Cooking

Junk free January

Sonya Verlaque
FCC Culinary Arts Student

30 plan, Dry January, or go sugar free for the month. I feel like, sitting here on the 26th playing Junior Monopoly, that the entire family needs to be sugar rehabilitated. Making sure there is something flavorful to enjoy and full of protein and nutrients to keep everyone from snacking on leftover cookies.

Chicken Tortilla soup

The spice can be adjusted to your taste and this freezes well and then can be defrosted for an aprés ski dinner quickly.

Ingredients:

• 2 tbs olive oil
• 1 medium white onion
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 1/2 tsp cumin
• 2 tsp oregano
• 2 tsp salt
• 3 (15 oz) cans Great Northern beans
• 20 oz tomatoes with green chilis (2 cans)
• 15 oz cream style corn
• 15 oz corn
• 15 oz black beans
• 1 lb chicken (cooked and shredded) - pick up a precooked rotisserie chicken for ease.
• 2 tbs lime juice

Preparation instructions: Heat olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add in the garlic and onion. Sauté for a few minutes. Stir in the Cumin, Oregano, and salt. Put two of the cans of northern white beans in a blender and puree, or add to the pot and puree using an immersion blender. Add in the tomatoes, creamed corn, whole kernel corn, and the cooked chicken. Mix in the remaining northern beans and black beans (do not drain), stirring to fully incorporate. Let soup simmer about 15 minutes and add in the lime juice.

Chicken Cacciatore Sheet Pan Dinner

Ingredients:

• 1 lb cherry tomatoes
• 12 cremini mushrooms, halved
• 1 large red pepper, cored and cut into large chunks
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 2 celery ribs, chopped
• 1 large carrot, chopped
• 6 cloves garlic, halved
• a cup vermouth or dry white wine
• ¼ cup finely chopped fresh sage
• 3 tbs tomato paste
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tbs finely chopped fresh rosemary
• 3 bay leaves
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• 1 tsp salt, divided
• 1 tsp pepper, divided
• ¼ tsp chili flakes (optional)
• 3 lbs bone-in skin on chicken thighs (8 pieces)
• 2 tbsp finely chopped fresh basil or parsley (optional)
• 1 baguette or rustic Italian loaf, for serving
• Grated Parmesan cheese, for serving

Preparation instructions: Preheat oven to 425F degrees. In a large bowl, toss together the tomatoes, mushrooms, red pepper, onion, celery, carrot, garlic, vermouth, sage, tomato paste, oil, rosemary, bay leaves, oregano and half of the salt and pepper. Add the chili flakes, if using. Pat the chicken dry with a paper towel. Toss the chicken into vegetable mixture to coat it. Transfer the vegetables to a parchment paper-lined baking sheet. Season the chicken all over with the remaining each salt and pepper, then arrange it on top of vegetables. Bake until the chicken is golden brown, cooked through and vegetables are tender, about 30 to 40 minutes. Sprinkle with basil or parsley before serving if desired. Serve with baguette and Parmesan cheese.

Roasted Beets With Goat Cheese

These roasted beets with goat cheese are heaven! Earthy, tender beets paired with creamy goat cheese and topped with fresh chives? Perfection.

Ingredients:

• beets (you can roast up to 8 beets at a time; use 4 for serving)
• olive oil
• kosher salt
• 2 oz soft goat cheese (optional)
• thinly sliced chives, for garnish

Preparation instructions: Preheat the oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit. Wash the beets. Trim off all but about 1 inch of the beet greens. Leaving on the stem helps keep the beets from "bleeding" out red juice in the oven. Rub the beets lightly with olive oil. Place the beets in a covered oven proof dish. (You also can wrap each beet individually in aluminum foil and place them on the oven grates). Roast the beets for 45 minutes to 1 1/2 hours, depending on the size and freshness, until tender when pierced with a fork. Check occasionally for tenderness, medium beets take about an hour. Allow them to cool for a few minutes. Then place them under cool water and rub off the skins with your fingers. You can serve immediately, or refrigerate the whole beets until serving and serve them cold. To serve, slice the beets into rounds or into cubes and arrange them on a plate. If serving hot, you can place back in the pan under the broiler for a minute to char the a little if you want. Drizzle the top with olive oil and sprinkle with 1 pinch kosher salt. Top with goat cheese dollops and thinly sliced chives.

Healthy Carrot Cake Baked Oatmeal

Ingredients:

• 2 cups rolled oats
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp ginger
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1 3/4 cups milk
• 2 eggs
• 1/3 cup maple syrup or honey
• 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
• 3/4 cup shredded carrots
• 1/2 cup raisins
• 1/2 cup chopped pecans or walnuts

Preparation instructions: Preheat oven to 375F and great an 8×8 casserole dish. If using a different size, adjust cook time. In a large bowl, mix together the rolled oats, baking powder, cinnamon, ginger, and salt. In a medium bowl, stir together the almond milk, eggs, maple syrup, and vanilla. Add in the carrots and half of both the raisins and pecans. Add the wet mixture to dry mixture and stir until combined. Pour mixture into baking dish and press down to make sure oats are soaked.

Sprinkle on the rest of the raisins and pecans and press down lightly again. Bake, uncovered, for around 40-45 minutes, until lightly golden brown. Let cool for 5 minutes and then serve. Store in refrigerator.

Mango Vanilla Smoothie

Smoothies are a quick breakfast and made with vitamin rich foods, they are often an easy and tasty breakfast that keeps you (or little tummy’s) full to lunchtime. Frozen fruits, frozen at peak ripeness for flavor and nutrients, and packed with fiber, are a great way to get fruit in your diet when its winter.

You can substitute other frozen fruits for the mango as well and add protein powder or chia seeds can also be added for additional nutrients. Because fruit is so sweet, and the added vanilla yogurt, no additional sugar needs to be added. You can adjust the amount of liquid to make it more or less thick.

Ingredients:

• 1 ½ cups frozen mango
• 6 oz greek vanilla yogurt
• 1 cup milk (dairy or plant)

Preparation instructions: Put all the ingredients in a high powered blender and blend until smooth. This makes about 2 large servings.

Blueberry Muffin Smoothie

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup frozen blueberries
• 1/2 banana
• 1 cup milk (dairy or plant)
• 1/4 cup rolled oats
• 1 tsp of cinnamon
• You can also add chia or hemp seeds for extra omega fats and fiber.

Preparation instructions: Put all the ingredients in a high powered blender and blend until smooth. This makes one large serving.