Recipes

Here are some recipes that we can recommend.

Cooking Matters

Recipes on the Cooking Matters website each have nutrition information and a beautiful photo of how the food will look when its made.

Cornell's 'Food & Nutrition Education in Communities'

Recipes from Cornell's FNEC program use less fat and sugar but still taste delicious. Many recipes were created by CCE Nutrition Educators from NY counties, or are used in the classes they teach so they've been tested by families like yours. The recipes use lean meat and low-fat dairy products, and most have 35% or fewer calories from fat. All FNEC recipes contain less than 2 teaspoons of added sugar per serving. You'll find recipes for Beverages, Grains, Breads and Muffins, Vegetables, Dips & Condiments, Fruits, Main Dish & Casseroles, Dairy, Salads, Protein, Side Dishes, Snacks/Desserts, Soups, Stews and Sauces, and Vegetarian dishes.

More Recipes

"Dinner Tonight: Recipes & Videos" - Hundreds of quick and healthy dinner ideas from the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service.

"Recipes for Diabetes" - This online tool from the University of Illinois Extension allows you to search or browse recipes featured in their Dining with Diabetes or Living Well with Diabetes programs. Each contains an approximate nutritional analysis for calories, protein, carbohydrate, fat, saturated fat, fiber, sodium, and cholesterol.

"Fiesta of Flavors" - Hispanic recipes for people with diabetes from the University of Illinois Extension.

"Keep the Beat: Heart Healthy Recipes" - from the National Heart, Blood & Lung Institute.

"Cooking Without Gluten" A 26-page recipe booklet from the Utah State University Cooperative Extension.

"Recipes for Osteoporosis" - "Bone healthy" recipes from University of Illinois Extension.

Nature Calls Podcast Recipes

Pasta with Melon Sauce

2 servings

adapted from a Marcella Hazan recipe

Ingredients:

¼ c finely chopped shallot

Olive oil spray

5 anchovy filets, minced

2 c cantaloupe, bite-sized chunks

1 T Butter

3 oz capellini, cooked al dente

Pinch of cayenne

Pinch of ground ginger

¼ c parsley

Lemon wedges

Method:

• Spritz the pan with olive oil spray and sauté the shallots until they are soft, about 5
• minutes. Add the anchovies and cook until they melt.
• Add the peeled, seeded and chunked cantaloupe to the pan and cook until the juices
• are released and the cantaloupe is fork tender.
• Add the butter and sprinkle the cayenne and ginger on top. Stir to combine.
• When the sauce is ready, add the al dente pasta and stir them together, coating all the
• pasta with the sauce. Add the parsley and heat through.
• Serve with a lemon wedge.

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Roasted Cabbage

Ingredients

1 medium cabbage

Olive oil for drizzling or spray

Salt and pepper

Optional: walnuts, caraway seeds, apple cider vinegar, honey mustard dressing

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 500F with the rack set in the middle of the oven.
2. On a cutting board with a sharp knife, cut the cabbage into 6 thick wedges
3. Place cabbage wedges on a sheet pan without any overlapping
4. Drizzle or spray each wedge with olive oil, sprinkle with salt and pepper; flip wedges and oil and season
5. Place pan in hot oven
6. Roast cabbage for about 10 minutes until it is lightly browned
7. Flip wedges and roast for another 10 minutes until deeply browned
8. If adding walnuts, add them to the pan for the last 3 or 4 minutes

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Butternut Squash Tart

Ingredients

• 1 sheet of puff pastry (about 8 ounces), thawed slightly or equivalent homemade “rough puff”
• 1 large egg, beaten with a splash of water
• 1 cup of butternut squash ribbons, shaved with a vegetable peeler from the neck of the squash
• 2 cups of butternut squash, diced
• Olive or canola oil spray
• 1 tablespoon of olive oil
• Flaky sea salt
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1 medium shallot, thinly sliced
• 2 tablespoons shaved Parmesan cheese

