28-Day Anti-Inflammatory Low-Cholesterol Dinner Plan
If you're looking for a tasty way to lower your cholesterol, then an anti-inflammatory diet may be perfect for you. Anti-inflammatory foods can help prevent plaque build-up and are packed with fiber and healthy fats, which raise good HDL cholesterol and reduce less healthy LDL cholesterol. That's why these delicious dinner recipes feature ingredients like fish, lentils, avocado and whole grains. Recipes like Lemon-Herb Salmon with Caponata & Farro and Quinoa, Avocado & Chickpea Salad over Mixed Greens will help you eat healthy.
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Lemon-Herb Salmon with Caponata & Farro
Dig into your farmers' market haul to cook this colorful and healthy Mediterranean diet dinner recipe that's packed with vegetables. Feel free to swap in any vegetables or cook up another whole grain, such as brown rice. Serve with a glass of your favorite red wine.
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Winter Vegetable Mulligatawny Soup
Our meatless version of the Indian-inspired British colonial soup includes parsnip and squash to keep it hearty and satisfying.
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Beer-Battered Fish Tacos with Tomato & Avocado Salsa
Lovers of fried fish get the taste without all the calories, and the salsa adds a fresh, clean note. To complete the Baja theme, serve with black beans, some diced mango and a bit of light sour cream.
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Turkish Seared Tuna with Bulgur & Chickpea Salad
This healthy tuna recipe combines many of Turkey's most beloved foods and flavors—fresh fish, olive oil, lemon juice, fresh herbs and chickpeas. Cooking for two? Flake the two leftover tuna steaks and mix them into the remaining bulgur salad, then serve over lettuce for lunch the next day.
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Chicken & Mushroom Ragu
An electric pressure cooker makes quick work of this rich, savory sauce. Deglazing with wine and scraping up the browned bits from the bottom of the pot is the key to building flavor.
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Quinoa, Avocado & Chickpea Salad over Mixed Greens
Protein-rich quinoa and chickpeas add staying power to this zesty and healthy salad recipe.
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Salmon with Roasted Vegetables & Quinoa
This healthy salmon recipe has everything you want for a complete meal: omega-3-rich salmon, protein-packed quinoa and lots of vegetables. Drizzled with a maple-lemon dressing, this healthy quinoa dinner also makes a delicious next-day lunch.
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Chilean Lentil Stew with Salsa Verde
This healthy vegetarian recipe is hearty and satisfying. Don't skip the parsley relish (salsa verde)—it's easy to make and lends a tangy accent that balances the flavors of the lentil stew. We prefer French green lentils for this stew, as they don't fall apart while cooking; however, regular brown lentils (found in most supermarkets) will also work.
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Vegetarian Sliders with Black Beans, Chard & Poblanos
These vegetarian sliders are filling, flavorful and make for a great protein-packed main dish. Take your time patting the beans dry: it keeps the sliders from falling apart. You can make 8 larger patties, to fit regular-size buns, but try to keep them about 1/2 inch thick so they'll heat through under the broiler without burning.Â
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White Bean Soup with Pasta
We use mirepoix—a combination of onion, celery and carrots—to flavor this soup. Keep a store-bought bag of the mixture in your freezer to ensure you always have some on hand without worrying about it going bad.
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Black Bean-Queso Wraps
These easy wraps are filled with black beans, corn, red pepper and creamy queso. They cook up quickly in a panini press.
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Baked Halibut with Brussels Sprouts & Quinoa
Fish plus two sides? It seems fancy but this healthy dinner comes together in just 30 minutes.
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Strawberry & Tuna Spinach Salad
Enjoy sweet, juicy strawberries paired with nutrient-dense mushrooms and tangy tuna salad. This is the ultimate salad to keep you feeling full. It boasts 20 grams of protein and 10.5 grams of fiber—both nutrients known to satiate hunger.
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Spaghetti Squash with Roasted Tomatoes, Beans & Almond Pesto
Looking at a tangle of spaghetti squash tricks your brain into thinking you're about to eat a serving of eggy noodles, when in fact, you get a nice calorie and carb savings in this healthy recipe. Giving tomatoes a stint in a hot oven makes them candy-sweet.
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Farfalle with Tuna, Lemon, and Fennel
This warm, flaked tuna and lemon pasta recipe is ready in 30 minutes.
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Lentil & Roasted Vegetable Salad with Green Goddess Dressing
Goddess dressing typically gets its umami-ness from anchovies, but we use miso in this super green salad recipe to keep it vegetarian. Substitute 2 chopped anchovies for the miso if you like. Or add baked tofu, poached salmon or grilled chicken for a boost of protein.
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Bean Burgers with Spicy Guacamole
These bean burgers will even please carnivores. The cornmeal coating gives a pleasant crunch and smoked paprika, cumin, cilantro and guacamole add Southwestern flavor.
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Hearty Tomato Soup with Beans & Greens
Garlicky kale and creamy white beans elevate simple canned tomato soup into a 10-minute lunch or dinner that really satisfies. Use a soup with tomato pieces for a heartier texture. Look for a brand that's low- or reduced-sodium, with no more than 450 mg sodium per serving.
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Black Beans & Avocado on Quinoa
Healthy fats, plant protein, vitamins and minerals are just some of the benefits to this delicious vegetarian main dish.
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Lentil Sloppy Joes
This simple recipe for slow-cooked sloppy joes is perfect for vegetarians as the traditional beef is replaced with heart-healthy lentils.
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Chickpea & Quinoa Grain Bowl
It seems grain bowls have as many variations as there are stars in the sky, and there is no wrong way to build one! But we prefer to keep things classic and simple with hummus, quinoa, avocado and loads of veggies!
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Mediterranean Tuna Antipasto Salad
Packed with protein and fiber, this tuna and bean salad is ready in a flash. For an extra kick, add a pinch of crushed red pepper or cayenne.
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Shrimp Tacos with Avocado Crema
Avocado cuts some of the sour cream in our quick crema loaded with cilantro, for a healthier taco sauce that takes these shrimp tacos to the next level. Shrimp cook up super-fast, making them the ultimate taco filling for a fast weeknight dinner that's also impressive and delicious enough for a weekend dinner party.
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Chicken Avocado BLT Wrap
Who doesn't love a BLT? In this Mexican-inspired version, we've added chicken and avocado and wrapped it in a tortilla, making it easy to eat.
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Winter Kale & Quinoa Salad with Avocado
Precooked quinoa helps keep this healthy salad recipe quick and simple. Loaded with black beans, kale, and avocado, this recipe is as filling as it is nutritious. You can also make the sweet potatoes and dressing ahead.
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Charred Vegetable & Bean Tostadas with Lime Crema
Pile vegetables and black beans onto crisp tostadas and top them off with lime crema for a vegetarian dinner the whole family will love. Charring the vegetables under the broiler infuses them with smoky flavor while cooking them quickly.
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Tuna Pomodoro
Inspired by the Italian dish spaghetti al tonno e pomodoro, this quick and healthy pasta became a staff favorite at EatingWell. If you keep canned tuna and whole-wheat pasta on hand, you'll do what we did: return to this quick meal again and again.
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Lentil Burgers
Walnuts and fresh marjoram accent these vegan lentil burgers. Substitute oregano for marjoram if you like. Serve with a smear of whole-grain mustard and roasted sweet potato wedges.