I BELIEVE IN BROCCOLI AND BROWNIES
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 Legumes, such as black beans, are a nutrient powerhouse. A half cup of black beans supplies 8 g of protein, 305 mg potassium, 8 g of fiber, and 114 calories. That means adults can get one-fourth to one-third of their daily fiber needs just by consuming a few beans. With their high fiber and potassium content, beans can promote heart health. Regular consumption of beans – about 1 to 2 cups cooked weekly has been shown to has been shown to reduce lipid levels (cholesterol) in people with heart disease. Antioxidant and phytochemicals along with the fiber in beans may also reduce the risk for colon cancer. If the health benefits don’t convince you to add beans to your diet, the price might. An easy way to stretch your food budget is to cook with dried beans. Dried beans cost only about 15 cents per serving and canned beans cost just 30-45 cents per serving. That is a deal! If you are looking for convenience try canned beans if you have more time cook dried beans on your own. Beans can be eaten at breakfast, lunch, or dinner. Try a breakfast burrito with pinto beans, scrambled eggs, and salsa wrapped in a warm tortilla. Make a super salad for lunch by adding garbanzo beans to mixed greens, chopped tomatoes, and sliced cucumbers. For dinner check out this flavorful black bean burger.   Black Bean Burgers 15 oz can black beans, drained 3/4 cup cooked quinoa or couscous 1/2 cup breadcrumbs 1/2 cup minced vegetables such as bell peppers, onions, celery 1 tsp minced garlic 1-1/2 tsp ground cumin A few shakes of hot sauce 1 Egg 3-4 Tbsp olive oil In a medium bowl roughly mash the bean with a potato masher or fork into a paste mixture. Leave a few of the bean part or mostly whole. Add the quinoa/couscous, breadcrumbs, vegetable, garlic, cumin, and hot sauce to the beans. In a small dish beat the egg. Mix the egg and all ingredients together. You can use a spoon or your hands. Divide the mixture into 4-6 equal parts. Using your hands form 4-6 patties. Heat half the olive oil in a large skillet. Cook half the patties in hot oil until browned and heated through, about 2-3 minutes per side. Repeat for second half. These patties are delicious served with a tzatziki sauce or fry sauce. References:
https://beaninstitute.com/
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Cooking My Way Through Neighborhood Cookbooks  My mom made this recipe every year with the leftover Thanksgiving turkey, so it was a no brainer to try this neighborhood cookbook recipe for Poppy Seed Chicken (or Turkey). One thing I have noticed about neighborhood cookbooks is the instructions can be a little sparce. I must admit if I had not have seen my mom make this before, I would be a little lost. Start by cutting up some leftover chicken or turkey. I cooked up some boneless, skinless chicken breasts in the Instapot, because I did not have any leftover meat. Even though the recipe says to cut up the chicken I decide to shred it. I had recently heard you can shred chicken quickly with a stand or hand mixture, so I decide to try it out. Wow! That is a game changer – so easy. The first instructions in the recipe said “Stir ½ crumb mixture into chicken or turkey mixture.” My thought was what is the crumb mixture? and what is the turkey mixture? Luckily I’d seen this made before and knew the crumb mixture was a blend of Ritz crackers, poppy seeds, butter, and dehydrated onion.  After mixing up the crumb mixture place half the crumb mixture, the chicken (or turkey), some sour cream, and cream of chicken soup in a large bowl.
Mix everything together  Put chicken mixture into a casserole dish. The recipe did not indicate the size of the dish, but a 2 quart seems about right.  Top the chicken mixture with the remaining crumb mixture.  Top it with some dried parsley and paprika. (I got a little heavy handed with the paprika in the left bottom corner -- oops.)  Bake at 350 °F for 30 minutes. You can freeze this casserole (before baking) and reheat later. Make a double bath of the recipe, prepare the second casserole in a freezer safe dish, but do not bake. Cover the casserole with aluminum foil, write heating instructions on the top, and freeze.  Nutrition Updates As a dietitian I like to bump up the nutrient density of recipes. This casserole is high in fat, but a few simple changes can bump up the nutrient density. First eliminate the butter when making the crumb mixture, next use fat free sour cream, and lastly choose low-fat cream of chicken soup.   Poppy Seed Chicken or Turkey (Updated Recipe) 2-3 cups cubed or shredded cooked turkey or chicken 1 can low-fat cream of chicken soup 1-1/2 C fat-free sour cream 8 oz crushed Ritz crackers 1 tsp dehydrated onion 1 Tbs Poppy Seeds 2 Tbs butter, melted Paprika (optional) Dried Parsley (optional) Stir soup and sour cream together, gentle fold in chicken. Mix crackers, onion, and poppy seeds in a medium bowl. Stir half the cracker mixture into the chicken mixture. Place mixture into a 2-quart casserole. Melt butter and stir into remaining cracker mixture. Top casserole with remaining butter crumb mixture. Sprinkle with parsley and paprika if desired. Bake 350 degrees for 30 minutes. Serves 4-5. Poppy Seed Chicken or Turkey (Original Recipe) 2-3 cups cubed cooked turkey or chicken
