Asian Edamame Recipe Demonstration

In February, Phyllis Pipkin and I did a food demonstration at the Arkansas Flower and Garden Show.  This short video shows a quick and easy recipe for Edamame. It’s a great, healthy snack!

Tortellini Tuscan Stew

Ingredients:

1 (2-pound) butternut squash, peeled and seeded, cut into 1-inch chunks
1 large zucchini, cut in 1-inch chunks
1 large yellow summer squash, cut in 1-inch chunks
1 large onion, diced
1 large red bell pepper, diced
4 ounces thin green beans, trimmed and cut in 2-inch lengths
1 can (28 ounces) crushed tomatoes
1 can (14.5 ounces) chicken or vegetable broth
2 tsp dried oregano
1 ½ tsp chopped garlic
¾ tsp salt
1 package (9 ounce) fresh cheese tortellini
1 bag (5-ounce) baby spinach
3 Tbsp grated Parmesan cheese

Directions:

Combine all ingredients, except tortellini, spinach and Parmesan cheese, in a 5-quart or larger slow cooker. Cover and cook on high 3 hours or low 6 hours.

Uncover. Turn slow cooker to high and stir in tortellini. Cover and continue to cook 15 minutes,  or until pasta is almost tender.

Uncover. Gently stir in spinach and Parmesan. Cover and cook 5 minutes until spinach is cooked down and tortellini is tender.

Nutrition Information (per serving):

254 calories
5 g Total Fat
48 g Carbohydrate
12 g Protein

Food safety tips for grilling

Who doesn’t love a juicy steak fresh from the grill? The start of grilling season has begun, and now is a good time to revisit some basic food safety rules to keep you and your family safe and healthy.

Shopping

Food safety starts at the grocery store. Buy cold foods like meat and poultry last, right before checkout. After checkout, drive straight home and refrigerate meat and poultry immediately. This ensures that the meat stays cold enough.  And while you’re shopping, pick up a food thermometer if you don’t have one.  This handy tool is the only way to ensure foods are cooked to the proper internal temperature on the grill.

Thawing

It’s important to thaw meat and poultry before grilling.  Thaw frozen meats in the refrigerator—never at room temperature on the counter or in the sink.  If short on time, thaw meat safely under a stream of cold running water, or in the microwave, provided it will be cooked immediately.

Marinading

Marinades are a great way to add flavor and tenderness to your meat.  Always marinate meats in the refrigerator, not on the counter, where harmful bacteria can grow.  If planning to use some of the marinade as a sauce after the food is cooked, reserve part of it before putting in raw meat and poultry.

Avoid cross-contamination

When you go out to grill, make sure to have plenty of clean utensils and platters.  Cooked food from the grill should never touch platters and utensils used for raw foods. Harmful bacteria from the raw meat and their juices can transfer from the raw to cooked food, causing foodborne illness.

Internal temperatures

Make sure to thoroughly cook meat or poultry.  Using a meat thermometer, check that the proper temperature is reached. Here are the safe minimum internal temperatures for various meats:

• Cook all whole cuts of meat, including beef, veal, lamb, and pork to an internal temperature of 145 degrees Fahrenheit. Allow meat to rest three minutes before carving or consuming.
• All ground meats, including hamburgers made of ground beef should reach 160 degrees Fahrenheit. The color of the meat does not accurately indicate doneness.
• All poultry, including whole and ground chicken and turkey, should reach a minimum 165 degrees Fahrenheit.

After grilling

Keep grilled meat and poultry hot until served – at 140 degrees Fahrenheit or warmer. If there are any leftovers, refrigerate quickly.  Throw away any food left out for more than two hours—or one hour if you are outdoors and the temperature is above 90 degrees Fahrenheit.

Finally, keep it clean. Wash your hands, and keep your grill and utensils clean. Use a sturdy grill brush to clean the grill grates once you’ve finished cooking. Wash utensils in hot soapy water and wash surfaces.

Following these food safety rules will help to ensure that your grilled meal is remembered for its flavor, not for causing foodborne illness. For more information, check out the USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service website.

