Tips and Recipes

Fruit Poppers

Ingredients

• 3 cups whole strawberries

• 1 (5.3-ounce) container nonfat vanilla flavored Greek yogurt

• 1 teaspoon orange juice

• ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon

• 4 whole wheat honey graham crackers 

• 14 pieces dark chocolate chips

Directions

1. Line a sheet pan with wax paper.

2. Wash berries. Pat dry.

3. With a paring knife, remove stems. Cut “X” in strawberry at the stem, continuing cut to midpoint of berry.

4. In a small bowl, mix yogurt, orange juice, and cinnamon together. Place in resealable bag.

5. In another resealable bag, crush graham crackers until very fine. Move to small saucer.

6. Place chocolate chips in a small microwave safe bowl and heat on high for 10 seconds. Stir. Repeat until chocolate is melted.

7. On counter, line up ingredients in this order: prepared strawberries, yogurt mix, chocolate, graham crackers, and prepared pan.

8. Cut a small hole on one end of plastic bag with yogurt to form a piping bag.

9. Fill strawberry with yogurt, dip in chocolate, roll in graham cracker crumbs and place on prepared pan.

Repeat until all strawberries are prepared.

10. Place in freezer for 20 minutes or until yogurt and chocolate are firmly set.

Recipe contributed by Nicole Simmons, Former NC EFNEP Educator

Dessert Hummus

Ingredients:

• 1 (14.5-oz.) can great northern beans, drained and rinsed
• 1⁄4 c. creamy peanut butter
• 1⁄4 c. maple syrup
• 1⁄4 Tbsp. vanilla extract
• 1⁄4 c. mini semisweet chocolate chips

Instructions:

Blend together the beans, peanut butter, maple syrup and vanilla extract by hand or in a blender. Stir chocolate chips into mixture. Serve with fruit or graham crackers.

Yield: 6 servings  

Recipe from: North Dakota State University EFNEP

Pumpkin Breakfast Cookies

Ingredients 

• 1 ¾ cups cooked, pureed pumpkin (15 ounce can)
• 1 cup packed brown sugar
• 2 eggs
• ½ cup vegetable oil
• 1 cup of old fashioned oats 
• ¾ cups all purpose flour
• 1 cup whole-wheat flour
• 1 Tablespoon baking powder
• 2 teaspoons cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon nutmeg
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ¼ teaspoon ground ginger
• 1 cup raisins
• 1 cup walnuts or hazelnuts, chopped

Directions

1. Wash hands with soap and water.
2. Preheat oven to 400˚ F.
3. In a large bowl, stir together pumpkin, brown sugar, eggs and oil. Mix well until smooth.
4. In another bowl, stir together the flours, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger and salt. Add to the pumpkin mixture and mix well.
5. Stir in raisins and nuts.
6. Drop the dough by a tablespoon on to a greased baking sheet, 1 inch apart.
7. Gently flatten each cookie with the back of a spoon.
8. Bake 10 to 12 minutes until tops are dry and begin to brown.

Original recipe from Food Hero

Holiday Dinner Remix 

Arguably, this menu can be made at any time during the cold –weather months, but it is especially delightful during the holiday season. Lightly but brightly seasoned pork tenderloin is the star alongside the skin-on red potatoes — that’s amped up by Dijon mustard — and steamed garlicky broccoli finishes it off. 

Serves 4-6

Ingredients: 

Pork tenderloin –

1 ½  lbs pork tenderloin

1 tablespoon olive oil 

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon black pepper 

1 teaspoon ground cumin 

1 teaspoon garlic powder 

Sweet Potatoes –

1 lb sweet potatoes, diced 

1 tablespoon Dijon mustard 

2 teaspoons olive oil 

1/2 teaspoon salt 

½ cup chopped fresh parsley, chopped 

Cauliflower –

1 head cauliflower, cut into bite size pieces  

2 cloves garlic, minced 

2 teaspoons olive oil 

1/2 teaspoon salt 

Pork Tenderloin Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 400˚F. Combine all the spices and rub into the pork tenderloin. Be sure to wash your hands after handling raw meat. 
2. In a sauté pan add the oil then heat for thirty seconds over medium high heat. 
3. Add the pork and sear for two minutes per side. 
4. Place the pork on a sheet pan or oven safe dish. Bake uncovered for about 20 minutes until it reaches an internal temperature of 145˚ F. 
5. Allow to rest for five minutes before slicing. 

Potato Directions:

1. Rinse and scrub the potatoes. 
2. Dice the potatoes and place them in a large stock pot of water. Bring to a boil and cook until fork tender. 
3. Drain the potatoes and return them to the pot.  
4. Add the salt, pepper, Dijon mustard, and parsley. Stir to combine. Set aside 

Cauliflower Directions:

1. In a large pot, bring 1 quart of water to a boil. 
2. Add the cauliflower and cook for three minutes. Drain.
3. Return the cauliflower to the pot and season with olive oil, garlic, and salt. 

Winter Squash Varieties 

Butternut and Pumpkin typically get all the attention when it comes to winter squash but there are other tasty seasonal varieties. No matter which variety you choose, they are all healthy and hearty options to enjoy this time of year. 

All varieties of winter squash are fat-free and cholesterol-free. They also contain fiber and other vitamins and minerals. These varieties of squash can last for several months if stored properly. Make sure to store your whole squash in a cool and dry space. Avoid storing the vegetables in a space with direct sunlight. 

Winter squash are full of seeds – don’t throw them out! These make a great protein snack. They contain fiber and fat but mostly healthy fats. Spread them on a baking sheet and roast them for about 10 minutes at 300˚ F. Try tossing them in some spices to add some extra flavor!

Check out MyPlate for more recipes: