Foods for Dudes: 5 Recipes for Men’s Health

June is Men’s Health Month – so Dr. Clower is focusing his next batch of recipes on foods for dudes. But ladies, don’t shy away, these recipes are great for us as well!

Garlic Tomato Soup
This month we focus on men’s health. Tomatoes cooked with olive oil are a great addition to a man’s diet.

What you’ll need:
1 garlic clove, peeled and minced
1 tablespoon onion, chopped
2 tablespoons olive oil
2/3 cup tomatoes, chopped
4 cups chicken stock
Salt and pepper to taste

What you’ll do:
1. Combine garlic and onion in a bowl.
2. Heat oil in a large pot. Add garlic and onion and; saute till soft, do not brown.
3. Add chopped tomatoes and; stir in well. After a few minutes, stir in stock and pepper. Simmer for 15 minutes. Add salt if desired.

Greek Salad
Eating a diet in which the building blocks are vegetables is a great way to do just that. A diet rich in veggies may help to prevent a variety of cancers.

What you’ll need:
3 vine tomatoes cut into chunks
1 medium red onion, sliced
1 medium cucumber cut into ¼ inch pieces
¾ cup black Kalamata olives
Sliced feta cheese (as big or as small as you would like)
¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1 teaspoon dried oregano
Salt
Pepper

What you’ll do:
1. Combine vegetables in a bowl.
2. In a small bowl mix oil, vinegar, and oregano then pour over salad and season with salt and pepper to taste.
3. Before serving salad place feta slices on salad.

Spicy Rice and Kale
Get your nutrients from whole foods first! Kale is a great source of calcium. Calcium is a mineral that your body needs to maintain good health. When you cook with foods that contain calcium, calcium is not lost in the cooking process.

What you’ll need:
2¼ cups canned low-salt chicken broth or vegetable broth
1½ teaspoons Creole or Cajun seasoning
1 cup white rice
4 ounces kale (about ½ large bunch), stems and ribs removed, leaves coarsely chopped (2 cups packed)

What you’ll do:
1. Bring broth and Creole seasoning to a boil in heavy large saucepan.
2. Stir in rice and kale and bring to boil.
3. Reduce heat to low, cover and cook until rice is tender and liquid is absorbed, about 20 minutes.

Baked Chicken with Tomato Sauce
Cooked tomatoes are a beneficial food to have incorporated into the diet.

What you’ll need:
4 chicken breast halves
4 cups chopped tomatoes
1 small onion chopped
2 tablespoons tomato paste
½ red pepper, chopped
1 teaspoon dried basil
1 teaspoon dried thyme
½ teaspoon oregano
¼ teaspoon salt
2 garlic cloves, minced
¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper (optional)
Olive oil

What you’ll do:
1. Arrange the chicken in bottom of an oven-proof casserole dish that has been coated with olive oil.
2. Place tomatoes, onions, red peppers, tomato paste, basil, thyme, oregano, salt, garlic and crushed red pepper in a blender. Process on medium speed until smooth. Pour the sauce over the chicken.
4. Cover and bake at 350 degrees F for 30 minutes.
5. Remove cover and continue baking for 10 minutes.

Avocado Salsa
Avocados are super for our heart and overall health.

What you’ll need:
1 ripe Haas avocado, coarsely chopped
1 tablespoon finely diced red onion
1 tablespoon minced jalapeno
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice

What you’ll do:
Just mix them all together, salt and pepper to taste! Another wonderful addition to this is coarsely chopped tomatoes and basil.