Directions

• Wash hands with soap and water.
• Preheat the oven to 375°F.
• Unroll the slightly thawed sheet of puff pastry or onto a sheet pan lined with parchment paper or a silicon baking mat
• Mix egg wash. Wash hands with soap and water.
• Brush the puff pastry with the egg wash
• Scrub the butternut squash with a clean vegetable brush under running water.
• With vegetable peeler in hand, peel the squash. Continue with the peeler along the neck of the squash until you have a cup of ribbons.
• Layer the squash ribbons over the puff pastry, leaving a 1-inch border of pastry showing.
• Place a piece of parchment paper over the top of the tart, then place a second sheet pan on top of the parchment as a weight. Bake for 10 minutes — this helps steam the butternut squash.
• You’ll dice up the remaining squash, discarding the peel, seeds and any stringy pulp from the bulb of the squash.
• Put the diced butternut on another lined sheet pan. Spray with oil, then sprinkle with salt and pepper. Add this sheet pan to the oven and bake until very tender. This may take 20 - 30 minutes depending on the moisture content in your squash and the size of your dice.
• Using oven mitts or potholders, remove the tart from the oven. Take off the top sheet pan and parchment paper. Brush the squash with a thin layer of olive oil and season with flaky sea salt and freshly cracked black pepper. Bake for about 20 minutes, or until the dough is flaky and golden. Remove from the oven.
• Top with diced squash. Lightly crush the diced squash with the tines of a fork.
• Coarsely grate parmesan cheese over the warm tart.
• Serve warm or at room temperature.

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Roasted Butternut Squash

Ingredients

• 1 Butternut Squash
• Olive oil spray
• 1 medium onion, diced
• 1 large clove of garlic, crushed
• 1 T fresh sage, chopped or 1 t dried sage
• 6 cups, vegetable stock
• Salt and Pepper
• Optional cinnamon, cayenne, chili oil, lime, parmesan cheese

Directions

1. Preheat the oven 400F.
2. Place squash on a sheet pan. Make several cuts in the squash to allow steam to vent.
3. Roast for ~40 or more minutes until very soft
4. Remove from the oven; allow it to cool enough to handle.
5. While it’s cooling: Spray a pot large enough for 8 cups of liquid with pan spray and gently saute onion until translucent, garlic and sage for a minute or two. Remove the pot from the heat.
6. Cut open the squash, scoop out the flesh, discarding seeds, skin and pulp.
7. Place the squash in the pan with onion mixture and puree. If you need to add a cup or so of stock to make it easier to puree, go ahead. Add the remainder of the vegetable stock.
8. Season to taste with salt and pepper and any optional seasonings.

Sweet Potato Scones

• 1 tbsp butter, room temperature
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 large egg
• 1 cup barely mashed sweet potato, room temperature
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 2 cups all purpose flour
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/2 cup of your choice of chocolate chips/chunks

Preheat the oven to 425F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

In a large bowl, beat together butter, sugar and salt. scramble in the egg, then fold in the mashed sweet potato. Stir until smooth. Mix in baking powder and cinnamon.

Add flour and mix until it is completely mixed in. The dough needs to be kneadable. If it is wet add an additional tbsp or two of flour. Knead in the chocolate chips.

Turn dough onto a lightly floured surface and knead three or four times before shaping into a rectangle and rolling out to 3/4 inch thickness. Use an approximately 2 inch cookie cutter to cut rounds. Reroll dough and continue to cut rounds. Place all on a prepared baking sheet.

Bake for about 15 minutes, until golden.

Cool on a wire rack, or eat warm.

Makes about 18, depending on the size of the biscuit cutter used.

Black Bean Salsa

Ingredients

• 1 large sweet potato, baked and peeled
• 2 cups, cooked and drained black beans
• 1 red onion, peeled and diced
• 1 clove of garlic, pressed or minced
• 1 yellow, orange or red bell pepper
• 1 jalapeno, seeded and diced
• ¼ cup, apple cider vinegar
• 1 juice of one lime
• ½ freshly chopped herbs, mix of parsley, sage, cilantro
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon thyme
• Pinch of cayenne to taste
• Pinch of kosher salt to taste

Optional

Add a diced apple before serving

Optional garnishes

Grated sharp cheddar or multi-cheese shredded blend, for garnish

Toasted pepita seeds for garnish

Directions

1. Mash half the sweet potato until smooth in a bowl.
2. Dice the second half and add it to the bowl.
3. Add the remaining ingredients and mix well.
4. Cover and refrigerate for several hours, ideally overnight to allow the flavors to meld.

Last updated September 19, 2023