5 Heart Healthy Meals

Try these five heart-healthy meals to protect your heart from heart disease without giving up on flavor. Eating heart-healthy means limiting your intake of fat, cholesterol and sodium, while increasing your intake of vegetables, fruits and whole grains. Eating a heart-healthy diet can help reduce your risk of heart disease, and substituting homemade heart-healthy meals for frozen food or takeout can help you reduce your fat and sodium intake and gain more control over what you're eating.

1. Beef stroganoff is a hearty dish usually made with sour cream, but plain yogurt makes for a low-fat, heart-healthy substitute. Saute one tablespoon onion, finely chopped, in one teaspoon oil. Add one pound stewing beef, trimmed of fat and cut into one-inch cubes, and brown for about five minutes. Remove the beef from the pan, add one teaspoon oil, and saute one pound sliced mushrooms. Add 1/4 cup white wine, one cup fat-free plain yogurt, 1/4 teaspoon each salt, nutmeg and pepper, 1/2 teaspoon dried basil and beef. Simmer until heated through. Serve with no-yolk egg noodles.
2. Mango salsa pizza is a bright and vitamin-rich heart-healthy dinner that's light enough for spring and summer. Combine one cup chopped bell pepper, 1/2 cup chopped red onion, 1/2 cup chopped mango, 1/2 cup canned pineapple tidbits in juice (drained), one tablespoon lime juice and 1/2 cup chopped cilantro. Bake a prepared 12-inch pizza crust for about fifteen minutes at 425 degrees Fahrenheit, then spread salsa on top and bake for another five to ten minutes.
3. Grilled salmon is high in heart-healthy omega-3 fatty acids, and this quick and simple sauce adds some great flavor. Combine two tablespoons brown sugar, 1/4 cup rice vinegar, one tablespoon Asian chili paste, one tablespoon grated ginger, four crushed cloves garlic, one teaspoon low-sodium soy sauce and 1/3 cup water in a saucepan, then simmer until reduced by about half. Top four grilled salmon fillets with thinly sliced basil and pour the hot sauce over the salmon. Serve with brown rice.
4. Indian lentil and squash stew is a low-fat, meat-free dish. Eating vegetarian meals as part of a heart-healthy diet can help reduce your cholesterol consumption. Combine two cups peeled and diced butternut squash, four cups kale (rinsed well and chopped), 3/4 cup dried lentils, one fourteen-ounce can low-salt diced tomatoes (undrained), three cups low-salt vegetable broth and two teaspoons garam masala. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer about half an hour or until squash is tender. Top with 1/2 cup Greek yogurt mixed with one teaspoon grated ginger, mango chutney and toasted pumpkin seeds.
5. Pork fajitas use low-fat pork tenderloin in place of the traditional fatty beef for a heart-healthy variation. Toss one pound pork tenderloin, cut into strips, with a mixture of one tablespoon chili powder, 1/2 teaspoon oregano, 1/2 teaspoon paprika, 1/4 teaspoon coriander and 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder. Spread the pork pieces on a cast-iron pan, along with a sliced onion, and broil for about five minutes. Serve with low-fat cheddar cheese, salsa and shredded lettuce on whole-wheat tortillas.