Hi, I’m Celestina Brunetti, a chef, and nutritionist! Welcome to Cooperative Extension’s kitchen. Today I will be showing you how to make the Vegetables and Creamy Dip recipe from the Eating Smart and Being Active cookbook developed for the EFNEP program. This recipe makes 6, 1 cup servings of vegetables and 12, 2 tablespoon servings of the creamy dip.
Our ingredients today: Broccoli: We’re going to start off with broccoli which is an excellent source of vitamin K and vitamin C and has beneficial antioxidants. Cauliflower Florets: We also have cauliflower which has similar properties as broccoli. Although it’s a white vegetable, it still has beneficial nutrients. We say to eat the rainbow, including the white vegetables! Celery Sticks: Next we have celery, which is an excellent source of vitamin K Carrot Sticks: Carrots, which are an excellent source of vitamin A, which is beneficial for your eyesight. Jicama: Jicama, which is a root vegetable. Cucumbers Sliced Bell Pepper: And a green bell pepper, which is an excellent source of vitamin A and vitamin C.
It’s important to note that I’ve washed all of my vegetables under cold running water, prior to using them today. To cut the vegetables we are going to be using a chef knife, and a cutting board. At home, if you don’t have these, you can use a paring knife and a plate. When holding a chef knife, you want to hold it as if you’re shaking someone’s hand. Have a very firm grip on it. We’re going to start out with our cauliflower first. The cauliflower has a thick root. Using the tip of the chef knife, you want to cut off each of the leaves. Continue around until they are all gone. Once you have all of the leaves off, cut the cauliflower away from the root, and remove any of the excess leaves. Again, using the tip of your knife, cut each floret away from the root; spin the head of cauliflower as you’re doing so. If you’d like to bite size pieces you can cut each [floret] of cauliflower with your knife. We’re going to place the cauliflower, onto our serving platter. You can save the remainder of the head of cauliflower for another dish. Wrap it in some plastic wrap and then put it in the refrigerator for later use.
Next, we’ll be cutting our broccoli. Use the tip of the knife and cut off small florets, while turning the head of broccoli. Let’s place the broccoli on the serving platter. Next, we’ll be slicing our celery. We want celery sticks here. Typically I would only cut about a quarter of an inch off the bottom, but the bottom of the celery does not look that great, so you’d want to cut off any imperfections as well. And do the same for the other. We’re going to slice lengthwise down the piece of celery. Line them both up at the bottom, and cut about every two inches. We can add these to our platter as well. Next, we’re going to peel our carrots. I like to have a garbage bowl for this. Take your carrot and your peeler and remove the outside skin.
I’ve removed the skin from two carrots. Now, you can line up the roots, and remove about a quarter of an inch from that side, and about a quarter of an inch from the tip. We’re going to slice down the center of the carrot. Place it on the flat side and then slice about two inches. If the larger ends are too large, you can cut these in half as well. Now that our carrots have been sliced, we can place them on the platter. Next, we’re going to cut the jicama. We’re going to cut this in half first, down the center of the root. Using my peeler, and my garbage bowl. I’m going to peel the skin off the jicama. Once your jicama is peeled, you can use your knife, and make slices. Now that I have multiple slices, I’m going to break them apart in the middle, so that I have a safe place to make the next cut. Now we have slices of jicama. We can place them on the serving platter.
Next, we’re going to slice our cucumber. Take about a quarter inch off the root and a quarter inch off the tip. Slice down the center, open the cucumber and place it on its flat sides. We’re going to slice again down the center, and again on the other side. Line up all four quarters, and cut into two-inch strips. We now have slices of cucumber, and we’re going to add these to the platter as well. Our final vegetable is a green bell pepper. Cut through the stem of the pepper. Remove the core and the ribs. You’re going to cut through the center, and again so that you have four bite-size strips. I’m going to repeat this on the other half of the pepper as well. We’re going to place our pepper slices on the serving platter. This is what we mean when we say eat the colors of the rainbow!
Now that all of our vegetables have been cut and are on the platter; we can make the creamy dip. I have two cups of plain yogurt measured here. I used a measuring cup and when measuring you want to make sure it’s flat and even to the top of the measuring cup. I also have black pepper, garlic powder, minced dried onion, dried parsley, and salt. Using as spatula or spoon, mix until everything is well combined. This is what your creamy dip should look like. This dip would be a great alternative to the ranch! And again, you can portion this out, so that you can have easy snacks on the go for you and your family. Now, I’m going to have a taste. This creamy dip is definitely a great alternative to the ranch! It has a lot of flavors, and it’s really good for you! I’m Celestina Brunetti, thank you for joining me today in Cooperative Extension’s kitchen!
Article Source: Expanded Food and Nutrition Education Program – Nevada
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