Get In the Meijer Tailgate Zone!

Aug. 23, 2011

Throughout the 2011 Northwestern football season, NUsports.com will feature one healthy tailgating recipe per week brought to you by Meijer, your one-stop for higher standards and lower prices on everything from groceries to clothing, electronics, home goods and more. Below are the first 12 recipes in the series -- see you on gameday at Ryan Field!

Click here to see what's on sale this week at your local Meijer's!

Week 12 (Posted Nov. 16)
Quick and Easy Meatless Chile
Serves Six

1 T. Meijer olive oil
1 small sweet onion, diced
8 ounces Morningstar Farms^TM Grillers® Burger Style Recipe Crumbles
2 cans Meijer Organic diced tomatoes
2 cans Meijer Organic kidney beans
1 pkg. Meijer chili seasoning (envelope)

1. In a large saucepan sauté onion in olive oil over medium heat. Combine remaining ingredients in saucepan and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Serve hot. For more nutrition information, recipes, and weekly menu plans visit www.meijermealbox.com.

Nutritional Information (per serving): 302 calories, 6g fat, 0mg cholesterol, 0g saturated fat, 39g carbohydrate, 1000mg sodium, 15g fiber, 22g protein

Week 11 (Posted Nov. 9)
Hot Pork Barbecue Sub
Makes 4 (6-inch) sandwiches

2 cups Lloyd's® original barbecue sauce with shredded pork
1 cup Meijer prepared deli cole slaw
One 24-inch ACE baguette or loaf of French bread (Meijer bakery)

1. Place pork in a microwavable bowl. Microwave on high 3 to 4 minutes or until hot, stirring after 2 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, slice bread into 4 equal pieces and slice again horizontally to make 4 buns. Place ¼ cup coleslaw on bottom half of each bun. Add ½ cup hot BBQ pork on top of coleslaw and cover each with top on bun.

For more nutrition information, recipes, and weekly menu plans visit www.meijermealbox.com.

Week 10 (Posted Nov. 2)
Portabella Mushroom Burgers
Serves 4

½ cup Meijer extra virgin olive oil
¼ cup balsamic vinegar
1 garlic clove, chopped
Salt to taste
Pepper to taste
4 portabella mushrooms
Fresh mozzarella cheese
Fresh basil
Tomato slices

1. In a small bowl combine extra virgin olive oil, balsamic vinegar, garlic, salt and pepper. Place mushrooms in a large zip loc bag and add olive oil mixture. Marinate in refrigerator for 1 hour. When ready, heat grill to medium high heat and cook mushrooms for 2-3 minutes per side or until tender. Use mushrooms for the bun and top with fresh mozzarella, basil, and tomato.

Recipe from Kristen Johnson, RD, Meijer Healthy Living Advisor

For more nutrition information, recipes, and weekly menu plans visit www.meijermealbox.com.

Nutrition Information (per serving): 186 calories, 12g fat, 4g saturated fat, 9mg cholesterol, 341mg sodium, 9g carbohydrate, 1g fiber, 9g protein

Week Nine (Posted Oct. 24)
Tasty Turkey Chili

1 cup bell pepper, diced
1 medium sweet onion, diced
1 lb. ground turkey
1 pkg. Meijer chili seasoning mix
2 cups Meijer frozen corn
1 can (28 oz.) Meijer diced tomatoes
1 can (15.25 oz.) Bush's reduced sodium black beans 1 cup water

1. Brown Turkey, onion and bell pepper in a large saucepan over medium heat, and cook until turkey is browned evenly.
2. Mix in undrained can of black beans, diced tomatoes and corn. Season with Meijer Chili Seasoning. Add water.
3. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low, and simmer 30 minutes. Add more water if you want more liquid.

For more nutrition information, recipes, and weekly menu plans visit www.meijermealbox.com.

Nutrition Information (per serving): 390 calories, 9g fat, 2g saturated fat, 58mg cholesterol, 211mg sodium, 49g carbohydrate, 12g fiber, 30g protein

Week Eight (Posted Oct. 19)
Apple Cider Vinaigrette Dressing

2 cups fresh apple cider
½ t. cracked black pepper
¼ cup Meijer apple cider vinegar
¼ t. salt
Dash of ground clove
¼ t. cinnamon
¼ cup sugar
1 cup Meijer canola oil

Instructions: Mix all ingredients together (except oil), until sugar is dissolved. Whisk in oil. Dressing can be refrigerated for up to one week.

Week Seven (Posted Oct. 11)
Apple Orchard Salad
Serves 8

4 cups Organic chicken breast, cooked and diced
8 cups spring greens
4 fresh Michigan Gala apples, thin sliced
1 cup shredded Swiss cheese
1 cup glazed walnuts
1 cup apple cider vinaigrette dressing (recipe below)

1. Toss salad greens and apple cider vinaigrette together in bowl. Arrange diced chicken on top of greens. Sprinkle cheese to cover. Arrange apple slices in circular rows to cover. You may want to put the apples into a mixture of water and lemon juice before adding to salad to prevent browning.
2. Sprinkle with glazed walnuts and serve.

Recipe from MichiganApples.com.

For more nutrition information, recipes, and weekly menu plans visit www.meijermealbox.com.

Nutrition Information (per serving): 434 calories, 26g fat, 7g saturated fat, 151mg cholesterol, 780mg sodium, 16g carbohydrate, 4g fiber, 35g protein

Week Six (Posted Oct. 4)
Spicy Raita Dip
Serves 12

1 cucumber, peeled, grated
2 cups plain Greek yogurt
1 small garlic clove, minced
1 tbsp. fresh mint, chopped
1 jalapeno pepper, diced
1 tomato, diced
½ tsp. ground cumin
½ tsp. salt
1 tbsp. cilantro, chopped

1. In a medium-size bowl, mix all ingredients.

Serve with warm Naan bread slices.

