What's Up with Food & Nutrition this February?

February Harvest of the Month: Local Proteins!

Look for lean protein foods. Protein foods include meat, poultry, fish and other seafood, beans, eggs, nuts and seeds. Most of us eat enough protein every day. Eating both animal and plant sources offers variety and can help you stay within your budget. Adults and children who need 2,000 calories daily should eat about 5½ ounces of protein foods each day.

Include protein foods such as:

• One whole egg (counts as 1 ounce of protein)
• ½ cup cooked black beans (counts as 2 ounces of protein)
• One half of a small chicken breast (counts as 2 to 3 ounces of protein).

Source: https://snaped.fns.usda.gov/sites/default/files/do...

Meat/Protein Recipes

New York Kitchen Shepard's Pie

(Quick Recipes)

Quick Black Bean Burger

Makes: 4 servings

Ingredients:

• one 15-ounce can of black beans
• 2 tablespoons of ketchup
• 1 tablespoon yellow mustard
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon onion powder
• 1/3 cup quick oats
• whole-grain bun
• lettuce
• tomato

Directions:

1. Rinse and drain one 15-ounce can of black beans.
2. Preheat oven to 400 °F.
3. Grease one baking sheet.
4. In a mixing bowl, mash beans with fork until mostly pureed.
5. Stir in 2 tablespoons of ketchup, 1 tablespoon yellow mustard, 1 teaspoon garlic powder and 1 teaspoon onion powder until well combined.
6. Mix in 1/3 cup quick oats.
7. Divide into four equal parts and shape into patties on baking sheet.
8. Bake for 7 minutes, flip and bake for another 7 minutes until crispy on the outside.
9. Put each burger together with a whole-grain bun, lettuce and tomato.

Recipe source: www.canr.msu.edu/uploads/resources/pdfs/TR.7.pdf

Quick Chili

Makes: 4 servings

Ingredients:

• ½ pound ground meat
• one 15-ounce can of kidney beans (look for “no salt added”)
• one 15-ounce can of crushed tomatoes (undrained)
• 1 tablespoon diced onions
• 1½ tablespoons of chili powder

Directions:

1. Cook ½ pound ground meat (look for 90% fat free) over medium high heat until it has reached an internal temperature of 160 °F. Make sure to use a food thermometer that has been calibrated.
2. Without draining, add one 15-ounce can of kidney beans (look for “no salt added”), one 15-ounce can of crushed tomatoes (undrained), 1 tablespoon diced onions and 1½ tablespoons of chili powder to the ground meat. Bring to a boil.
3. Reduce heat, cover and let simmer for 10 minutes.
4. Enjoy!

Store leftovers in the refrigerator, or freeze for future use. Next time, try experimenting with this recipe by adding your favorite veggies such as zucchini or using different types of beans.

Recipe source: www.canr.msu.edu/uploads/resources/pdfs/TR.6.pdf

Salads

Mediterranean Chicken and White Bean Salad

Total Time: 20 minutes - Makes: 4 servings

Ingredients:

• 1 cup cooked chicken thighs, skinless, diced into ½-inch pieces
• 1 (15.5-ounce) canned white beans, low-sodium, drained
• 1 cucumber, peeled, diced into ½-inch pieces
• ¼ onion, peeled, chopped into ½-inch pieces
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• ¼ cup lemon juice
• 1 tablespoon dried or fresh basil
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• ¼ teaspoon black pepper

Directions:

1. Put everything in the bowl and gently toss.
2. Additional vegetables can be added such as ½ cup of diced bell pepper or ½ cup of celery.
3. Serve right away or cover and refrigerate up to 2 days.

Soups and Stews

Chicken, Kale, Sweet Potato, White Bean Soup

Total time: 40 min - Makes: 6 servings

Ingredients:

• 4 skinless chicken thighs, about 1 ½ lbs
• 6 cups chicken broth
• 2 carrots, chopped
• 2 celery stalks, chopped
• 3-4 cups kale, chopped
• 1 sweet potato or yam, peeled and cubed
• 1 large onion, diced
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 cup dried white beans, or 1 can of cannellini or navy
• 2 tsp Italian seasoning, or mix of thyme, rosemary, oregano
• Salt & Pepper to taste
• ½ cup dry quinoa, brown rice, or orzo pasta

Instructions:

