Healthy Holiday Alternatives

The shared the following recipes with us as healthy alternatives for your holiday dinner table! Enjoy!

Co-op Café Roasted Vegetable Strudel

What could be better on a cold winter evening than a warm and toasty one dish dinner from the oven? After the initial preparation of the vegetables, this recipe requires just a few steps to table. The orange zest and rosemary offer the winter vegetables in this dish a refreshing snap, and the cheeses make it extra hearty.  A great dish to take to a winter potluck or for having friends in for supper.

• 1 each red onion, diced 1/2"
• 2 each carrots, peeled, diced
• 1/2" 2 each small turnips, peeled, sliced thin
• 4 each zucchini, sliced
• 1 TBS garlic, fresh, minced
• ½ cup olive oil
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 2 teaspoons pepper, black
• 2 each tomatoes, seeded, diced
• 1 each oranges, zest and juice
• ½ cup parsley, fresh, washed, minced
• 1 TBS rosemary, fresh
• ½ teaspoon thyme, dry
• 1 ½ TBS tomato paste
• ½ cup parmesan, shredded
• 1/3  pound feta, crumbled
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 teaspoon pepper, black
• 1 package filo dough, thawed
• 4 ounces butter, melted

Toss the prepped vegetables with olive oil, salt and pepper. Place on a sheet tray and oven roast at 400 for 15-20 minutes, stirring, until tender.

Remove from oven, add tomatoes, orage juice/zest, and herbs, mix well and cool.
When cooled, stir in cheeses, salt and pepper. Stack four sheets of phyllo, brushing each sheet with butter as you stack them. Cut in half lengthwise.

Place one heaping scoop of vegetable mixture in one corner of the phyllo, then fold like a flag to make a triangle shaped pocket. When folded, brush the outside with butter. Bake seam side down until golden, approx 10 minutes. Yields approximately seven individual strudels.

Butternut Apple Soup

Serves 6. Prep time 45-60 minutes.

• 1 large yellow onion, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, diced
• 1 Tablespoon fresh ginger, minced
• 1 butternut squash(about 1 1/2-2 lbs), peeled, seeded and cubed
• 1 large tart apple, seeded and cubed
• 1/2 teaspoon dried sage
• 4 cups vegetable or chicken stock
• 1/2 cup milk or heavy cream(optional)
• salt and pepper to taste

In large stock pot, heat the butter or oiland saute the onion, garlic and ginger until soft. Add the squash, apple, sage and stock and bring it to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer the soup for about 30 minutes until the squash is very soft. Remove from heat and using a stick blender, or regular blender, puree the soup.  Stir in milk or cream, if using. Season with salt and pepper.

Recipe courtesy of StrongerTogether.coop. Find more recipes, conversation, and information about your food and where it comes from at www.strongertogether.coop.

Co-op Café Spelt Pilaf

Whole grains, whole grains, whole grains! Everywhere you look these days, someone is telling you to eat whole grains, from diet experts to doctors to commercials, and with good reason. Whole grains are a good source of fiber and contain important vitamins and minerals. The Co-op Café offers steamed brown rice everyday on the food bar, and usually offers a flavorful rice or grain dish that compliments the day’s entrée.

Spelt Pilaf is a great way to incorporate a whole grain into any menu. Spelt, an ancient grain, similar to wheat, was very popular in the last century in Europe, and is still common in parts of Italy today. Many people who cannot eat wheat find spelt a pleasing alternative, either in the whole form or as a flour, though you should check with your nutritionist if you have wheat allergies. The whole spelt kernel is chewy and nutty, and makes a very satisfying side dish that is both nutritious and filling.

• 6 cups water
• 2 cups whole spelt grain
• 1 small onion, small dice
• 1 cup frozen corn
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• ¼ cup fresh chopped parsley
• 2 Tbsp olive oil
• 1 tsp cumin
• ½ tsp cinnamon
• ½ tsp cayenne
• 1 tsp salt

Bring water to a boil, and add grain.

Cook until tender, about 30 minutes. Drain and set aside.

In large skillet heat olive oil, add garlic and onion, and sauté until tender.

Add seasonings and corn.

Remove from heat and toss with spelt and parsley.