Heart Healthy Recipes
You can make simple heart-healthy substitutions by using 2% or skim milk and egg substitutes or egg whites in place of eggs, and soft margarine instead of butter. (Ideas for recipe modifications can be found on this page -- "Simple Heart-Healthy Ingredient Substitutions.") However, many of the following recipes already contain 2% milk. And, although some of the recipes contains eggs, keep in mind that these recipes provide multiple servings. So if the recipe serves 8 people and you use 2 eggs, each person would not receive the equivalent of an entire egg. Also, keep in mind that the American Heart Association has stated that a limit of 2 egg yolks per week is recommended for those at risk of or who have heart disease.
It's also important to remember that when you use various ingredients in place of the original ingredients (e.g., margarine in place of butter, egg substitute in place of eggs, low-fat milk in place of whole, a sugar substitute in place of sugar) it can cause variation in the recipe and other ingredients may need to be adjusted as well. Many of these recipes have made one recipe modification (e.g., switching from butter to soft margarine) -- which can have a significant impact by reducing the amount of saturated fat and cholesterol in the recipe -- and thus the appropriate modifications of other ingredients have been made as well.
If you would prefer other recipes, please visit the following pages which contain recipes from the American Heart Association and other organizations:
For other Heart Healthy Recipes from the Never2Early.org website, click here. Never2Early.org provides information about maintaining a heart-healthy lifestyle for your whole family.
For other Heart Healthy Recipes from the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute,
click here.
The following recipes are from the American Heart Association Cookbook 5th Edition:
©Reproduced with permission.
American Heart Association Cookbook 5th Edition, 1991
Copyright American Heart Association.
New England Fish Chowder
Serves 6; 1 cup per serving
1 pound fresh cod or haddock
4 cups skim milk
2 cups peeled and diced potatoes
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons acceptable** margarine
1 cup sliced leeks, white part only
1 cup frozen no-salt-added baby green peas
2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh parsley
1/8 teaspoon ground white pepper
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
Rinse fish and pat dry. Cut into 1-inch pieces and set aside.
In a large saucepan over medium head, combine milk, potatoes and salt. Cover
and cook 25 to 30 minutes.
In small nonstick skillet, melt margarine. Add leeks and sauté until limp.
Set aside.
Remove 1 cup potatoes and 1 cup liquid from saucepan, and place in a blender
or the work bowl of a food processor fitted with a metal blade. Process until
smooth. Return potatoes and liquid to pan over medium-high heat. Add sautÉ:ed
leeks, fish, peas, parsley, pepper and lemon juice. Bring to a boil, reduce
heat and simmer 10 minutes, or until fish is done.
Nutrient Analysis
Calories 227 kcal
Protein 22 gm
Carbohydrate 23 gm
Cholesterol 43 mg
Sodium 396 mg
Total Fat 5 gm
Saturated Fat 1 gm
Polyunsaturated Fat 1 gm
Monounsaturated Fat 2 gm
** Selecting acceptable fats and oils is easy if you keep these things in
mind: … Buy margarine in place of butter, and always look for a margarine
that contains no more than 2 grams of saturated fat per tablespoon.
… Because diet margarine contains water, it is often difficult to use
for cooking, but it's still useful as a spread.
Mushroom Baked Sole
Serves 6
Vegetable oil spray
1-1/2 pounds sole fillets
1 medium onion, finely chopped
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
1 cup sliced fresh mushrooms
2 tablespoons acceptable margarine
1/2 teaspoon finely ground black pepper
1/4 cup dry white wine
1 tablespoon acceptable margarine
1 tablespoon flour
1/2 cup skim milk
1/4 teaspoon paprika
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly spray a baking dish with vegetable
oil.
Rinse fish and pat dry. Set aside.
In a nonstick skillet over medium-high heat, sauté onion, 1/4 cup parsley
and mushrooms in 2 tablespoons margarine, stirring constantly until onions
are soft.
