Thai Pasta Salad

Get ready to impress everyone with your cooking skills with this amazing Thai Pasta Salad! It’s bursting with colors and flavors that will make your taste buds explode. Not only is it super easy to make, but it’s also a great way to use up your WIC-foods in a delicious and nutritious way. Don’t wait any longer, give it a try tonight and surprise your family with a mouthwatering meal!

THAI PASTA SALAD

1 box of whole wheat pasta

1 cup diced red cabbage

1 cup diced cucumber

½ cup shredded carrots

⅓ cup diced green onion

Sauce:

½ cup peanut butter

1 tbsp honey

1 tsp apple cider vinegar

1 tbsp soy sauce

½ cup water

Cook the noodles according to the package instructions, drain and set aside to cool. While the pasta is cooking and cooling, chop your veggies and make the sauce. Combine the sauce ingredients in a bowl and whisk together until smooth. Add all of the pasta, veggies, and sauce together in a large bowl and toss together. This recipe makes about 6 servings.

Summer Sheet Pan Recipes With WIC Foods

Summertime is the perfect time to enjoy quick and healthy meals with your family.

A quick healthy summer meal for the entire family is just a sheet pan and a few WIC ingredients away.

One of the easiest ways to do this is to use a sheet pan and a few WIC ingredients. Simply preheat your oven, line your sheet pan with foil, and add your favorite vegetables. Season everything with salt, pepper, and your favorite herbs, and roast in the oven until cooked through. 

Sheet pan meals are not only healthy and delicious, but are also quick and easy to make. Plus, cleanup is a breeze! So next time you’re looking for a summertime meal that the whole family will enjoy, reach for a sheet pan and a few WIC ingredients. Here are a few ideas to kick-start your dinner.

For breakfast, lunch or dinner this sheet pan meal is tasty any time of day!

ROASTED VEGGIES & EGGS

Round up all your leftover vegetables you can find here are a few ideas:

Onion, chopped

Carrots, chopped 

Bell peppers, chopped

Tomatoes, quartered

Roasted Vegetables:

Toss vegetables on the pan and add 2 tablespoons of olive oil and season with salt and pepper. You can also add any other seasonings you may like such as a sprinkle of dried Italian Seasoning, garlic powder, onion powder or cumin. Put the vegetables on one side of the pan. Bake at 375 for about 20 to 30 minutes or until the vegetables are tender. Once they are cooked, remove from the pan. Serve.

For the Eggs:

Spray pan with non-stick spray and break eggs (as many as you would like) onto a sheet pan. Cook at 425 degrees for about 5 minutes or until eggs are set and cooked to the way you like them. Place vegetables on a plate and top with egg. 

This recipe is a spin on fish and chips, and can all be done on one sheet pan. 

TUNA PATTIES AND ROASTED POTATOES

2 cans Tuna

2 potatoes, diced

1/2 onion, diced, divided

¼ cup of breadcrumbs

1 egg

Celery, chopped

Salt and pepper

Put drained tuna in a bowl. Add ½ of the onion you diced (keeping some of the potatoes). Add breadcrumbs, egg, chopped celery. Form into patties, and place on a baking sheet. Brush the top with olive oil. Place diced potatoes on the other side of the baking sheet and the remaining onion. Season with salt and pepper. Cook at 400 for 15 minutes. Flip the tuna patties and cook for another 10 minutes. Serve.

Wellness Bowl With Creamy Avocado Dressing

Bowl:

1 sweet potato

1 can chickpeas or bean of your choice

1 cup brown rice

2 zucchini squash

½ cup onion

1 ½ cup lettuce

1/2 avocado

1 lemon or lime

Seasonings: Salt, Pepper, Garlic Powder, Paprika

Makes 2 servings

 

Dressing:

½ medium avocado

3 tbsp olive oil

3 tbsp plain yogurt

Juice of ½ lemon

1 garlic clove, minced

4 tbsp water

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp black pepper

Blend ingredients together to make a tasty creamy avocado sauce to top off your bowl.

Cook the brown rice to package instructions and preheat the oven to 425. Wash and peel your sweet potatoes and cut into diced chunks. Add to a bowl and drizzle with olive oil and seasonings and add to a baking sheet lined with foil.  Peel and chop the onion and zucchini squash into strips, then add onions to the baking sheet along with the diced sweet potatoes. Roast for about 25 minutes or until the edges of the potatoes are golden brown and they can be easily pierced with a fork. While the sweet potatoes are roasting, heat a skillet over medium heat. Once the skillet is hot, add 2 tbsp oil, chickpeas, zucchini, and seasonings. Stir frequently for about 10 minutes. They are done when they’re slightly browning on the outside.

