Dinner Tonight

Dinner Tonight

Healthy Cooking for a Healthy Texas

Mushrooms

by

Mushrooms are a delicious and nutritious addition to any dish! See our tips and resources for confidently using them in cooking!

Whole mushrooms can be an intimidating purchase. Learn how to spot the best produce, and then with a little rinse of cold water, you’re on your way to an impressive dish!

Purchasing:

  • Select mushrooms with a firm, smooth and dry appearance.
  • A closed veil under the cap indicates a delicate flavor. While and open veil and exposed fills mean a richer flavor.

Storing:

  • If you’ve opened the original package, place unwashed mushrooms in a paper bag inside your refrigerator. The paper bag will absorb moisture and allow them to breath, keeping them fresh for 1 week.

Washing:

  • Before using, use a damp paper towel or cloth to wipe away any dirt. Never soak mushrooms as they absorb and hold water easily.

Look at these tasty recipes featuring this delicious veggies!

To learn more, here is a great list by the USDA National Agriculture Library of resources. Click here to check them out!

Print Friendly, PDF & Email

Pork Tenderloin with Cayenne Cherry Sauce

by

This pork tenderloin with a cayenne cherry sauce is healthy, while still feeling indulgent.


Pork Tenderloin with Cayenne Cherry Sauce
Votes: 0
Rating: 0
You:
Rate this recipe!
Print Recipe
Add to Shopping List
This recipe is in your Shopping List
Servings
4
Servings
4
Pork Tenderloin with Cayenne Cherry Sauce
Votes: 0
Rating: 0
You:
Rate this recipe!
Print Recipe
Add to Shopping List
This recipe is in your Shopping List
Servings
4
Servings
4
Ingredients
Servings:
Units:
Instructions
  1. Wash your hands and clean your preparation area.
  2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
  3. Mix the preserves, balsamic vinegar, and allspice in a small bowl. Reserve half of the mixture.
  4. Brush 1/2 of the mixture on the pork tenderloin, covering the entire tenderloin.
  5. Cover and cook the tenderloin for 45-50 minutes, or until a food thermometer reaches 145 degrees F.
  6. While the tenderloin is cooking, heat the olive oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Add the shallots and saute for 1-2 minutes or until tender. Add the cherries, cayenne, and the reserved preserve mixture. Let simmer for 8-10 minutes or until sauce has thickened.
  7. Using an immersion blender, food processor, or regular blender blend the dark cherry sauce until it is smooth. Be careful with the hot liquid.
  8. Slice the tenderloin and spoon the dark cherry sauce over top. Enjoy!
Recipe Notes

Pork Tenderloin with Dark Cherry Sauce Nutrition Facts Serving size (186g) servings per container 4 Amount per serving Calories 240 % Daily Value Total Fat 6 g 8 % Saturated Fat 1.5 g 8 % Trans Fat 0 g Cholesterol 75 mg 25 % Sodium 65 mg 3 % Total Carbohydrate 21 g 8 % Dietary Fiber 1 g 4 % Total Sugars 18 g Added Sugars 0 g 0 % Protein 24 g Vitamin D 0 % Calcium 0 % Iron 6 % Potassium 10 %

Refrigerator Safety

by

Organize your refrigerator for safety! Did you know there is a right way to organize your fridge? Check out our tips on where to put what foods for optimal food safety.

Safe refrigerator storage. Top to bottom, ready to eat foods, fully cooked foods, and produce. Raw Seafood fish and eggs. Raw steak. Raw Pork. Raw ground beef. Raw poultry.

This outlines proper food storage for commercial retail establishments, but take a cue and organize your fridge the same!

 

Print Friendly, PDF & Email

Picky Eaters

by

Children don’t always want to eat their vegetables. Make up a game at the dinner table to see who can come up with the funniest name for your vegetables! If you have a picky eater who won’t touch a plate with leafy greens or an unfamiliar vegetable, you may be wondering what to do. Try these tips:

  • At the grocery store, let children pick their own fruit or vegetable.
  • For variety, try a different color each week.
  • Fill the shopping basket with a fruit or vegetable from every color in the rainbow.
  • Let them play with their food. Use slices, dices, pieces and whole fruits and vegetables
    to be creative.
  • Make colorful and funny fruit and vegetable faces. Make a game out of it (who can make the funniest face), then eat them together.
  • Make an edible landscape. For example, use a banana slice as the sunshine, broccoli as trees, leafy greens for grass, etc.
  • Give fruits and vegetables a funny name.
  • Let children help prepare fruits and vegetables. They can:
    • Wash fruits and vegetables before cooking or eating
    • Snap the peas or break apart the broccoli
    • Tear the lettuce for salads and sandwiches
    • Measure the vegetables before cooking
    • Peel fruits and vegetables
    • Slice soft vegetables with a plastic knife
  • Read books about fruits and vegetables with your child.
  • Introduce children to gardening to teach them how fruits and vegetables grow.
  • Plant seeds together and watch them grow.
  • Set a good example ― eat and enjoy fruits and vegetables with your child.
  • Have your child eat with another child who loves fruits and vegetables.

Establishing a love for fruits and vegetables while your children are young will help them be healthy now and in the future. A diet high in colorful fruits and vegetables will provide a variety of vitamins, minerals and fiber that children need to grow. Studies show that eating fruits and vegetables can help your child maintain a healthy weight, keep bowels regular, and decrease the chance of diseases like heart disease and cancer. Start now to establish a lifetime of healthy eating habits for your children.

To view the whole PDF from University of Nebraska Extension, click here.

Be Sneaky with your vegetables, how to sneak them into your picky eaters food!

Play a game at Dinner Tonight that will help engage your child with eating vegetables and fruits.  

 

Print Friendly, PDF & Email

Cooking Vegetables

by

Tips for Cooking your Vegetables Cooking vegetables like broccoli doesn’t have to be hard or boring. Try roasting your vegetables by tossing them with a small amount of olive oil, seasoning with herbs, and roasting in the oven between 325 F and 375 F. Below are a few more tips on cooking vegetables.

To maximize vegetable quality, always cook vegetables just in time (batch cook) to serve. To maintain safety, cook all vegetables to at least 140° F (MN Food Code). Cooked vegetables are best when they are held less than 20 minutes.

Cooking with Fresh Vegetables

Maintaining Nutrients:

  • Cook vegetables in the smallest amount of liquid possible.
  • Cook vegetables in the shortest amount of time for the desired tenderness.
  • Cook most vegetables with a lid.
  • For vegetables that have a skin, scrub well and cook with the skin on whenever possible. If the vegetable must be peeled, peel as thinly as possible.
  • When cutting vegetables, use a sharp blade and cut in the largest pieces that are desirable for the recipe. Pieces should be uniform to allow for even cooking.
  • Follow the recipe or directions for cooking a vegetable.
  • Cook vegetables just in time to serve.

Source:

Minnesota State Extension

Check out our steps for healthy fruits and vegetables from the store to your table. 

How to be sneaky with vegetables.

And how to keep your fruits and vegetables fresh for as long as possible. 

 

Print Friendly, PDF & Email

Translate:

Translate »