1 can cream of chicken soup 1-1/2 C sour cream 1 tsp dehydrated onion 8 oz crushed Ritz crackers 1 cube melted margarine 1 Tbs Poppy Seeds Mix well Stir ½ crumb mixture into chicken or turkey mixture. Put in casserole dish. Top with remaining crumb mixture. Sprinkle with parsley and paprika. Bake 350 degrees for 30 minutes. Serves 4-5.  The internet seems to be full of posts and pins about a new way to roast potatoes. So, I decided to try it with some freshly dug red-potatoes from the garden. I'm not sure of the actual recipe name, but I'm calling them Browned Butter Potatoes, because the butter browns in the hot oven, giving the potatoes a most delicious flavor. You only need three ingredients (potatoes, butter, and broth) along with salt and pepper to make this delicious dish. Heat your oven to 475 degrees F. Some of the recipes I saw said 500 degrees. I worried that high temp would lead to burning, smoking, and my fire alarms going off, so I went with 475 degrees. Cut the potatoes into 1-inch rounds - that is quite thick. Lay the cut potatoes into a baking dish in a single layer. Dot the potatoes with butter and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Bake for 30 minutes turning the potatoes over half way through. Pour the chicken or vegetable broth over the potatoes and bake 15 minutes longer until most of the liquid is absorbed. The potatoes are crispy on the outside, creamy on the inside, and the flavor mix up of the butter and broth is yummy. These potatoes make a great side dish for special dinner.  Browned Butter Potatoes
Oven 475 degrees F 1 pound (about 5 medium) red or Yukon gold potatoes 1/2 Cup butter 1 cup chicken or vegetable broth Salt Pepper Preheat oven to 475 degrees F. Wash potatoes, leave skin on. Cut potatoes into 1-inch rounds. Lay potato slices in a baking dish in a single layer. Dot potatoes with butter. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Bake for 30 minutes, turning the potatoes over half-way through. Take pan out of oven and pour broth over potatoes. Return pan to oven and bake 15 more minutes or until the broth is mostly absorbed.  During the stay at home orders I’ve been working on enhancing my cooking skills. A while back I saw chef Jacques Pepin make a souffle without whipping the egg whites. I thought I should try that, but never got around to it. Then the other day there was a repeat of the cooking show (there are a number of repeats happening right now). Well this time, I went online and printed the recipe. Surprisingly, I had all the ingredients, even fresh chives as my outdoor plant was in bloom.
 I grew up with a mom who was a Home Economist. She taught high school for a while and then spent 39 years as an Extension Agent for the land grant school -- Utah State University. As a Home Economist she was an early adopter of many home appliances. While not unusual now – my family had one of the first home microwaves in the neighborhood. Home microwaves became available to home consumers in the mid 1960’s and by the early 1970’s my family had one. It sat on the kitchen counter next to the fridge. It was heavy, had a turn knob, and lasted forever. With this new gadget there was a lot to learn and my mom worked through most every recipe that came in the microwave cookbook. One recipe became a favorite and we are still making it – Tangy Mustard Cauliflower. To start remove the stems from a medium cauliflower and wash. Place the cauliflower in a microwave safe dish (I like to use a quiche pan) and add 2 T water, cover with plastic wrap and cook in microwave for 7-8 minutes until tender.
 En Papillote is a cooking method where food is cooked wrapped in paper. Parchment paper is usually used but the good ole “tin foil” dinner might fall into this category as well. En Papillote is my no fail way of cooking fish. It is fast, easy, and the fish turns out perfect every time.
First start with a large piece of parchment paper – big enough to fold over the fish and all the vegetables you’ll be adding. Place your fish on one half of the paper. I live far from a coast, so I almost always purchased frozen. I place the frozen fish right on the paper. Each person in the US throws out about $400 worth of food a year. For a family of four that’s $1,600 right into the trash. Repurposing leftovers is an easy way to reduce wasted food. Ham fried rice is a delicious use of leftover rice. Start by dicing up about 1 cup of veggies – I like carrots, onions, and something green. This time I had some leftover peppers to use, but I love peas in this dish. Feel free to add other veggies. This is a great way to use veggies before they go bad. Mushrooms would be yummy or canned baby corn would had some fun crunch.
We’ve all been there – it’s dinner time, we want something warm and hearty, but just can’t muster the energy to make something. So, we swing by the local pizza shop to grab dinner. A pizza kit can be almost as fast, but the best part is you can don’t have to leave the house. Just pull the pizza kit out of your freezer and you’ll have a delicious, warm, dinner.   Enchiladas are delicious but can be time consuming to make as you fill and roll each individual enchilada. Making enchiladas casserole style speeds up the process without compromising any flavor. Instead of filling and rolling each tortilla, you simply place the tortillas in the casserole dish and top with the filling. It couldn’t be simpler. My creamy enchiladas are packed with corn and beans to add fiber and potassium and I cut the fat by using low-fat cream cheese and soup.
 A simple glazed ham makes a quick and filling main dish for dinner. Just add a potato, vegetable and you’ve got a meal. Place a fully cooked ham in baking pan and pop into a 325° F oven.
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