We periodically add new recipes to this section. Many of the recipes are contributed by program participants. All recipes conform to program guidelines.

Walnut crusted chicken: (contributed by Susan Johannson)

Dr. Kalia's comment: This chicken tastes fabulous, and the walnuts have omega-3 fats!

Makes four servings.

1/2 cup walnut halves
2 slices Ezekiel® bread, torn into pieces
2 egg whites, lightly beaten
1 pound chicken breasts
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 teaspoon finely chopped fresh thyme leaves or 1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil (EVOO)

Preheat oven to 425°F. Coat a rimmed baking sheet with cooking spray.

Put walnuts in food processor and chop. Add bread and pulse to fine crumbs. Transfer to a shallow dish. Add thyme, salt, and pepper.

Put egg whites into another dish and beat lightly.

Dip the chicken pieces in egg whites, then in crumbs, pressing crumbs to adhere. Place in the prepared baking sheet. Drizzle EVOO on the chicken pieces. Bake for 12 to 15 minutes until crumbs are brown and chicken is no longer pink in the thickest part.

Hint: I use a pastry brush to oil the cooking pan. Just pour a little EVOO on the brush and go for it! Also, dab the EVOO on the crumbed chicken with the same pastry brush instead of using a whole tablespoon of oil.

Turkey chili:

This recipe is unbelievably good!

1 pound ground turkey (or grass-fed beef)
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
3/4 medium onion, chopped
1 green bell pepper, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 ripe Roma tomatoes, chopped
1 can (15 ounces) pinto or kidney beans, drained and washed
1 tablespoon sun dried tomato paste
1 tablespoon chili powder
1/2 cup water
Salt to taste

Add the oil to a large, nonstick skillet and cook the turkey, onion, and garlic over medium heat until the turkey loses its pink color. Stir in the remaining ingredients; bring to boil. Cover, reduce the heat, and simmer for 15 to 20 minutes.

Basil Snapper: (contributed by Fred Parker)

2 Red Snapper fillets (or any similar fish)
1 tablespoon dried basil
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
2 tablespoons Parmesan cheese
Cooking spray

Cover a baking sheet with foil and spray with cooking spray. Place the fish on the baking sheet, then spray the fish lightly with cooking spray. Combine basil, pepper, and cheese. Sprinkle the mixture over the fish. Bake at 400°F until done (10 to 15 minutes). 1 serving = 1 fish fillet

Fish taco: (contributed by Lisa Waggett)

Remainder of the snapper from supper (see above!)
Shredded lettuce
Diced tomato
1/4 avocado
1 heaped tablespoon grated cheddar cheese
Half a lime
Half of an Ezekiel® tortilla, toasted by folding and sticking into a toaster

Place all the ingredients in the tortilla and then squirt with lime juice. Delicious!

Ezekiel 4:9® tortilla chips

Preheat oven to 350°F. Place the desired number of frozen tortillas directly on the center-rack of the oven. Flip the tortillas after five minutes. Check frequently and remove when lightly browned. This should take an additional 3 to 5 minutes. Let the tortillas cool and break into chips. If properly done, the tortillas will break crisply instead of bending.

These chips are great for dipping into hummus, bean dip, or in the eggplant spread below!

Eggplant spread:

We are often asked for a substitute for butter or mayonnaise for use as a spread. Well, here it is. This recipe is easy to prepare and allows for experimentation to suit individual tastes. You can use different spices- fool around and see what you like!

1 large eggplant
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon sun-dried tomatoes
1 teaspoon chopped garlic
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon red pepper (optional)
1/4 teaspoon oregano
Leaves stripped from five coriander sprigs

Preheat the oven to 500°F. Prick a few holes in the eggplant with a fork. Place the eggplant on a layer of foil and roast on the middle rack of the oven for 22 to 25 minutes, depending on the size of the eggplant. Do not leave it in too long or it may get a burnt taste. After the eggplant cools, peel off the skin. If there are lots of seeds, take out about half. Cut the pulp into large chunks.

Place the eggplant and all the other ingredients in a food processor and blend thoroughly. Taste and adjust the salt to your liking.

Keep refrigerated for up to one week.

Stepped-up tuna:

24 ounces albacore tuna in water, well drained
3 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons finely chopped onion
1 inch ginger root, peeled and chopped into small pieces
1-2 Serrano peppers (or a mild pepper), finely chopped
1 tablespoon chopped garlic (easiest to buy a bottle...)
3 tablespoons finely chopped cilantro
1 teaspoon lime juice
Salt to taste
Black pepper to taste

Heat the olive oil in a frying pan on medium-high. Fry the onions for 2 to 3 minutes. Add the ginger, peppers, and garlic and fry for another minute. Reduce heat to medium. Add the tuna and use a large flat spatula to stir and break of the tuna meat into small pieces. Add salt and pepper to taste. Cook until the tuna is heated through, around 3 to 4 minutes. Remove from the stove top and immediately add the cilantro and lime juice. Stir vigorously.

For program participants: use as the "meat" part of the dinner plate or as a sandwich filling.

Lentil soup:

3/4 cup lentils
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 cup finely chopped onions
2 cups finely chopped tomatoes
1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds
2 tablespoons chopped fresh coriander leaves
4 cups water
Salt to taste

Heat the oil in a medium saucepan. Add the cumin seeds and cover the pot because the seeds may spatter. When the seeds turn brown (in less than a minute) add the onions. Fry gently for 5 to 10 minutes until golden brown.

Add the lentils and stir for another 10 minutes. Add salt, tomatoes, and water. Cover and simmer at medium heat for 20 to 30 minutes. If the soup becomes too thick, add some boiling water. Check and adjust salt.

