If you have recently been to the doctor, have been told that you have high cholesterol and are one of those who enjoy eating, you may have been discouraged by thinking that eating is going to stop being fun. But don’t be in a hurry: Eating a healthy, heart-friendly diet doesn’t have to mean giving up taste. Take a look at this selection of 5 recipes to lower cholesterol . They are so delicious that you will forget that you are eating healthy!
1. Carrot and ginger cream
Since cholesterol is found in most animal products, in a diet to reduce it it is highly recommended to eat meals that include mostly vegetables. A good option is vegetable creams, although these are unattractive to many palates because they consider that they are not as tasty as a good meat dish. This recipe, thanks to the mixture of ingredients with a natural flavor enhancer such as ginger, is a very tasty alternative to prepare a healthy and nutritious dinner composed exclusively of vegetables.
Ingredients
2 tablespoons olive oil
4 carrots, peeled and diced
1 small onion, diced
1 clove garlic
3 tablespoons of peeled and chopped natural ginger
1 piece of pumpkin, peeled and chopped
1 apple, peeled and chopped
2 glasses of vegetable broth
1 glass of coconut milk
1 pear, diced
Chive
Salt
Preparation
- Heat the oil over medium heat in a pot. Sauté the carrots and onions until just soft. Add the garlic, ginger, pumpkin and apple and until they are done.
- Add the vegetable broth and salt. Reduce heat, cover with a lid and simmer 45 minutes or until vegetables are tender.
- Remove from heat and beat the mixture with a hand mixer until it starts to get smooth (you can also do it in a blender). Add the coconut milk and season to taste.
- Serve in a deep bowl or bowl and garnish with diced pear and sprinkled chives.
2. Noodles with red pepper sauce
Pasta is not bad for cholesterol, but unfortunately the sauces that accompany it are. Sauces with a meat base, such as Bolognese sauce, are very bad for cholesterol because they are very fatty. But that does not mean that we have to eliminate pasta from our diet: luckily, there are possibilities to make substitutes for Bolognese sauce easily and quickly . For example, this red pepper sauce is perfect to accompany noodles and its texture is very similar to that of Bolognese sauce. And in addition to its delicious taste, it contains vitamin 6 and folic acid, which are very healthy.
Ingredients
Olive oil
1 large red bell pepper, chopped
1 clove garlic, crushed
2 tablespoons fresh basil, chopped
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
Black pepper
Noodles
Salt
Preparation
- Put oil in a skillet and heat over medium heat. Add the garlic and red pepper and cook uncovered and stirring occasionally until soft.
- Put it in a blender glass, add the chopped fresh basil, balsamic vinegar, pepper and a pinch of salt and beat until smooth.
- Boil the pasta for 8 minutes to make it al dente, without adding salt to the water.
- Drain the pasta and serve it on a plate. Add the sauce on top and decorate with the rest of the basil
3. Spaghetti with asparagus and lemon
As we have already explained, having no meat or dairy, any sauce or accompaniment with vegetables for pasta makes these dishes have the green light of our doctors despite having cholesterol. This recipe with fresh asparagus and lemon is delicious, healthy and very easy to prepare . If you also prepare it with whole wheat spaghetti, you will have a 100% healthy dish.
Ingredients
Sliced wild asparagus
1/2 chives, chopped
3 tablespoons olive oil
One lemon’s juice
2 teaspoons lemon peel
1 clove garlic, minced
Spaghetti
Black pepper
Salt
Preparation
- Cook the pasta for 8 minutes so that it is al dente, without adding salt or oil to the water.
- During the last 4 minutes of cooking, add the asparagus to cook.
- Drain the spaghetti and asparagus, and add the rest of the ingredients (chives, lemon, garlic, salt and pepper)
- Stir until well blended and serve immediately.
4. Arugula and cheese pizza
Good news: Even if you have cholesterol, you can still enjoy delicacies like pizza. All you have to do is follow recipes like this one, in which fats are reduced – eliminating all types of meats or sausages – increasing the intake of vegetables and adding nuts, which are good to help reduce blood cholesterol . Prepare your pizza dough with whole wheat flour and you will have the perfect recipe.
Ingredients
Whole wheat pizza dough
1/4 cup walnuts, chopped
2 teaspoons olive oil
1 red onion cut into julienne
1 cup cherry tomatoes
50grs. arugula
Light cream cheese (low in salt and fat)
Burgos cheese cut into slices
Black pepper
Salt
Preparation
- Preheat the oven to 250 degrees
- Toast the walnuts in a pan until golden brown, remove from heat and reserve.
- Pass the onion through the same skillet until tender.
- Spread the cream cheese over the bottom of the whole wheat pizza crust. Add the onion and arugula on top.
- Garnish with halved cherry tomatoes, burgos cheese slices and walnuts. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.
- Bake for 10-12 minutes and serve.
5. Homemade muffins “light”
Just because you have high cholesterol doesn’t mean you have to give up sweets. Today, with the rise of vegan cuisine, there are very healthy options with which you can indulge yourself without skipping the rules of your doctor . In addition, the dehydrated fruits, oats and whole wheat flour that make up the muffins in this recipe will provide you with the daily fiber intake you need.
Ingredients
Olive oil
1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
1 cup of ground oats
3/4 of a cup of brown sugar
1 tablespoon of wheat bran
2 teaspoons of baking soda
1 cup of plain nonfat yogurt
2 ripe bananas, mashed
1 large egg
1 cup chopped dates
3 tablespoons ground flax
Chopped nuts
Chopped dried pineapple
Pitted dates
Salt
Preparation
- Preheat the oven to 200 degrees
- Drizzle the muffin wrappers with olive oil to grease them well and place them on a special muffin baking tray (or a regular tray if you don’t have one)
- Put the flour, brown sugar, oats, wheat bran, and baking soda in a large, deep bowl. Add a pinch of salt and mix all the ingredients with a whisk.
- Make a hole in the center of the mixture and add the bananas, yogurt and egg. Mix all the ingredients well until the dough is moist.
- Add the walnuts, pineapple and dates and stir well until evenly distributed throughout the dough.
- Place the dough in the molds and sprinkle with the flax seeds
- Bake them for 20 minutes at 180 degrees
- Turn off the oven, remove them from the tray immediately and let cool on a rack
