Quick and Easy Heart Healthy Recipes

daniela · October 31, 2008

When you have a history of heart disease in your family, it is important to take good care of your heart. Exercise is a main part of taking good care of your body, including your heart. Eating is important as well. But sometimes it seems like finding tasty food that is good for you can be difficult. And besides, who has time to prepare it? You do! Here are two delicious recipes that can get you started on the road to healthful and tasteful eating for your heart. And they're easy to make!

Baked Dijon chicken (4 servings)

Ingredients:

1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breast (or you can use turkey), removed of visible fat

2 Tbl. lemon or lime juice

1 Tbl. course-grained or Dijon mustard

1/8 tsp. black pepper

1/2 tsp. minced garlic (from a bottle works nicely)

Preheat your oven to 375 degrees.

Rinse the chicken and pat it dry and arrange it in a glass baking dish.

Using a small bowl, stir together all the remaining ingredients and spread over the top of the chicken. Do this piece by piece.

Bake uncovered for 15 to 20 minutes. The chicken should be tender and no longer pink.

Rosemary Turkey With Mushrooms (4 servings)

This is a treat that you can serve company. It is an elegant and delicious dish.

Ingredients:

1 pound turkey breast tenderloin slices

1/2 c. chicken broth, low sodium

1/8 tsp. each black pepper and salt

1 Tbl. cornstarch

2 Tbl. balsamic vinegar

8 oz. chanterelle or button mushrooms; these should be cleaned, trimmed, and sliced

1/4 c. shopped onions or shallots

1 tsp. fresh rosemary or 1/4 tsp. dried rosemary

Rinse and pat dry turkey and set aside.

Use a small bowl to stir together broth, salt and pepper, and cornstarch. Set this aside.

Use vegetable oil cooking spray to coat a large skillet and place it over medium-high heat.

Add half the turkey to the hot skillet and cook about two minutes on each side. The turkey should be tender and no longer pink. Set aside and do the same to the other half of the turkey. Remove the skillet from the heat, and keep the turkey warm.

Add the vinegar and rosemary to the skillet. Scrap up all of the brown bits from the bottom of the pan. Then, put the skillet back on the heat and use it to cook the mushrooms and onions (or shallots). It should take about five minutes for the mushrooms to become tender.

Stir in the set aside broth mixture. It will take about three minutes for it to become a sauce, thickened and bubbly. Cook for two more minutes after that, stirring constantly. This sauce is served with the turkey. For an elegant tough, the turkey can be served on a bed of fresh rosemary.

Once you know what you can do to enjoy healthful meals without sacrificing the flavor, you can take better care of your body and of your heart. And that is a delicious proposition.