Skip to main content
Fairfield Medical Center Single Color Logo

Eating well is an important part of living a healthy life. Beyond offering delicious nutrition, cooking and baking can be a great way to connect with your family, express creativity and learn something new.

Click here to learn more about living well. 

 


Starters & Small Plates

Waldorf Salad

Ingredients:

  • 2 medium granny smith apples (cored and cut into 1/4 inch cubes)
  • 1 medium red delicious apple (cored and cut into 1/4 inch cubes)
  • 1 T. fresh lemon juice
  • 1 c. celery (cut into large dice)
  • 1/4 c. walnuts (coarsely chopped)
  • 1/4 c. raisins
  • 1/4 c. low-fat mayonnaise
  • 1/4 c. low-fat sour cream
  • 1 1/2 t. honey

Directions:

Mix the cubed apples with the lemon juice. Add celery, walnuts and raisins. Toss.

Add mayonnaise, sour cream and honey and gently fold together until well blended.

Chill for at least 2 hours before serving.

Servings = 8
Serving Size = 3/4 cup
Cooking Time = 30 minute


Black Bean, Corn and Edamame Salad with Cilantro and Lime Dressing

black bean, corn and edamame Salad

Ingredients:

  • 3 T. fresh lime juice
  • 2 T. extra virgin olive oil
  • 2 T. canola oil
  • 1 small garlic clove, pressed
  • 1/2 t. agave nectar (or sugar)
  • 2 cobs of corn, cooked, cooled and corn cut from cob (about 2 cups)
  • 1 cup edamame, cooked and cooled
  • 1 15-ounce can black beans, rinsed and drained well
  • 1/2 cup red onion, diced
  • 1/2 cup fresh cilantro, chopped

Directions:

In a small bowl, combine the lime juice, oils, garlic and agave or sugar. Whisk together and set aside.

Add the corn, edamame, black beans, onion and cilantro to a medium/large bowl. Pour dressing over the mixture and gently toss.

Refrigerate for at least 1 hour, to allow flavors to blend.


Farro Salad with Apples & Pecans

Farro Salad with applesIngredients:

  • 1 c. farro
  • 2 c. vegetable stock or water
  • 2 T. olive oil
  • 2 T. balsamic vinegar
  • 1 T. lemon juice
  • 1/2 t. sea salt
  • 1/2 t. grd. black pepper
  • 1 apple diced
  • 3 c. loosely packed baby kale, coarsely chopped
  • 1/2 c. pecans, coarsely chopped and toasted
  • 1/4 c. dried cranberries

Directions:

Cook the farro in the stock or water according to package directions. Allow it to cool.

In a small bowl, whisk together the olive oil, balsamic vinegar, lemon juice, salt, and pepper.

In a large bowl, combine the farro, the apple, baby kale, pecans and cranberries. Gently mix to combine everything together. 

Fold in the dressing.

Serve cold or at room temperature.


Spinach-Artichoke Dip

spinach-artichoke dipIngredients:

  • 1 pkg. (10 oz.) frozen spinach
  • 1/3 c. Parmesan cheese
  • 1 bag (14 oz.) frozen artichokes
  • 1/2 t. red pepper flakes
  • 16 oz. light cream cheese
  • 1/2 t. oregano
  • 1 T lemon juice
  • salt, pepper to taste
  • 1 small onion, minced
  • nonstick cooking spray
  • 3 cloves garlic, minced
    (optional garnishes: minced red bell pepper or chopped tomatoes)

Directions:

Spray a medium pot with nonstick cooking spray.  Add garlic and onions and cook over medium heat until they’re translucent, about five minutes. Put thawed and drained frozen spinach* in food processor or blender and pulse a few times to chop.  Add artichokes and pulse a few more times.  The mixture should be chunky.  Add spinach and artichokes to pot, along with cream cheese, oregano, red pepper flakes and lemon juice.  Heat until bubbly, then add Parmesan cheese, salt and pepper to taste.  Serve immediately. Garnish with chopped red bell pepper or chopped tomatoes.  Serve with vegetables or baked chips. *Don’t worry about getting the spinach completely dry.  The extra moisture will help thin the dip.

