Fresh summer recipes
From Sound Dietitians, a partner of the Verdant Health Commission. View the complete blog post and recipes from Sound Dietitians at www.sounddietitians.com/blog/fresh-summer-recipes.
The bounty of summer produce is still in full swing! Check out the ratatouille recipe below to utilize those juicy garden tomatoes, plentiful zucchini, and fresh herbs. Mix up your staple grains with fluffy whole grain couscous and try making your own nutritious salad dressing!
Ratatouille
Ratatouille is a French dish featuring vividly colored vegetables layered over a richly flavored tomato sauce baked in a casserole dish or cast iron skillet. It can also be made as a stew. This dish is best made in the summertime when all of the ingredients are in season and their flavor and nutrient profiles are at their peak. Farmers markets will often carry heirloom varieties of vegetables in different colors, adding more visual appeal to the dish. For those with little ones, try including them in the vegetable layering steps. This is a great way to increase their curiosity of the rainbow colors of fresh ingredients and entice them to try a delicious vegetable-packed dish they helped create!
View the recipe and instructions for Ratatouille on the Sound Dietitians blog.
Tangy Honey Mustard Dressing
Store bought salad dressings are convenient, but they often have a lot of added sodium and sugars to make them taste good. Making dressings yourself can help to reduce sodium intake if salads are a part of your daily routine. The best part about making your own is that it’s very easy and you can customize your dressing to your desired taste and texture! Simple ingredients like olive oil, vinegar, and herbs can turn into a vibrant dressing with a little know-how. This honey mustard recipe features the use of probiotic-filled yogurt as a way to add creaminess to the dressing without adding the extra calories from mayonnaise. It also uses fresh lemon juice for extra tanginess and stone ground/dijon mustard for a nice kick.
View the recipe and instructions for Tangy Honey Mustard Dressing on the Sound Dietitians blog.
Perfect Whole Wheat Couscous
Couscous is often thought of as a grain, but it is actually a pasta. It is a wonderful starch to have on hand, especially if time is running short. All you need is boiling water and 10 minutes. That’s all it takes to put this wonderfully fluffy pasta on the table. It goes great with rich stews and saucy main dishes because it soaks up flavor so well. Be sure to get whole wheat couscous to increase the fiber content of your meal.
View the recipe and nutrition facts for Perfect Whole Wheat Couscous on the Sound Dietitians blog.
This blog post is written by Genesis, a Dietetic Intern with Sound Dietitians. To read more about summer recipes, view the complete post at: www.sounddietitians.com/blog/fresh-summer-recipes.