Place half the fillets in bottom of prepared baking dish and sprinkle lightly
with pepper. Spread sautÉed mixture evenly over fish. Top with remaining fillets
and season with more pepper. Pour wine over all and dot with remaining 1 tablespoon
margarine.
Bake uncovered 15 minutes. Remove from oven and drain, reserving liquid.
In a small saucepan, combine flour and milk. Add reserved pan liquid and cook,
stirring constantly, until thickened.
Pour sauce over fish and bake 5 minutes longer. Sprinkle with paprika and
2 tablespoons parsley before serving.
Nutrient Analysis
Calories 164 kcal
Protein 20 gm
Carbohydrate 4 gm
Cholesterol 54 mg
Sodium 163 mg
Total Fat 7 gm
Saturated Fat 2 gm
Polyunsaturated Fat 2 gm
Monounsaturated Fat 3 gm
Crispy Baked Chicken
Serves 4
Vegetable oil spray
1 2-1/2- to 3-pound frying chicken, cut into serving pieces, skinned, all
visible fat removed
1 cup skim milk
1 cup cornflake crumbs
1 teaspoon rosemary
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Line a baking pan with foil and lightly spray
foil with vegetable oil.
Rinse chicken and pat dry. Set aside.
Pour milk into a shallow bowl. Combine cornflake crumbs, rosemary and pepper
in another shallow bowl. Dip chicken pieces first into milk and then into
crumb mixture. Allow to stand briefly so coating with adhere.
Arrange chicken in prepared pan so pieces do not touch. Bake 45 minutes,
or until done. Crumbs will form a "crisp" skin.
Nutrient Analysis
Calories 246 kcal
Protein 34 gm
Carbohydrate 9 gm
Cholesterol 93 mg
Sodium 183 mg
Total Fat 7 gm
Saturated Fat 2 gm
Polyunsaturated Fat 2 gm
Monounsaturated Fat 2 gm
Stuffed Acorn Squash
Serves 6
3 small acorn squash (approximately 4 inches in diameter)
1 cup cooked rice
1 cup herb-seasoned stuffing mix (crumb style)
1/2 cup finely chopped onion
1/2 cup chicken broth (commercial low-sodium variety)
1/4 cup raisins
1/3 cup unsalted dry-roasted walnuts
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
Cut each squash in half and spoon out seeds. Set aside. In a bowl, combine
all ingredients except squash. Fill squash halves loosely with stuffing mixture.
Place squash halves in a 9-x-13-inch pan and cover with foil. Bake 1 to 1-1/4
hours, or until squash is tender when pierced with the tip of a knife. Serve
hot.
Nutrient Analysis
Calories 241 kcal
Protein 6 gm
Carbohydrate 44 gm
Cholesterol 1 mg
Sodium 246 mg
Total Fat 6
Saturated Fat 1 gm
Polyunsaturated Fat 1 gm
Monounsaturated Fat 3 gm
Eggplant Zucchini Casserole
Serves 8
Vegetable oil spray
2 8-ounce cans no-salt-added tomato sauce
2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
Freshly ground black pepper to taste
1 teaspoon oregano
1/2 teaspoon basil
1/2 teaspoon marjoram
2 medium cloves garlic, crushed
1 medium eggplant, peeled and sliced
2 medium zucchini, sliced
1 cup uncooked spaghetti, broken into pieces
3 medium stalks of celery, chopped
1 medium onion, chopped
1 medium green bell pepper, chopped
8 ounces part-skim mozzarella cheese, cut into 18 small slices
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly spray a 9-x-13 inch casserole dish
with vegetable oil.
In a bowl, combine tomato sauce, Worcestershire sauce, black pepper, herbs
and garlic. Mix well and set aside
In prepared casserole dish, arrange half of the eggplant slices in a single
layer. Top with half of each of the following: zucchini slices, spaghetti,
celery, onion and bell pepper. Next, arrange 9 slices of cheese over this,
and spoon half of tomato mixture on top of cheese Repeat layers.
Cover and bake about 1 hour, or until vegetables are tender.
