Food and Health Communications

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Mix and Mash A Great Buffet

Why:More veggies, more fun, more creative - everyone loves a buffet and this is a great idea to have planned leftovers that are ready to go for lunch or dinner the next day.How:1) MASH - our new favorite way to make veggies in our kitchen - cauliflower, squash, potatoes, sweet potatoes, tomatoes, broccoli and2) MIX - mix it up, mix it inWhat:A wonderful buffet in 30 minutes or less:

  • Lemon Basil Fettucini
  • Mashed Cauliflower
  • Mashed Red Potatoes and Spinach
  • Fresh Fruit
  • Summer Caesar
Lemon Basil FettuciniLet's make a fresh summer mix for our pasta: fresh tomatoes, summer squash, mushrooms, bell pepper and garlic - about 4 cups total - cut in chunks and place in baking panBroil the veggies until golden brown, about 10 minutesCook the fresh fettucini according to package directions. Hint - fresh pasta cooks almost as fast as it takes for the water to come back to a boil. Drain the pasta when finished in colander.Toss the cooked fettucini with olive oil, fresh lemon zest, fresh chopped basil and the broiled veggies. We also threw in some fresh arrugula which wilted quickly and added a wonderful rich flavor. Mashed Spinach Red PotatoesBoil red potatoes and drain. Add them to fresh spinach and mix all together with a little garlic powder. Place pats of low-cal margarine on the top where it can melt - adding a nice touch at the table: Mashed CauliflowerNext - take a beautiful head of cauliflower and cut it into pieces - cover and microwave until soft, about 3-4 minutes then mash with a little margarine. Summer Caesar Salad:Toss up a Caesar salad and MIX in arrugula and fresh toasted almonds.Everyone loves Caesar Salad and we found a "Light Caesar Kit" in our grocery store - so we compromised - we only used about 1/4 of the dressing and we added arrugula for more greens. And we used toasted almonds instead of croutons or more cheese. The rest of the dressing is stored away in our refrigerator, ready to make more Caesar all week. Just drizzle sparingly because it is high in fat even if it is labelled light!Fruit - another MIX up - we mixed up some fresh fruit for dessert. This was served as a family style buffet at our table. Enjoy!