EDIBLES

Savory solution to stretch your food budget

Published

2 years ago

09/28/2022

(Family Features) In today’s world, grocery shopping can seem more like a burden than an opportunity to gather supplies for your family’s favorite meals. With prices of everyday ingredients fluctuating almost daily, it’s important for many families to make their dollars go further at the store.

Easy ways to stretch your grocery budget, like using versatile ingredients, can make the checkout experience a little less impactful on your household’s finances. Consider the benefits of mushrooms, which provide a delicious option to enhance flavor in favorite recipes while extending portions in an affordable way.

Save Money

Stretch your dollars by stretching your meals using a process called “The Blend.” Blending finely chopped mushrooms with ground meat can extend portion sizes of your favorite meaty recipes and help your bottom line. Chop your favorite mushroom variety to match the consistency of ground meat, blend the chopped mushrooms and meat together then cook to complete the recipe. For burgers, use a blend of 25% finely chopped mushrooms and 75% ground meat. For tacos or chili, use 50% mushrooms and 50% meat or an even higher mushroom-to-meat ratio.

Savor the Flavor

The savory umami taste of mushrooms means a flavorful experience in blended recipes like burgers, where the chopped mushrooms help hold in the juiciness. Or, you can chop, quarter, slice or enjoy them whole in recipes like Garlic-Rosemary Butter Roasted Chicken Thighs and Veggies with Mushroom Orzo Risotto, Creamy Spinach, Mushroom and Lasagna Soup or Blended Pasta Sauce paired with your favorite pasta.

One Carton, Multiple Dishes

Thanks to mushrooms’ versatility, you can buy one large carton of mushrooms to chop up then bulk up multiple dishes, from a morning omelet to hearty soups to blended burgers.

Serve Up Nutrition

Low-calorie, low-sodium, fat-free and cholesterol-free, mushrooms are nutrient rich and can play a starring role in a variety of meals. With an array of fresh varieties and nearly endless ways to prepare them, they can be your powerhouse from the produce department.

Find more recipe ideas and ways to make the most of your grocery store dollars at MushroomCouncil.com.

Garlic-Rosemary Butter Roasted Chicken Thighs and Veggies with Mushroom Orzo Risotto

Recipe courtesy of Emily Weeks, MS, RD, on behalf of the Mushroom Council
Prep time: 20 minutes
Cook time: 50 minutes
Servings: 4

Chicken:

8 boneless, skinless chicken thighs
salt, to taste
pepper, to taste
6 tablespoons unsalted butter
16 ounces mushrooms, such as white button, crimini or portabella, quartered
3 zucchinis, sliced in half moons
3 large carrots, thinly sliced
4 sprigs fresh rosemary, leaves removed and roughly chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced

Orzo:

4 cups chicken or vegetable broth
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1 small yellow onion, diced
2 garlic cloves, minced
16 ounces mushrooms, such as white button, crimini or portabella, finely chopped
1 cup uncooked orzo pasta
1/8 teaspoon black pepper
1/3 cup white wine
1/3 cup shredded Parmesan cheese

To make chicken: Preheat oven to 450 F.
Pat chicken dry. Season with salt and pepper, to taste. In large skillet over medium-high heat, melt butter. Sear chicken until brown on both sides, 4-5 minutes on each side.
In large bowl, toss mushrooms, zucchinis and carrots with rosemary and garlic.
On large baking sheet, spread vegetables. Nestle chicken into vegetables. Drizzle with butter and juices from pan.
Bake 20 minutes until chicken is cooked through and vegetables are tender.
To make orzo: In small pot over medium-low heat, warm broth.
Using skillet from chicken over medium heat, add butter and olive oil. Add onion, garlic and mushrooms. Cook, stirring occasionally, until onions soften, 3-4 minutes.
Add orzo and black pepper. Stir and cook orzo 2 minutes. Add white wine and cook until evaporated, about 1 minute.
Add broth to orzo, 2/3 cup at a time, stirring until liquid is absorbed. Repeat with remaining broth, waiting until last batch is absorbed before adding next. Remove from heat and stir in Parmesan.
Serve in individual bowls with chicken and roasted vegetables atop mushroom orzo risotto.

Blended Pasta Sauce

Recipe courtesy of the Mushroom Council

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 medium yellow onion, finely chopped
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 pound mushrooms (such as white button, crimini or portabella), finely chopped
1 pound 80% lean ground beef
1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 jar (24 ounces) marinara sauce

cooked pasta
salt, to taste
pepper, to taste
grated Parmesan cheese

In large pot over medium heat, add oil and cook onions, stirring occasionally, until just soft, about 3 minutes. Add garlic and cook 1 minute.
Add mushrooms and cook 5 minutes, or until mushrooms are soft and reduced in size.
Add ground beef, Italian seasoning and salt; cook until browned throughout, about 6 minutes, stirring and breaking up lumps. Skim off fat, leaving about 2 tablespoons.
Stir in marinara sauce and reduce heat to low. Cook 10 minutes.
Serve over cooked pasta, season with salt and pepper, to taste, and top with grated Parmesan.

