Melwhimsical: Mellys Good4U Recipes

If you know anything about me, then you know that I am a foodie. I love food. I thank GOD for food, every day, before eating the wonderful stuff. But there is nothing that I enjoy more in the kitchen than turning healthy, organic foods into gourmet delights that make mouths and tummies happy!

So here it goes... I am going to unleash some of my good-for-you-yet-OH-SO-GOOOD recipes for you to make, bake, and share. And I'll keep adding to this list when I have time to type them all up. :)

But first, a few things that you should know about me and my kitchen style before you peruse:

I eat and prepare mostly vegetarian dishes, with the "eggsception" of eggs and seafood. Why? I love animals (nothing against fish, really!) and it turns my stomach to even think of ingesting them. I had a short-lived vegetarian stint in college (was it really THAT LONG AGO??), but I wasn't educated in balanced nutrition enough to sustain a healthy vegetarian diet. Nor could I afford more than what the dining halls offered. SO, years later, I again retired from my carnivorous ways (again, sorry fishies-- but I'm still lookin' atcha) and I learned how to do the veggie life the right way. The recipes that you will find here will all be vegetarian, plus eggs and seafood. Got it? Cool.
I find cooking therapeutic and will often take my time embarking on a sensory adventure as the wonderful aroma of foods fill the house. But hand me a measuring cup and a very carefully proportioned recipe, and I suddenly feel like I am a kitchen referee, bored by enforcing the rules. That said, I many times will not measure out my ingredients. Some of the more intricate baked goods will have measurements (for those of you who have ever added too many eggs, not enough baking soda, too much flour, too little blah, blah, blah-- you know how disastrous that can be). But many of the soups and entrees will not have measurements. So I will apologize in advance to my Type A readers who MUST HAVE A RECIPE WITH MEASUREMENTS. You will find some here. But most will give you the ingredients and permission to play with them yourself. Cooking is an art. Go play!
Next to what I just said, I am a sensory cook, so I will often season until it smells just right. And my nose was gifted (and cursed) with a VERY astute sense of smell. Hasn't lead me astray yet!
I'm a workin' gal, so I value dishes that are easy to prepare in short amounts of time. But I also enjoy some of the more labor-intensive dishes (soups) because the sensation of a hot, savory, homemade soup is one that I would love to experience every.single.day. Heavenly! You will find a blend of fast and simple recipes here along with some "let's spend the evening chopping vegetables in the kitchen" recipes.
Sweet and Savory are two of my favorite tastes in the world. You will find a lot of them here. Sour is not at the top of my list, but a healthy lemon-mint slush may make the list. We'll see. ;)
I won't always post pretty pictures with the recipes. I enjoy my food more on a fork, or in chopsticks, rather than in an edible selfie. Sometimes I will post pictures if I am so inclined, but normally, I will have devoured the edibles long before my camera flash has captured their form.
Some of the recipes are appropriate for people who are on the hAcg/Nutrimost detox/diet, and I will state that here. I will also create a separate page with those recipes to help all of you healthy detoxers through Phase 2 and beyond! I'm a hAcg veteran, so many of these recipes, I discovered and made up during my Phase 2 Victory.
I'm tired of this list, let's get to the recipes already! YAY!!

Enjoy-- and whatever you do-- PLAY with these recipes and ingredients to get them just right for YOU! Our taste buds form different patterns across all of our tongues, and we don't all delight in the same things. If something doesn't quite come out tasting great for you, add a seasoning that you love, subtract a seasoning that you hate, but whatever you do- don't whine! There's too much fun to be had making delicious meals, snacks, and treats!

Section 1: SAUCES, SEASONINGS AND DRESSINGS

OIL-FREE White Fish Marinades for foil-baked fish (hAcg/Nutrimost friendly-Phase 2 and beyond!):

The juice of 1/2 a lemon per fish filet (save the rinds for baking with the fish)
Himalayan Pink Salt
Choice of seasoning:

Bragg Organic Sprinkle Seasoning with fresh parsley and dill; or
Curry and Turmeric; or
Dijon (use sparingly or substitute mustard powder) and Celery Seed; or
Cajun and more cajun seasoning!

Melly's Good4U Oil-Free "Ranch" Dressing:

You will need:

Approx. 2 tbsps Organic Nonfat Greek Yogurt (I use Stonyfield)
1-2 tbsp Organic Unsweetened Almond Milk
The juice from 1/2 a lemon
Onion Powder
Garlic Powder
Cracked Black Pepper
Himalayan Pink Salt
Fresh Dill- finely chopped
Fresh Parsley- finely chopped

Instructions: First blend the organic NF Greek Yogurt with the unsweetened almond milk and lemon juice. Then stir in all seasonings to taste and voila! You have healthy and delicious dressing!

If you are not looking for a low fat dressing option, you can substitute Sour Cream in place of the NF Greek Yogurt and cow's milk or coconut milk in place of the unsweetened almond milk.

Melly's Mayo-Free Tuna Mixers:

Dry tuna is no fun. Mix it up with the following combinations to add flavor and moisture to the tuna without adding to your waistline!

