Seasonal Flavors Offers Recipes for May Festivities

Cinco de Mayo may have passed, but who says you cannot celebrate throughout the month of May with your favorite Mexican fare! That is exactly what the kickoff to this year’s Seasonal Flavors Series aimed to prepare attendees to do! With a full crowd in the audience and St. John’s Director of Dining Services Claudio Russo at the chef’s demonstration table, four healthy Mexican recipes were shared at the May 11 program.

This Seasonal Flavors program, sponsored by St. John’s in partnership with MVP Health Care, is the first of a series of cooking demonstration programming that will be brought to guests in 2022. Cheryl Minchella, MVP Health Care Community Health Educator, partners with the team at St. John’s Meadows to provide education regarding health food choices for seniors.

Watch St. John’s events listing for future programming where you can get recipes like Authentic Pico de Gallo or Baked Churros so you too can cook healthy at home.

May Seasonal Flavors Recipes

Authentic Pico de Gallo

Yields: 6 servings as an appetizer

Ingredients:

1 pound tomatoes (3-4 medium), diced

1/2 medium onion chopped (1 cup)

1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and finely minced (optional)

1/2 cup cilantro, chopped

2 tablespoons lime juice

1/2 tsp salt (can omit)

1/2 tsp black pepper

Directions:

In a medium bowl, add diced tomatoes, onion, jalapeno pepper, and chopped cilantro. Stir in lime juice and black pepper, and season with salt to taste. Enjoy immediately or cover and refrigerate overnight.

Source: Natasha’s Kitchen

Baked Churros

Yields: 12 servings

Ingredients:
1 cup water
4 Tbsp. unsalted butter
2 Tbsp. packed light brown sugar
½ tsp. salt
1 c. all-purpose flour
2 large eggs
1 tsp. vanilla extract
3 Tbsp. granulated sugar
½ tsp. ground cinnamon

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper or a baking mat.
Combine water, butter, brown sugar, and salt in a medium saucepan. Cook over medium-high heat until the butter is melted, and the mixture starts to boil. Remove from heat. Using a wooden spoon, stir in flour until completely incorporated and the mixture starts to pull away from the sides of the pan. Let cool for 5 minutes.

Whisk eggs and vanilla in a small bowl. Add to the dough and stir until completely incorporated.

Transfer the dough to a pastry bag fitted with a ¾-inch open-star tip.

(Alternatively, if using a 1-quart sealable plastic bag, fill it with dough and seal almost completely, leaving a small opening for air to escape from the top as you squeeze. Snip off a bottom corner, making a ¾-inch-wide opening.)

Pipe the dough onto the prepared baking sheet to make 12 churros, each 4-inches long.

Bake the churros, turning once halfway, until puffed and browned, 25 to 30 minutes.

Combine sugar and cinnamon on a shallow plate. Roll the hot churros in the mixture and transfer to a wire rack to cool for 10 minutes.

Source: Eating Well

Baked Flour Tortilla Chips

Ingredients:

10 each 10-inch spinach flour tortilla
10 each 10-inch white flour tortilla
10 each 10-inch tomato flour tortilla
2 Tbsp. Ranch seasoning mix

Directions:

Cut tortilla into triangles.

Place tortilla triangles on baking sheet pan (make sure not to overlap). Bake in 350 F oven for 15 minutes until crispy.

Season with Ranch seasoning mix.

Guacamole

Ingredients:

3 each avocado (peeled, pitted and mashed)
1 each lime (squeezed juice)
2 Tbsp. balsamic vinegar
½ cup sliced red onion
3 Tbsp. chopped cilantro
¼ cup diced roasted red pepper
1 tsp. garlic powder
1 tsp. ground cumin
1 tsp. ground black pepper

Directions:

Marinate red onion in balsamic vinegar for 1 hour.

Grill red onion 2 minutes on each side. Small dice red onion.

Mix all ingredients together.