Recipe of the Week

Healthy Strawberry Muffins

By Healthy Toddler Foods

Ingredients:

• 1 ¼ cups whole-wheat flour
• ½ cup rolled oats
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• ½ teaspoon baking soda
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• 1 cup milk
• 1/3 cup maple syrup (or honey)
• ¼ cup canola oil (or melted and slightly cooled butter)
• 2 eggs (lightly beaten)
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1 cup diced strawberries
• 1 tablespoon fresh lemon zest (optional but recommended)

Instructions:

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees F and grease a 12-cup muffin pan with nonstick spray.
• Add flour, oats, baking powder, baking soda, and salt to a medium bowl. Stir together.
• Add the milk, maple syrup (or honey), oil, eggs, vanilla, strawberries, and lemon zest. Stir gently just to combine.
• Divide batter between the muffin pan using about ¼ cup per muffin.
• Bake 16 to 18 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.
• Remove from oven, let cool for a minute or two in the pan, then transfer to a wire rack. (Use a knife around the edges to loosen if needed.) Serve warm or at room temperature.

Rhubarb Pudding Cake

Ingredients for the sauce: 

• 4 cups diced fresh or frozen rhubarb
• 1 cup sugar
• ¾ cup water

Ingredients for the cake:

• ¼ cup shortening
• ½ cup sugar
• 1 egg
• ½ teaspoon vanilla
• 1 cup sifted flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• ½ cup milk

Directions:

Cook rhubarb, 1 cup sugar and water until rhubarb is tender; keep hot.  Cream shortening and ½ cup sugar; beat in egg and vanilla.  Sift together flour, baking powder and salt; add alternately with milk to creamed mixture.  Pour batter into greased 9-inch square pan. Spoon hot rhubarb sauce over batter. Bake in 350-degree oven for 40 minutes. Makes 9 servings.  

Serve in desert bowls with cream. Keeps well in refrigerator for several days.

Asparagus Dijon

Ingredients:

• 1 ½ pounds asparagus spears
• ¼ cup mayonnaise
• 2 tablespoons sliced green onion
• 3 to 4 teaspoons Dijon- cooked style mustard
• 1 hard- egg, finely chopped (optional)

Directions:

1. Snap off and discard woody bases from fresh asparagus. No need to scrape off scales. Cook fresh asparagus, covered, in a small amount of boiling water for 4 – 6 minutes or until crisp-tender. Drain and keep warm.
2. Meanwhile, for sauce, beat whipping cream just till stiff peaks form. Fold in mayonnaise, green onion, mustard, and, if desired boiled egg.
3. Spoon sauce on top of asparagus. Serve immediately. Serves 6.

Note: To snap off asparagus spears…. starting at the base and working toward the tip, using both hands, bend the spear several times between your thumbs and fingers until you find a place where it breaks easily.

Salad Louis

Our Market Leader, Vicki says, “Here is a recipe for everyone!  Cucumber, chives and parsley are included in the creamy dressing which is blended and poured into hollowed out tomatoes. Place on a bed of lettuce and serve with carrot sticks, celery sticks, and radishes on the side for dipping.”

Ingredients:

• 1 cucumber, partially pared
• ¼ cup French Dressing
• 1 cup mayonnaise
• ¼ cup dairy sour cream
• ½ teaspoon snipped chives
• 1 teaspoon snipped parsley
• ½ teaspoon tarragon
• 6 medium whole tomatoes
• Shredded lettuce
• Carrot sticks, celery sticks, and radishes

Directions:

Cut cucumber in chunks, combine with French dressing in blender, and blend. Add mayonnaise, sour cream, chives, parsley, and tarragon. Blend 2 seconds. Scoop out most of the inside of the tomatoes and turn upside down to drain. Place upright on bed of shredded lettuce and fill with cucumber dressing. Serve with celery and carrot sticks and some radishes at the side for dipping in dressing.

This recipe is from Garden Fresh Soups and Salads by Verna Meyer.

Stuffed Peppers

INGREDIENTS:

• 4 medium green peppers, top removed and seeded
• ½ cup chopped onion
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1-pound extra-lean ground beef
• 1 8-ounce can tomato sauce
• 1 8¾-ounce can whole kernel corn, drained (optional)
• 2 to 3 teaspoons chili powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• ¾ cup grated sharp Cheddar cheese

DIRECTIONS:

Heat oven to 375⁰ F. Cook peppers in boiling salted water about 5 to 8 minutes; drain well. Turn cut side down to drain. Sauté chopped onion in butter until tender but not brown; add meat and sauté until brown. Add tomato sauce, optional corn, chili powder, and salt. Fill drained peppers with meat mixture and place in deep baking dish; add ½-inch water to bottom of baking dish. Bake for 15 minutes, sprinkle tops of peppers with grated cheese. Continue to bake another 15 minutes or until cheese is melted and meat is hot.