Serving Size: 20 servings – 2T each.


Entrees

Chicken Satay

Ingredients:

  • 4 skewers
  • 1 t. sugar
  • 1/4 t. salt
  • 1 T. curry powder
  • 1/2 c. light coconut milk
  • spray oil
  • fresh ground black pepper
  • 1 lb. boneless skinless chicken breast (cut into 4 4-oz strips)

Directions:

If using wooden skewers, place them in a large dish with water to soak so that they don’t burn while cooking.

Place the sugar, salt, curry powder, coconut milk and pepper in a small bowl and whisk until smooth.

Thread the chicken slices onto the skewers. Put the chicken in the bottom of a large enough dish to allow them to all lay flat. Top with the satay marinade. Marinate for at least 30 minutes (overnight is best, but a half hour or so will do). Place a non-stick griddle on the range over medium high heat. Spray lightly with oil and place the skewered chicken on the griddle.

Cook on each side about 8-10 minutes until cooked through. After each turn of the chicken, baste with a little of the remaining marinade. Serve the chicken over coconut rice and top with Thai peanut sauce.


Roasted Salmon with Walnut Sherry Vinaigrette

Ingredients

  • 1 1/4 pounds boneless, skin-on salmon fillet
  • Salt and black pepper to taste
  • 1 T. olive oil
  • 1/3 c. finely chopped shallots
  • 1 t. sugar
  • 3 1/2 T. Sherry vinegar
  • 1/3 cup walnut oil or extra-virgin olive oil
  • 1/2 c. walnut halves, toasted

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees and place in a 9×13″ shallow roasting pan (not glass) in oven until hot.

Place salmon skin-side down on a cutting board and cut into four equally-sized pieces. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Remove hot pan from oven and place salmon, skin-side down, in roasting pan and roast until salmon is just cooked through and flakes easily when pressed with the back of a fork. Do not overcook or the salmon will be dry.

Meanwhile, heat olive oil in a small skillet over medium heat and cook shallots, stirring often, until soft and golden, about 2 minutes. Add sugar and cook, stirring, until sugar is dissolved. Add vinegar and more salt and pepper and cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Transfer to a bowl, then whisk in olive oil until combined. Stir in walnuts.

Transfer salmon to serving plates and drizzle with vinaigrette. Serve with sugar snap peas or asparagus.


Chicken Pot Pie

chicken potpie

Ingredients:

  • 1 t. extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 cloves garlic (minced)
  • 1 small yellow onion (diced)
  • 2 medium carrots (peeled & diced)
  • 4 T. all-purpose flour
  • 2 large red potatoes
  • 1/4 t. salt
  • 1 c. low-sodium chicken or vegetable broth
  • 1-10 oz. package frozen peas with pearl onions
  • 3 c. 2% milk
  • 1/4 t. fresh ground black pepper
  • 8 oz. boneless skinless chicken breast (cubed)
  • 1 t. dried basil
  • 1 t. dried thyme
  • 2 T. curly parsley (minced)
  • 3 canned buttermilk biscuits (from the dairy case) 

Directions:

Heat olive oil in a large non-stick skillet; add garlic and onion. Cook slowly, so that the garlic and onion soften but don’t brown. Add the carrots and cook until those are slightly soft. Add the flour and cook for about 3 minutes. Slowly add the chicken stock, stirring constantly to avoid lumps. Reduce heat to low.

Rinse the frozen peas and onions in a strainer under warm water. Drain well and add to the pan. Add the milk, chicken breast, salt, pepper and herbs to the pan. Cook over low heat, stirring occasionally.

Microwave the potatoes for 5 minutes on high setting. Cut them into 1/2 inch cubes. Add to the sauce and cook for about 30 minutes. Ladle into four oven-proof bowls.

