Quick, Easy and Healthy Recipes

Not many New Yorkers spend a lot of time in their kitchens. When I mention the word COOK to my clients, I frequently see looks of horror cross their faces! Who has the time or motivation to cook when we work long hours and are surrounded by every type of cuisine imaginable on the streets of New York City. But frequent dining out or ordering in can pack in the calories, fat and sodium.  Wouldn’t it be nice to have a professional chef create simple and nutritious recipes that taste good and are easy to make? Problem solved! My colleague Abbie Gellman (who is also a registered dietitian) is sharing some of her most popular recipes with readers of City Girl Bites. I think I’ll even venture into the kitchen to try some of them!

Arctic Char and Vegetables en Papillote
2 servings
Ingredients:1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil,  1 teaspoon lemon zest,  1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice,  1 teaspoon chopped fresh dill,  2 (4-ounce) arctic char fillets (about 1 inch thick),  1/4 teaspoon kosher salt,  1/8 teaspoon black pepper,  1/4 cup scallions – sliced thin,  1/4 cup red bell pepper – small diced,  1/4 cup zucchini/yellow squash – small diced 
Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 400°F.
2. Combine first 4 ingredients in a small bowl; stir until blended.
3. Cut 2 (15 x 24-inch) pieces of parchment paper. Fold in half crosswise. Draw a large heart half on each piece, with the fold of the paper along the center of the heart. Cut out the heart, and open.
4. Sprinkle both sides of fillets with salt and pepper. Place one fillet near fold of each parchment heart. Top each fillet with half the oil mixture and half the vegetable mixture. Start at the top of the heart and fold edges of parchment, sealing edges with narrow folds. Twist the end tip to secure tightly. Note: can also use aluminum foil
5. Place packets on a baking sheet. Bake at 400° for ~15 minutes. Place on plates; cut open. Serve immediately with quinoa pilaf (see recipe).
Sustainable Choice: If arctic char is not available from your fishmonger, substitute wild salmon (note: Abbie didn’t have the actual picture of the artic char dish – so we used a different pic!)

Quinoa Pilaf
2 servings
Ingredients:1/2 cup prewashed quinoa, 1 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil, 1/2 small onion – chopped fine, 1/4 teaspoon salt, 1 1/4 cups water, 1 tablespoon chopped fresh herbs, 1 teaspoon lemon juice
Directions:
1. Toast quinoa in medium saucepan over medium-high heat, stirring frequently, until quinoa is very fragrant and makes continuous popping sound, ~5 minutes. Transfer quinoa to bowl and set aside.
2. Return now-empty pan to medium-low heat and add olive oil. Add onion and salt; cook, stirring frequently, until onion is softened and light golden, ~5 minutes.
3. Increase heat to medium-high, stir in water and quinoa, and bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat to low, and simmer until grains are just tender and liquid is absorbed, ~15 minutes. Remove pan from heat and let sit, covered, for 10 minutes. Fluff quinoa with fork, stir in herbs and lemon juice, and serve.

Braised Chicken with Artichokes
2 servings
Ingredients:4 boneless, skinless chicken thighs (~3/4 pounds), Pinch salt, Pinch ground black pepper, 1 ½ tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, 1 onion – diced, 2 cloves garlic – sliced, ½ teaspoon turmeric, ½ teaspoon cumin, ¼ teaspoon ground coriander, Pinch red pepper flakes, 1 cinnamon stick or ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon, 1 bay leaf, 1 1/2 cups low sodium chicken stock, 2 teaspoons lemon zest, 1 ½ fresh squeezed lemon juice, ½ cup low sodium canned chickpeas – rinsed, 4 oz thawed frozen artichoke hearts, ¼ cup pitted green olives
Directions:
1. Season chicken with salt and pepper. Heat olive oil in large skillet or dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add chicken and brown on both sides, ~3 minutes per side. Transfer chicken to plate and set aside.
2. Lower heat to medium and add onion, saute ~3-4 minutes. Add garlic and saute ~1 minute. Add turmeric, cumin, coriander, red pepper flakes, cinnamon, and bay leaf and stir for 1 minute. Pour ¼ cup stock into pot to deglaze. Stir in the remaining stock, lemon zest, and lemon juice. Lower heat and cover, simmer ~15 minutes.
3. Add chicken, chickpeas, artichoke hearts, and olives to pot. Increase heat to medium and cook uncovered, stirring occasionally, for ~10 minutes. Add salt and pepper to taste. Serve with quinoa pilaf (see recipe). Pic is of Abbie in the kitchen