Nutrient Analysis
Calories 136 kcal
Protein 10 gm
Carbohydrate 14 gm
Cholesterol 15 mg
Sodium 194 mg
Total Fat 5 gm
Saturated Fat 3 gm
Polyunsaturated Fat 0 gm
Monounsaturated Fat 1 gm
Baked Ginger Pears
Serves 8; 1/2 pear per serving
8 canned no-sugar-added pear halves, canned in natural juices
1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger, or chopped crystallized ginger to taste
1/4 cup unsalted dry-roasted chopped pecans
Garnish:
Crystallized ginger
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Drain pears, reserving juice. Arrange pear halves close together in a baking
dish, cut-side-up. Set aside
In a small bowl, combine brown sugar, lemon juice, ginger and pecans; mix
well. Spoon into pear halves and sprinkle lightly with ginger. Pour reserved
pear juice around pears to cover bottom of dish.
Bake 15 to 20 minutes.
Serve warm or cover and refrigerate to serve chilled. Garnish with bits of
crystallized ginger
Nutrient Analysis
Calories 103 kcal
Protein 0 gm
Carbohydrate 21 gm
Cholesterol 0 mg
Sodium 4 mg
Total Fat 3 gm
Saturated Fat 0 gm
Polyunsaturated Fat 1 gm
Monounsaturated Fat 2 gm
Apple Crisp
Ingredients:
10 golden delicious apples (about 5 lbs.), peeled, cored and sliced (about 12 cups)
1 cup firmly packed brown sugar
2 tsp. ground cinnamon
I cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup (1 stick) Margarine - 60% or less vegetable oil spread
I cup uncooked quick or old fashioned oats
Method:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. In large bowl, combine apples, 1/2
cup sugar and cinnamon. Turn into 13 x 9-inch or 3-quart shallow
casserole; set aside. In medium bowl, combine flour and remaining
½ cup sugar. With pastry blender or two knives, cut
in margarine until mixture is size of coarse crumbs.
Stir in oats. With hands, gently squeeze mixture to form crumbs;
sprinkle over apples. Bake uncovered 1 hour or until apples
are tender and topping is golden. Serve warm or at room temperature
and, if desired, with vanilla ice cream or frozen yogurt.
Assemble
apple crisp just before sitting down to dinner, then bake
while you are eating. Serve warm.
Makes
8 servings.
White Chocolate Cranberry Cookie Bars
Ingredients:
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. salt
4 eggs
1-3/4 cups sugar
1 bag (12 oz.) white chocolate chips (2 cups)
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1/2 cup (1 stick) Margarine - 60% or less vegetable oil spread
1 cup dried cranberries
Method:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease 13 x 9-inch baking pan; set
aside. In medium bowl, combine flour, baking powder and salt;
set aside. In small bowl, with wire whisk, beat eggs, sugar
and vanilla; set aside. In medium saucepan, melt 1 cup white
chocolate chips with margarine over low heat, stirring
occasionally. Remove from heat; let cool slightly. While stirring
chocolate mixture, slowly stir in egg mixture, then flour
mixture until blended. Stir in remaining 1 cup chips and cranberries.
Evenly pour into prepared pan. Bake uncovered 40 minutes or
until center springs back when lightly touched. On wire rack,
cool completely. To serve, cut into bars.
Cookie
bars can be prepared ahead. If prepared one day ahead, simply
wrap airtight until serving. If preparing 1 to 2 weeks ahead,
simply wrap airtight and freeze. Thaw at room temperature.
Makes
two dozen bars.
Simple Heart-Healthy Ingredient Substitutions |
| USE MORE OFTEN: |
USE LESS OFTEN: |
| Egg
Whites, Egg Substitutes |
Whole
Eggs |
| Soft
or Reduced-fat Margarine |
Butter
or Lard |
| Herbs
or Spices |
Salt |
| Skim
or 1% Milk |
Whole,
2% Milk, Half & Half, Cream |
|
Source:
American Heart Association |
