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Spring is here again and it’s the perfect time of year to begin to frolic in the park. Whether you plan a rousing game of Frisbee, touch football or badminton, you’ll need some nutritious reinforcements to keep your strength up. Here are a few delicious recipes to keep you satisfied on an afternoon in the park.
Toasted Corn Crisps
Courtesy of Gourmet magazine July 2009, Ruth Cousineau
Yield: Makes 6 dozen crackers
Ingredients:
The name of the game is preparation, ladies and gentlemen. The point of a picnic is to pick a spot, put down a blanket, and eat. Prepare this healthy, delicious and easy meal ahead of time.
A word to the wise when preparing a picnic or any bagged lunch: prepare something that will only get better the longer you wait to eat it. We've all had to suffer through soggy sandwiches, so give yourself a rest and try something that will only taste better over time as the flavors blend: Tortellini Salad.
You will need:
- 1 (16 ounce) package refrigerated cheese tortellini
- 4 ounces sliced pepperoni, quartered
- 2 green onions, sliced
- 6 ounces mozzarella cheese, diced
- 1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 1/2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
- 1 1/2 tablespoons distilled white vinegar
- 1 teaspoon dried Italian herb seasoning
- salt and black pepper to taste
Whether you are looking for a quick meal to make after work or something to serve guests, this pasta dish will do the trick.
From start to finish it only takes about 20 minutes, but tastes like something that could have taken hours.
For best results, use fresh ingredients. Even though this dish is already cholesterol-free and abundant in nutrients, you can make it even healthier by using whole wheat pasta.
Pasta with Sun-Dried Tomatoes, Spinach, and Basil
Ingredients:
2 teaspoons olive oil
2 tablespoons red onion
2 cloves of garlic
4 roma tomatoes or 2 ripe vine tomatoes, diced
1/4-1/2 teaspoon red chili flakes
1/2-1 teaspoon fresh basil, minced
1/2-1 teaspoon fresh oregano, minced
1-2 cups spinach
4 marinated sun-dried tomatoes, diced
salt and pepper to taste
Directions:
In a deep frying pan, sautee the onion and garlic in the olive oil over medium to high heat with a little salt and pepper.
When the onions are translucent, turn the heat to medium and add the tomatoes, red chili flakes, basil, and oregano. Continue stirring for about 2 minutes, then add the spinach and sun-dried tomatoes. Continue to cook until the spinach is soft. Add salt and pepper to taste.
Serve over a pasta of your choosing.
Makes 2-3 servings.
With the holidays rapidly approaching (as all the stores and television commercials love to remind us) it’s difficult not to think about the big fat meals of the season. Being someone who has a heart attack when entering a mall or considering plane tickets, I turn my thoughts over to the lovely soirees of this time of year.
It's getting close to Thanksgiving, which means kick off for the grand march of entertaining: holiday parties, cookie bake-a-thons, jamming a jellying gifts, etc. This is the stuff that gets me excited.
I pull down all my cookbooks and start rustling the pages looking for ideas. If you're anything like me, you're probably invited to more than one event, and you would never even dream of showing up empty handed. Of course, what with all the health food trends and picky people out there, you are bound to run into at least one episode of what I refer to as The Holiday Vegan Problem. No matter whose house you're going to, there's always going to be one.
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