Recipe adapted from www.foodnetwork.com

Nutrition Information (per serving): 21 calories, 0g fat, 0g saturated fat, 0mg cholesterol, 111mg sodium, 2g carbohydrate, 0g fiber, 3g protein

Week Five (Posted Sept. 28)
Avocado and Black Bean Salad
Serves Six

1/4 cup Meijer Extra Virgin Olive Oil -- NuVal score 11
2 tbsp. rice wine vinegar
¼ tsp. dried oregano
¼ tsp. Meijer Sea Salt
¼ tsp. cumin
1 avocado, peeled, pitted, and cut into bite-size pieces -- NuVal score 89
1 cup Uncle Ben's Ready Whole Grain Brown Rice -- NuVal score 33
½ cup Meijer Organics Canned Black Beans, rinsed and drained -- NuVal score 82
1 large Homegrown Roma Tomato, seeded and diced -- NuVal score 93
1 Homegrown Green Onion, sliced -- NuVal score 100

Directions:
1. Whisk oil, vinegar, oregano, salt and cumin in large bowl. Add avocado and toss gently to coat.
2. Add rice, black beans, tomato, and green onion; toss gently to mix. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
3. Serve with Meijer Whole Grain Tortilla Chips -- NuVal score 27.

Nutrition Information: Calories 304, Fat 10 g, Cholesterol 45 mg, Sodium 780 mg, Carbohydrate 24 g, Fiber 3 g, Protein 25 g

Week Four (posted Sept. 21)
Black Bean Mango Salsa
Serves 6

2-15 oz. cans black beans, rinsed and drained
1 ½ cups fresh, frozen, or canned corn
½ green bell pepper, chopped
½ red pepper, chopped
4 green onions, chopped
1 avocado, cubed (sprinkled with lime juice to prevent browning)
1 mango, cubed
2 tbsp. Meijer Extra Virgin Olive Oil
2 tbsp. balsamic vinegar
Salt and pepper to taste

Preparation: Mix all ingredients together. Refrigerate 1 hour before serving. Serve salsa on top of your favorite burgers or hot dogs.

Recipe provided by: Maribel Alchin, MBA RD LDN - Meijer Dietitian and Healthy Living Advisor. For more nutrition information and a weekly menu, visit www.meijerhealthyliving.com and www.meijermealbox.com.

Week Three (posted Sept. 14)
Layered Mexican Dip
Serves 16

1 can (16 oz.) fat free or vegetarian refried beans
1 pkg. Meijer light cream cheese, softened
1 tbsp reduced sodium taco seasoning mix
1 cup Meijer chunky salsa
1 cup shredded lettuce
1 cup Kraft shredded 2% milk cheddar cheese
3 each green onions, chopped
2 tbsp Meijer sliced black olives
Optional: 1 cup diced avocado

1. Spread refried beans onto bottom of pie plate or quiche dish. 2. Mix cream cheese and seasoning mix until well blended; spread on top of refried beans. 3. Layer remaining ingredients over cream cheese mixture; cover. 4. Refrigerate until chilled (at least 2 hours). Garnish with diced avocado if desired and serve with Meijer tortilla chips.

Recipe provided By: Maribel Alchin, MBA RD LDN - Meijer Dietitian and Healthy Living Advisor. For more nutrition information and a weekly menu, visit www.meijerhealthyliving.com and www.meijermealbox.com.

Week Two (posted Sept. 8)
Two-Step Buffalo Wings
Serves 10-12

1 bag (64 oz / 4 lbs) Meijer Chicken Wings, thawed
1-1/2 cups Buffalo Wing Sauce (Sweet Baby Ray's)
Fresh ground pepper and salt to taste

1. Spray grill grates with non-stick pan spray and pre-heat to medium heat.
2. Lightly season wings with salt and pepper. Place in a single layer on grill. Cook until wings reach an internal temperature of 180 degrees (about 18-20 minutes) turning 3-4 times.
3. Pour sauce into a large mixing bowl. Remove wings from grill, add to sauce and mix until well coated. Return wings to grill, cooking an additional 2-3 minutes, turning once.
4. Remove from grill and serve with celery and plenty of napkins!

Serving Suggestion: Balance the calories and fat from the wings by serving with fresh fruit and vegetable trays, and our layered Mexican dip.

Week One (posted Aug. 23)
Chicken Chili with White Beans & Chipotles
Serves 4

2 tsp. Meijer olive oil
1 cup finely chopped onion
1 tsp. ground cumin
3 (15.5-oz.) cans Great Northern beans, rinsed and drained
2 cups Meijer fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth
1 (7-oz.) can chipotle chiles in adobo sauce
2 cups diced cooked chicken breast
1 tbsp. chopped fresh cilantro

1. Heat oil in a nonstick saucepan over medium heat.
2. Add onion; sauté until soft. Add cumin, beans, and broth to pan. Remove seeds from 1 chile; chop chile. Add chile and 2 teaspoons adobo sauce to bean mixture; bring to a boil.
3. Reduce heat; simmer 15 minutes.
4. Blend 1 cup bean mixture in a blender or food processor until smooth. Return puree to pan; add chicken. Cook 5 minutes or until thoroughly heated; stir in cilantro.

Nutritional information (per serving): Calories 431, Total fat 5g, Cholesterol 60mg, Sodium 606 mg, Carbohydrate 55g, Fiber 17g, Protein 42g

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