Mediterranean Diet Recipes for Better Heart Health
It’s no secret that the mediterranean diet brings heart health benefits such as lower blood pressure and reduced cholesterol. So just what exactly IS the mediterranean diet ?
The Mediterranean diet refers to the traditional cuisine and healthy lifestyle (such as fresh air, and exercise), enjoyed for thousands of years by people from countries that border the Mediterranean Sea. The food is freshly cooked from healthy natural ingredients, unprocessed and unrefined, and is low in saturated and trans fats. It also includes plenty of fresh vegetables, legumes, wholegrains, fruits, nuts, seeds and olive oil, as well as an abundance of fish, poultry and only small amounts of red meat.
So, if you would like to sample some authentic, heart friendly mediterranean cooking, we’ve got a couple of delicious, healthy and nutritious mediterranean diet recipes below that are quick and easy to prepare :-
- Penne with Ricotta
- Sicilian Swordfish
Penne with Ricotta
Photo: www.mediterraneanrecipes.org/penne_ricotta.jpg
Ingredients
- Penne — 100 grams
- Ricotta Cheese — 40 grams
- Grated parmesan — 20 grams
- Salt
- Pepper
This recipe can be prepared within 25 minutes and good for one serving only. Penne with Ricotta is a tasty energy meal and excellent for your personal enjoyment. Ricotta is a dairy product. It is very rich in protein and derived from different types of milk.
Preparation
Mix water with salt then boil in a saucepan. Follow the directions on the package for cooking the Penne. Drain the water but leave at least 2 to 3 tablespoons of water. Add cottage cheese in the pan then season the mixture with salt and pepper. Before serving, make sure to sprinkle parmesan cheese on top.
Nutritional Value
| Food | Gr | Kcal | Fat | Carb | Pro | Fib | Water |
| Semolina pasta | 100 | 371 | 1.51 | 74.67 | 13.04 | 3.2 | 9.9 |
| Ricotta | 40 | 55.2 | 3.16 | 2.06 | 4.56 | 0 | 29.76 |
| Grated Parmesan cheese | 20 | 86.2 | 5.72 | 0.81 | 7.69 | 0 | 4.17 |
| Salt | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Pepper | 2 | 5.1 | 0.07 | 1.3 | 0.22 | 0.53 | 0.21 |
| Total | 164 | 517.5 | 10.46 | 78.84 | 25.51 | 3.73 | 44.04 |
| A head (1) | 164 | 517.5 | 10.46 | 78.84 | 25.51 | 3.73 | 44.04 |
| Per 100 grams | 100 | 315.55 | 6.38 | 48.07 | 15.55 | 2.27 | 26.85 |
Sicilian Swordfish
Photo: www.mediterraneanrecipes.org/Sicilian_swordfish.jpg Ingredients
- Swordfish — 600 grams
- Tomatoes — 200 grams
- Onion — 1 pc
- Black Olives — 50 grams
- Garlic — 1 clove
Swordfish Sicilian is a unique southern Italian recipe. This recipe can be prepared in 25 minutes and good for 4 servings. It has low fat and low calorie content.Preparation
Briefly boil the tomatoes so you can clean and peel them. Finely chop the onions and crush the garlic while preheating the olive oil in a frying pan. After heating, fry the onion and garlic until golden brown. You can now put the sliced Swordfish in the frying pan. Make sure that the slices of the Swordfish are approximately 1 cm thick. Cover the frying pan while cooking the Swordfish. Add the tomatoes after a few minutes. Before removing the Swordfish from the pan, sprinkle the black olives and chopped parsley on top. Serve hot. Nutritional Value:
| Food | Gr | Kcal | Fat | Carb | Pro | Fib | Water |
| Swordfish | 600 | 726 | 24.06 | 0 | 118.8 | 0 | 453.72 |
| Ripe tomatoes | 200 | 36 | 0.4 | 7.84 | 1.76 | 2.4 | 189 |
| Onions | 80 | 32 | 0.08 | 7.47 | 0.88 | 1.36 | 71.29 |
| Black olives | 50 | 117.5 | 8.25 | 4.6 | 5.9 | 0 | 29.1 |
| Garlic | 10 | 14.9 | 0.05 | 3.31 | 0.64 | 0.21 | 5.86 |
| Total | 940 | 926.4 | 32.84 | 23.22 | 127.98 | 3.97 | 748.97 |
| A head (4) | 235 | 231.6 | 8.21 | 5.81 | 32 | 0.99 | 187.24 |
| Per 100 grams | 100 | 98.55 | 3.49 | 2.47 | 13.61 | 0.42 | 79.68 |
About the Cooker – Felicia R. Mcclinton writes for the blog mediterranean beef recipes , her personal hobby blog she uses to help people learn how to make Mediterranean recipes to eat healthy to prevent diseases.Recipes kindly donated by mediterraneanrecipes.org
Heart healthy red pepper soup with lime recipe
If you’re interested in looking after your heart health, and love tasty, delicious, home cooked food, why not try this quick and easy recipe for red pepper soup with lime ?
All sweet peppers (capsicums) contain a rich source of vitamins A, C, and K. However red peppers have the highest quantities of these anti-oxidant compounds that provide powerful anti-aging and immune system benefits. Red peppers are also a good source of the carotenoid called lycopene, which is believed to help in the prevention of prostate and bladder cancer as well as cancer of the cervix and pancreas.
This soup is low in calories, saturated fat, and salt, but high in fiber, with the added benefit of zero cholesterol!
Dietary Information:
Nutritional value per portion (serves 4-6)
- Energy – 87 calories
- Fat – 1.57g
- Saturated fat – 0.12g
- Cholesterol – 0
- Fibre – 3.40g.
