, finely chopped
    1 lime, juiced
    2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar or white vinegar
    1/2 to 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
    1/4 cup vegetable oil

Directions:

Preheat grill pan over high heat. Season steak with salt and pepper. Spray grill pan with cooking spray. Grill meat 3 to 5 minutes per side for medium rare to medium well doneness. Remove meat and let stand 10 minutes.

In a pan, bring 1-inch of water to a bubble. Add a pinch of salt and broccoli pieces and steam for 3 to 5 minutes, until cooked but still firm. In the sink, drain broccoli in colander and run cold water over it to cool.

Arrange greens on large platter or individual dinner plates. Arrange broccoli and veggies on greens. Combine duck or sweet and sour sauce with ginger, lime juice, vinegar, crushed pepper flakes. Whisk in oil. Slice steaks and arrange on salad and drizzle completed dish with dressing. Season with additional salt and pepper.

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Recipe from FoodNetwork.com

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 5) Carrots

 Rich in : A, C, Fiber, carotenoids*

 *What's a carotenoid? A carotenoid is a type of phytochemical, which has strong anti-oxidant effect. You may be familiar with beta-carotene, one of the 600 known carotenoids. A diet, rich in carotenoids, helps to protect against cancer and heart disease and contribute to healthy eyes.

*What's a phytochemical? A phytochemical is a plant chemical that helps to keep plants healthy. These are now thought to help humans protect against disease and boost the immune system.

Glazed Carrots Recipe

Ingredients:

3 cups carrots, diced bite size
3 tablespoons butter
3 tablespoons brown sugar
salt

Directions:

You can scale this recipe up or down really easy. You don’t even need to
deal with fractions on the ingredients. I love that. Just peel as many
carrots as your family would eat, dice them, and measure how much you’ve
got. Then get one tablespoon each of butter and brown sugar for each cup
of carrots.

Melt the butter on high heat, add the carrots, salt to taste and stir to
coat all the carrots with butter, and then often enough to keep the butter
from scorching. As soon as the carrots start to change color (they’ll get
a little darker) add the sugar and stir until it’s dissolved.

Add enough water to just barely cover the carrots and reduce the heat to a
simmer. Stir occasionally as the water reduces, until there is almost no
syrup left in the pan, and it’s all on the carrots. Pour out into your
serving dish and pour over any remaining syrup.


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Recipe from EatWithoutGuilt.com
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6) Garlic, onions, leeks, shallots

Rich in : Phytochemicals (A phytochemical is a plant chemical that helps to keep plants healthy. These are now thought to help humans protect against disease and boost the immune system) and fiber

Baked Parmesan Garlic Chicken Wings Recipe

Ingredients :

1 teaspoon dried oregano1 teaspoon dried rosemary1/2 teaspoon ground cumin1 teaspoon kosher or sea salt (1/2 tsp table salt)2 1/2 pounds chicken wings2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil (or melted butter)2 tablespoons minced fresh basil2 garlic cloves, finely minced1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese1/2 teaspoon seasoning salt (like Lawry's)1 cup blue cheese dressing1-2 teaspoons Dijon mustard (or to taste)

Directions :

1. Preheat oven to 425F. In a small bowl, mix together the oregano, rosemary, cumin and salt. Lay the chicken wings on a baking sheet and season the chicken wings with this mixture.

2. Bake the chicken wings for 20-25 minutes. While the chicken is baking, mix together the oil, fresh basil, garlic, parmesan cheese and seasoning salt.

3. In a separate bowl, mix together the blue cheese dressing with the mustard (this is your dipping sauce)

4. When the chicken is cooked through, toss the wings with the garlic/cheese/olive oil (or butter) sauce. Serve with the blue cheese/mustard dressing.
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Recipe from YouLovePizza.com
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Fried Red Onions Recipe

Many recipes start with frying onions and then adding other ingredients, but if you really like sauteed onions, you can make it as a stand-alone side dish!   If you are always sneaking the onions from the frying pan, this recipe is for you :)





Ingredients For Fried Red Onions :
 
Red onions
Oil
Salt to taste

Directions For Fried Red Onions :
Slice red onions. Heat the oil in a non-stick frying pan over medium-high heat.  Add red onion slices and stir.  Reduce heat to medium, and fry the red onions, stirring periodically, for 10 minutes, or until desired doneness.  Add salt to taste.

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Recipe from MelanieCooks.com
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Leeks served with a Kumquat Clementine Vinaigrette

Ingredients

Yields: 4

6 leeks
1 shallot
1/2 tsp brown sugar
3 Tbs Meyer lemon juice, freshly squeezed
3 clementines

4 kumquats
1/2 tsp fleur de sel
2 tsp superfine sugar
1 Tbs white balsamic vinegar
1 Tbs coarse-grained Dijon mustard
1/3 cup olive oil
1/8 tsp white peppercorns, freshly ground
1 Tbs parsley, coarsely chopped

How to prepare the leeks :
Trim the hairy root but make sure not to cut so high that all the leaves separate. Cut about 4 inches off of the long dark green top part of the leek as well. It's very fibrous and not as tender. You can save it for a vegetable stock. Remove a layer or two if the leaves are wilted.

Fill a big bucket of water. Place all the leeks in. Try to open up the leaves and remove all the sand and dirt. Make sure the center portion is still intact so the vegetable still holds together. Wash the leeks again under cold running tap water, there might still be more sand.

Bring a pot filled with water to a boil. Add the steamer insert and place all the leeks in the steamer and steam for about 15 minutes (depending on how wide the leeks are).

How to pickle the shallot :
Peel and thinly slice the shallot. Mince the shallot finely. Place the minced shallot in a bowl, sprinkle some brown sugar and drizzle with the Meyer lemon juice. Set aside.
The vinaigrette :
In a bowl, dissolve the sugar in the white balsamic vinegar. Add the mustard. Set aside.

Peel the kumquat. Thinly slice the kumquat zest. Save a few slices for decoration. Finely chop the rest of the zest.

Juice the clementines. Be sure to remove the pulp using a strainer. Place the clementine juice in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil, then immediately lower the heat to a gentle simmer for about less than 5 minutes. Add the chopped kumquat zest. The liquid should reduce to about a tablespoon of clementine juice. Remove from the heat. Add the fleur de sel and whisk in the olive oil immediately while the juice is still hot. Add the mustard / balsamic vinegar mixture. Add the pickled shallot without its lemony liquid. Finish with white pepper.
Assembly time :
Place the leeks. Drizzle with vinaigrette. Sprinkle with parsley.
You're all set. Dig in!
Tips :

If you don't have clementines, you can substitute with one orange or any other sweet citrus.

You don't have to use white balsamic vinegar but for the aesthetic of the dish, a white vinegar is advised.You can add more vinegar if your clementine reduction is very sweet.

I absolutely love kumquats. I've made some kumquat marmelade already, an agave blended homemade yogurt with kumquat preserves, some caramelized kumquats for a green salad and some baby zucchini-kumquat relish that I served with some fish. If you guys have any suggestions on recipes that use kumquats, I'm all ears. Do not hesitate to leave me a message.

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Recipe from PhamFatale.com
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