Co-op Recipes

We got our second delivery from the co-op today -- new potatoes, broccoli, romaine lettuce, cucumbers, onions, sweet peppers, oranges, strawberries, pears and bananas. I can't wait to try them. We've eaten almost all of the produce from our last delivery, and I have decided that the best thing about the co-op is that it forces us to try something new. I gave roasting beets a shot, and I made a fairly good salad with them, although beets will never be on my top-10 list for vegetables. Here are some of my favorite recipes (all from Cooking Light Magazine) I used for our last delivery:

Garden Harvest Cake (good for breakfast)
4.5 ounces all-purpose flour (1 cup)

3/4 cup sugar

2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup grated peeled Granny Smith apple (about 1 medium)

1/2 cup grated carrot (about 1 medium)

1/2 cup shredded zucchini

1/4 cup chopped walnuts, toasted

1/4 cup canola oil

1/4 cup nonfat buttermilk

2 large eggs

Cooking spray

Preheat oven to 350°. Weigh or lightly spoon flour into a dry measuring cup; level with a knife. Combine flour and the next 4 ingredients (through salt) in a large bowl, stirring with a whisk. Add grated apple, grated carrot, shredded zucchini, and walnuts to flour mixture; toss well. Combine canola oil, buttermilk, and eggs in a small bowl, stirring with a whisk. Add egg mixture to flour mixture, stirring just until combined. Spoon batter into an 8 x 4–inch loaf pan coated with cooking spray. Bake at 350° for 50 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes in pan on a wire rack; remove cake from pan. Cool completely on wire rack before slicing.

Cilantro-Lime Chicken with Avocado Salsa
Chicken:

2 tablespoons minced fresh cilantro

2 1/2 tablespoons fresh lime juice

1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil

4 (6-ounce) skinless, boneless chicken breast halves

1/4 teaspoon saltCooking spray

Salsa:

1 cup chopped plum tomato (about 2)

2 tablespoons finely chopped onion

2 teaspoons fresh lime juice

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1 avocado, peeled and finely chopped

1. To prepare chicken, combine first 4 ingredients in a large bowl; toss and let stand 3 minutes. Remove chicken from marinade; discard marinade. Sprinkle chicken evenly with 1/4 teaspoon salt. Heat a grill pan over medium-high heat. Coat pan with cooking spray. Add chicken to pan; cook 6 minutes on each side or until done.
2. To prepare salsa, combine tomato and next 4 ingredients (through pepper) in a medium bowl. Add avocado; stir gently to combine. Serve salsa over chicken.

Roasted Cauliflower with Brown Butter (this just uses a little butter, but gives great flavor)
6 cups cauliflower florets (about 1 head)

Cooking spray

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon black pepper

2 teaspoons butter

Preheat oven to 400°. Arrange cauliflower in a single layer on a baking sheet coated with cooking spray. Coat cauliflower with cooking spray; sprinkle with salt and pepper. Bake at 400° for 25 minutes, turning cauliflower twice. Melt butter in a small skillet over medium heat; cook 3 minutes or until lightly browned. Combine cauliflower and browned butter in a bowl, and toss gently to coat.