Common Ground | Recipes

RECIPES FROM COMMON GROUND - From Chef Rhonda DeLoatch

It's a new year! Hard to believe there's less than 6 months of school left. We are on a roll with new, innovative, healthy recipes this month. Yesterday we served a butternut squash risotto that the kids went wild over. No butter, a minimum of salt, 1% milk. I had a student say "I hate squash, but you need to make that again. I went home and told my dad about it." THAT makes my day!

I came back from the Christmas holiday to find crates of Common Ground baby spinach in the walk-in. Personally, spinach is my favorite vegetable. Even as a child, I would ask my mom to make spinach. I probably was the only kid in my circle of friends who loved spinach. Oh well, more for me. We have incorporated it in our daily tossed salad, and I experimented with a brown rice and spinach croquette, with low fat mozzarella cheese, egg whites and whole wheat bread crumbs, I used staff as "guinea pigs" to taste test, and it went over really well. I will share as soon as I get the correct proportions.

Although my Chopped experience is in the past, I'm still getting requests for interviews, etc. Several weeks ago, all three chefs from Connecticut were asked to appear on "Connecticut Style" on WTNH.on consecutive days. I talked to the hosts about what a wonderful experience it was, and I prepared a red quinoa salad that I serve at school. I made a decent amount, and they asked me to leave the rest for the staff to enjoy. It was gone before I left the studio. So the recipe is below. If you prefer other vegetables or cheese, feel free to change the recipe to your liking. Enjoy!

Previous Recipes from Common Ground

Tomato and Red Onion Salad, by Rhonda DeLoatch

Roasted Butternut Squash Apple Soup

Red Quinoa Salad (you can use any color quinoa, but I find red really attractive)

Ingredients

2 cups quinoa, washed and drained if neceaasry

2 cups water

2 cups vegetable or stock

14 oz chopped tomatoes, drained

1medium cucumber, peeled if waxed, seeded and chopped

1 cup scallions, sliced

3 cloves garlic, minced

3/4 cup fresh parsley, minced

3/4 cup pine nuts, lightly pan toasted

1/2 cup pitted black olives, sliced thin

1/2 cup roasted red peppers, drained and diced

1/2 cup parmesan cheese, grated

Dressing

1/2 cup pitted black olives, sliced thin

1/2 cup roasted red peppers, drained and diced

1/2 cup parmesan cheese, grated

Directions

Bring the water and juice to a boil in a medium saucepan. Add the quinoa, cover and bring to a boil again. Reduce the flame and simmer for 12-15 minutes. Turn off the flame and let sit for 5 minutes. place quinoa in a large mixing bowl and fluff with a fork to cool. add the tomatoes, cucumber, scallions, garlic, parsley, pine nuts, olives and red peppers. In a small bowl mix the dressing ingredients together. Pour the dressing over the salad and toss to mix thoroughly. Sprinkle with the cheese. Serve room temperature or chilled.

Creamy Turnip & Potato Soup

Ingredients

1 bunch of turnips w/ greens attached

1 large onion, chopped coarsely

2 cloves garlic, chopped fine

3 slices bacon

1/2 tsp lemon pepper

4-6 cups chicken broth

1 large potato, peeled and diced

Directions

In a medium pot, cook the bacon until crispy. Remove from heat and place on paper towel to drain.
Remove greens from the turnips. Wash and rinse the greens, and chop finely
Peel and dice the turnips and potato
Saute the onion in the bacon fat until soft, but not browned, then add the garlic and cook for 1 minutes more. Add the chopped turnips, potatoes, broth to cover the veggies, and lemon pepper and bring to a boil. Once boiling, bring to a low simmer.
When the vegetables are soft, remove from heat and carefully transfer to a blender (a little at a time, so the soup doesn't splash out, I usually put a towel over the top), and blend with the bacon until smooth.
Return the blended soup to the pot and add the turnip greens, and simmer until greens are tender.

Roasted Butternut Squash Apple Soup

Ingredients

1 large butternut squash, sliced in half lengthwise, seeded

1 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp nutmeg

grapeseed oil

1 small onion, chopped

1 stalk celery, chopped, with leaves

2 medium apples, peeled, cored, cut in half

16 oz vegetable stock

salt and white pepper to taste

Directions

Preheat oven to 400.
Brush the squash with oil to cover. Place skin side down in a roasting pan, and sprinkle with cinnamon and nutmeg. Place in center rack of oven and bake for 30-40 minutes, or until soft.
In the meantime, in a stockpot, saute the onion and celery in 2 tsp oil until soft but not browned. Add the apples, and stock and bring to a boil. Once boiling, bring to a low simmer.
When the squash is done, let cool to the touch, and scrape out the soft squash and add to the stockpot.
Bring back to a boil, then carefully transfer to a blender (a little at a time, so the soup doesn't splash out, I usually put a towel over the top), and blend until smooth. Season to taste with salt and white pepper.


