Sun Sentinel Broward Edition

These recipes can help you keep those 2024 resolution­s

Many of us start a new year by promising ourselves we’ll do better — save more money, perhaps, or lose those extra pounds by starting an exercise program.

During the holiday season, eating healthier is also high on the list of New Year’s resolution­s.

Giving up alcohol after the excesses of December — a popular trend known as Dry or Damp January — is often a simple first step since it’s easy to find other ways to hydrate. (Really!) It’s everything else you put on the table at mealtime that can be vexing.

We all know we should eat more vegetables, for example, but it often can be difficult to work the four or five portions a day the USDA recommends for adults into a daily diet if you’re not a huge salad eater. Two to three servings of fish a week can also seem challengin­g if you don’t count frozen fish sticks, which when breaded and fried are high in both sodium and calories.

Occasional­ly eating more plant-based protein and fewer animal products is also better for both our and

GINGER PINEAPPLE SALMON BURGER

Everyone knows they should eat more fish on a weekly basis, and one of the healthiest choices is salmon. This fairly simple preparatio­n involves turning fresh fillets into patties that work just as well on top of a salad as they do tucked into a bun or sandwich. Fresh ginger, Dijon mustard, peach jam and a splash of hot sauce add a slightly tangy-sweet flavor. I used packaged pre-cooked brown rice to speed things along.

Makes: 6 servings

⅓ cup chopped cilantro

¼ cup roughly chopped green onions (light and green parts)

3 garlic cloves

1-inch piece fresh ginger, peeled and roughly chopped 2 tablespoon­s Dijon mustard our planet’s health. And after all the sweets America as a whole consumes between Thanksgivi­ng and New Year’s, goodness knows a little less sugar wouldn’t hurt.

To give you a gentle push in the right direction, we’ve assembled a few good-foryou recipes to add to your weekly rotation. All are ½ ½ ½ ½

For the sauce:

2 tablespoon­s miso paste Juice and zest of 1 lime

¼ cup warm water Handful of mixed greens, for serving

6 toasted buns, for serving

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. 2. In bowl of food processor, pulse cilantro, green onions, garlic, ginger, mustard, peach jam, hot sauce, chili powder and miso paste until finely chopped and almost like a paste. easy and inexpensiv­e to prepare, and will appeal to kids as well as adults. They include a vegetable lasagna packed with pepper, zucchini and fresh spinach; a foolproof baked salmon burger that gets a bright and zesty punch of flavor from fresh ginger, miso and pineapple; and a crispy rice salad topped with 3. Add 5. Remove 7. Place — Recipe adapted from “Running on Veggies” by Lottie Bildirici lightly fried tofu, a versatile protein powerhouse that’s cholestero­l free and rich in calcium.

When you need a sweet snack or bit of dessert to release endorphins, those chemicals that make us feel good, a low-sugar chocolate chip cookie sweetened with mashed banana should hit the spot.

Swapping peppers, mushrooms and squash for meat in a pan of lasagna is an easy way to add more vegetables to your diet.

VEGETABLE LASAGNA

This baked pasta dish is wonderfull­y cheesy and extremely fresh tasting. The original recipe calls for roasting the veggies before layering them with ricotta and marinara sauce, but I hurried the process along by browning them in a pan with a little olive oil. If you’re using jarred sauce instead of homemade, make sure it’s good quality with no added sugars.

Makes:

For the lasagna: Extra-virgin olive oil, for pan 8 ounces cremini mushrooms, stemmed and quartered

1 red bell pepper, stemmed, seeded and cut into 1-inch pieces

1 ½ cups green or yellow zucchini squash (or mixed), cut into chunks

½ medium red onion, cut into ½-inch pieces

Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

12 lasagna noodles 24-ounce jar marinara sauce 6 ounce fresh spinach leaves, washed and destemmed For the filling:

15-ounce container milk ricotta cheese

2 garlic cloves, minced Zest of 1 lemon

1 teaspoon sea salt Freshly ground black pepper For the topping:

2 cups grated low-moisture, part-skim mozzarella cheese ½ cup grated pecorino cheese

Fresh basil leaves or chopped fresh parsley, for garnish

1. Heat the oven to 400 degrees. Oil a 9-by-13-inch baking dish.

2. In large saute pan,

CRISPY RICE SALAD WITH TOFU

This protein-rich salad combines lightly fried tofu with crispy rice and fresh spinach tossed in a zesty soy sauce-based marinade.

1 ½ cups cooked long-grain white rice

4 tablespoon­s coconut oil, divided

1 red bell pepper, diced 1 shallot, diced

1 clove garlic, minced Neutral oil, such as vegetable or grapeseed, for drizzling 3 tablespoon­s low-sodium soy sauce

1 tablespoon rice vinegar 1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil

2 green onions, sliced 3 tablespoon­s chopped peanuts

1 bunch fresh spinach, stems removed, torn into bite-sized pieces

Handful fresh cilantro, chopped

Lime wedges, for garnish

1. Place cooked rice in a large 2. Heat 3. Cut

a generous tablespoon oil over medium heat. Add mushrooms, red pepper, zucchini and onion to pan, season with salt and pepper, and cook until tender and browned around the edges, about 15 minutes.

3. Meanwhile, cook the noodles to a boil in a large pot of boiling, salted water, according to the package instructio­ns, cooking until al dente. Drain and toss with a drizzle of olive oil to prevent sticking.

4. Make the ricotta filling: In a large bowl, stir together the ricotta, garlic, lemon zest, salt and several grinds of pepper.

5. Assemble the lasagna: Spread 1 cup of the marinara sauce at the bottom of the prepared baking dish. Top with a layer of noodles, followed by half the ricotta mixture. Spread the ricotta in an even layer, then arrange half the spinach leaves evenly on top. Top with half the vegetables and dot with ⅔ cup of the remaining marinara sauce.

6. Repeat with another layer of noodles, followed by the remaining ricotta, spinach, vegetables and another

⅔ cup sauce. Top with the remaining noodles.

7. Spread the remaining

⅔ cup marinara over the pasta, then evenly sprinkle with the mozzarella and pecorino cheeses. Bake in the 400-degree oven for 30 minutes, or until the cheese is browned and bubbling.

8. Let stand for 20 minutes before garnishing with fresh basil or parsley, slicing and serving.

— Recipe adapted from loveandlem­ons.com 4. Heat 5. Place 6. Drizzle the top of the rice with a little neutral oil. Using a spatula, break rice into large pieces and flip over, cooking the other side of the rice for 3-5 minutes until crispy. When ready, remove the first batch of crispy rice from the pan and repeat with the remaining rice.

7. In a bowl, whisk together the soy sauce, rice vinegar and sesame oil. Divide spinach among two bowls.

8. To serve, divide rice between bowls, toss gently and and drizzle with the soy sauce mixture. Top with fried tofu, green onions, peanuts and cilantro. Squeeze a little lime juice on top and serve.

— Recipe by Gretchen McKay