The Cooperative Difference -- 14 reasons to shop at the Oklahoma Food Cooperative

This month's recipes:  Ricotta Breakfast Pudding,  Bacon beef rolls, Stuffed zucchini bake, Zucchini and Italian sausage quiche, Baked meatballs, Alice Springs chicken, Moonchild's Bacon Cheeseburger quiche..

What's the Cooperative Difference when it comes to the Oklahoma Food Cooperative?

Convenience -- Community -- Selection -- Trust -- Health --  Justice -- Sustainability!

When you buy food from the Oklahoma Food Cooperative --

1.  You can shop any time during the day or night, from anywhere in the world with computer access, and get your food at 40+ pickup sites across the state -- Convenience!

2.  You can choose from thousands of products -- Selection!

3,  You get the best tasting food in the Oklahoma marketplace -- Selection!

4.  You get the healthiest food in the Oklahoma marketplace – free ranging flocks and herds, organically managed pastures and fields -- Health!

5.  You get the safest food in the Oklahoma marketplace – absolute knowledge as to where your food comes from, inspections by the USDA and ODA -- Trust!

6.  You get relationships with the men and women who produce your food -- Community!

7.  You become part of a the solution to our modern economic crisis, by helping to reweave the economic connections that once characterized rural and urban Oklahoma -- Community!

8.  You help make the state more resilient in the face of major disasters, war, terrorism, economic collapse, and other negative black swan events -- Sustainability!

9.  You have a say in how the cooperative is governed -- Community!

10. You meet interesting new people and participate in a new and more enjoyable and convenient way of shopping for groceries -- Community!

11. You stop supporting exploitation in agricultural labor markets --  Justice!

12. You stop taking food from the mouths of hungry children in third world countries -- Justice!

13. You stop degrading the earth and polluting the waters and air with your food purchases -- Sustainability!

14. You get full transparency regarding the production practices of your food -- Trust!

Join or shop now at http://www.oklahomafood.coop .

Here's this month's recipes for some of our great Oklahoma foods.

Ricotta Breakfast Pudding

This is a very nutritious breakfast that cooks quick and has a high comfort food quotient.

• 1/3 cup ricotta cheese
• 1 egg
• 3 tablespoons cream
• 1 tablespoon ground flax seed or pecan meal or almond meal
• dash cinnamon
• droplet of vanilla extract

Mix the ricotta cheese, egg, and cream. Cook over medium heat until it thickens.  It will seem to not be doing anything, and then it will thicken very quickly, so don't turn the heat on, go away and do something else. Stir constantly while heating. Once it thickens add the flax seed meal or nut meal and let sit for a minute or so. Enjoy! You can add a dab of sweetener if you want, but it isn't really needed.

Nut meals, as well as flax seed meal, are somewhat expensive in stores and generally aren't available through the coop.  you can buy pecans, however, through the coop and turn them into meal with a coffee grinder. If there are a few bits that don't grind finely, that's fine, just through them in. Flax seed also grinds well in a coffee grinder. This is one serving. It is very filling.

BACON BEEF ROLLS

• 2 eggs, beaten
• 1/4 cup low carb ketchup 
• 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce 
• 4 ounces cheddar cheese, shredded 
• 1/4 cup onion, chopped fine 
• 2 tablespoons parmesan cheese 
• 1 teaspoon salt 
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper 
• 2 pounds ground beef 
• 12 strips bacon

Combine everything except the bacon in a large bowl. Mix well then shape in two 6-inch long log shapes. On a large sheet of wax paper, lay 6 slices of the bacon side by side. Set one of the beef rolls crosswise at one end of the row of bacon strips; roll up, wrapping the meat with the bacon. Very carefully place the first roll in a 9x13" baking pan, lined with heavy foil, with the ends of the bacon under the meat roll. I recommend lifting it with a wide spatula so that it does't break. Repeat with the remaining bacon and meat roll. Bake at 375º 45-50 minutes or until the center of each roll reaches 160º. If the bacon doesn't look browned enough on top, put the beef rolls under the broiler for a minute or two. Makes 8 servings 

