Pineapple Green Smoothie

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup milk
• 1/2 cup plain Greek yogurt
• 4 cups spinach leaves, washed
• 1 cup pineapple chunks, drained
• 1 medium frozen banana, sliced

Preparation

Place ingredients in a blender in the following order: milk, yogurt, spinach, pineapple and banana, and secure the lid. Blend on high until smooth. Pour into glasses and serve immediately.

Serving Suggestion

For a thicker smoothie, use frozen pineapple chunks as well as the sliced, frozen banana. Make your own frozen fruit for smoothies by cutting up fresh pineapple and bananas and freezing the pieces on a baking sheet; then transfer to a zip-close bag for storage. Drained canned pineapple freezes just as well as fresh.

Reprinted by permission from StrongerTogether.coop. Find articles about your food and where it comes from, recipes and a whole lot more at www.strongertogether.coop

Spicy Sweet Potato Wedges with Jalapeño Sour Cream

Photo Credit: Cooking Light

These tasty wedges pair perfectly with roast turkey sandwiches, breakfast hash, or a big bowl of chili.

Ingredients

• 2 pounds sweet potatoes, washed and cut lengthwise into large wedges
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 teaspoon chili powder
• 1 teaspoon paprika
• 1/2 teaspoon cumin powder
• 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
• 1/2 teaspoon chili flakes
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• Pinch of cayenne pepper

Jalapeño Sour Cream

• 1/2 cup light sour cream
• 1 jalapeño pepper, seeded and minced
• 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
• Pinch of salt

Preparation

1. Preheat the oven to 400° F.
2. In a large bowl, mix together the oil and spices. Add the sweet potato wedges and toss until well coated. Spread the seasoned wedges out on a large sheet pan. Place in oven and bake for 20 minutes, stir or flip the wedges, and bake an additional 20 minutes until browned and tender.
3. While potatoes are roasting, mix together the sour cream, jalapeño pepper, lime and salt in a small bowl. Refrigerate until ready to serve.
4. Remove the wedges from the oven and let them rest for 5 minutes before serving with the jalapeño sour cream.

Reprinted by permission from StrongerTogether.coop. Find articles about your food and where it comes from, recipes and a whole lot more at www.strongertogether.coop

Sweet & Sour Vegetarian Meatballs

Via Stronger Together

These tasty vegetarian meatballs make a delicious appetizer or accompaniment to fettuccine Alfredo or mushroom risotto.

Ingredients

• 2 large eggs
• Oil to grease pan
• 1/2 cup shredded Colby cheese
• 2 tablespoons minced yellow onion
• 1/2 teaspoon dried basil
• 1/4 teaspoon dried sage
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup crushed herbed stuffing mix
• 1/4 cup cottage cheese
• 6 tablespoons pecan meal (grind about 1/2 cup pecan halves)

Sauce

• 2 tablespoons canola or vegetable oil
• 3 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
• 10 tablespoons apricot jam
• 6 tablespoons ketchup
• 1 tablespoons minced yellow onion
• 1/4 teaspoon dried sage
• 1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1/4 teaspoon hot sauce

Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 350°F.
2. Oil a sheet pan with sides or an oven-safe casserole dish.
3. In a large mixing bowl, mix together all vegetarian meatball ingredients. Once thoroughly combined, roll into 1- to 2-inch balls. The mixture should yield approximately 16-18 vegetarian meatballs. Place them in the oiled pan and bake for 15 minutes. Turn them and bake another 15 minutes.
4. While the vegetarian meatballs are baking, mix together all sauce ingredients in a separate bowl.
5. After the vegetarian meatballs have baked for 30 minutes, coat them with the sauce and bake another 10-15 minutes. Serve warm.

Serving Suggestion

Goes great with fettuccine Alfredo or mushroom risotto.

Authored by Open Harvest Co-op Grocery. Reprinted by permission from StrongerTogether.coop. Find articles about your food and where it comes from, recipes and a whole lot more at www.strongertogether.coop

Creamy Cocoa Banana Smoothie

Almond butter provides a rich protein boost to this smoothies, while cocoa gives it an energizing kick.

Ingredients

• 2 medium frozen bananas
• 1/4 cup almond butter
• 3 tablespoons cocoa
• 2 cups vanilla almond milk
• 1 teaspoon almond extract

Preparation

In a food processor, combine the ingredients in order, then blend. Serve immediately.

Authored by Robin Asbell. Reprinted by permission from StrongerTogether.coop. Find articles about your food and where it comes from, recipes and a whole lot more at www.strongertogether.coop

Hidden Spinach Berry Smoothie

Start your day with a big spinach salad? You will enjoy a salad's worth of healthy spinach in this luscious smoothie, and hardly notice it's there. Try freezing your own local berries when they are in season to use in smoothies all year long. When bananas start getting soft, just peel them, pop them in a freezer bag, and freeze to use in smoothies. Using frozen berries and bananas will give you a thick, almost ice-cream texture, and you may need to add a little milk to help it blend.

Ingredients

• 2 cups (8 ounces) frozen or fresh red berries, raspberries, strawberries, or a mix
• 3 cups (3 ounces) spinach (packed)
• 1 cup yogurt, kefir, or a non-dairy alternative like almond milk
• 1 large banana, fresh or frozen

Preparation

Put the berries and spinach in the blender first, and add the yogurt and banana. Process, scraping down as needed. Blend until smooth and serve.

Authored by Robin Asbell. Reprinted by permission from StrongerTogether.coop. Find articles about your food and where it comes from, recipes and a whole lot more at www.strongertogether.coop

Beet Pesto Crostini

Total Time: 35 minutes; 20 minutes active

Servings: 4

Earthy, vibrant beets combine with garlic and crunchy sunflower seeds in this unusual (and vegan) pesto appetizer. Unlike herb pestos, this keeps refrigerated for a few days, tightly covered.

Ingredients

• 3 2-inch beets, about 6 ounces
• 1 clove garlic, peeled
• 5 tablespoons sunflower seeds, raw
• 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 8 slices baguette, toasted

Preparation

1. Wash the beets, but don't peel them. Place them in a small pot and add water to cover by an inch. Put on high heat and bring to a boil, then reduce to a vigorous simmer. Cook for about 10 minutes, until a paring knife inserted in a beet slips in easily.
2. Drain the beets and rinse with cold water, then trim the tops and slip the skins off under the cold water. Let cool.
3. In a food processor, mince the garlic. Add 1/4 cup of the sunflower seeds and pulse to chop finely. Add the beets and process until finely chopped. Add the olive oil and salt and pulse just to mix, don't puree.
4. To serve, spread about 1 1/2 tablespoons of the beet mixture on each baguette slice.

Reprinted by permission from StrongerTogether.coop. Find articles about your food and where it comes from, recipes and a whole lot more at www.strongertogether.coop