Thank you for subscribing to Heart Healthy Recipes' Newsletter. In this newsletter we are featuring a tasty green salad with raisins and pine nuts, a Mediterranean bean salad - perfect for picnics and a refreshing, quick to make pineapple smoothie.

Salad Greens with Raisins and Pine Nuts

Recipe Ingredients:

1 tablespoon raisins

1 tablespoon grape seed oil

1 small garlic clove, crushed

2 teaspoons red wine wine vinegar, or to taste

pinch of salt

1 tablespoon pine nuts, toasted in a small skillet, coarsely chopped

Recipe Instructions:

2. Lift the steamer from the skillet and discard the water; wipe the skillet dry; add the grape seed oil and garlic and heat, stirring, just until garlic sizzles. Add the spinach, raisins and salt, to taste; stir just until heated through. Remove from the heat and stir in the vinegar. Sprinkle with pine nuts. Delicious served with Italian bread.

Makes 6 servings.

Nutritional Information Per Serving: Calories: 57 Calories from Fat: 31 Protein: 4g Carbohydrates: 5g Dietary Fiber: 3g Fat: 3g Saturated Fat: 1g Monounsaturated Fat: 2g Cholesterol: 0mg Sodium: 108mg

Pineapple Green Smoothie

Recipe Ingredients:

½ cup plain Greek yogurt

4 cups spinach leaves, washed

1 cup pineapple chunks

1 medium frozen banana, sliced

Recipe Instructions:

Serving suggestion: For a thicker smoothie, use frozen pineapple chunks as well as the sliced, frozen banana. Make your own frozen fruit for smoothies by cutting up fresh pineapple and bananas and freezing the pieces on a baking sheet; then transfer to a zip-close bag for storage. Drained canned pineapple freezes just as well as fresh.

Makes 2 servings. Prep Time: 10 minutes

Mediterranean Bean Salad

Recipe Ingredients:

2 cups cooked garbanzo beans (or 1 - 15 oz. can/utilized as substitute)

2 cups cooked butter beans (or 1 - 15 oz. can/utilized as substitute)

2 cups cooked dark red kidney beans (or 1 - 15 oz. can/utilized as substitute)

½ cup small red onion, chopped fine

1 celery stalk, chopped fine

2-4 garlic cloves, minced

½ – 1 cup fresh parsley, chopped fine

¼ cup basil, chopped fine (1 tablespoon dried basil may be substituted)

1 tablespoon fresh rosemary, chopped fine

2 tomatoes, diced

Dressing:

3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

1 tablespoon vinegar (either white wine or apple cider work well)

juice of 1 lemon

½ tablespoon dried Italian seasoning

salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

Recipe Instructions:

2. In a separate mixing bowl whisk together dressing ingredients.

3. Add dressing to beans and toss gently to coat.

4. Chill for at least 1 hour to allow beans to absorb flavor of dressing. Re-toss gently and serve.

Nutritional Information Per Serving: Calories: 214 Protein: 11g Carbohydrates: 32g Dietary Fiber: 9g Fat: 6g Saturated Fat: 1g Monounsaturated Fat: 4g Poly: 1g Sodium: 226mg

Makes 8 servings. Prep time: 20 minutes + 1 hour chill time

Heart Healthy News:

CoQ10 – Heart Miracle Supplement?

CoQ10 - The review addresses the role of CoEnzyme Q10 in heart health, including the protection of heart muscle during cardiac surgery, end-stage heart failure, pediatric cardiomyopathy, and in cardiopulmonary resuscitation. Various aspects of its role in normal function of the vascular system (arteries and vessels) are reviewed. The patients who were treated with CoEnzyme Q10 and vitamin E showed a significant improvement in heart function and muscle health. Benefits of CoEnzyme Q10 with respect to migraines and age-related macular degeneration were reviewed, as was the issue of the statin drug related CoEnzyme Q10 deficiencies.