Transfer to serving bowls. Add coriander leaves.

Serves 4 to 6. Enjoy!

Spicy starter:

This is a starter base for many quick recipes. It makes anything tastes good!

1 inch ginger root, peeled and chopped into small pieces
1 heaped tablespoon chopped garlic (buy a bottle of roasted garlic and be done with it)
1-2 green peppers- Serrano peppers if you want a kick, mild peppers if you don't
2 tablespoons olive oil

Heat the olive oil in a frying pan; add the other ingredients; fry for one minute.

You can add a variety of veggies and meats to this base and they will taste delicious. Of course, you have to add salt and anything else that you want.

Ezekiel 4:9® pasta:

This recipe needs a little practice, especially in getting the pasta right. Keep trying! Also, experiment by adding different vegetables and meats to the spicy starter.

1/2 box of an Ezekiel® sprouted-grain penne pasta. If you cannot find this brand, use any whole-grain pasta.
Spicy starter (see above)
1/2 pound lean ground beef OR
1/2 pound soy crumbles (such as Boca ground burger®) OR
Both!
2 heads of broccoli, cut into half inch florets
1/2 of a purple cabbage, shredded finely
1 handful of button mushrooms cut in half
2 tablespoons sun-dried tomatoes or tomato paste, along with a little of the oil that tomatoes came in
2 tablespoons olive oil
Dash of red chili pepper, if desired
Salt to taste

Prepare the spicy starter. Add the meat and/or soy crumbles and fry on medium heat for a few minutes. You may need to add additional olive oil to keep it going, especially if you are using only the soy or if the meat is very lean. When the meat is done, add the sun-dried tomatoes and stir. Add the broccoli and cabbage; add a little water, lower the heat, and cover for 2 to 3 minutes to lightly steam the vegetables. Keep peeking- you want the veggies to remain a little crunchy. Uncover and add the chili and salt. Stir vigorously.

To prepare the pasta, bring a big pot of water to a boil; lower the heat enough to keep a nice simmer going. Add a teaspoon of salt and a little olive oil. Add the pasta. Cook for 5 to 7 minutes, checking often. Do not let the pasta get too soft. Drain in a colander.

Spread the pasta in a baking dish. Add the meat and vegetable mixture and combine well.

Enjoy, but be careful; it is easy to eat too much of this. Maybe you should save this for a freestanding day!

Tomato Snapper

This is an inexpensive dish that is delicious and easy to prepare.

2 frozen fillets of red snapper, cut into 3/4 inch pieces
1/2 onion (any kind- I prefer red) chopped fine
1 inch ginger, peeled and chopped fine- or grated
3 cloves garlic, chopped fine- or a teaspoon of bottled chopped garlic
4 Roma tomatoes, chopped fine
1 red bell pepper, roasted, skinned, chopped*
2 tablespoonfuls EVOO 
Salt to taste
Black pepper or ground red pepper to taste

* Place the red pepper under the broiler until the skin has brown spots. Turn once. Let the pepper cool and peel off the outer thin skin.

Fry the onions, ginger, and garlic in the oil on medium heat until the onions are translucent. Add the tomatoes, bell pepper, salt and pepper and continue to fry until the tomatoes are reduced to a paste. Add the snapper and continue cooking until the fish is done, stirring gently so as not to break the fish pieces.

This preparation makes four servings. Goes well with pasta, plain quinoa, or "quinoa with a kick" (see below) if you have prepared the quinoa without any meat.

Quinoa with a kick!

Quinoa (pronounced "keen-wa") is a great subsitute for rice. It is the seed of a plant from the Andes mountains in South America. Quinoa was used as a food by the Incas for thousands of years. It has a high protein content and is one of the few vegetarian foods to contain ALL the essential amino acids.

Quinoa can be found in the bulk bins at HEB, at least in the one on El Camino. Most supermarkets (but not Randalls) also sell it in boxes, as does Erma's on Upper Bay Road. You can get either the red or the white quinoa in a box. I prefer the white. Quinoa is more expensive in a box, so try to find it in bulk. 

Quinoa, as it comes from the wild, has a slight bitter coating and needs to be rinsed once with water. However, pretty much all the quinoa is now pre-rinsed. Even so, it is not a bad idea to rinse it, just in case. It only takes a minute. Be careful, though- it floats and has to be drained carefully afer rinsing.

Quinoa can be cooked just like rice. An electric rice cooker makes life easy. If all you want is plain quinoa, throw one cup of quinoa and two cups of water into a rice cooker and you are done.

The recipe below makes quinoa a little more interesting. In addition, the lentils lower the glycemic index.

1 cup quinoa
1 cup lentils (brown or green)
3 1/2 cups water
3 Roma tomatoes (or two large regular tomatoes) chopped fine
1 tablespoon butter
1/2 cup (or more) meat cut into 1/2 inch cubes (chicken/sausage/beef/pork) (optional)
Salt to taste
Black pepper or ground red pepper to taste
1/2 teaspoonful garam masala (optional)

Note: garam masala is a spice mix from India available in all Indian grocery stores, and sometimes in the Indian section of supermarkets. It is extremely high in antioxidants and also gives a nice flavor to the food.

Rinse the quinoa in a rice cooker and drain well. Add the lentils, water, tomatoes, meat, butter, salt, and pepper. Start the rice cooker. When the quinoa is almost done, add the garam masala, if desired. The garam masala is traditionally added at the end, which is a good thing because the antioxidant properties are not destroyed.

Enjoy. Remember- fill only one third of your plate!