You leave work, famished, wondering what you will eat for dinner.  You could make a meal, but you are so hungry you just want to eat NOW!  You end up going to a fast food restaurant and choosing meal deals for you and your family, but afterward you feel disgusting from all that grease and a little guilty.

Well, consider the “Quick and Healthy Recipes and Ideas” cookbook from Brenda Ponichtera, registered dietitian. This book gives healthy, quick recipes to make, and also lists meals you can put together, even with just one or two ingredients.

This book is divided into sections: the first section discusses healthy eating, and gives you a list of staples for your kitchen. It then goes through 20 weeks (about 5 months) of menus AND grocery lists! Two weeks of these menus are “summer menus” that require no cooking.

The recipes are then divided into sections (beverages, desserts, etc.) and there are many different types of recipes (from Thai chicken soup to Greek salad to spaghetti and meatballs to fruit pizzas) for many different palates. The recipes are interesting and my family enjoyed the sweet and sour chicken recipe. The book itself is spiral bound, so it’s easy to lay down on the counter while cooking. I would have liked to see easy tabs for each section, but otherwise, the format of the book is easy to use. You can make the tabs yourself using sticky notes.

This cookbook is a must-have for those who want healthy meals quickly. It’s great for the working individual or for the busy mom who wants to cook healthy meals for her family. It would also be a great gift for the new graduate. Near the front of the book is a list of all of the recipes contained in the book, serving sizes, and nutritional values per recipe for those who are on diet restrictions (e.g. diabetes, heart disease).

Oh, and I just saw also available is “Quick & Healthy Volume II: More Help for People Who Say They Don’t Have Time to Cook Healthy Meals“. If you get past the first 5 months of meal plans, then check out Volume II for even more!

So, being that I am trying to cook more at home, I have been trying to make several of the Ethiopian lentil recipes. For a few weeks, I tried the red lentil recipe (called Masir Wat, although I have seen many different spellings for that!). I even bought spices at Penzey’s Spices because I thought they would be better (they were!), but that did not help the bad recipes I tried. However, I do not give up when the going gets tough.

Instead, I tried a different Ethiopian recipe: Kik Alicha (yellow split peas). And guess what? It turned out great!! Score one for the registered dietitian who typically is not a good cook (though I’m quite good at desserts!).

Here’s my recipe for Kik Alicha

You can increase the volume of spices as you like; this recipe is not very spicy:

• 3 cups water
• 1 cup yellow split peas
• 2-3 Tbsp chopped onion (this amount varies depending on how spicy you want it)
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1/2 tsp ground ginger
• 1/2 tsp turmeric
• 1 Tbsp olive oil or vegetable oil

1. Cook water and split peas together for about 30 minutes in a pot. While you are cooking the water/split peas, cut up the onions and garlic.
2. Heat up oil in a small skillet, and add onions, garlic, ginger, and turmeric. Brown these ingredients.
3. Once you’ve cooked the split peas for about 30 minutes, the split peas should have soaked up most or all of the water. Add the oil/spice mixture to the pot and cook for another 30 minutes, stirring often. I had to add a bit more water to this mixture, but that depends on how hot you cook the mixture. The mixture will be a lumpy consistency (like lumpy mashed potatoes or mushy baked beans).
4. Serve with rice, with injera (Ethiopian “bread”), or eat it plain

Makes 2-4 servings

Nutritional Value of This Recipe

Thanks to my handy-dandy (expensive) recipe program, I was able to print out the following nutrition label for this exact meal:

What is great about this recipe is that, not only is it flavorful, but because it has some fiber and protein, when eaten as part of a balanced meal, it will help keep you full from one meal to the next! Happy Ethnic Eating!