Search Results for: turkey

Slow Cooker Calibration

October 17, 2016 by Dinner Tonight

If the slow cooker in your house hasn’t been used in a while or even if you use it on a regular basis, it is a good idea to test it for accuracy. Follow these simple steps for slow cooker calibration to make sure everything is working properly and your food is safe!

Fill the slow cooker 1/2 to 2/3 full with water. The amount of water you need depends on the size of the slow cooker.
Turn the slow cooker on to LOW and let heat for 8 hours. Do not lift the lid during this time!
Check the water temperature with an accurate food thermometer. Do this quickly since the temperature in the slow cooker drops 10 to 15 degrees once the lid is removed.
The temperature of the water should be between 185 and 200 degrees.
- If the water temperature is less than 185 degrees, the slow cooker is not safe to use and should be thrown out.
- If the temperature is over 200 degrees, then that is an indication that food cooked for 8 hours in the slow cooker without any stirring would likely be overdone; therefore, your slow cooker should be safe to use.

Download this how-to as an infographic PDF or image!

Check out our recipes!

Kabob Skewers: Not Just for Dinner

October 24, 2016 by Dinner Tonight

Most people think of kabob skewers for shish kabobs full of meat and vegetables for the dinnertime grill, but those bamboo, wooden, or metal skewers can make any mealtime fun!

Here are a few fun ideas for using skewers at breakfast, lunch, snack, and dessert:

Start the day with a kabob – Make breakfast fun by stacking waffles and strawberries onto the skewer.
Sandwich on a stick – Alternate pieces of whole grain bread with low-fat cheese chunks and pieces of deli sliced turkey breast for a lunchbox change-up.
Make a healthy desert – Thread washed fruit (sliced if needed) onto a skewer for a healthy dessert (or even a simple snack stack).

Get older children involved by letting them thread different food onto the skewers. Keep in mind that the ends are sharp, so use caution, always observe kids in the kitchen, and use soft foods.

Be Sneaky with Vegetables

June 14, 2017 by Dinner Tonight

Getting picky eaters to eat vegetables can be a challenge some times! Here are our tips on being sneaky with vegetables.

We all know we need to be eating more veggies. Some of us love them and eat them at every meal. And then there are those of us who can’t stomach the thought of chomping on something green that looks like a tree. And no, we’re not talking about four-year-olds — we mean adults, too!

If you’re the primary cook in your family, and pasta sauce and French fries are the only veggies going down at your home, you may want to get a bit sneakier. We’ve come up with some pretty cool ways to help you add vegetables into meals without anyone knowing. You get to be creative and it doesn’t take much work. Saving time and eating healthy — sounds like a winning combination!

Get shredded!

Grab a box grater or the grating attachment on your food processor to shred zucchini, beets, carrots or parsnips to add to all sorts of recipes. Add a vegetable serving to your favorite whole grain muffins and quick breads by mixing shredded zucchini into your batter before baking. You can also sauté shredded carrots, summer squash or butternut squash for about five minutes before adding them to pasta sauce for a quick, veggie-filled meal. Even your pickiest of eaters may not notice!

Get mushy!

Replace half the ground meat in recipes like burgers, meatloaf and meatballs with cooked chopped mushrooms. Finely chop your choice of mushrooms using a knife or a food processor, then sauté in a little olive oil until soft – about three minutes or so. Once the mushrooms are cool, gently mix them with your lean ground chicken, turkey or beef. Cook thoroughly and follow the recipe as is. Voila! Another veggie-ful meal for the family.

Get Cheesy!

Cooked and pureed orange vegetables like butternut squash, sweet potatoes and carrots can be blended, unnoticed, into cheesy dishes we all love like macaroni and cheese, lasagna, or baked enchiladas. You end up using less cheese, which cuts some of the saturated fat and sodium. You can also add the sweeter-tasting veggies to a blender with some low-sodium broth and puree them into a smooth soup that most kiddos (and adults) will love.

Be smooth!

