Italian Recipes: Traditional Roman Soup, Make Ahead Healthy Lunch Recipes

Italian cuisine is perhaps the most widely recognized and famous globally - nearly every civilized country has assimilated pasta and pizza alongside their own national dishes, and one can always find an Italian restaurant. But I wonder how much of what is regarded as "Italian food" actually comes from authentic Italian recipes. Pizzas are the most obvious example, having undergone major changes to accommodate to the American palate.

However, when you go back to it's roots, Italian recipes are essentially about good, healthy food - olive oil, vegetables and bread being the most common ingredients.
Today, I'd like to introduce you to a traditional Roman soup, to be served with warm bread. A simple French bread will suffice.

Ingredients

1 lb potatoes
1 litre of water
Garlic
Chilli pepper
Salt
5 oz Pelati tomatoes (or sauce)
1 lb of chicory
Extra virgin olive oil
Bread

Preparation 

• Pour the water into a hot earthenware pot (a large sauce pan will suffice).
• Cut the potatoes into thick slices, and crush two cloves of garlic. Add this to the water, along with the chilli pepper, 1 table spoon of salt and the tomatoes. Bring to a the boil, then reduce the flame and simmer for 15-20 minutes.
• Finally, add the chicory and simmer a little longer unless the soup thickens.
• Drizzle the olive oil on the bread and serve.
• This is a simple but delicious recipe, but it isn't so filling that no one will have room for dessert. May I suggest a little Tiramisu perhaps?

You can find more authentic, healthy Traditional Italian Food.

Lunch Recipes

The best way to beat having to eat a bad lunch is to simply prepare yours at home from healthy lunch recipes and bring it with you. Healthy lunch recipes that can be prepared the night before are great for avoiding having to rush in the morning. In this article, we provide you with some make-ahead healthy lunch recipes that are flavourful and easy enough to prepare. These healthy lunch recipes can simply be made during the weekend and stored in the fridge; pack each portion individually and just grab one on the go. Better yet, make some extra portions so that you can have ready-to-eat dinner should you come home too tired to cook.

Italian Tuna Salad

To make a streamlined version of no-cook Italian tuna salad, simply prepare the following ingredients:

About 12 ounces of light canned tuna chunks, drained

15 ounces of canned small white beans (cannellini or great northern beans), drained and rinsed

4 scallions, trimmed and chopped

10 cherry tomatoes, cut into quarters

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

3 tablespoons lemon juice

salt and pepper to taste

Simply combine all the ingredients and toss until well mixed. This salad can be kept in the fridge for up to 2 days. You can serve this salad on a bed of greens, or use it as a filling for a sandwich wrap. If you need extra calcium and calories, throw in some cubes of cheese for added flavour.

Fresh Strawberry Sandwiches

Sandwiches are good lunch options if you have to eat at your desk. There is no rule that dictates sandwiches should be made with meat, so try this refreshing twist. This fresh strawberry sandwich will fill you up just enough so that you don't get too sluggish for the rest of the afternoon.

To make up one fresh strawberry sandwich, you will need the following ingredients:

2 medium strawberries, sliced thinly

2 slices of thin whole wheat sandwich bread

1 tablespoon of low fat cream cheese

1/2 teaspoon of honey

1/8 teaspoon of freshly grated orange zest

In a small bowl, combine the cream cheese, honey and lemon zest and mix well. Spread the mixture on the slices of wheat bread and place the fresh strawberry slices in between to make a light sandwich. If you will be brown bagging this, simply pack the cream cheese mixture together with the strawberry slices and just spread over the wheat bread slices at lunchtime.

Eating healthy food is very important to stay lean, healthy and happy.