I love to cook, but sometimes I get desperate for new ideas. Hence I have become a secret student of the cooking class at Women In Charge. Part of the curriculum at Women In Charge is a monthly cooking class. A generous volunteer comes in and leads the class in preparing a heathy, low cost meal that we all share. I quietly take a copy of the recipes and make my favorites. Recipes shown here are slightly modified to reflect my own tastes.
Here are three of my favorites. The first is a zucchini, tomato and corn salad that I served numerous times over the summer. It is fresh, pretty and delicious.
Zucchini Tomato and Corn Salad
1 TBSP olive oil
2 medium zucchinis, diced
2 C cherry tomatoes, halved
1 C corn kernels (off the cob preferred – 2 ears, frozen okay)
Dressing:
¼ C olive oil
¼ C red wine vinegar
1 clove garlic, minced
2 tsp honey
3 tsp mixed herbs, use parsley, oregano, basil
1 tsp salt
½ tsp pepper
Place oil in pan and sauté zucchini for about 5 minutes, add the raw corn to the hot zucchini and put in bowl with tomatoes. Whisk together dressing and pour over salad. Chill, although I have been known to serve it while it is still a little warm.
My next most favorite are the turkey burgers. Great combination of flavors, and these have no added breadcrumbs.
Turkey Burgers (8 patties)
2 eggs, beaten
2 cloves garlic, minced
4 oz feta cheese
1 – 10 oz box frozen chopped spinach, cooked and squeezed dry
2 pounds ground turkey
Mix all ingredients and form patties. Cook on a griddle or frying pan with a little oil, about 15-20 minutes or internal temperature of 165 degrees.
While ketchup and mustard are obvious condiment choices, our students really like these with chili sauce
Finally I love the flexibility and flavors in Asian bowls with lots of components. Include what you want, but I like all of it!
Asian Bowls
Sweet Potato & Onion
Roast a peeled and cubed sweet potato with chopped red onion using a little oil, salt and pepper at 400 degrees, 20-25 minutes.
Rice
Make brown or white rice – your preference
Chickpeas
1 can chickpeas drained, rinsed and patted dry.
1 tsp each of cumin, chili powder and garlic powder
¼ tsp pepper
¼ tsp turmeric
Olive oil
Toss chickpeas with seasonings. Heat oil in a pan, add in seasoned chickpeas and sauté until browned and smelling delicious!
Peanut Dressing – add extra sesame oil or canola oil if too thick
½ tsp garlic powder
2 Tbsp Creamy peanut butter
¼ C lime juice
1 Tbsp honey
1 Tbsp soy sauce
1 Tbsp sesame oil
Chicken
Add some cubed, cooked chicken, or pull the meat off a rotisserie chicken.
Use chopped lettuce or raw baby spinach as a base. Put rice, sweet potato, and chicken as the next layer. Toss with peanut dressing and sprinkle chickpeas over the top. Yum!
Bon appetite!