	RECIPES FROM COMMON GROUND RECIPES FROM COMMON GROUND - From Chef Rhonda DeLoatch It's a new year! Hard to believe there's less than 6 months of school left. We are on a roll with new, innovative, healthy recipes this month. Yesterday we served a butternut squash risotto that the kids went wild over. No butter, a minimum of salt, 1% milk. I had a student say "I hate squash, but you need to make that again. I went home and told my dad about it." THAT makes my day! I came back from the Christmas holiday to find crates of Common Ground baby spinach in the walk-in. Personally, spinach is my favorite vegetable. Even as a child, I would ask my mom to make spinach. I probably was the only kid in my circle of friends who loved spinach. Oh well, more for me. We have incorporated it in our daily tossed salad, and I experimented with a brown rice and spinach croquette, with low fat mozzarella cheese, egg whites and whole wheat bread crumbs, I used staff as "guinea pigs" to taste test, and it went over really well. I will share as soon as I get the correct proportions. Although my Chopped experience is in the past, I'm still getting requests for interviews, etc. Several weeks ago, all three chefs from Connecticut were asked to appear on "Connecticut Style" on WTNH.on consecutive days. I talked to the hosts about what a wonderful experience it was, and I prepared a red quinoa salad that I serve at school. I made a decent amount, and they asked me to leave the rest for the staff to enjoy. It was gone before I left the studio. So the recipe is below. If you prefer other vegetables or cheese, feel free to change the recipe to your liking. Enjoy! Previous Recipes from Common Ground Tomato and Red Onion Salad, by Rhonda DeLoatch Roasted Butternut Squash Apple Soup Red Quinoa Salad (you can use any color quinoa, but I find red really attractive) Ingredients 2 cups quinoa, washed and drained if neceaasry 2 cups water 2 cups vegetable or stock 14 oz chopped tomatoes, drained 1medium cucumber, peeled if waxed, seeded and chopped 1 cup scallions, sliced 3 cloves garlic, minced 3/4 cup fresh parsley, minced 3/4 cup pine nuts, lightly pan toasted 1/2 cup pitted black olives, sliced thin 1/2 cup roasted red peppers, drained and diced 1/2 cup parmesan cheese, grated Dressing 1/2 cup pitted black olives, sliced thin 1/2 cup roasted red peppers, drained and diced 1/2 cup parmesan cheese, grated Directions Bring the water and juice to a boil in a medium saucepan. Add the quinoa, cover and bring to a boil again. Reduce the flame and simmer for 12-15 minutes. Turn off the flame and let sit for 5 minutes. place quinoa in a large mixing bowl and fluff with a fork to cool. add the tomatoes, cucumber, scallions, garlic, parsley, pine nuts, olives and red peppers. In a small bowl mix the dressing ingredients together. Pour the dressing over the salad and toss to mix thoroughly. Sprinkle with the cheese. Serve room temperature or chilled. Creamy Turnip & Potato Soup Ingredients 1 bunch of turnips w/ greens attached 1 large onion, chopped coarsely 2 cloves garlic, chopped fine 3 slices bacon 1/2 tsp lemon pepper 4-6 cups chicken broth 1 large potato, peeled and diced Directions In a medium pot, cook the bacon until crispy. Remove from heat and place on paper towel to drain. Remove greens from the turnips. Wash and rinse the greens, and chop finely Peel and dice the turnips and potato Saute the onion in the bacon fat until soft, but not browned, then add the garlic and cook for 1 minutes more. Add the chopped turnips, potatoes, broth to cover the veggies, and lemon pepper and bring to a boil. Once boiling, bring to a low simmer. When the vegetables are soft, remove from heat and carefully transfer to a blender (a little at a time, so the soup doesn't splash out, I usually put a towel over the top), and blend with the bacon until smooth. Return the blended soup to the pot and add the turnip greens, and simmer until greens are tender. Roasted Butternut Squash Apple Soup Ingredients 1 large butternut squash, sliced in half lengthwise, seeded 1 tsp cinnamon 1/2 tsp nutmeg grapeseed oil 1 small onion, chopped 1 stalk celery, chopped, with leaves 2 medium apples, peeled, cored, cut in half 16 oz vegetable stock salt and white pepper to taste Directions Preheat oven to 400. Brush the squash with oil to cover. Place skin side down in a roasting pan, and sprinkle with cinnamon and nutmeg. Place in center rack of oven and bake for 30-40 minutes, or until soft. In the meantime, in a stockpot, saute the onion and celery in 2 tsp oil until soft but not browned. Add the apples, and stock and bring to a boil. Once boiling, bring to a low simmer. When the squash is done, let cool to the touch, and scrape out the soft squash and add to the stockpot. Bring back to a boil, then carefully transfer to a blender (a little at a time, so the soup doesn't splash out, I usually put a towel over the top), and blend until smooth. Season to taste with salt and white pepper.