Zucchini Bread

3 eggs
1 cup oil
2 cups sugar
3 tsp vanilla
2 cups grated zucchini
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
2 tsp cinnamon
3 cups flour
chopped nuts (optional)

Mix all ingredients. Grease and flour 2 large loaf pans. Bake at 325 for 60-70 minutes. Check for doneness by using a toothpick. Remove from oven and let rest for a few minutes. Run knife around edges and dump out onto rack to cool.

*for some extra sweetness sprinkle a generous amount of cinnamon and sugar on the dough before baking in the oven. It makes a yummy crispy crust on the top

Cucumber Salad

Submitted By Jana Cannon

Peel and chunk 2-3 good sized cucumbers. Chop up one small onion and add to the cukes. (If you have picky eaters, that don't like onion, just chop them really big). Pepper, pepper, pepper. Coat the top of the mix with pepper and then mix. Add a splash of Apple cider vinegar, mix again. Then add a 1/4 to 1/3 C miracle whip, mix again.

Chill for 1 hour and then serve. The cucumbers will eventually make the miracle whip runny, but it still tastes fabulous the next day or two.

Broccoli Slaw Salad

Submitted By Traci Stephens

Mix together:

1 bag broccoli slaw (usually found with the bagged salads)

1-2 bunches green onions, chopped (amount would be to taste)

¾  cup to 1 cup slivered almonds (to taste)

¾ cup to 1 cup sunflower seeds (to taste)

2 packages Oriental Ramen noodles, crumbled

Dressing:

2 Oriental Ramen Noodles seasoning packets

¾ cup  vegetable oil 

1/3 cup white vinegar

½ cup white sugar

Chill dressing several hours before serving. For best results, add crumbled ramen noodles and dressing just before serving. It makes for a crunchier salad. Leftovers get soggy, but still tasty. However, I have heard it said that some like the noodles a bit soggy.

Sweet n' Healthy Quinoa Salad

Submitted by Anne Richardson

 

1 C quinoa
2 C water
1/4 C almonds, chopped
2 C fresh strawberries, diced
1 bell pepper, diced (or 2 halves, different colors)
1/2 C raw pumpkin seeds (or called pepitas-they’re green)
2 C or 1 can corn
2 C (cooked) or 1 can black beans
1/2 C Craisins
Approximately 1/3 C Brianna’s Poppyseed Salad Dressing
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1-2 tsp cumin powder
1/8 tsp ground black pepper, or to taste

This recipe is extremely flexible.  If you want you can add various ingredients like the green bell pepper I mentioned earlier, some onions or other types of nuts.  And if you’re short an ingredient (I did that once too for a potluck Christmas party last year), don’t worry, people won’t know the difference and it will still taste great!

You may already be familiar with the whole grain “Quinoa.”  If you’re not, then the first thing you need to learn is how to pronounce it: KEEN – WA.  It’s a whole grain, super good for you, high in iron, fiber and amino acids, and it can be dressed up in many different ways.

Measure out 1 cup of quinoa and 2 cups of water. Bring the water to a boil, add the quinoa and cover the pot.  Cook it over medium heat for 12 minutes or until most of the water is absorbed.  Don’t overcook it; we want it to be nice and moist.  This should give you about 4 cups of quinoa.

You can gather the other ingredients while the quinoa is cooking.  I prefer this salad to be cold, so you’ll want to leave enough time to let it cool off before you’re eat.

First you’ll need about 1/4 cup almonds.  We really like to soak almonds in our family.  All you do to soak them is put them in a little water for 6-10 hours and they start to absorb the water and plump up like they’re going to sprout.

They are healthier this way too, and softer to eat, but still crunchy.  If you have time and can remember details, you can soak your almonds the night before and use those in the recipe.  I have done it both ways, but remembering details is definitely not my strong suit.  Either way grab your food chopper or a knife and cut them up into smaller chunks.

Next you’ll dice up your strawberries.  You want about 2 cups, but more or less is fine.

Next dice up a bell pepper.  I did half a red bell pepper and half an orange one this time around.  If you like a little contrast to the sweet you can do half of a green bell pepper.

Next measure out about a 1/2 cup raw pumpkin seeds. These are crunchy and so so so yummy in this salad!  You can usually find raw pumpkin seeds in the freezer at your health food store.

