Beet, Cabbage and Apple Salad

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Beets, cabbage, and apples complement each other perfectly to make an outstanding salad. Fused by a sweet and savory vinaigrette, this salad makes a delicious, healthy addition to any meal. The distinct flavors of Dijon mustard and honey add an amazing taste to the already flavorful salad components of beets and apples.

Ingredients:

  • 2 Tablespoons olive oil

  • ½ yellow onion, diced

  • ½ head green cabbage, thinly sliced

  • 3 apples, diced

  • 5 beets, roasted, peeled and diced*

  • 1 bunch Italian parsley, leaves only

Vinaigrette:

  • 2 Tablespoons Dijon mustard

  • 3 ounces apple cider vinegar

  • zest from one orange

  • 2 ounces honey

  • 12 ounces olive oil

  • 1 teaspoon salt

  • 2 Tablespoon caraway seeds

Method:

  1. Sauté the onion and oil over medium heat. Add the cabbage and cook until soft. Add the apples, cooking for 2 more minutes.

  2. Combine all vinaigrette ingredients in a small bowl and whisk until well mixed.

  3. Add the beets and parsley to the sauté pan. Toss and cook until heated through.

  4. Pour the vinaigrette over the salad while in the pan. Cook for 1 minute.

  5. Serve warm.

*Chef’s note: To roast the beets: wash and trim off tops, wrap each beet individually in aluminum foil. Bake in a 425-degree oven for 45-50 minutes until beets are tender.

Yield: 8 side portions

Recipe Notes

  • Let the vinaigrette cook off for awhile in the pan. Once added and cooked for a couple minutes, turn the heat to low and leave the pan cooking until you are ready to serve the salad. This allows the salad to remain hot until it’s served andcooks off any excess vinaigrette that will make the salad too sloppy.

  • Cut the apples to 2-inch cubes or any bite-sized piece size you prefer.

  • Whisk the vinaigrette well: the oil will not easily mix with the mustard and other ingredients.

  • To quickly pull the parsley off the stem, firmly grip the end of the parsley and twist until the leaves come off in your hand.

Thai Spring Rolls

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These fresh and delicious spring rolls taste just like they came from a restaurant. Packed with just veggies, it doesn’t get healthier than this. The fresh taste of each vegetable makes the recipe one of our favorites! Just dice up some veggies, toss it on the wrap, fold, and you’re done! Try these rolls as a perfect “side salad” to literally any meal!

Ingredients:

  • 2 packages of rice wrappers

  • 1 Tablespoon finely chopped or grated ginger root

  • 1 quart (4 cups) shredded carrots

  • 1 quart (4 cups) shredded bok choy cabbage

  • 1 quart (4 cups) shredded Napa cabbage

  • 2 cucumbers, peeled and cut into ribbons

  • 2 red bell peppers, cut into thin strips

  • 2 cups bean sprouts

  • 2 bunches of cilantro leaves

Dipping Sauce:

  • 1 cup sesame oil

  • 1 cup rice vinegar

  • 1 cup soy sauce

Method:

  1. Toss the fresh ingredients together, or if you have picky eaters, keep them separate so each roll can be customized.

  2. Dip the rice wrapper in warm water, and fill using a small amount of mix. Roll to completely enclose the filling.

  3. Combine all sauce ingredients and whisk.

Yield: 15 rolls

Recipe Notes

  • As stated, the sauce is really up to you! While we gave you a guidance, feel free to be creative with the amounts of each ingredient or even add or remove ingredients of your choosing.

  • Just like the sauce, the vegetables in the roll are up to your creativity! If you don’t have one of the ingredients, just remove it or even replace it with a vegetable you like. The idea of a “spring roll” just describes vegetables within a rice wrap. While we love the ones we suggested, any vegetables you like work!

Tofu Sloppy Joes

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A fan favorite in many school cafeterias, many kids love sloppy joes. With this recipe, we wanted to keep the sweet, delicious taste of sloppy joes that everyone loves and add our own meatless twist of tofu to it. All you have to do is chop some veggies, cook the tofu, add some sauce, throw it all together, and you’re done! Paired with a side salad, this makes a filling, healthy, and easy meal that you’ll definitely want to make again.

Yield: 8 servings

Ingredients:

2 pkgs. (14 oz. each) extra firm tofu, drained
2 Tbsp. olive oil, divided
1 small yellow onion, diced
1 green pepper, diced small
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 Tbsp. chili powder
2 tsp. cumin
¼ C. low-sodium soy sauce
¼ Cup brown sugar
2 Cups tomato sauce
Kosher salt to taste
8 whole wheat hamburger buns

Directions:

1. Placed drained tofu between layers of paper towels. Set tofu on a large plate or dish, then place a cutting board on top of the tofu and set canned goods (or other heavy item) on top of the cutting board to press the excess moisture out of the tofu. Set aside to drain for 20 minutes while prepping remaining ingredients.
2. Heat 1 Tbsp. olive oil in a large sauté pan over medium-high heat. Add drained tofu. Use the back of a spoon to break the tofu down into crumbles. Cook tofu, stirring occasionally, until lightly browned and firmed up. Transfer tofu to a bowl and set aside.
3. Add 1 more Tbsp. olive oil to pan. Add onion and green pepper and sauté until tender, about 5 minutes.  Add garlic and sauté 1 minute more.
4. Add tofu back to pan, along with spices, soy sauce and brown sugar. Cook 3-4 minutes until caramelized. Add tomato sauce, bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer for 2-3 minutes until thickened. Season to taste with salt.
5. Serve hot over whole wheat hamburger buns.

Recipe Notes:

  • The tofu takes awhile to cook. The texture of the sloppy joe will taste best once the tofu is cooked to a golden brown crisp; expect it to take around 8-10 minutes, but continue to watch until the golden brown color is achieved.

  • Dice the onions into larger pieces. Having hearty onion cubes mixed throughout the tofu tastes amazing, so try dicing the onions to bite-sized.

  • If you want a better texture in your whole-wheat bun, try sautéing it in olive oil, flipping on both sides until well toasted.