Recipe of the Month

Turkey Tarragon Pitas

Turkey Tarragon Pitas are a great summer dish. They are light but you feel full after eating one serving. The recipe is easy, just mix everything together. You can make the recipe ahead and serve it a few days later even. Great nutrition for you and your family as well, one serving offers all 5 recommended food groups: fruit, grains, vegetables, protein, and dairy! The ONIE Test Kitchen prepared this recipe for a cooking demonstration this week. Lucky me, I got some of the left overs.

Ingredients:   

1 cup plain, non-fat Greek yogurt
2 Tbsp mayonnaise
1 tsp tarragon, dried
3 cups cooked turkey, shredded
1 cup green grapes, halved
4 (6-inch) whole grain pitas
8 oz fresh spinach

 

Servings:     8                                                                    7 ingredients

 Preparation:

• In a medium bowl, add yogurt, mayonnaise, and tarragon, mix well.
• Add in turkey and grapes.
• Cut the pitas in half; Place spinach inside of pitas.
• Fill pitas with turkey mixture just before serving.
• Refrigerate left overs within 2-3 hours.

Printable version

ONIE Test Kitchen Tip: covering and refrigerating the turkey mixture for an hour before serving will enhance the flavor. It allows time for the flavors to meld toghether.

Happy Hump Day!  I am loving the rain!

Karla and the ONIE Project Team

GREEN ZOMBIES, IMMORTAL VEGETABLES !

How many times have you opened you fridge in the hopes of eating a fresh crispy apple and all you could see was a shriveled wrinkly prune-size object that used to be so luscious just yesterday?? Don’t you hate spending all this money on produce and then find it in a few days completely wilted and unappetizing? If only there was a way to bring your veggies back to life!!! Well, listen closely (or should I say “read attentively”) because I know how to make your greens immortal.

As a vegetarian, who eats lots and lots of fruit and vegetables, I always find new ways to keep my produce fresher for longer. Over the years I came up with a few ideas on how to do it effectively.

 SHOP SMART:

Always pick fruits and vegetables that are free of bruises, cuts, mold, dark and soft spots and any other visible damage.

Shop at farmers markets! They sell the freshest produce available. You can be sure that food purchased at a local farmers market has been picked and sold within 24-48 hours of harvesting.

BE PROACTIVE:

Whenever you buy vegetables in bulk – FREEZE THEM! Freezing is a neat technique to use anytime you have extra produce in the fridge.

There are a few easy steps to freezing:

1. Wash your vegetables first and then place them in the boiling water for a minute or two.
2. Then quickly place them in ice water to stop the cooking process.
3. Put your veggies on a paper towel and dry them completely.
4. Use plastic bags to store you veggies in the freezer. You can keep them in the freezer for up to 18 months!!

 BE CREATIVE:

Make SMOOTHIES with leftover fruit and leafy greens. Here is my favorite recipe for an easy-to-make delicious smoothie.

Blend together:

1 apple
1 banana
1 pear
2 cups of spinach
½ – 1 cup of water

And wooalah — smoothie is ready!!  Use different combinations of what you have on hand!

AWAKEN AND REFRESH:

Place wilted greens, wrinkly carrots or green beans in an ice water bath. They will awaken and crisp up in about 30 minutes.

MAKE SAUCES!

You can make mouthwatering pesto with those droopy herbs that you have in the fridge. Pesto is prepared in seconds and can be used as a dip, spread or pasta sauce.

Try this recipe for a quick, inexpensive pesto sauce!

In a food processor (or a blender) pulse until smooth these ingredients:

2 cups of raw herbs (parsley or basil)
3 tablespoons of nuts (peanuts, walnuts, or almonds)
2 tablespoons of olive oil
2 tablespoons of lemon juice
¼ teaspoon of salt
¼ teaspoon of black pepper

You can always make some spaghetti sauce with leftover vegetables that are about to go bad. I promise, it will taste way better than any store bought tomato sauce.  Spaghetti is one of my favorite “go to” meals when I do not want to spend much time in the kitchen.

Here is a recipe for spaghetti sauce!

Ingredients:

2 Tbsp of olive oil
½ cup of yellow onion, chopped
1-2 cloves of garlic, minced
1 (14.5 oz) can of no-salt added diced tomatoes
1 (15 oz) can of crushed tomatoes
¾ cup of carrots
¾ cup of bell peppers
¾ cup of zucchini or squash
¾ cup of cauliflower
1 cup of tomatoes
2 tsp of Italian seasoning (dried oregano, dried basil, dried thyme)
½ tsp of black pepper

Tip: You can use any vegetables available.

Directions:

1. Heat olive oil over medium heat. Add in onion, garlic and all the vegetables that you could find in your fridge. Cook until veggies are nice and soft.
2. Crank the heat up to medium high and add tomato sauce and diced tomatoes. Stir in all the seasonings.
3. Let the sauce cook for about 20 minutes. Don’t forget to stir it occasionally!
4. Remove from heat. You can use it right away or store in the freezer. Remember, the sauce has to cool down completely before you can put in freezer safe containers.

These simple ideas will help you revitalize fruit and vegetables in your fridge!