Open up your can of corn and black beans.  I drain them both, but I rinse out the black beans.

Once your Quinoahas cooled you can throw it all together in a big bowl with a ½ cup of craisins and some Brianna’s poppy seed dressing.  Start with 1/3 cup of Brianna’s dressing and then add more if you feel it is too dry.  I’ve never actually measured the dressing, so that’s my best guess on how much you’d need. Last we’ll add a few simple spices.

Add ½ tsp garlic powder, 1-2 tsp of cumin and a few shakes of black pepper (or more if you like black pepper).

That’s it!

Wisconsin Cauliflower Soup

Submitted by Katie Griffin

I don't know if any of you have been to Zupa's but I LOVE LOVE LOVE their cauliflower soup. We had some cauliflower that was within days of going bad so I did some searching and tried out a recipe that I think comes "kind of" close. They probably use real Wisconsin cheese but I just used sharp cheddar.

2 T butter
1 medium onion, chopped (I used a white onion because I felt the flavor of a yellow onion would be too strong)
1/4 c flour
1/2 t salt
2 c milk
1 can (14.5 oz) chicken broth
1 head cauliflower, cut into 1 inch chunks
1 t dijon mustard
2 c shredded sharp cheddar cheese

1) In a 4 quart saucepan, melt butter. Add onion and cook until golden (about 10 minutes) stirring occasionally. Stir in flour and salt; cook 2 minutes stirring frequently.

2) Gradually stir in chicken broth, milk, and 1 1/2 c water (add the broth first so you don't scald the milk on the hot saucepan); add cauliflower and heat to boiling. Reduce heat to low; cover and simmer until the cauliflower is tender (about 10 minutes).

3) In a blender, blend the cauliflower mixture at low speed in small batches until very smooth.

(it's smart to do this in small batches so you can remove the center cover of your blender to let some steam escape)

4) Return cauliflower mixture to saucepan; heat until steamy hot, stirring occasionally. Remove saucepan from heat; stir in mustard (with a whisk!) and 1 1/2 c cheese until melted and smooth. (if you add the cheese while the saucepan is still over heat it can make the cheese stringy) Garnish soup with remaining cheese to serve.

When I make this again I think I will substitute some of the cheddar cheese with pepperjack cheese to give it some "kick". We ate it with some french bread and it was so so yummy!

Zucchini Soup

Submitted By Jody Waters

Zucchini Soup

1 cup chopped onions
2 T. butter (she usually uses 1 T)
3 cups sliced zucchini
2 cups chicken broth
1/4 t. salt
1/8 t. pepper
½ cup half-and-half (she often substitutes with regular milk and still think it tastes very yummy)
1 cup grated cheddar cheese (optional)
1/2 cup sour cream (optional)
4 slices bacon, cooked until crisp, then crumbled


In a large saucepan cook onions in melted butter until tender. Add sliced zucchini and chicken broth and bring to a boil. Simmer until tender (about 15 min.) Add salt and pepper. Cool slightly. Pour mixture into blender and puree it. Stir in half-and-half (or milk). Return to saucepan and reheat, but do not boil. Garnish with grated cheese, sour cream, and bacon bits. Makes 6 servings.

Orzo w/ Parmesan & Basil

Orzo w/ Parmesan & Basil - Katie Griffin

2 Tbsp. butter
1 cup uncooked orzo pasta
1 (14.5 oz) can chicken broth
1/2 cup grated Parmesan Cheese
1/4 cup chopped fresh basil
salt & pepper to taste

Melt butter in skillet over medium-high heat. Stir in orzo & saute until lightly browned. Stir in chicken broth & bring to a boil. Cover. Reduce heat & simmer until orzo is tender & liquid is absorbed, about 15-20 minutes.
Mix in parmesan cheese & basil.
Season w/ salt & pepper.

This is a very basic recipe. During the summer months I like to dress it up where I can (sauteed peppers, tomatoes, etc.) This last go around, I quartered a handful of cherry tomatoes, put them on a cookie sheet, drizzled them with olive oil, and some balsamic vinaigrette, and sprinkled them with some salt and pepper. I roasted them in the oven at 350 degrees for about 15-20 minutes then just stirred them into the finished orzo pasta.