Grab that blender and put it to work! When you’re making your favorite fruit smoothie, add in a frozen banana and some spinach, carrots, squash or just about any vegetable (cooked is easier to blend, FYI). The frozen banana makes for a sweet, thick, and creamy smoothie and it adds a strong banana flavor that helps hide the flavor of the veggies. Want a more colorful smoothie? Try adding beet, avocado or sweet potato to change the tint. You’ll be surprised at how bright – and healthy — your breakfast will be!

See original article here.

Tricks for sneaking some extra veggies and fruits into your kids (or your) diet!

Add grated vegetables such as carrots or squash to casseroles or soups.
Add fresh fruit to cereal or oatmeal.
Add diced vegetables such as bell peppers, mushrooms or spinach to eggs for a breakfast frittata.
Kids love pizza so pile it high with veggies such as tomatoes, peppers, spinach and chopped broccoli.
Try a fruit smoothie for breakfast.
Create healthy breakfast muffins with zucchini or carrots.
Experiment with veggie noodles by using a spiralizer to create these fun an nutritious noodles!
Make your mac & cheese gourmet by adding broccoli.
Spinach, tomato, or avocado can make a nutritious addition to the traditional grilled cheese sandwich.

All About Pasta

September 7, 2017 by Dinner Tonight

Selecting the right shape of pasta in your dish has the ability to take your meal to a level beyond your imagination. The following information will help you to make the right decision in order to create a delicious meal! Choosing the right shape for your dish can be challenging but we want to make it easier for you! See the guide below:

Soups:

Farfalline, Pastina, Fideo, Fusilli, Tripolini, Ruote, Orzo

Salads:

Linguine, Fusilli, Tubini, Rotini, Ziti, Tripolini, Rocchetti, Penne, Vermicelli

Casseroles:

Figli, Lasagna, Orzo, Fusilli, Rocchetti, Rotini, Spaghetti, Radiatori

Stir-Fry:

Ziti, Linguine, Penne, Mostaccioli, Rotini, Spaghetti, Vermicelli, Tubini, Farfalline

Sauces:

Fettuccine, Tortellini, Linguine, Fusilli, Penne, Orzo, Gemelli, Vermicelli, Rigatoni

Baked Dishes

Tubini, Ziti, Farfalline, Manicotti

Stop the presses because pasta doesn’t last lifetime! Contrary to what you think, pasta does have a shelf life and it matters! The following information will definitely help you get your money’s worth.

Shelf life matters! Here are the shelf lives for dry noodles:

Egg Pasta Noodles & Vegetable:

1-2 years depending on the best by date

Non-Egg:

3 years depending on best by date

Are you making the most out of all the pasta you recently cooked? Follow these tips to ensure your food is safe to eat for you and the entire family!

Leftover Pasta 101: Keep in refrigerator for only 3 to 4 days Planning your meals will help you utilize your leftovers better. Keep food at peak quality by immediately portioning into smaller containers to avoid bacteria growth Reheat food to 165 F When in doubt, toss it out

Leftover safety 101!

Keep in refrigerator for only 3-4 days
Planning your meals will help you utilize your leftovers better.
Keep food as peak quality by immediately portioning into smaller containers to avoid bacteria growth.
Always reheat food to 165 Degrees F.
When in doubt, toss it out!

Which pasta should you pair which sauce?? Heres our guide from Escoffier.

Long and round: (spaghetti, linguini, vermicelli, and angel hair)
Olive-oil-based sauces work best with these long noodles. They coat the thin surface and cling to it without having too much noodle to drown out the sauce.

Long and flat: (fettucine, tagliatelle, pappardelle, linguine)
Creamy sauces like ragu and bolognaise. They require bigger surfaces in order to stick to the noodles and not just fall to the bottom of the serving dish. Look for ones that are wide and flat, like pappardelle?, for rich, hearty sauces. Alfredo sauce is great on fettucine because it doesn’t require as much noodle to stick to. If you are working with a meaty or heavy sauce, also chose a wider, flat noodle like tagliatelle to hold up the thicker sauce.

Short pasta: (ziti, campanelle, penne, rigatoni)
Short pastas are super versatile. They have plenty of surface to hold creamy sauces but they also work well with chunky ones because meat and veggies get stuck inside them or on them. Pastas with the word “rigate” in them have ridges. This makes them excellent candidates for light sauces like pesto or creamy alfredo.

Large, wide noodles: (lasagna, manicotti, giant shells)

Lasagna noodles are perfect for baked pasta dishes. They layer well with sauce, meat and cheese and give the dish structure. Shells and manicotti can be stuffed with all your favorite ingredients and baked to perfection.

Spiral noodles: (rotini, fusilli, cavitappi)
Looking for a pasta that will hold thin sauces like alfredo but can also handle meaty, heavy varieties? Look for a spiraled noodle like rotini, cavitappi or fusilli. The texture of these types of pasta allows them to gather a lot of sauce and not let it slip off. Plus, they can be easier to eat (no slurping) and are a major favorite with kids. You can also use bigger ingredients with these noodles, like cheese chunks, chickpeas and diced tomatoes. These larger items would fall away from a spaghetti noodle but work well with shorter, more textured options.

Short shapes: (bowtie, wagon wheels, cavatelli)
Noodle shapes that are short and thick have a more dense bite. They work well in pasta salads and with larger ingredients. They have ridges, curls and ruffles that make them sturdier and work well with hearty, meaty sauces.

Here are some of our favorite pasta recipes to use all your new knowledge!

Colors for Nutrition

March 23, 2018 by Dinner Tonight

Nutrients present themselves as different colors in in fruits and vegetables. Different colors = different nutrients! If you see a lot of the same colors on your plate, consider mixing it up!

Did you know that adding color to your meals will help you live a longer, healthier life? Colorful fruits and vegetables can paint a beautiful picture of health because they contain phytonutrients, compounds that give plants their rich colors as well as their distinctive tastes and aromas. Phytonutrients also strengthen a plant’s immune system. They protect the plant from threats in their natural environment such as disease and excessive sun.

When humans eat plant foods, phytonutrients protect us from chronic diseases. Phytonutrients have potent anti-cancer and anti-heart disease effects. And epidemiological research suggests that food patterns that include fruits and vegetables are associated with a reduced risk of many chronic diseases, including cardiovascular disease, and may be protective against certain types of cancers.

The American Cancer Society recommends 2 1/2 cups per day of fruits and vegetables. The most recent US Dietary Guidelines recommend consuming even more: 2 1/2 cups of vegetables and 2 cups of fruit, based on a 2,000-calorie diet.

Below is a quick run down of some of the phytonutrients that you’ll find in fruits & veggies of that color:

Red: Rich in the carotenoid lycopene, a potent scavenger of gene-damaging free radicals that seems to protect against prostate cancer as well as heart and lung disease.
Found in: strawberries, cranberries, raspberries, tomatoes, cherries, apples, beets, watermelon, red grapes, red peppers, red onions

Orange and yellow: Provide beta cryptothanxin, which supports intracellular communication and may help prevent heart disease.
Found in: carrots, sweet potatoes, yellow peppers, oranges, bananas, pineapple, tangerines, mango, pumpkin, apricots, winter squash (butternut, acorn), peaches, cantaloupe, corn

Green: These foods are rich in cancer-blocking chemicals like sulforaphane, isothiocyanates, and indoles, which inhibit the action of carcinogens (cancer-causing compounds).
Found in: spinach, avocados, asparagus, artichokes, broccoli, alfalfa sprouts, kale, cabbage, Brussels sprouts, kiwi fruit, collard greens, green tea, green herbs (mint, rosemary, sage, thyme, and basil)

Blue and purple: Have powerful antioxidants called anthocyanins believed to delay cellular aging and help the heart by blocking the formation of blood clots.
Found in: blueberries, blackberries, elderberries, Concord grapes, raisins, eggplant, plums, figs, prunes, lavender, purple cabbage

White and brown: The onion family contains allicin, which has anti-tumor properties. Other foods in this group contain antioxidant flavonoids like quercetin and kaempferol.
Found in: onions, cauliflower, garlic, leeks, parsnips, daikon radish, mushrooms

Source:

Harvard Health Blog – find the original article here.

Here are some of our most fruit and veggie packed recipes for you to check out!

Fruits:

Vegetables: