‘Gold’ recipe file

Pear Waldorf salad

6 servings

¼ cup nonfat yogurt

1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

3 fresh ripe pears, diced (best if still slightly crunchy, not too soft)

1 cup celery, diced

1 package (10 ounces) pre-washed hearts of romaine

¼ cup crunchy cereal such as granola

½ cup raisins

• In salad bowl, combine yogurt and lemon juice; mix until smooth. Add pears, celery and romaine.

• Sprinkle crunchy cereal and raisins on top.

— From calraisins.org

Curried tuna and raisin salad

6 servings

1 pound yellowfin tuna

2 cups fish/chicken stock

2 cups raisins

For the curry-flavored mayonnaise:

1 cup prepared mayonnaise

1 teaspoon Dijon mustard

1 tablespoon fresh ginger root, minced

1 tablespoon Madras curry powder

2 cloves garlic, minced

¼ teaspoon ground cloves

¼ teaspoon turmeric

¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper

¼ teaspoon kosher salt

For the salad:

4 cauliflower florets

4 broccoli florets

1 cup celery, minced

Banana leaf, optional

1 lemon, quartered

4 sprigs cilantro, chopped coarsely

• Place tuna in a pot; cover with stock. Simmer over medium heat for 10 minutes or until done. Remove tuna from stock, and cool in refrigerator for 45 minutes. Cut into medium dice.

• Immerse raisins in warm water, and let soak for 10 minutes. Drain, and refrigerate.

• To make curry-flavored mayonnaise, add all ingredients to prepared mayonnaise, and incorporate gently.

• For salad, in a large mixing bowl, combine tuna, curried mayonnaise, cauliflower, broccoli, celery and half the raisins.

• Toss well, and place on banana leaf or a lettuce leaf. Sprinkle salad with lemon juice, cilantro and remaining raisins.

— From calraisins.org

Iron-rich bean dish

4 servings

1 onion

4 garlic cloves

1 carrot

2 zucchini

2 bell peppers

2 potatoes

4 ripe tomatoes (can use yellow and red or just a single color)

14-ounce can white beans

2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil

Black pepper

• Slice onion, crush garlic cloves, and chop carrot and zucchini finely. Deseed the bell peppers, and chop finely.

• Heat a small amount of olive oil in large pan, add prepared vegetables, and cook over medium heat until soft, about five minutes.

• Peel potatoes, unless they are young potatoes, which don’t need to be peeled. Cut into half-inch cubes, and quarter tomatoes. Add potatoes and tomatoes to pan, along with 4 ounces water. Cover, and simmer for about 30 minutes, until vegetables are softened.

• Drain and rinse beans, and add to vegetables in pan. Cook for another 5 minutes, until beans are very hot.

• Add basil, and season with black pepper, stirring gently to combine.

• Serve hot in warmed bowls. Drizzle with olive oil, and garnish with chopped fresh basil. Serve with crusty, whole-grain bread.

— From “Nutrition for Life” by Lisa Hark and Darwin Deen (DK Books, 2005)

Honey cranberry oat cookies

20 servings, or about 60 cookies

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

¼ teaspoon salt

1 cup butter, softened

1 cup packed brown sugar

1 cup liquid honey

2 eggs

1.5 cups quick oats

1.5 cups dried cranberries

1 cup slivered almonds

1 cup sunflower seeds

• On a sheet of waxed paper or in a bowl, combine flour, baking soda and salt. Set aside.

• In large bowl, using an electric mixer on medium speed, beat butter, brown sugar, honey and eggs until smooth and creamy, about three minutes. On low speed, add flour mixture gradually, beating until blended. With a wooden spoon, stir in oats, cranberries, almonds and sunflower seeds.

• Drop dough by tablespoonfuls about two inches apart on prepared cookie sheet. Bake in preheated oven for 8 to 12 minutes or until golden. Cool for five minutes on sheet, then transfer to a rack, and cool completely.

• Note: You also can add 1 tablespoon orange zest with honey for a different variation. Also, cookies made with honey tend to be denser, moist and chewy in texture.

— From “Cookies: More than 200 Recipes” by Jill Snider (Robert Rose, 2007)