Grain bowl: Kale Pesto with Farro
1 serving
Ingredients: ¼ cup kale pesto (see recipe), ½ to 2/3 cup cooked faro (see recipe), 1/3 cup cannellini beans –  from can low sodium and rinsed with water, ½ cup cherry tomatoes – halved, ¼ cup slivered almonds – toasted
Directions:
1. Combine kale pesto and faro in a bowl, mix together
2. Add beans, tomatoes, and almonds  (pic credit) note: this is not Abbie’s actual dish

– Kale Pesto (without nuts)
Serving size ~1.5-2 oz
This recipe makes ~6-8 servings; can freeze in ice cube tray and then transfer to freezer bag to use with pasta, grains, etc.
Ingredients:2 cups kale, 2/3 cup extra virgin olive oil (cut this down if desired), 2 cloves garlic, ¼ cup lemon juice, 1/3 cup Parmesan cheese, ½ teaspoon salt, ¼ teaspoon pepper
Directions:
1. Blend all ingredients together in vitamix

– Farro
Makes ~3-4 servings
Ingredients:1 cup faro, Pinch salt
Directions:
1. Place faro, salt, and 3 cups water in stockpot.
2. Bring to a boil then cover and reduce to low. Simmer for 30 minutes then drain faro in a colander.

Black Bean Burger
4 servings
Ingredients: 1 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil ½ small onion- minced, 1 can low sodium black beans – rinsed, 2 large eggs – beaten, 2 tablespoons non-fat plain Greek yogur, ½ teaspoon salt, 1 teaspoon cumin, 2 tablespoons cilantro – minced,  zest of 1 lime, ½ teaspoon cayenne, ½ cup whole wheat bread crumbs, ½ avocado – sliced, 1 small tomato – sliced, 2 tablespoons red onion – sliced, 2 whole wheat hamburger buns
Directions:
1. Pre-heat the oven to 350°F. Heat small skillet over medium-high heat, add olive oil, and cook onion 2 to 3 minutes or until softened. Remove the onion from the heat and set aside.
2. Place black beans, eggs, yogurt and salt in a food processor and process until a slightly chunky texture is achieved. Remove from food processor and place in a medium bowl. Stir in the cumin, cilantro, lime zest, paprika, and cayenne. Add the bread crumbs and mix gently. Form the mixture into 4 even patties about 1” thick.
3. Coat a large skillet with cooking spray and heat over medium-heat. Cook the black bean burgers for 2 to 3 minutes on each side then finish cooking in the oven for 10 minutes.
4. Slice patties in half and stuff with avocado, tomato, and red onion slices. (pic credit) note: this is not Abbie’s pic

Veggie Frittata   
2 servings
Ingredients:
4 large eggs
2 egg whites, 2 tbsp chives, minced, Pinch of salt and pepper, 2 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil, 2 tbsp onion, minced 1/2 cup tomato, chopped1/2 cup/ zucchini, chopped ¼ cup green bell pepper, chopped pinch salt pinch black pepper
Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Whisk together eggs and egg whites with chives and a pinch of salt and pepper, set aside.
2. In a small skillet, sauté the onion, garlic, tomato, zucchini, and bell pepper over medium heat. Season with salt and pepper.
3. Once vegetables have cooked ~3-4 minutes and have softened, add egg mixture. Place skillet in oven. Bake for 10-15 minutes until eggs are set/firm.  pic credit 

I’d like to thank Abbie for sharing her recipes. Abbie Gellman, MS RD, is a professionally trained chef and Registered Dietitian. She received a Master of Science degree in Nutrition from Teachers College, Columbia University and completed a dietetic internship at New York – Presbyterian Hospital in NYC. Abbie holds a Bachelor of Science degree from Cornell University’s School of Hotel Administration and earned her Culinary Degree from Peter Kump’s New York Cooking School (now known as ICE). In her free time, Abbie likes to like to play “Just Dance” on the Wii with her 7 year old daughter.

Abbie is available for: recipe and menu development, private chef/dietitian nutrition education and healthy cooking classes.. Contact her at: abbiegellman@gmail.com

BTW – Abbie has provided private cooking lessons and meal delivery services to several of my clients … with rave reviews!