Creamy Spinach, Mushroom and Lasagna Soup

Recipe courtesy of Emily Weeks, MS, RD, on behalf of the Mushroom Council
Prep time: 10 minutes
Cook time: 30 minutes
Servings: 4

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 medium onion, small diced
8 ounces mushrooms, such as white button, crimini or portabella, sliced
1 jar (24 ounces) marinara sauce
1 can (15 ounces) diced tomatoes
2 tablespoons tomato paste
2 teaspoons balsamic vinegar
1 teaspoon granulated sugar
1 tablespoon dried basil
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon oregano
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1 bay leaf
3 cups vegetable broth
6 lasagna noodles, broken into pieces
1/2 cup heavy cream
5 ounces fresh baby spinach
1 cup whole milk ricotta
1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese, for topping

Heat large pot over medium heat. Add olive oil, garlic, onion and mushrooms. Cook, stirring occasionally, until onions and mushrooms soften, 4-5 minutes.
Add marinara, diced tomatoes, tomato paste, vinegar, sugar, basil, salt, oregano, pepper, bay leaf and broth. Bring to boil over high heat then reduce heat to low and simmer. Add lasagna noodles and cook, stirring often, until softened, about 15 minutes.
Remove from heat and remove bay leaf. Stir in heavy cream and spinach until wilted, 2-3 minutes.
Divide between bowls and top each with dollop of ricotta and sprinkle of mozzarella.

SOURCE:
Mushroom Council

EDIBLES

Empower yourself with nutrition know-how

Published

2 weeks ago

04/03/2024

bowienews

(Family Features) Eating a balanced diet with fruits, vegetables, whole grains, dairy and proteins is a crucial first step toward a healthy life.

Even with hectic schedules and convenience foods readily available, it’s important to incorporate habits like regular family meals and meal planning so you have a variety of better-for-you snacks and recipes on hand. Also important is leading by example and modeling healthy eating habits to help improve overall nutrition for you and your family members, especially children.

If you are looking for ways to make nutrition fun, the experts at Healthy Family Project, along with its fruit and vegetable partners, are offering an online nutrition resource center as part of Mission for Nutrition 2024.

Geared toward dietitians, nutrition professionals and anyone involved in nutrition education, the resource center is a one-stop shop to make nutrition education fun and inspiring, featuring more than 600 dietitian-approved recipes; tips to pick, prepare and store more than 50 fruits and vegetables during every season; a podcast, e-cookbook and monthly newsletter; and free downloadables, infographics, activities for kids and more.

Dietitians and nutrition professionals can sign up to receive this year’s Mission for Nutrition kit, which is full of resources to use in classrooms, in-store with customers or wherever they’re supporting nutrition education. Available by request only, the kit includes a roll of “I’m a Healthy Eater” stickers, seasonal counter cards, mini magazines, demo ideas, a Healthy Family Project spatula and additional resources and information from produce partners.

As part of the mission, the partner brands are making a donation to improve access to fresh produce in schools through the Foundation for Fresh Produce.

To find more resources, tips and recipes to encourage proper nutrition, visit HealthyFamilyProject.com.

Photo courtesy of Shutterstock

SOURCE:
Healthy Family Project

EDIBLES

Get creative with Easter sweets

Published

3 weeks ago

03/27/2024

bowienews

Kid-friendly crafts that bring loved ones together

(Family Features) Holiday hams and deviled eggs may take center stage at Easter gatherings, but edible crafts offer a reminder of the magic of the season that’s found in moments spent together. Simple recipes that call for a dose of creativity are perfect ways to bring the kids to the kitchen, made even easier when all that work leads to sweet treats.

While plastic eggs may have led to a decline in good, old-fashioned egg-dyeing, there are still fun ways to bring crafts back to Easter celebrations. Consider these Kids Krafty Easter Cake Pops, which call for little ones to help dip seasonal shapes in chocolate, use cake molds and more.

Children of virtually any age can relish in the joys of using cookie cutters and decorating Easter Sugar Cookies, all with a little supervision and short list of instructions. This version shows how to make the cookies and homemade icing so you can create any color you desire for maximum creativity.

Remember, these delicious crafts don’t have to be perfect – having fun and making memories that last a lifetime are what make Easter truly special.

Visit Culinary.net to find more Easter inspiration and recipes from “Cookin’ Savvy.”

Kids Krafty Easter Cake Pops

Recipe courtesy of “Cookin’ Savvy”

1 box cake mix
1 can frosting
1 bunny chocolate mold
1 cakesicle mold
ice pop sticks
1 bag white chocolate chips or melting chips
cake pop sticks
1 bag orange melting chips
2 tablespoons canola or coconut oil, divided
1 bag green melting chips
pastel sprinkles
1 piece hard foam (optional)
edible markers

Bake cake according to package instructions and let cool completely.
Crumble cake and mix with 1/2 can frosting until dough forms. Add more frosting, if needed. Using small cookie scoop, form dough into balls and set aside. Place dough in bunny molds then pop out and set aside with balls. Place dough in cakesicle mold, insert ice pop stick in each slot and freeze 5-10 minutes.
Melt handful of white melting chips. Stick tip of each cake pop stick in chocolate then insert into every cake ball and bunny until each has one stick. Set aside to dry.
Remove cakesicles from freezer and pop out of molds. In bowl, melt orange melts then mix in 1 tablespoon oil and transfer to cup. Dip cakesicles and scrape off excess using rim of cup. Place on parchment paper to dry.
In bowl, melt green melts then place in zip-top or piping bag. Cut tip off bag, pipe carrot leaves onto piece of parchment paper and let dry.
Melt remaining white melts and mix in remaining oil. Transfer to cup and dip ball-shaped cake pops and bunnies then tap stick on edge of cup to remove excess.
Over separate bowl, sprinkle ball-shaped pops with pastel sprinkles. To keep ball shape, let dry by sticking in piece of hard foam. Bunnies can dry face side up on parchment paper. After bunnies are dry, use edible markers to make face and color in ears.
When carrots and leaves are dry, remelt orange melts and place in piping or zip-top bag. Cut off tip and drizzle orange over carrots. Add small line of orange on each ice pop stick and place leaves on each stick. Let dry.

Easter Sugar Cookies

Recipe courtesy of “Cookin’ Savvy”

Icing:

1/3 cup meringue powder
1/2 cup warm water, plus additional for thinning (optional), divided
3 tablespoons vanilla
1 bag (2 pounds) powdered sugar
2 tablespoons corn syrup
assorted food coloring

Cookies:

2 sticks unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 cup sugar
1 egg
1 tablespoon vanilla
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 dash salt
3 cups all-purpose flour

To make icing: Mix meringue powder, 1/2 cup warm water, vanilla, powdered sugar and corn syrup. Separate into bowls and add food coloring; mix with water, as needed, to thin for piping.
To make cookies: Heat oven to 350 F.
Cream butter and sugar. Mix in egg, vanilla, baking powder and salt. Mix in flour 1 cup at a time to form dough. Roll dough out to 1/4-1/2-inch thickness.
Cut into shapes, place on baking sheet and freeze 10 minutes. Bake 8-12 minutes. Cool completely before icing.
Place icing in zip-top or piping bags and cut off tips. Put cookies on parchment paper. Trace outline first then fill in middle. Use toothpicks to smooth out.
Let dry 6 hours and finish decorating with different icing colors or edible markers.

SOURCE:
Culinary.net

EDIBLES

Go big with a yummy bread bowl

Published

1 month ago

03/20/2024

bowienews

(Culinary.net) Perfect for afternoon snacking or as an appetizer, this Spinach-Ham Dip is warmed inside a bread bowl and can be served with bread cubes, crackers or tortilla chips.

Find more snack ideas at Culinary.net.

Watch video to see how to make this recipe!

https://youtube.com/watch?v=GaExt5fBAQs%3Fmodestbranding%3D1%26rel%3D0%26showinfo%3D0

Spinach-Ham Dip

2 cups ricotta cheese
1 cup sour cream
1 package (10 ounces) frozen spinach, thawed and squeezed dry
1/4 pound ham, cubed
3/4 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
2 green onions, thinly sliced
1 round bread loaf (16 ounces), unsliced

Heat oven to 350° F.
In medium bowl, blend ricotta cheese and sour cream until smooth. Add spinach, ham, Parmesan cheese and green onions; mix until blended.
Cut 1-2-inch diameter circle out of top of bread loaf. Reserve top. Remove bread inside loaf, leaving about 1 inch along sides. Pour cheese mixture into bread bowl. Replace top. Cover bread loaf in aluminum foil and bake 60 minutes, or until warmed through.
Take bread removed from inside bread bowl and cut into dipping sized chunks.
Remove bread from aluminum foil and place on platter. Scatter bread chunks around bread bowl to use for dunking in cheese sauce.

SOURCE:
Culinary.net