Preheat the oven to 300°F. Lightly flour a chopping board and, using a rolling pin, roll the biscuit dough together and then roll out to 1/4 inch thick. Cut the dough into 4 equal pieces and roll very thin. The biscuits should be slightly smaller than the bowl the pot pie will be cooked in. Place them on top of the chicken mixture in the bowl.

Place in the oven and cook for about 15 minutes until the top of the biscuit is brown. Let cool about 5 minutes before serving.

Servings = 4
Serving Size = 1 pie
Cooking Time = 60 minutes


Slow Cooker Pork Carnitas Tacos with Tomatillo Salsa

Slow-Cooker-Pork-CarnitasIngredients:

  • 2lbs.pork shoulder (or Boston butt roast) cut into 5 or 6 small pieces  
  • 3t. oregano
  • 2t. pepper
  • 1t. salt
  • ½t.cumin
  • 1onioncut into 6 or 8 chunks
  • 3clovesgarlicwhole
  • 1 jar of tomatillo salsa
  • corn tortillas
  • 2avocadossliced
  • cilantro

Directions:

Mix together oregano, pepper, salt, and cumin and rub on outside of pork pieces in bottom of slow cooker. Place onion and garlic on top of pork. Slow cook on low for 6-8 hours or until meat is falling apart. When finished, discard the onion and garlic. Drain meat and shred with a fork. Serve warm with tortillas, tomatillo salsa, avocados and cilantro.

Serving size = 8

Source: 100daysofrealfood.com


Sun-Dried Tomato Pesto Shrimp & Zucchini Skillet

sun dried shrimpIngredients:

  • 1 lb. shrimp, peeled and deveined
  • 1 T. olive oil, or avocado oil
  • 1 fresh garlic clove, minced
  • 2 large zucchinis, sliced
  • 2 T. sun-dried tomato pesto

For The Sun-dried Tomato Pesto:

Ingredients:

  • 3 fresh garlic cloves
  • 1 c. fresh basil leaves, plus more to garnish
  • 1 c. sun-dried tomato packed in olive oil
  • 2-3 T. water
  • 1/4 c. fresh Parmesan cheese
  • sea salt and fresh ground black pepper, to your taste

Directions:

Add all the pesto ingredients in a food processor or high speed blender and process until smooth. Set aside.
Heat oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. Add garlic and cook for 30 seconds until fragrant.
Add zucchini and sauté for about 5 minutes.
Add shrimp and cook until they are pink.
Add in 2 T. sun-dried tomato pesto and stir everything well to combine and warm.
Garnish with additional fresh basil and enjoy.
Store leftover pesto in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 10 days.

Serving Size: 4

Source: cleanfoodcrush.com


Desserts & Treats

Pumpkin Cheesecake

pumpkin cheesecake

Ingredients:

  • 3/4 c. walnuts
  • 4 t. honey
  • 2 large eggs (separated)
  • 8 oz. reduced-fat block cream cheese
  • 1/2 c. reduced-fat sour cream
  • 1 c. canned pumpkin
  • 1/2 c. Z-sweet or granulated Splenda
  • 1 t. ground cinnamon
  • 1/2 t. ground nutmeg
  • 1/2 t. ground cloves
  • 1 t. pure vanilla extract
  • 2 T. fresh lemon juice
  • 1/8 t. salt 

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 300°F. Line a standard size muffin tin with 12 muffin papers (preferably foil papers).

Place the walnuts in a food processor fitted with a steel blade and process until they are coarse crumbs. Drizzle in the honey through the top of the food processor until well-blended into the crumbs, then stop the food processor. Distribute the walnut mixture evenly between the muffin papers and pat down gently. Place the pan in the oven and cook for ten minutes. Remove from the oven.

Fill a large roasting pan with about 1 1/2 inches of water and place in the oven. While the crust is cooling, place the cream cheese, sour cream, pumpkin, sweetener, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, vanilla extract, lemon juice, egg yolks and salt in a clean food processor bowl fitted with a steel blade. Process until smooth.

In a mixing bowl, whisk the egg whites until they form stiff peaks. Gently fold in the batter from the food processor until well-blended. Pour the batter into the muffin tins. The muffin papers should be as full as you can make them. Place the pan in the heated water bath and bake for 20 minutes. Turn off oven and remove the water bath from the oven.

Return just the cheesecakes in the muffin tin (without the water bath) to the warm oven and allow to sit for 40 minutes in the oven as it cools. Chill for at least four hours before serving.

Servings = 12
Serving Size = 1 muffin-sized cheesecake
Cooking Time = 2 hours


Pumpkin Bread

pumpkin bread recipe

Ingredients:

  • 1 large egg yolk
  • 1 t. canola oil
  • 2/3 c. Z-Sweet Stevia or Splenda
  • 1/2 t. pure vanilla extract
  • 1 c. canned pumpkin
  • 3 large egg whites
  • 1/2 c. dried pumpkin seeds
  • 1 1/4 c. all-purpose white flour
  • 3/4 c. whole wheat flour
  • 1/4 t. salt
  • 2 t. baking powder
  • 1/2 t. baking soda
  • 1/2 t. ground cinnamon
  • 1/4 t. ground nutmeg
  • 1/4 t. ground allspice
  • 1/4 t. ground cloves
  • 1/4 c. wheat germ
  • 1/3 c. non-fat buttermilk
  • 2 t. light brown sugar 

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350°F. Line a 1 1/2 quart oblong glass loaf pan with non-stick foil. In a mixing bowl, whisk the egg yolk until smooth. Add the canola oil and whisk together until smooth. Whisk the canned pumpkin into the mixture until smooth. Add the Z-Sweet Stevia or Splenda® and vanilla extract and whisk until smooth. Fold in the pumpkin seeds.

In separate bowl, whisk the egg whites until they’re frothy and white. Do not beat into stiff peaks. Sift the all-purpose flour, whole wheat flour, salt, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, cloves and wheat germ into a separate mixing bowl.

Gently fold the creamed mixture together with the flour mixture. Once well-blended, add the frothed egg whites and fold together until smooth. Add the buttermilk and fold until smooth. Pour the batter into the lined glass dish and sprinkle the light brown sugar evenly over the top. Place the loaf pan in the preheated oven. Bake for 50 minutes

Servings = 8
Serving Size = 1 slice
Cooking Time = 90 minutes


Blueberry-Yogurt Popsicles

blueberry yogurt popsicles

Ingredients:

  • 2 c. blueberries
  • 2 T. agave or honey
  • 2 c. vanilla Greek yogurt (or any flavor)

Directions:

Blend the blueberries in a food processor or blender on high speed until nearly liquified into a smoothie-like consistency. 

Pour the thick blueberry liquid into a large bowl. Stir in the agave/honey. Add the yogurt and very gently mix everything together. If you want a 

tie-dye, swirly look to your popsicles, do not fully blend the yogurt and blueberries. You want those patches of white and blue. The mixture will be thick. Taste it. If you want it sweeter, you can add a little more agave/honey.

Pour mixture evenly into each popsicle mold. If your popsicle mold has slots for sticks, you can insert them before freezing – if not, freeze for 2 hours, then put a wooden popsicle stick in the middle (that is what I did). Continue to freeze for an additional 4-6 hours or overnight.

Run popsicle molds under warm water to easily remove. 


Strawberry-Kiwi Smoothie

strawberry kiwi smoothieIngredients:

  • 2 ripe kiwifruit, peeled and chopped
  • 1 c. frozen whole strawberries
  • 1 container (6 ozs.) low fat strawberry yogurt
  • 1/2 c. 1% low-fat milk
  • 2 T. honey

Directions:

Put the kiwi chunks, strawberries, yogurt, milk and honey into a blender container.

Cover the blender with the lid and blend on high speed until the mixture is smooth. Turn the blender off and on (or pulse), if needed, to break up the strawberries.


