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UMW Yummy Recipes

The recipes provided below were submitted by UMW employees.

Ginger Molasses Coolies

Submitted by:  Samantha McDonough
Ingredients Directions
1 pound of butter (2 cups)
1/2 tablespoon of salt
3 cups of brown sugar
3/4 cup of dark molasses
1/2 cup of water
6-1/2 cups of unsifted flour
1 tablespoon of baking soda
1 tablespoon cinnamon
2 teaspoons ground cloves
1-1/4 teaspoons ginger		 You will need a pretty big mixing bowl for this.
Cream butter, molasses, water, salt and brown sugar together.
Beat in eggs.
Sift dry ingredients together and add to creamed mixture.
Mix well.
Refrigerate for 24 hours.
Roll in balls about 2″ in diameter, then roll in granulated sugar.
Place rolled dough on baking sheet, do not press down.
Bake for 15-18 minutes at 350 degrees.
Makes a few dozen. Keep stored in airtight container.

Veggie Burrito Salad

Submitted by:  Brian Ogle
Ingredients Directions
1 Yellow or Orange Bell Pepper
1 Poblano Pepper
2-3 Jalapeno Peppers
1 Red Onion
2 Cans Low-sodium or No-salt-added Black Beans, rinsed
1/3 Cup Low-sodium Chicken Broth
2 Teaspoons Chipotle Chili Powder
1/2 Teaspoon Cumin
1/2 Teaspoon Coriander
1/4 Teaspoon Garlic Powder
1 Head of Fresh Red Lettuce
Cooked Whole Grain Brown Rice
Grape Tomatoes
1 Avocado
Cilantro
Monterey Jack Cheese
Salsa or Preferred Hot Sauce

This recipe is inspired by the DASH (Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension) Diet guidelines, to avoid excess sodium while eating whole grains, fruits/vegetables, and limited dairy. Vegetarians could substitute vegetable broth for chicken broth, but that adds substantial sodium, so I use low-sodium chicken broth. Check the serving size for cheese to avoid adding too much fat, and check the sodium in the salsa. Ingredients are flexible, so add or subtract to your tastes!

Prep time: 20-30 minutes

  1. Cook whole grain brown rice (can be done ahead). Rinse black beans, set aside.
  2. Coarsely chop peppers and onions. Leave a few jalapeno seeds in for extra heat!
  3. In a large skillet, sauté peppers and onions in vegetable oil over medium high heat, stirring occasionally, 4-6 minutes.
  4. Meanwhile, spread lettuce over plates, and top with brown rice.
  5. Add black beans, spices, and broth. Simmer, stirring occasionally to avoid beans sticking to the pan, until liquid is absorbed/cooked off.
  6. Add cooked black bean and veggies over the bed of rice and lettuce. Top with tomatoes, avocado chunks, diced cilantro, cheese, and salsa, as preferred.

Lemon Chicken Orzo Soup

Submitted by:  Marissa Miller
Ingredients Directions
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
  • 1 pound boneless, skinless chicken thighs, cut into 1-inch chunks [or chicken breast]
  • Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
  • 3 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 onion, diced
  • 3 carrots, peeled and diced
  • 2 stalks celery, diced
  • 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
  • 5 cups chicken stock
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 3/4 cup uncooked orzo pasta
  • 1 sprig rosemary
  • Juice of 1 lemon [extra lemon wedges for serving]
  • 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley leaves
  1. Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large stockpot or Dutch oven over medium heat. Season chicken thighs with salt and pepper, to taste. Add chicken to the stockpot and cook until golden, about 2-3 minutes; set aside.
  2. Add remaining 1 tablespoon oil to the stockpot. Add garlic, onion, carrots and celery. Cook, stirring occasionally, until tender, about 3-4 minutes. Stir in thyme until fragrant, about 1 minute.
  3. Whisk in chicken stock, bay leaves and 1 cup water; bring to a boil. Stir in orzo, rosemary and chicken; reduce heat and simmer until orzo is tender, about 10-12 minutes. Stir in lemon juice and parsley; season with salt and pepper, to taste.
  4. Serve immediately. [Add a lemon wedge to each bowl.]

*****https://damndelicious.net/2014/04/25/lemon-chicken-orzo-soup/ [Full recipe with pictures]

Lemon Blueberry Bread

Submitted by:  Debra Wander
Ingredients Directions
1/3 cup of butter
1 cup of sugar
3 tablespoons lemon juice
1 1/2 cups of all purpose flour
1 teaspoon of baking soda
1/2 teaspoon of salt
1/2 cup of sour cream or plain greek yogurt
2 Tablespoons lemon zest
1 cup of blueberries, fresh or frozen
3/4 cup of powdered sugar
2 Tablespoons of lemon juice		 Preheat oven to 375 F.
In a medium mixing bowl, whisk melted butter, sugar, lemon juice and eggs.
In a separate bowl, mix together the flour, baking powder and salt.
Add the flour mixture to the butter mixture alternately with the Greek yogurt or sour cream, stirring gently. Fold in the blueberries. Do not over mix. Pour in a well greased 8 x 4 inch loaf pan. Bake at 375F for 20 minutes. At the 20 minute mark, turn the oven down to 350 F and bake for an additional 30 to 40 minutes. Cool for 10 minutes. Remove loaf to wire rack. Combine about 3/4 cup of powdered sugar and two tablespoons of lemon juice to form a glaze. Drizzle bread while still warm.

Peanut Brittle

Submitted by:  John Hughey
Ingredients Directions
1 cup white sugar
½ cup light corn syrup
¼ teaspoon salt
¼ cup water
1 and 1/4 cups of peanuts
2 tablespoons butter, softened
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon of vanilla
  1. Grease a large cookie sheet. Set aside.
  2. In a heavy 2 quart saucepan, over medium heat, bring to a boil sugar, corn syrup, salt, and water. Stir until sugar is dissolved. Stir in peanuts. Set candy thermometer in place, and continue cooking. Stir frequently until temperature reaches 300 degrees F (150 degrees C), or until a small amount of mixture dropped into very cold water separates into hard and brittle threads.
  3. Remove from heat; immediately stir in butter and baking soda; pour at once onto cookie sheet. With 2 forks, lift and pull peanut mixture into rectangle about 14×12 inches; cool. Snap candy into pieces.
    [Example of a good brittle online… Although I add more peanuts and some vanilla to my version. https://www.allrecipes.com/recipe/15987/moms-best-peanut-brittle/]

Dee’s Homemade Ham Sliders

Submitted by:  DeAnna Absher
Ingredients Directions
 Package of Hawaiian sweet rolls
Brown sugar ham sliced thin
Deli Swiss cheese
Stick of butter, melted
1/4 cup of Brown Sugar
1 teaspoon of Dry Mustard
2 tablespoons of Poppy Seeds
Regular Mustard
  • Slice the Hawaiian rolls in half. Add the bottom half of the rolls to a 13×9 in pan.
  • Add ham and cheese.
  • Add mustard to top roll.
  • Add the top half to the dish. Do not worry about cutting the rolls just yet.
  • Stir 1 stick melted butter, 1/4 cup brown sugar, 1 teaspoon of dry mustard, and about 2 tablespoons of poppy seeds.
  • Use a silicone brush to add the mixture to the rolls.
  • Bake on 350 for about 15 or 20 mins  [You will have to watch them because when the cheese melts, they are ready. Every oven is different.]

*****I have found that the meats that have a bit of sugar in them work better!!