To serve, add brown rice to a bowl and add the roasted sweet potatoes, onion, chickpeas, zucchini, lettuce, and avocado. Drizzle your desired amount of dressing on top and garnish with cilantro if you like. 

Enjoy!

WIC Inspired Recipes – Chilaquiles & Salsa

CHILAQUILES & SALSA 

Makes 2 servings.

SALSA

1 large onion

4 – 5 large tomatoes

1 jalapeno

(remove seeds from jalapeno, or replace with ½ bell pepper if you don’t want it spicy)

Juice of ½ lime or lemon

1 cup cilantro

Salt and/or sugar to taste

For extra flavor, add a whole bulb of garlic to the veggies!

Cook vegetables in the oven at 425 degrees for 30 minutes, turning the veggies over halfway through. Allow to cool for about 15 minutes, then add veggies into a blender along with cilantro and lime or lemon juice. Blend until there’s no chunks, then it’s ready to serve!

CHILAQUILES

2 tbsp Vegetable oil

6 Corn tortillas, each cut into 6 wedges

2 Eggs

1 cup of Salsa 

(To save time, you can use WIC approved Always Save Mild Salsa from JC Food Mart instead of making your own)

Pepper

Additional Optional Toppings – Sliced avocado, shredded cheese, onion, cilantro, or even more salsa!

In a large non-stick pan, coat generously with about 2 tbsp vegetable oil and heat on stove top to medium high heat. Once the oil is hot, add the tortillas and fry until golden brown. Remove from heat and move tortillas to a paper towel lined plate to soak up any excess oil. Remove any remaining brown tortilla pieces in the pan. Add 1 tablespoon of oil to the pan, add the salsa and let cook for a few minutes while stirring occasionally. Add the fried tortilla wedges to the pan and gently turn over until tortillas are coated with salsa. Let cook for a few more minutes until tortillas are thoroughly soaked in salsa, yet still slightly crispy. Remove from heat and move tortillas to the plates. Return the pan to the stove top and fry the eggs. On each plate, top the tortillas with the fried eggs. Top with your choice of favorite toppings like shredded cheese and/or avocado for some extra flavor!

Enjoy!

2 Great Recipes Using WIC Foods

Potato Soup, 3 Bean Chili Recipes To Comfort Your Family This Winter

This winter, soups are the perfect way to cozy up. We have two amazing recipes using WIC foods that will help warm your whole family on the coldest of days. These two recipes use popular WIC foods such as beans, vegetables and cheese to help make a filling family meal that you can enjoy for days to come.

BAKED POTATO SOUP

5 large russet potatoes, diced

1 teaspoon salt

5 slices thick cut bacon

1 large onion, finely diced

3 cloves garlic, minced

2 Tablespoon butter

¼ cup flour

3 cups Chicken broth

2 cups milk

1 cup sour cream

½ teaspoon pepper

2 cups shredded cheese – Colby jack, cheddar, or mozzarella work best

1/8 cup green onion chives, finely diced

Helpful Tips: 

Avoid using bagged shredded cheese, as it contains cellulose which prevents the cheese from melting smoothly.

Plain Greek Yogurt can be used instead of sour cream.

Instructions:

Submerge diced potatoes in a pot of water. Add salt and boil for about 20 minutes or until fork tender. Drain the potatoes and set aside.

Cut the bacon into squares and cook low and slow until crisp.

Add the onions and cook over medium heat for 5 minutes. Add the garlic and butter and cook for 2 more minutes. 

Slowly stir in flour while mixing and cook for 1 – 2 minutes.

Add the chicken broth, then the milk. Bring to a boil while stirring often, then reduce to a simmer. Mash the potatoes then add them to the pot. Mix in the sour cream, salt and pepper.

Remove from heat.

Gradually sprinkle in the shredded cheese. Stir until combined. Add the green onion chives and any extra cheese or sour cream you want. The soup will continue to thicken as it stands. 

Serve & enjoy!

Frijoles WIC

The temperatures are dropping. What’s more comforting than a nice warm soup or chili? Gather up WIC-approved beans and other WIC ingredients for this hearty and healthy recipe. It’s the perfect time to cozy up to a bowl of this 3 Bean Chili.

3 BEAN CHILI

1 onion, diced

1 tablespoon of minced garlic

3 celery stalks, diced

1 large