German Dijon Mustard (or regular Dijon) and Celery Seed
Chopped Celery, Grape Tomato, Fresh Parsley, Lemon Juice, Bragg Organic Sprinkle Seasoning, Himalayan Pink Salt
Avocado (mix it in with the tuna) and chopped tomato, Himalayan Pink Salt, pepper to taste
Avocado and Curry with onion (or scallions)
Lemon, Himalayan Pink Salt, pepper to taste

Section 2: SIDES, PAIRINGS AND SNACKS

Melly's Garlic-"Ranch" Mashed Cauliflower:

You will need:

1 head of organic cauliflower
Melly's Good4U Oil-Free "Ranch" Dressing (see above)
Fresh Dill and Parsley for garnishing
A food processor or an electric hand mixer (much easier with a food processor- and less messy!)

Instructions: First wash and separate the cauliflower into florets. Bring the cauliflower to a boil and allow it to become tender. Once fully cooked, scoop the cauliflower into the food processor tub, ensuring that a small amount of the cooking water is added (but not more than 2tbsp. Blend until all of the florets have been creamed, and then slowly add the Melly's Good4U Oil-Free "Ranch" Dressing until it is completely blended in. Taste test and add additional Pink Salt/seasoning, if desired. Garnish with fresh dill and parsley. Serve hot and enjoy!

Melly's Oven-Roasted Cabbage Bites (Option 2 Coating is hAcg/Nutrimost friendly for Phase 2 Coconut Oil Days!):

This one is oh-so-good-for-you, but can be addicting! It would be a good snack to eat as a substitute for chips or other unhealthy salty snacks.

You will need:

1 head of Organic Cabbage (you will use 1/2 of the head for this recipe; can be Purple or Green-- I typically use Green)

Option 1: Coat in Melly's Good4U Oil-Free "Ranch" Dressing (see above); OR
Option 2: Coat in 1 tbsp coconut oil (liquid state), and add garlic salt, onion powder, and Himalayan Pink Salt to taste.

Instructions: Preheat the oven to 350 F. Wash the cabbage thoroughly, removing the rough outer layer. Then, chop 1/2 of the head of cabbage into small pieces (about 1 inch L+W). Choose your coating and mix the cabbage pieces into the coating, ensuring that each piece is fully-coated. Lay a foil sheet over a cookie/baking sheet and place the coated cabbage bites on the foil sheet, allowing for each piece to touch the foil (some overlapping is good as you will wind up with a nice blend of crunchy, chewy and soft pieces). Smaller center cabbage pieces will brown much quicker, so you will want to keep your eye on this one. Put in oven and set timer for 12 minutes. Continue to watch, as some pieces will brown quickly. If there is uneven cooking due to different size bites, remove the smaller pieces when they brown and add them to a plate or bowl for later (they are flavorful and good- so don't toss them even if they get really crispy!). Rotate the pieces if you must and then once the pieces have your preferred degree of browning, remove and serve immediately.

You may also refrigerate them and use them as salad toppers or a snack the next day! They are a tasty addition to spinach salad and a quick and healthy fix for salty cravings!

Section 3: ENTREES
Simple and Healthy OIL-FREE White Fish Bake (hAcg/Nutrimost friendly-Phase 2 and beyond!):

You will need:

Unbreaded fish filets- I like the frozen Tilapia filets from Whole Foods.
The juice of 1/2 a lemon per fish filet (save the rinds for baking with the fish)
Himalayan Pink Salt
Choice of seasoning:

Bragg Organic Sprinkle Seasoning with fresh parsley and dill; or
Curry and Turmeric; or
Dijon (use sparingly or substitute mustard powder) and Celery Seed; or
Cajun and more cajun seasoning!

Instructions: Preheat your oven to 400 degrees F. Tear a piece of foil large enough to encompass the filet without spilling any of the juices and lay it on top of a cookie sheet. Lay the defrosted filet in the center of the foil (shiny side up). Slice your lemon in half, and squeeze the juice from 1/2 of the lemon over the filet, saturating the fish. After the juice is squeezed, slice the squeezed half into a few pieces, and place them around the fish on the foil. Now sprinkle pink salt to your liking (do not taste test the raw fish :-P) and add whichever seasoning options you selected. Season to your taste, though use caution not to overdo it with the Dijon or you may not have favorable results. A little goes a long way. Once all of your ingredients are ready, wrap the fish up in the foil, making a little sealed "bowl" with a dime-sized hole at the top. Prepare the rest of your filets the same way and line them up on the cookie sheet, careful to keep the hole side up so that juices don't drip.

Bake for 15 minutes. Check the fish (should flake easily when done). Cook another 5 minutes if not done. Shouldn't take longer than 20 minutes at 400, though it depends on your oven.

Pairing suggestions: Salted Asparagus, Garlic-"Ranch" Mashed Cauliflower, Broccoli, kimchi or other fermented vegetables.

Health notes: the Tilapia filets that I buy are under 50 calories each, with 15g of protein per filet! Pairing this with healthy portions of vegetables can give you a very healthy dose of vitamins, nutrients, protein, and Omegas at under 350 calories. If you are on a higher calorie diet, you can consume more filets, add more starchy vegetable pairings (i.e., sweet potatoes instead of mashed cauliflower) or follow up with a Robust Dessert (below)!

"Bragg" Tilapia: