High-5 Recipes for Winter Eating

Choose-Your-Own-Adventure Mocktail

Doing the Dry January thing this year? Learn how to make your own DIY mocktails at home! This is more of a guideline than a recipe, but if you have a base flavor, a sour flavor, a sweet flavor, and a garnish, you have a gorgeous mocktail just waiting to be made, and enjoyed!

Ingredients:

  • Base flavor – juice, soda, tea, sparkling water

  • Sour flavor – lemon juice, lime juice, tart cherry juice, ACV, bitters

  • Sweet flavor – fruit juice, honey, maple syrup, simple syrups

  • Garnish – fresh herbs, muddled fruit, lemon or lime twist

Directions:

Mix together 4 parts base flavor to 1 part sour to ½ part sweet. And don’t forget the garnish!

Examples:

  • Sparkling water + lime juice + ginger beer + muddled mint

  • Coconut water + lime juice + pineapple juice + muddles strawberries

  • Shirley Temple: Lemon lime soda + lime juice + grenadine + maraschino cherry

  • N/A Champagne Punch: TÖST N/A sparkling beverage + lemon juice + cranberry juice + cranberries and orange slices

Thai-Inspired Chicken Noodle Soup

Adapted from Once Upon a Chef

This has become one of my favorite go-to wintertime meals. It’s quick, easy, and gives you a bowl full of rich, flavorful soup that’s packed full of herby, spicy, turmericky flavor.

An especially good pick when you’re craving Thai takeout but have resolved to spend less on takeout in the New Year.

Ingredients

  • Co-op roasted chicken – deboned and shredded

  • 1 shallot – thinly sliced

  • 16oz can coconut milk

  • Thai green curry paste – 2 tbsp to entire jar, depending on taste

  • Rice noodles – thin or thick

Directions

  1. Begin to boil a large pot of water for the noodles.

  2. Heat a drizzle of olive oil in a medium soup pot over medium-low heat.

  3. Add the shallots and grated ginger, stirring frequently until softened – about 3-5 minutes.

  4. Add the curry paste and cook, stirring frequently until browned – about 3 minutes.

  5. Add 4 cups of chicken broth, coconut milk, 2 tbsp fish sauce, 4 tbsp of brown sugar, 1 tsp of turmeric, and the juice of 1 lime. Bring to a simmer. Continue simmering, uncovered for around 5 minutes.

  6. Meanwhile, cook your rice noodles according to the package. Once cooked, rinse with cold water and set aside.

  7. Add the chicken to the soup until its warmed through.

  8. Serve! Dish up the noodles, then ladle over the soup, and top with fresh herbs (I like cilantro and basil), green onions, and sriracha.

Tuscan Baked Beans

Adapted from Feasting at Home

Don’t let your idea of “baked beans” dissuade you. This is another sensational dish with the power to transport your taste buds across the globe without much effort, I-talia-what! 4 ingredients and less than 10 minutes of prep equals two giant thumbs up!

This time, if your resolutions are steering you away from gluten, or fewer slices of the Almighty ‘Za, the creamy cannellinis and secret sauce will have you thinking you’re enjoying pizza, spaghetti, and mom’s lasagna all in one bite.

Ingredients

  • 2 14oz cans cannellini beans (or 4 cups cooked)

  • 1 container Co-op spaghetti sauce (sub 2 cups of any other marinara)

  • Handful Lacinato kale – torn, thick stems removed (sub baby spinach if you can’t stand kale)

  • 4-5 slices Ferndale Farmstead fresh mozzarella (sub mozzarella pearls or burrata)

Additional pantry ingredients: 1 tbsp olive oil, salt + pepper to taste, pinch chili flakes (add more for extra heat), 2 tbsp water

Directions

  1. Preheat oven to 375F.

  2. In 9” ovenproof dish, add cannellini beans and stir with olive oil, salt, pepper, and chili flakes.

  3. Add spaghetti sauce and water, mix again.

  4. Stir in greens.

  5. Shake dish to level, then nestle in the cheese.

  6. Bake uncovered until bubbling and golden, 25-35 minutes. Broil for extra golden cheese.

  7. Serve with your favorite Co-op bread: Rustic Garlic Sourdough and focaccia are both solid choices.

Leigha StaffenhagenComment