Recipe for Health

Super Food Recipes for Health and Longevity

By: Celine Todd
Published January 27, 2010

It's a bird! It's a plane! It's...a Super Food?

Yes, in fact, there are several foods that have such truly powerful effects on our health and longevity that perhaps they deserve to wear monogrammed capes. These multi-tasking foods provide multiple disease-fighting nutrients, satisfy our appetites without excess calories, and are easy to include in our daily menu.

Incorporating a variety of these super foods into a balanced diet is a simple and delicious way to be proactive about our health. Read on to add eight Super Food dishes to your recipe collection.


Eggs
Eggs are a delicious and nutritious way to fill up on quality protein, as well as 12 vitamins and minerals, such as choline, which is good for brain development and memory.

Egg, Ham, and Spinach Pizza
Recipe Courtesy of Ellie Krieger

Ingredients:

• 1 store-bought baked thin-crust pizza shell, preferably whole-wheat, such as Boboli
• 4 cups (about 4 ounces) baby spinach leaves, thinly sliced
• 2 teaspoons olive oil
• 3 ounces prosciutto di Parma, thinly sliced
• 1/2 cup grated Parmesan (1 1/2 ounces)
• 3 cloves thinly sliced garlic
• 4 eggs

Directions:
Preheat oven to 450 F. Place the pizza shell on a cookie sheet. Scatter spinach all over crust. Drizzle with oil. Evenly distribute prosciutto, Parmesan and garlic on top of spinach. Crack eggs onto pizza, roughly positioning 1 yolk on each pizza quarter. Bake for 12-15 minutes, until spinach is wilted and egg whites are just fully cooked.


Nuts
Nuts are an excellent source of protein, heart-healthy fats, high fiber, and antioxidants. With so much goodness in such a small package, they make a satisfying, super-food snack.

Ginger Almonds
Recipe Courtesy of Alton Brown

Ingredients:

• 1 tablespoon ground ginger
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 2 teaspoons olive oil
• 1 teaspoon dark sesame oil
• 1 dried arbol chile, stemmed and broken into small pieces
• 1 pound whole natural almonds
• 1 tablespoon less-sodium soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

Directions:
Heat the oven to 250 F. Combine the ginger and salt in a large mixing bowl and set aside. Heat the olive oil and sesame oil in a 12" saute pan over medium-low heat. Add the arbol chile and cook, stirring frequently, until the chile begins to give off an aroma, 30 to 45 seconds. Add the almonds and cook, stirring frequently until lightly toasted, approximately 5 minutes. Add the soy sauce and Worcestershire sauce and cook until reduced slightly and the pan looks dry, approximately 1 minute. Immediately remove the nuts to the large bowl and toss with the ginger mixture. Spread the coated nuts into a single layer on a half sheet pan lined with parchment paper and bake in the oven for 20 minutes. Remove the pan to a cooling rack for at least 30 minutes or until completely cool. Store in an airtight container for up to one week.


Quinoa
Quinoa is one of the healthiest whole grains on the market. High in protein (8 grams in 1 cup cooked), fiber (5 grams per cup), and a naturally good source of iron, Quinoa is as delicious as it is nutritious.

Quinoa-Spinach Bake
Recipe Courtesy of Body & Soul Magazine

Ingredients:

• 1 pound spinach, leaves picked and washed
• 2 teaspoons olive oil
• 1 yellow onion, peeled and diced
• 2 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
• 1 tablespoon picked fresh thyme leaves
• 1 teaspoon finely chopped fresh rosemary
• 1/4 teaspoon crushed red-pepper flakes
• 2 cups cooked quinoa (about 1 cup uncooked quinoa), made according to package directions
• 1 cup nonfat cottage cheese
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper 2 large eggs, lightly beaten
• Olive-oil cooking spray

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 F. Coat an 8x8" glass or ceramic baking dish with olive-oil spray. Coat with breadcrumbs; set aside. Fill a large bowl with ice and water; set aside. Bring a medium pot of water to a boil. Add spinach; blanch until bright green, about 10 seconds. Transfer to ice bath. When spinach is cold, remove from ice bath, squeeze out all water, and finely chop; set aside. Heat the olive oil in a medium saute pan. Add onion, garlic, thyme, rosemary, and red-pepper flakes, and saute until translucent, about 8 minutes. Remove from heat; transfer to a medium bowl. Add spinach, quinoa, cottage cheese, pepper, and eggs to the onion mixture, and stir until well combined. Pour the mixture into the prepared baking dish, and place in the oven. Bake until set and edges are brown, 60 to 70 minutes.


Edamame
Edamame, or whole soy beans, are a satisfying source of insoluble fiber, which helps lower cholesterol, and soluble fiber, which fills you up and helps rid your body of waste. They're also a low-fat source of protein, carbohydrates, magnesium, potassium, and heart-healthy omega-3 fatty acids.

Edamame Dip
Recipe Courtesy of Alton Brown

Ingredients:

• 12 ounces shelled, cooked, and cooled edamame
• 1/4 cup diced onion
• 1/2 cup tightly packed fresh cilantro or parsley leaves
• 1 large garlic clove, sliced
• 1/4 cup freshly squeezed lime or lemon juice
• 1 tablespoon brown miso
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 teaspoon red chili paste
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 5 tablespoons olive oil

Directions:
Place the edamame, onion, cilantro, garlic, lime juice, miso, salt, chili paste and pepper into the bowl of a food processor and process for 15 seconds. Stop to scrape down the sides of the bowl and process for another 15 to 20 seconds. With the processor running, slowly drizzle in the olive oil. Once all of the oil has been added, stop, scrape down the bowl and then process another 5 to 10 seconds. Taste and adjust seasoning, as desired. Store in an airtight container for up to five days.


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