Polina Novitskaya (ONIE Dietetic Intern) 

Recipe of the Month-Pork & Vegetable Stir-Fry

Pork & Vegetable Stir Fry

I am always looking for low-cost recipes.  Thankfully, ONIE publishes a recipe calender each year.  Each month, a healthy, hearty and homemade recipe is featured.  To be included in the calendar,  the recipe must pass several tests. First, Stephanie, the ONIE dietitian, makes sure each recipe is healthy. Next, the ONIE team prepares each recipe in the test kitchen. We not only make sure each recipe tastes good, but is also quick and easy to make.  Finally, ONIE asks members of the public to choose their favorite recipes.  Only the best are included in the calendar.  For August, 2013, the recipe of the month is  Pork and Vegetable Stir-Fry.  Let us know if you like it!!!!

Ingredients:

8 oz  whole wheat spaghetti noodles, dry
3 cups combined bell peppers, zucchini, yellow squash, chopped
¼ cup canola oil
1 Tbsp garlic, minced
1 1/2 cups pork, cooked, cut into strips
2 Tbsp sugar
3 Tbsp low sodium soy sauce
2 Tbsp rice vinegar
1 Tbsp sesame seeds

Preparation:

1. Cook pasta according to package directions. Set aside.
2. Mix together sugar, soy sauce and vinegar in a small bowl.  Set aside.
3. Heat oil in large skillet. Add garlic and vegetables and cook on medium heat for approximately 3 minutes.
4. Add pork and cook until heated through.
5. Add pasta and soy sauce mixture and mix well. Sprinkle sesame seeds on top just before serving.
6. Refrigerate left overs within 2-3 hours.

For more healthy, hearty & homemade recipes check out the ONIE website,  Simple Healthy Recipes.

Enjoy!

Karla and the ONIE Team

Happy National Nutrition Month: featuring a fresh, healthy, and quick recipe

Happy National Nutrition Month!

Hello all! Although the ONIE Project Team celebrates good nutrition throughout the year, we wanted to point out that March is designated National Nutrition Month!  Today is a great day to take a step in the healthy direction. My challenge to you is to try finding one thing you can improve in your daily routine.  My personal goal is to add more (and new) veggies in dishes I already make.  Sometimes I get stuck in a rut and stick to the same veggies for every meal because they are my favorites.  Although I like oldies, but goodies, I’m trying to eat more of a variety of veggies.  For this week’s recipe, Veggie Black Bean Frittata, I added an extra cup of veggies and threw in some spinach to give it more color and nutrients!

This recipe is one of my favorite week night meals when I’m short on time and ingredients. My favorite thing about this recipe is that you can mix and match ingredients to whatever your little heart desires.  You can use fresh, frozen, or canned veggies. Just make sure to rinse those canned veggies to reduce your sodium intake!

[Shown below are the ingredients, from my fridge, I used in my build your own frittata.]

Here is the base formula for making your own frittata:

• 6 eggs (you can also use egg substitute to lower cholesterol)
• Additional protein if you choose (beans or lean meat)
• 4-5 cups of vegetables (fresh, frozen, or canned)
• 1-1 ½ cups shredded cheese (low fat or reduced fat)
• Spices (oregano, basil, garlic, pepper,  cumin, or chili pepper)

The ingredients I used:

• 6 eggs, whisked
• 1 ½ cups red potatoes, diced and par-cooked (boiled for a few minutes separately).
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 small yellow onion, chopped
• 1 TBSP olive oil
• ½ cup bell pepper(any color), diced
• 1 ½ cups mozzarella cheese, part skim, shredded
• ½ cup broccoli, chopped into bite-size pieces
• 1 cup spinach, chopped
• 1 tomato, seeded and diced
• 1 cup black  beans (rinsed if canned)

Supplies I needed:

• Colander (washing/draining veggies & beans)
• Knife & cutting board (to cut veggies)
• Whisk/fork (to mix eggs)
• Small mixing bowl (eggs)
• Large mixing bowl (everything else)
• Saucepan/pot (used to boil potatoes)
• Spoon & large skillet (cook veggie mix)
• 8 x 8 Pyrex or oven safe dish (too bake it)

Serves: 9    Prep time: 15 minutes  Bake time 15-20 minutes

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 425°F
2. Par-cook the potatoes: place diced potatoes in a saucepan and cover with cold water.  Bring to a high simmer and cook until just tender (approx. 5 minutes once simmering).  Drain and set potatoes aside.
3. Prepare filling:  In a large skillet, sauté garlic, onion and tomato in 1 Tbsp olive oil until soft (3-4 minutes).  Add broccoli, spinach and bell pepper (2-3 minutes).  Remove from heat and stir in potatoes and beans.
4. Prepare egg mixture:  crack eggs in a small,  mixing bowl.  Wish together eggs and 1 cup of cheese until mixed thoroughly.
5. Prepare dish for oven: Spray 8 x 8 glass oven safe dish with cooking spray.  Spread vegetable filling evenly in dish.  Pour egg and cheese mixture over veggie filling and mix evenly.  Sprinkle remaining ½ cup of cheese over the top.  Bake for 15-20 minutes or until frittata is set (jiggles slightly or place toothpick in the middle and it comes out clean)

**Extra Event Alert**

If you are local to the OKC area make sure and check out H & 8th Market

on March 29th from 9pm to midnight. 

It will be a night of food, family and fun! 

Below is the nutrition label for my “Black Bean & Veggie Frittata”

 

Happy eating, Stephanie