Banana Zucchini Muffins

zuccini-banana-muffinIngredients:

  • 2 c. all purpose flour
  • 1/2 t. baking soda
  • 1 t. baking powder
  • 2 t. ground cinnamon
  • ½ t.  salt
  • 1 c. granulated sugar
  • 2 eggs,room temperature
  • 1 c. vegetable oil
  • 2 t. vanilla extract
  • 2 ripe bananas
  • 2 c. shredded zucchini,drained

Directions:

Heat oven to 350°F and prepare a muffin pan with extra large cupcake liners.
In a large bowl sift together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt.
In a large bowl, add the bananas. Use a fork to mash. Add in the sugar, eggs, oil, and vanilla. Stir well until fully combined.
Add the flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt. Stir until just combined. Add in the shredded zucchini and stir until incorporated.
You do not have to peel the green skin off the zucchini, but you certainly can. If you have a large zucchini, remove the seeds prior to grating.
Add 1/3 cup of batter to each cupcake liner.

Bake for 22-26 minutes, or until an inserted toothpick is removed with some crumbs, but not wet batter. Tops should be golden brown.

Serving size: 14

Source: iambaker.net


Apple Crisp

apple crispIngredients:

  • 3 medium baking apples, cored, sliced thin
  • 1 t. cinnamon
  • 2 T sugar
  • 2 T flour

Topping:

  • 1 c. quick oats
  • 1 t. vanilla
  • 1/2 t. cinnamon
  • 1/4 c. brown sugar
  • 2 T heart-healthy margarine

Directions:

Mix first four ingredients and place into 9-inch (square or round) baking dish.
In small bowl, mix topping ingredients until crumbly. 
Sprinkle topping over the apples.
Bake at 325 degrees until apples are soft and topping is golden brown (about 30 minutes).

Serving Size: 4


Snacks

Protein Balls

Protein balls

Ingredients:

  • 1 c. flax seed meal
  • 1 c. coconut
  • 1 c. peanut butter
  • 1/4 c. chia seeds
  • 1/4 c. protein powder
  • 1/3 c. honey
  • 1 c. mini chocolate chips
  • 1 c. instant oats

Directions:

Mix all ingredients above in a bowl. Scoop with a 2 T. scoop, roll into balls. Keep refrigerated.


Pumpkin Energy Balls

Pumpkin Energy BallsIngredients:

  • 1 c. gluten-free rolled oats
  • 2 t. pumpkin pie spice
  • 1/4 c. almond butter
  • 5 T. unsweetened pumpkin purée
  • 3 T. sugar-free maple syrup
  • 1 t. vanilla extract
  • 2 T. mini chocolate chips (dairy-free, if needed)

Directions:

In a medium sized bowl, add all of the wet ingredients and stir together. Add in the oats, pumpkin pie spice and chocolate chips.

Roll the mixture into approximately 1-inch sized balls.

Store the energy bites in a single layer in an airtight container lined. Keep them in the fridge for several days or the freezer for several months.


Dressing & Seasoning

BBQ Spice Dry Rub

BBQ Dry rubIngredients:

  • 1/2 cup paprika
  • 1 T. black pepper
  • 1 T. chili powder
  • 1 T. onion powder
  • 1 t. cayenne pepper

Directions:

Mix well. Add desired amount to meat or veggies. Prepare and enjoy. Store any remaining spice in a cool, dry place.
Great on chicken, pork or veggies. Add 1/2 T. cumin for a chipotle flare.


Tuscan Rosemary Rub

tuscan dry rubIngredients:

  • 1 T. of dried rosemary
  • 1/2 T. oregano
  • 1/2 t. garlic powder
  • 1/2 t. black pepper

Directions:

Mix well. Add desired amount to meat, veggies or potatoes. Brush small amount of olive oil over the spice rub. Prepare and enjoy.

Store any remaining spice rub in a cool, dry place. Great on chicken, fish, or lamb. Squeeze some lemon juice on top of the spices for a zesty variation.