This recipe is from the Fresh from the Garden Cookbook by Miriam B. Loo.

Elote (Mexican Street Corn)

INGREDIENTS:

• 4 ears of grilled corn on the cob
• ¼ cup mayonnaise
• 1 ½ teaspoons lime juice
• ½ teaspoon chili powder, plus more for sprinkling
• Pinch of cayenne pepper (optional for extra heat)
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• 2 ounces (about ½ cup) finely grated Cotija cheese*
• 2 tablespoons finely chopped cilantro

VARIATIONS:

Boiled or steamed corn on the cob works too.

Try a variety of chili powder (chipotle, ancho, or tajin)

Elote en vaso (corn cup) Slice the corn off the cob and divide between 4 cups, top with ¼ of the sauce and sprinkle ¼ of the Cotija blend over each cup. Sprinkle with chili powder and serve with spoons.

Buttery Garlic Green Beans

Ingredients:

• 1-pound fresh green beans, trimmed and snapped in half
• 3 tablespoons butter
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 pinches lemon pepper (or favorite seasoning)
• salt to taste

Directions:

Step 1 – Place green beans into a large skillet and cover with water; bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer until beans start to soften, about 5 minutes. Drain water. Add butter to green beans; cook and stir until butter is melted, 2 to 3 minutes.

Step 2 – Cook and stir garlic with green beans until garlic is tender and fragrant, 3 to 4 minutes. Season with lemon pepper (or favorite seasoning) and salt.

Recipe from ALLRECIPES.COM

Marinated Coleslaw

Ingredients:

• 1 ½ pounds cabbage, shredded
• 1 large onion, minced
• 1 large green or red pepper, minced
• ¾ cup vegetable oil
• ½ cup sugar
• ½ cup apple cider
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon dry mustard
• ½ teaspoon celery seed
• ¾ teaspoon ground turmeric

Directions:

Place cabbage onion, and green or red pepper in bowl. In saucepan mix remainder of ingredients and bring to a boil. Pour over vegetables in bowl. Cover and refrigerate for 1 day before serving.

Note: Keeps for a week refrigerated. Good for picnics.

This recipe is from the Fresh from the Garden Cookbook by Miriam B. Loo.

Zucchini Egg Bake

Ingredients:                                                       

1 tablespoon butter or olive oil*

¼ cup finely chopped onion

2 pounds (3 to 4 cups) zucchini, grated

½ pound seasoned ground meat (taco meat, chorizo, etc.)

5 eggs, beaten

½ cup grated pepper jack cheese

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 350⁰ F. In a sauté pan, melt butter and add onion and zucchini. Sauté until zucchini is tender, 5 to 7 minutes. Put zucchini in a colander to drain off any excess liquid. Add meat and seasoning to the sauté pan and sauté until just cooked. Combine the meat, zucchini, and onions and season to taste. Add eggs, mix well, and pour into an 8 by 8-inch square pan. Cheese can be spread on top or mixed into the batter. Bake uncovered 35 to 40 minutes.

*Note: For an Italian version of this recipe substitute olive oil, spaghetti squash, Italian sausage, and Parmigiano Reggiano cheese.

Recipe from Michelle Bachmann, St. John’s United Church of Christ, Norwood-Young America, MN

Garden Salad

Ingredients:

• 1-pound fresh green peas
• ½ cup chopped celery
• ½ cup garlic French dressing or Sauce Vinaigrette (recipe below)
• ½ head lettuce, shredded
• 2 hard cooked eggs, chopped

Directions:

Cook peas in boiling salted water 8 to 10 minutes or until tender. Drain; cool. Add chopped celery; stir in dressing. Cover and marinate in refrigerator several hours or overnight. Spoon on a bed of shredded lettuce and garnish with chopped egg.

Sauce Vinaigrette

Ingredients:

• 1/3 cup white wine vinegar
• 2 sprigs parsley, minced
• ½ teaspoon dry mustard
• 1/2 teaspoon salt, to taste
• ½ teaspoon tarragon
• 1 green onion, chopped (or 1 tablespoon chives, snipped)
• 1 cup salad or olive oil

Directions:

Place vinegar, salt, onion, parsley, tarragon, and mustard in blender. Add ¼ cup oil and blend. Stop blender, add ¼ cup more oil, and blend. Repeat until all oil is used. Makes about 1 1/3 cups.

This recipe is from Garden Fresh Soups and Salads by Verna Meyer.