Recipes

Easy blueberry smoothie

Serves 2

Total time: 5 minutes

The Blue Zones team developed this smoothie recipe during the 2009 pilot project in Albert Lea! Served with peanut butter toast, this is a quick and nutritious breakfast – or lunch – for everyone in the family, especially as students settle into school routines.

Blueberries are a good source of vitamin K1, vitamin C, manganese, and several other beneficial plant compounds like anthocyanins. Eating blueberries on a regular basis may prevent heart disease, improve brain health, and help moderate blood sugar levels.

Ingredients

1 cup fresh or frozen blueberries

1 cup unsweetened almond milk

2 pinches of cinnamon

1. Place the blueberries, non-dairy milk, and cinnamon in a blender. Cover and blend until smooth and creamy.
2. Serve with a side of whole-grain or gluten-free toast and peanut butter.

Read more about healthy habits in the Blue Zones books by Dan Buettner at the Albert Lea Public Library, 211 E. Clark St.

Thai Cucumber Salad

Serves 4
Total time: 20 minutes

A salad doesn’t have to be just lettuce and ranch, it can be fun too! This salad contains fresh cucumber, red onion, cilantro and lime. Not only does it pack a zesty punch, it also provides large amounts of vitamin K, vitamin C, antioxidants and flavonoids. Pair it with an entree or eat it all by itself; it’s definitely tasty enough to do so.

Ingredients

For the salad:
½ red onion
2 english cucumbers
½ cup salted peanuts
¼ teaspoon sea salt
½ cup cilantro
1 jalapeño pepper

For the dressing:
¼ cup lime juice
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon fish sauce
1 tablespoon sugar
1 garlic clove

1. Thinly slice the onion and submerge in cold water while preparing the rest of the salad.
2. Cut the cucumbers in half long-ways and scoop out the seeds. Slice into bite sized pieces. Add to a large bowl along with the peanuts and salt.
3. Finely chop the cilantro and jalapeño. Add to the large bowl.
4. Mince the garlic and add to a separate bowl.
5. Add and whisk the rest of the ingredients for the dressing. Make sure to mix until the sugar is dissolved.
6. Pat the onion slices dry with a paper towel and add to the large bowl.
7. Pour the dressing over the salad and enjoy.

Recipe adapted from “Thai Cucumber Salad with Peanuts” by Jenn Segal on Once Upon a Chef.

Burnt Honey Carrots

Serves 4

Roasting carrots concentrates their already sweet flavor, and roasting them so dark that they burn a little bit adds a bitter edge that is fantastic, especially when balanced by the butter and honey. Cooked carrots are excellent sources of calcium, phosphorus and potassium. Try experimenting with different colors of carrots, whether orange, yellow, white or purple.

1 ½ pounds trimmed and peeled carrots
Olive oil
2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 tablespoons honey
½ cup chopped and toasted almonds

Heat the oven to 475 degrees fahrenheit.

Spread the carrots on a baking sheet with parchment paper and drizzle with a tablespoon of olive oil.

Roast until they are very brown, even a bit burnt on the edges, about 10-12 minutes. Take out carrots and let cool until safe for handling.

Reduce the oven temperature to 300 degrees fahrenheit.

Cut the carrots at a sharp angle into ½ inch thick slices and transfer to a bowl.

Add the vinegar, salt and pepper. Toss to coat and let rest for 5 minutes.

Spread the carrots back onto the baking sheet and cover with the butter and honey. Roast until tender, about 5-7 minutes.

Top with almonds and serve.

Recipe adapted from “Six Seasons: A New Way with Vegetables” by James Beard.

Kale Chips

Cook time: 35 minutes

Kale is often called a super food because of its nutritional value and density. It’s high in fiber, calcium, and vitamins A, C, E, and K. It’s also rich in the antioxidants lutein and zeaxanthin. All together, eating kale reduces the risk for heart disease, macular degeneration, obesity, and more. 

2 bunches of fresh kale

1 teaspoon garlic powder

1 teaspoon salt

Freshly cracked black pepper

2 tablespoons olive oil

Seasonings of your choice (optional)

1. Wash the kale and pat dry. Make sure to remove as much water from the surface as you can.
2. Remove the stems and discard. Rip the leaves into chip-sized pieces and put into a bowl.
3. Add the olive oil and toss. Add the seasonings and toss. (Other seasonings you can use to customize the recipe to your liking include zata’ar, lemon pepper, chili powder, etc.)
4. Take a baking sheet and cover it with parchment paper. Spread the kale onto the sheet evenly with minimal overlap.
5. Bake for 25 minutes at 300 degrees fahrenheit. If the chips are not fully crispy by this time, turn the oven off and let them sit for an additional 10 minutes.
6. Add kale chips to a bowl and enjoy immediately.

Recipe adapted from “Garlic and Parmesan Kale Chips” by Laura Allen on Tastes Better from Scratch.

Kale Soba Salad

Cook time: 10 minutes
Serves 4

Soba noodles are made of buckwheat flour (and also usually a smaller amount of wheat flour), a nutritious grain that is unrelated to wheat. They have a stronger, nuttier flavor and are less chewy than other Japanese noodles like ramen or yakisoba. They’re often served in soups, chilled with a dipping sauce, or in salads like this one.

4 ounces soba noodles (Japanese buckwheat noodles)
1 tablespoon sesame oil
3 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
4 cups chopped kale
1 tablespoon low sodium soy sauce or your favorite soy sauce (tamari, mentsuyu, etc.)
3 tablespoons sunflower seeds

1. Cook the soba noodles according to the package directions. Drain in a colander and immediately rinse with cold running water. Transfer them to a salad bowl.
2. In a large skillet over medium heat, heat the sesame oil. Add the garlic and cook, stirring, until it is fragrant and golden, about 1 minute.
3. Raise the heat to high and add the kale. Cook for 30 seconds to 1 minute, until the kale is tender. Add the soy sauce and toss to mix.
4. Add the kale to the soba noodles and stir gently. Sprinkle with the sunflower seeds and serve.

Remember to eat until 80% full. Leftovers of this recipe can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-4 days.

Recipe from The Blue Zones American Kitchen: 100 Recipes to Live to 100, page 158-59. Available at the Albert Lea Public Library, 211 E. Clark St.