Ingredients:
- 4 red peppers, seeded and chopped
- 1 large onion chopped
- 5ml/ 1tsp olive oil
- 1small red chilli, sliced
- 45ml/3 tbsp tomato puree
- 900ml/1.5 pints vegetable stock
- Finely grated rind and juice of 1 lime
- Black pepper
- Shreds of lime rind – to garnish.
Method:
1. Cook the onions and red peppers gently in the oil, in a covered saucepan for approximately 5 minutes.
2. Stir in the garlic then add the chilli with the tomato puree. Stir in half the stock then add to the boil. Cover the pan and simmer for 10 minutes.
3. Cool slightly, then puree in a food processor or blender. Return to the pan and add the remaining stock, lime juice and seasoning.
4. Bring the soup back to the boil and serve at once with a few strips of lime rind.
Authors tip:
I use Kallo organic very low salt vegetable stock cubes in place of conventional stock cubes.
Most well-known supermarkets stock these now. Lowering your dietary salt intake is important in helping to maintain healthy arteries, and prevent Atherosclerosis.
Beetroot Lowers Blood Pressure
High blood pressure is on the increase, worldwide, and now affects more than a quarter of the world’s mature population. This has been projected to rise to almost one third in fifteen years time. It is responsible for over one hundred thousand deaths in the United Kingdom each year from coronary heart disease and stroke.
Beetroot Juice has key ingredient to lower blood pressure
Now scientists have identified a key natural ally in the battle against hypertension and coronary heart disease causes – beetroot juice.
Drinking 500ml of Beetroot juice each day appears to greatly lower blood pressure, and help to maintain a healthy circulatory system, according to research carried out in the United kingdom by the London School of medicine, by Professor Amrita Ahluwalia. This is due to it’s high concentration of an important beneficial ingredient – Nitrate.
Nitrate can also be found in other foods such as fresh green vegetables, so a smaller quantity of beetroot juice can be supplemented by other qualifying natural healthy foods if desired. The Nitrate is converted by the body into Nitric Acid, and it is the peaking of this compound that has been observed to coincide with the maximum reduction in blood pressure.
Potential for very fast blood pressure reduction
The reason that we’re excited about the potential heart health benfits of beetroot is that this amazing food has the unique ability to lower blood pressure very quickly. In tests conducted on volunteers, blood pressure reduction occurred within just one hour of consuming the beetroot juice, peaked within four hours, and continued to have an effect on blood pressure lowering for up to 24 hours.
So, if you want to help to keep your heart healthy, why not try some of this delicious home made juice? The onion and garlic will thin your blood and help to lower your cholesterol, whilst the watercress will oxygenate your blood. The beetroot will lower your blood pressure and also build up your red blood cell count. It’s a win – win formula!
Heart Beet Juice recipe
Whizz up the following ingredients in a juicer and chill before serving:
- 125 g (4oz) Beetroot
- 125 g (4oz) Watercress
- 125 g (4oz) Red Onion
- 250 g (8oz) Carrot
The above recipe will make 200ml (7fl oz), and contains 167 calories.
Nutritional benefits of beetroot juice recipe:
The key nutritional benefits of the beetroot juice recipe are summarised by the super food compounds listed below, that are found in the recipe:
- Viamin A
- Vitamin C
- Magnesium
- Niacin
- Vitamin B6
- Vitamin E
Enjoy, relax and soak up the heart health giving benefits!
Heart Healthy Chili Con Carne Recipe
Chili con carne is a favorite dish all over the United States and worldwide, due to it’s hot and spicy flavor and quick and easy preparation. Based on an old Mexican recipe for chilli, dating back to the 1800’s, it is possibly the most famous example of Latin food, and has also been adopted as the the official dish of the state of Texas.
There are many chili con carne recipes to choose from, but this Chili hot con carne recipe will have your taste buds popping, with it’s rich beefy taste and it’s hot sauce, combined with heart healthy ingredient list bursting with flavor. We have modified it for maximum health benefits, so with this chili con carne recipe you know exactly what has gone into your food – this creation is low in salt and saturated fat with no added preservatives or chemicals.
There is growing evidence that diet can contribute significantly to the fight against the risk of heart attack and stroke, so we have created this to be especially healthy – if you’re concerned about your heart health, why not try making this delicious recipe?
Why is this recipe for Chilli con carne good for your heart health and lower blood pressure?
* we use red palm and Canola oil, one of the healthiest cooking oils
* we use fresh garlic which is reputed to help lower blood pressure
* we use fresh chili peppers with heart health giving properties
* we take all fat off of the steak before grinding
* we use no added salt or sodium substitute
This recipe is easy to prepare, economical and very popular. You can use it as part of a heart healthy diet which can give big health benefits for the health conscious who also like their food to taste good. It is also a great warming winter recipe which can help to decrease the cold weather heart attack risk as part of the overall ‘keep warm’ heart health strategy. If made as directed it can certainly help to make you feel warmer and help to improve your blood circulation!
Ingredients (serves 4 people)
You can see the main ingredients for the chili sauce here, with the full listing below :
* 4 Tablespoons of Red Palm and Canola Oil
* 6 cloves of fresh garlic, finely chopped
* 5 small onions, coarsely chopped
* 800g beef steak, all fat removed, then ground in a meat grinder (or 800g lean minced steak from the grocery store)
* 5 large juicy red tomatoes
* 10 ounces mushrooms (optional)
* 400g can chopped tomatoes
* 410g can red kidney beans
* 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
* 3 low salt beef stock cubes
* 3 red chilli peppers, sliced thinly
* 1 green chilli pepper, sliced thinly
* 1 tablespoon mixed herbs
* Boiled Rice for serving
Cooking Instructions
Preparation time – Approx. 40 minutes. Cooking time – 25 minutes.