Dye Easter Eggs with Natural Ingredients

If you need a kitchen experiment that the whole family can enjoy, dyeing Easter eggs for the upcoming holiday is a great choice.  But before you gear up for a trip to the store for an egg dyeing kit, save your dollars and cents by using things that you likely already have in your kitchen. dyeing

Ingredients for Egg Dyeing

Fruits, vegetables, and spices can all be used to color Easter eggs, whether you plan to dye and hide them, or save them to eat later. Here are a few things you can use to color eggs naturally:

1. Fresh beets or cranberries, frozen raspberries, and pomegranate juice will give eggs a pinkish red color.
2. Yellow onion skins will turn egg shells orange.
3. For a light yellow egg, use orange or lemon peels, carrot tops, celery seed or ground cumin.  Ground turmeric will produce a darker yellow.
4. Use spinach leaves for a pale green hue.
5. Canned blueberries or red cabbage leaves will dye eggs blue.
6. Strong brewed coffee, chili powder, and dill seeds will color eggs beige or brown.
7.  Yellow Delicious apple peels make a green-gold dyed egg.

To prepare eggs for dyeing, boil white eggs and let them cool. If you plan to eat the eggs, remember that the fresher the egg, the harder it will be to peel later. If you have eggs on hand that are close to their “use-by” date, you are all set for an easier egg peeling experience.

Recipe for Dying Eggs

The American Egg Board recommends the following recipe to make naturally dyed eggs: Toss your choice of a handful – or two or three – of one of the foods listed above into a saucepan.  Use your own judgment about quantity. This is not an exact science.  Be aware that the beautiful strong colors of purple or red grape juice and beet juice will produce a gray, not very Easter-y colored egg.

Add about a cup of water for each handful of food, so the water comes at least an inch above the dyestuff.  Bring to boiling, reduce the heat and simmer from 15 minutes up to an hour, until the color is the shade you want. Keep in mind that the eggs will dye a lighter shade. Remove the pan from the heat.

Through cheesecloth or a fine sieve, strain the dye mixture into a small bowl that’s deep enough to completely cover the eggs you want to dye.  Add 2 to 3 teaspoons of white vinegar for each cup of dye liquid. With a spoon or wire egg holder from a dyeing kit, lower the eggs into the hot liquid. Let the eggs stand until they reach the desired color.  With a slotted spoon or wire egg holder, remove the eggs to a rack or drainer. Allow the eggs to dry thoroughly.

Food Safety and Easter Eggs

If you plan to eat the eggs later, take special care to keep them refrigerated as much as possible.  The eggs should not be out of the refrigerator for more than 2 hours, and should be eaten within a week. Throw out an egg that has been used as a decoration or left out for an egg hunt for more than 2 hours.

Slow Cooker Suppers

Wondering what’s for dinner? Without a plan its easy to divert to the drive-thru for dinner when headed home from work. Your slow cooker is a great tool to answer the “what’s for dinner” question. This recipes was used recently at a foods program for diabetics. It’s healthy AND delicious. And I promise, it is easy to prepare.

Tortellini Tuscan Stew 1 (2-lb) butternut squash, peeled and seeded and cut into 1 inch chunks 1 large zucchini, cut into 1-inch chunks 1 large yellow squash, cut into 1-inch chunks 1 large onion, diced 1 large red bell pepper, diced 4 ounces thin green beans, trimmed and cut into 2-inch lengths 1 can (28 ounces) crushed tomatoes 1 can (14.5 ounces) chicken or vegetable broth 2 tsp dried oregano 1-1/2 tsp chopped garlic 3/4 tsp salt 1 package (9 ounces) fresh cheese tortellini 1 bag (5-ounce) baby spinach 3 Tbsp grated Parmesan cheese Directions: Combine all ingredients, except tortellini, spinach and Parmesan cheese, in a 5-quart or larger slow cooker. Cover and cook on high 3 hours or on low 6 hours.Uncover. Turn slow cooker to high and stir in tortellini. Cover and continue to cook 15 minutes, or until pasta is almost tender.Uncover. Gently stir in spinach and Parmesan. Cover and cook 5 minutes until spinach is cooked down and tortellini is tender.