RECIPES

Celebrate the Season

FLAVORFUL VEGETABLES

Spring and warmer weather are finally here, and we are celebrating with some delicious recipes that feature healthy vegetables!

RECIPE & PHOTO BY KRISTINA CASE ADAPTED FROM A RECIPE BY IOWA GIRL EATS

One of my favorite dishes to eat at a Thai or Chinese restaurant is their lettuce wraps. Here is wonderful recipe to get you started. Feel free to add MORE vegetable toppings such as bean sprouts, cilantro, red bell peppers and cucumbers.

1 Tablespoon olive oil 1 lb. ground chicken breast * 1/2 onion, minced salt & pepper 2 garlic cloves, minced 1 teaspoon fresh ginger 3 Tablespoons soy sauce 1 1/2 Tablespoon rice vinegar 1 Tablespoon sesame oil 1 Tablespoon peanut butter 1/2 Tablespoon water 1/2 Tablespoon honey 2 teaspoons chili garlic sauce 4 green onions, chopped 1/2-8oz can sliced water chestnuts, drained & chopped 1/4 cup peanuts, chopped 10-12 Bibb lettuce leaves, rinsed and patted dry Julienned carrots (store bought) Dipping sauce (I used a store-bought one)

*If you can't find ground chicken breast, just place small pieces of chicken breasts in a food processor and pulse until ground. Heat oil in a large, non-stick skillet on high. Add chicken, onion, salt & pepper, then cook until chicken is almost done. Add garlic and ginger, then continue cooking until chicken is no longer pink. Meanwhile, in a microwave safe bowl, combine soy sauce, rice vinegar, oil, peanut butter, water, honey, chili garlic sauce, and pepper. Microwave for 40 seconds, then stir until smooth. Add into the skillet and stir to combine. Add green onions and water chestnuts into the skillet, then cook for 1-2 minutes until the onions are soft and the water chestnuts are heated through. Sprinkle with chopped peanuts and carrots, and serve with cold lettuce leaves and dipping sauce.

Avocado Strawberry Spinach Salad

RECIPE & PHOTO BY MELISSA SPELTS

This recipe is so pretty with the red strawberries and green avocados. It tastes so fresh and yummy. With strawberries in season, what better way to eat them? I got this recipe from thedishonhealthy.com. Enjoy!!!

1 bag - spinach 1 carton of strawberries 2 avocados

1/3 c. walnuts or almonds 1/3 c. crumbled goat cheese 1 tsp. sumac to season (I didn’t have this, so I used salt and pepper, and it was delicious.)

Place spinach in bowl, and top with sliced strawberries, sliced avocados and the rest of the ingredients. Dressings to use include strawberry vinaigrette or balsamic vinaigrette. If you don’t have these salad dressings in your cupboards, you can make your own vinaigrette: ½ c. balsamic vinegar 1 Tbsp tamari sauce (gluten-free soy sauce) ¼ honey ¼ olive oil sea salt and pepper to taste

Vegetable Lasagna

RECIPE & PHOTO BY HAILEY MINTON

When I go to the grocery store, I usually buy my staple items in the produce section: apples, bananas, carrots, lettuce, and peppers. Occasionally, I spot a random vegetable and it seems to challenge me. “You think you can make something tasty out of me?… Good luck!” You can thank the eggplant for this deliciousness adapted from the recipe in America’s Test Kitchen cookbook. When my father-in-law tried this dish for the first time, he told me he could easily see this dish being served at a quality Italian restaurant. My husband Bradley told me he would happily eat this dish every week if I were up to the task of making it that often.

Tomato Sauce 1 28-ounce can crushed tomatoes 1/4 cup chopped fresh basil 2 Tablespoons olive oil 2 cloves of garlic, minced 1 teaspoon salt 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes

Cream Sauce 1 cup cottage cheese (small curd) 1 cup heavy cream 2 cups grated parmesan cheese 2 cloves garlic minced 1 teaspoon cornstarch 1/2 teaspoon salt 1/2 teaspoon pepper

Vegetable Filling 1 1/2 lb. egg plant cut into 1/2” pieces (or as small as you want them) 1 lb. zucchini cut into 1/2” pieces (or as small as you want them) 1 lb. yellow summer squash cut into 1/2 “ pieces (or as small as you want them) 2 6.5-ounce cans of sliced mushrooms 5 Tablespoons olive oil 4 garlic cloves minced 1 Tablespoon minced thyme 12 ounces spinach 1/2 cup pitted olives, chopped 3 cups mozzarella cheese 12 cooked lasagna noodles Cook the 12 lasagna noodles according to package instructions. Mix together the tomato sauce ingredients in a separate bowl & set aside. Mix together the cream sauce ingredients in a separate bow & set aside. Heat 4 Tablespoons oil in a skillet. Add eggplant, squash, zucchini, and mushrooms, salt and pepper and cook for 7 minutes. Clear a space in the center of the mixture and add 1 Tablespoon oil, garlic, and thyme and let it cook for 30 seconds or so before stirring it into the rest of the vegetable mixture. Add spinach to the mixture and cook until it begins to wilt. Remove from heat. In a greased 9”x13” baking dish, layer the ingredients in the following order: 1 cup tomato sauce spread on the bottom 4 cooked lasagna noodles Half of the vegetable mixture Half of the olives Half of the cream sauce 1 cup mozzarella cheese 4 cooked lasagna noodles 1 cup tomato sauce The rest of the vegetable mixture The rest of the olives The rest of the cream sauce 1 cup mozzarella cheese 4 cooked lasagna noodles The rest of the tomato sauce The rest of the cheese Cover with tinfoil and bake @ 375 for 40 minutes. Let it cool for 25 minutes. Enjoy!

*Tip: Every time I’ve made this, it has seemed impossible to fit it all in one pan. I like to cook 4 extra noodles and use a bread pan to make a bonus dish into which I disperse the ingredients.