STUFFED ZUCCHINI BAKE

• 4 medium zucchini
• 1 pound ground beef 
• 1 clove garlic 
• 1 small onion, diced, 2 1/2 ounces or about 1/2 cup 
• 1/2 cup fresh mushrooms, diced, 2 large or about 3 ounces 
• Salt and pepper, to taste 
• 2 ounces freshly grated parmesan cheese, 1/2 cup

Cut the zucchini in half lengthwise. Scoop out the pulp, leaving 1/4" of the flesh intact. Discard the pulp. You can use a teaspoon to dig out the pulp and seeds, then once most of the pulp has been removed, use the spoon to scrape out any remaining seeds. Place the zucchini shells on a greased, foil-lined rimmed baking sheet. Sprinkle the zucchini with salt and pepper. Brown the meat, garlic, onion, and mushrooms, seasoning to taste with salt and pepper; drain the fat. Fill the zucchini shells with the meat mixture. Cover with foil and bake at 350º 45 minutes or until the zucchini is tender. Uncover, top with cheese and bake to melt the cheese, about 10 minutes. Makes 8 servings


ZUCCHINI & ITALIAN SAUSAGE QUICHE
1 medium or 2 cups shredded zucchini
2 tablespoons butter
1/2 pound Italian sausage, browned and drained
4 ounces Swiss cheese, shredded
1 ounce parmesan cheese, 1/4 cup
5 eggs
1 cup heavy cream
1/2 teaspoon salt
Dash pepper


Sauté the zucchini in butter 5 minutes. Place in the bottom of a greased 10-inch pie plate and pat dry with paper towel. Top with the sausage and Swiss cheese. Beat the eggs, cream, parmesan and seasonings; pour over the sausage. Bake at 450º 15 minutes. Turn down the heat to 350º and bake 15-20 minutes longer or until browned and a knife inserted in center comes out clean. Check after 15 minutes because it will get quite brown. Let stand 10 minutes before serving.  Makes 6 servings. Can be frozen (freeze it in slices and then reheat them for breakfast).
BAKED MEATBALLS
1 pound ground beef
1 pound bulk Italian sausage
2 teaspoons dry minced onion
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 cup parmesan cheese, 2 ounces (I used the kind in a can)
2 eggs
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper

Mix all of the ingredients in a large bowl using your fingers. Mix until the meat no long feels slimy from the eggs. Shape in golf ball size meatballs and place on a large baking sheet with sides. Bake at 375º for 15-20 minutes until the meatballs are done all the way through. Rinse in a colander to remove any egg and cheese that has leaked out.
Makes about 20-30 meatballs. Can be frozen.


ALICE SPRINGS CHICKEN
4 boneless chicken breasts
8 pieces bacon, coarsely chopped
8 ounces fresh mushrooms, sliced
1 tablespoon butter
1 clove garlic, minced
4 ounces cheddar cheese, shredded 


Season the chicken with the seasonings of your choice; grill until just done. Keep the chicken warm. Meanwhile, fry the bacon in a skillet until crisp; drain on paper towels. In the same skillet, sauté the mushrooms and garlic in butter, seasoning with salt to taste. Cook until the juices have evaporated. Place the chicken on a foil-lined baking sheet. Top each piece of chicken with 1/4 of the mushrooms and bacon, then with the shredded cheese. Broil until cheese is melted and bubbly. Makes 4 servings. 

MOONCHILD'S BACON CHEESEBURGER QUICHE
1 pound ground beef
1 small onion, chopped, 2 1/2 ounces
4 slices bacon, chopped
3 eggs
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1/2 cup heavy cream
8 ounces cheddar or Swiss cheese, shredded
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
Salt and pepper, to taste


Brown the hamburger with the onion and bacon; drain the fat. Season to taste. Spread in a greased pie plate. Whisk all of the remaining ingredients except the cheese. Mix about 1/3 of the cheese into the hamburger mixture and arrange the rest over the meat. Pour the egg mixture over the cheese. Bake at 350º for 35 minutes or until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean. Let stand 15 minutes before cutting.  Makes 6-8 servings. Can be frozen


Recipes this month courtesy of Linda's Low Carb recipes, one of the great resources on the web of healthy comfort foods.