Keep Your Heart Fit With These Heart-Healthy Recipes

I just had a personal experience with an affair of the heart. It was shocking, depressing and just plain scary. I am not talking about a “love” affair of the heart, I am talking about an “attack” of the heart.

My husband had a heart attack. It was a shock. But, he admits that there were several factors leading up to the heart attack: Obesity, poor eating habits, high blood pressure, lack of exercise, and high stress.

In his case he was blessed, this heart attack was mild, but at the same time a strong warning. He is now working out, using methods to decrease the impact of stress on his body, and eating heart-healthy. Oh and did I mention, listening to his live-in Holistic Health Coach…Me!

Eating heart-healthy is really not that hard. Eating heart-healthy does mean not always indulging in some of our guilty pleasures that you “know” are not good for you.

Indulging in a constant stream of high fat, high salt, high carb, is not showing your heart love. Eating foods that are low in fat, low in salt, not fried and prepared in a healthy way is a great way to show your heart love.

It is especially important to eat heart-healthy after 40. For women, heart disease is the number one killer!

Here are some important statistics from the American Heart Association :

• In 2012, 56 percent of women identified heart disease as the leading cause of death compared with 30 percent in 1997.
• In 1997, women were more likely to cite cancer than heart disease as the leading killer (35 percent versus 30 percent); but in 2012, only 24 percent cited cancer.
• In 2012, 36 percent of black women and 34 percent of Hispanic women identified heart disease as the top killer – awareness levels that white women had in 1997 (33 percent).
• Women 25-34 years old had the lowest awareness rate of any age group at 44 percent.

It is important for you to take charge of your life and eat heart-healthy. There are some great recipes that are heart-healthy and are easy to make.

The recipes below are from the Food Network and I totally love them. I found all of them easy to cook and very tasty. Enjoy! Start a “love affair” with your heart today and prepare one of these tasty recipes.

3 Delicious Heart-Healthy Recipes

1. Heart-Healthy Quinoa Salad

Ingredients

• 12 cups water
• 1 1/2 cups quinoa, rinsed
• 5 pickling cucumbers, peeled, ends trimmed, and cut into 1/4-inch cubes
• 1 small red onion, cut into 1/4-inch cubes
• 1 large tomato, cored, seeded, and diced
• 1 bunch Italian parsley leaves, chopped
• 2 bunches mint leaves, chopped
• 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 1/4 cup red wine vinegar
• 1 lemon, juiced
• 1 1/2 tsp salt
• 3/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
• 4 heads endive, trimmed and separated into individual spears
• 1 avocado, peeled, seeded and diced, for garnish

Directions

1. Bring the water to a boil in a large saucepan.
2. Add the quinoa, stir once, and return to a boil.
3. Cook uncovered, over medium heat for 12 minutes.
4. Strain and rinse well with cold water, shaking the sieve well to remove all moisture.
5. When dry, transfer the quinoa to a large bowl.
6. Add the cucumbers, onion, tomato, parsley, mint, olive oil, vinegar, lemon juice, salt, and pepper and toss well.
7. Spoon onto endive spears, top with avocado, and serve.

2. Heart-Healthy Red Lentil Soup

Ingredients

• 3 tbsp unsalted butter
• 2 onions, chopped
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tsp cumin seeds, crushed
• 1 tsp coriander seeds, crushed
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 2 tbsp tomato paste
• 7 cups chicken or vegetable stock
• 1/2 cup bulgur
• 1/2 cup red lentils
• 1/4 cup finely chopped fresh parsley
• 2 tbsp finely chopped fresh mint

Directions

1. Melt butter in a large pot, add the onions and saute until soft, 5 to 7 minutes.
2. Stir in the garlic, spices, and salt and pepper, and saute another minute to release the aromas.
3. Stir in the tomato paste to blend with the onions, fry 1 to 2 minutes, then add the stock, bulgur, and lentils.
4. Cover and simmer until bulgur and lentils are thoroughly cooked and soup is thickened, about 30 to 40 minutes, stirring occasionally.
5. Remove from heat, stir in half of the herbs and sprinkle the remaining half over the soup.
6. Serve immediately with yogurt to garnish.

3. Heart-Healthy Spinach With Pomegranate Glazed Walnuts

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup plus 2 tbsp pomegranate juice
• 1 tsp sugar
• Kosher salt
• 1/2 cup coarsely chopped walnuts
• 1/4 cup thinly sliced red onion
• One 5-ounce container baby spinach
• 4 ounces white button mushrooms, trimmed and thinly sliced, about 1 cup
• 3/4 cup grape tomatoes, halved
• 1 tbsp red wine vinegar
• 1 tbsp good quality extra virgin olive oil

Directions

1. Combine 1/4 cup juice with the sugar and 1/4 teaspoon salt in a small nonstick skillet.
2. Bring to a simmer over medium-high heat and cook, stirring occasionally, until the mixture reduces slightly, about 5 minutes.
3. Add the walnuts and continue to cook, stirring, until the nuts are coated and dark and the liquid evaporates in the skillet, about another 5 minutes.
4. Transfer to a baking sheet to cool. When cool, break apart with your hands.
5. Meanwhile, soak the red onion in ice water for about 10 minutes; drain and pat dry.
6. Place the baby spinach in a serving bowl and top with the onions, mushrooms, tomatoes, and walnuts.
7. In a bowl whisk the remaining 2 tablespoons juice with the vinegar, 1/4 teaspoon each salt and pepper, and then whisk in the oil.
8. Drizzle over the salad and toss just before serving.