If you want to help give your metabolism a little boost, there are many types of foods you can try. And the good news? These foods are also delicious and versatile to cook with. Read on for five recipes that will not only keep you feeling full, but will also increase your calorie burn.
If you're craving egg noodles but want something less filling (and just as easy to pull together), try this eggplant "noodle" recipe from FitSugar reader Sprint2theTable, posted in our Healthy Recipe group, which substitutes noodles made from tofu instead.
My mom recently told me about Shirataki Noodles — apparently it is just tofu pressed into noodles. It's gluten-free, vegan, low-cal, and — most importantly — a quick fix.
To go with my noodles, I roasted some eggplant, red onion, and garlic in a quick vinaigrette. Then tossed it all with an heirloom tomato (because I didn't get enough at the tomato festival) and more Purple Haze goat cheese.
Perfect light dinner for a Summer day!!!
This millet, lentil, and tomato salad recipe is a great dish to eat for lunch, but it's also well received at parties and BBQs. During Winter months, I substitute dried cranberries or pomegranate seeds for the tomato. Like quinoa, millet is a pseudo grain, and it has a fluffy texture and a buttery, roasted flavor. It's high in B vitamins, calcium, iron, potassium, and magnesium.
If you are lactose intolerant, vegan, or just looking for a delicious alternative to milk, try making almond milk. You'll discover almonds create a rich, creamy, and sweet milk that you can use countless ways. Pour it over your cereals or granola, substitute it for milk when baking, or make it the cream base for savory or sweet sauces. Store your almond milk in a glass milk jug for a vintage look.
As for the leftover almond meal, don't throw it out; instead, try adding the leftover meal to muffin, pancake, or cookie recipes. It will give your baked goods a crumbly, crunchy texture and a delicious almond flavor. If you plan to make nut milks regularly, try using a reusable Nut Milk Bag rather than disposable cheesecloth.
See the full almond milk recipe.
Sometimes it's nice to prepare a big bowl of beans; then, you can use the beans over and over again to make different dishes throughout the week. Tonight I suggest you throw together a pot of these fragrant and flavorful black beans. The recipe calls for canned beans, so you don't have to worry about overnight-soaking or cooking for a long period of time. Serve the beans in a crispy taco shell, layered between two soft tortillas as quesadillas, or tossed with greens in a hearty salad. To get the fast and easy recipe, keep reading.