1. In a 4-6 quart slow cooker, combine all ingredients. Cover and cook until the beans and vegetables are tender and the chicken is cooked through, 7-8 hours on low or 4-5 hours on high.
2. Remove chicken and let cook for a couple minutes. Cut up chicken into bite size pieces or shred with two forks. Stir back into soup. Serve warm

Curried Lentil and Vegetable Soup

Total Time: 1 hour - Makes: 8 servings

Ingredients:

• 2 Tbsp. olive oil
• 1 large yellow onion, diced
• 1 carrot, peeled and chopped
• 4 cups butternut squash, ½ inch cubes
• 2 cups potatoes or sweet potatoes, ½ inch cubes
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 – 28 oz can diced or crushed tomatoes
• 8 cups (64 ounces) vegetable stock
• 4 tsp Curry spices: coriander, turmeric, cumin, paprika
• 1 ½ cup dry lentils
• ½ cup split peas
• 4 cups chard, kale, or spinach, chopped
• Sea salt & Black pepper to taste

Instructions:

1. In a large pot over medium heat, add oil, onion, and carrot. Cook 3-5 minutes.
2. Add the butternut, potatoes, and a bit of salt & pepper. Cook a few minutes.
3. Stir in garlic and spices. Cook 1 more minute.
4. Add tomatoes, broth, lentils, and peas. Cover and simmer until lentils and peas are cooked through, about 30 minutes.
5. Add chard and cook until just wilted, about 5 minutes

Hearty Beef Stew

Total Time: 45 minutes Instapot or 2+ hours - Makes: 4 servings

Ingredients:

• 1 lb. stew meat, beef or venison, trimmed and cut into bite size pieces
• 1 Tbsp. oil or bacon fat or lard or butter
• 1 small onion, cut into 1” chunks
• 1 - 2 stalks of celery, washed and cut into 1” pieces
• 2 whole carrots, washed and cut into 1” pieces
• 4 white potatoes, scrubbed and cut into 1” pieces
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 2 teaspoons Italian herb seasoning or mixture of thyme and oregano
• 2 Tablespoons flour or 1 Tbsp cornstarch
• 1 or 2 cups of beef stock and/or red wine or beer or juice (apple or cranberry)
• 1 - 3 cloves of garlic, minced
• Handful of fresh parsley, chopped (optional)

Instructions for Instapot:

1. Set Instapot to Sauté.
2. Add oil or other fat to pot, then add meat pieces, turning to brown meat.
3. Add onions, celery, and carrots to the Instapot. Season with salt, pepper, and herbs. Sauté for a minute or two. Sprinkle the flour (or cornstarch) over the mixture. Stir to combine and remove any lumps.
4. Pour in 1 cup of broth (liquid of choice).Using a wooden spoon scrape up any browned bits stuck to bottom of pot (fond).Stir mixture until combined.
5. Turn off Sauté setting on Instapot.
6. Place remaining ingredients (potatoes, garlic, parsley) into pot and stir to combine.
7. Put the lid on the Instapot and set to “Stew/Meat”. Low will cook for 15 minute, or medium for 25 minutes.
8. Once it is done cooking and has released the pressure, carefully remove the lid. Everything should be fork tender. Taste and adjust seasonings to your preference.

Instructions for Slow Cooker or Dutch Oven:

1. Add oil or other fat to a stock pot or Dutch Oven (braising pan with lid).Add meat pieces, turning to brown meat.
2. Add onions, celery, and carrots to the meat. Season with salt, pepper, and herbs. Sauté for a minute or two. Sprinkle the flour (or cornstarch) over the mixture. Stir to combine and remove any lumps.
3. Pour in 2 cups of broth (liquid of choice).Using a wooden spoon scrape up any browned bits stuck to bottom of pot (fond).Stir mixture until combined.
4. If using a slow cooker transfer this mixture to your slow cooker
5. Place remaining ingredients (potatoes, garlic, parsley) into Dutch oven or Slow cooker and stir to combine with the previous ingredients.
6. For a slow cooker- cover and set to low (8-10 hours) or high setting (4-6 hours).
7. For a Dutch oven or braising pan- cover pan and place in the oven set to 325 °F for about 2 hours. Make sure the liquid doesn’t dry out during cooking. Stew is done when meat is fork tender. It could also be cooked on the stovetop over medium-low heat, keeping at a constant simmer, but not boiling or the liquid will cook out.

Last updated February 9, 2024