Healthy Food Night

March's meeting was a bit smaller, due to Spring break scheduling conflicts, but we still had fun late into the night.

The theme was Healthy Food, and we started off the night with a real treat brought by Tricia. She blended us up some smoothies that were quite tasty, and she shared some tips on making your smoothies healthier; such as using honey or juice to sweeten, instead of sugar.

Next Heather shared with us a quick and easy recipe for her bean pico salsa that we could not stop eating all night. When feeling especially healthy, she even makes her own tortilla chips, by cutting tortillas into wedges, spraying with "I can't believe it's not butter" and a little salt, and baking in the oven until crisp. A truly yummy substitute for store bought, deep fried chips.

JoDee made a fresh strawberry vinaigrette, and shared some tips on jazzing up salads. She likes to focus on colors as well as flavors to make a plain jane salad more appealing. In addition to your usual vegetable additions to a salad, try adding dried cranberries, fresh fruit, nuts, chunks of cheese, avocado, or fresh pepper to a salad to spruce up the appearance and flavor. Look through your pantry and you'll be surprised how many things you have on hand that taste great in a salad.

Fresh Pico De Gallo

Submitted by Heather Sheehan

Chop finely:

1 Red onion
2-3 tomatoes (avoid using Steak tomatoes-little flavor.)
1 c. Cilantro
2 ripe but firm avocados
1 c. mango, peaches, or pineapple; any one. (Canned may be used if fresh is not available. Strain the juice.)


Add:

1 can of corn
1 can black beans (strained and rinsed.)
salt and pepper to taste
1/4 c. lime juice

For more of a kick, finely dice 1 Jalapeno pepper. Remove the seeds and membrane to avoid too much heat, unless that's your desire!

Strawberry Vinegrette

Submitted by JoDee Leahy

1 package (16 oz) frozen unsweetened strawberries, thawed
6 Tbsp lemon juice
1/4 cup sugar
2 Tbsp cider vinegar
2 Tbsp olive oil
1/8 tsp poppy seeds

Place the strawberries in a blender; cover and process until smooth. Add lemon juice and sugar. While processing, gradually add vinegar and oil in a steady stream; process until thickened. Stir in poppy seeds. Transfer to a bowl or jar; cover and store in the refrigerator. Yield: 2 1/2 cups

Smoothies

Submitted by Tricia Schroeder

recipe pending