FreshOver Project offers a fresh-food makeover

Family Features

To help families transform ordinary meals into fresher versions that the whole family will feel good about eating, Ziploc Brand has partnered with best-selling author and TV personality Rachael Ray to bring healthier food choices to tables with the Great American FreshOver Project, a fresh-food makeover made easy.

Rachael is an expert at creating quick meals. She aims to motivate families to swap their traditional recipes for versions that contain healthier ingredients and taste just as good.

“According to a Ziploc Fresh Eating Survey, 72 percent of Americans feel like a good parent when their family eats fresh food, but only 47 percent eat fresh foods on a daily basis. To make eating fresh easier, Ziploc and I are sharing recipes and tips on how to incorporate fresh ingredients into favorites like pizza and mac ’n cheese,” said Ray. “Anyone can get started on their FreshOver Projects in their own kitchen.”

For more recipes from the Ziploc Brand and Rachael Ray, visit the Ziploc Brand Facebook Page at www. facebook.com/ziploc.

Broccoli and Cauliflower Gratin Mac ’n Cheese

Yield: 6 servings

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Cook Time: 1 hour

1 small head or bundle broccoli, trimmed into florets

1 small head cauliflower or half a large head, trimmed and cut into florets

1 pound whole-wheat macaroni or penne or other short cut pasta

2 cups sour cream or reduced-fat sour cream

1 tablespoon Dijon mustard

1/3 cup finely chopped chives

2 cloves garlic, peeled and grated or crushed into paste

A few drops hot sauce

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

21/2 cups grated extra-sharp cheddar

Bring large pot of water to a boil over medium heat. Salt water and add broccoli and cauliflower florets. Boil vegetables for 5 minutes, then remove with a spider or a strainer and drain.

Add pasta to water and undercook by about 2 minutes, drain.

Meanwhile, combine sour cream in large bowl along with mustard, chives, garlic, hot sauce, salt and pepper, to taste.

Add pasta and cauliflower and two-thirds of the cheese. Stir to combine, then transfer to a casserole dish or Ziploc VersaGlass con tainer and cover with remaining cheese. Cool and chill for a make-ahead meal.

To heat and eat, put casserole on baking sheet and bake in the middle of a preheated 375 degrees oven until deeply golden and bubbly, about 40 to 45 minutes.

Stretch a Buck Turkey and Bean Burrito Burgers

Yield: 4 servings

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Cook Time: 16 minutes

1 cup cold leftover white or brown rice

1 pound ground turkey

1 (15-ounce) can pinto beans, rinsed and drained

Palmful chili powder

11/2 teaspoons cumin, half a palmful

11/2 teaspoons coriander, half a palmful

1 tablespoon grill seasoning, (recommended: Montreal Seasoning by McCormick)

1 tablespoon canola oil

1 ripe avocado

1 clove garlic, grated or finely chopped

1 lime, zested and juiced

1 jalape ±o or serrano pepper, seeded and finely chopped

1/2 small red onion, finely chopped

1/2 cup sour cream

4 red leaf lettuce leaves

1 ripe tomato, sliced

4 crusty rolls, split

Combine rice, meat and beans with spices and grill seasoning. Form 4 big patties, then heat 1 tablespoon oil (a turn of the pan) in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Cook patties 7 to 8 minutes on each side.

While burgers cook, combine avocado with garlic, lime zest and juice, jalape ±o and red onion. Mash to roughly combine, then stir in the sour cream. Place burgers on buns with lettuce and tomato, and top with sour-cream guacamole.

Tip: To keep leftovers fresh, store in reusable dishes such as Ziploc Twist n’ Loc Containers.

The Only Pizza You’ll Ever Want Again

Yield: 4 servings

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 20 minutes

Crust:

1 16-ounce package pizza dough, brought to room temperature

2 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil

2 tablespoons grated Parmigiano-Reggiano

Toppings:

1/3 pound broccoli from trimmed broccoli bin in produce section, 1/3 head

1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil, 1 turn of the pan

3 cloves cracked garlic

1/2 pound chicken breast cut for stir fry, or chicken tenders

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

1 cup part-skim ricotta cheese

10 sun-dried tomatoes in oil, drained and sliced

1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese, available in dairy aisle

12 to 15 leaves fresh basil, torn or stacked and thinly sliced

Preheat oven to 500 degrees.

On 12-inch nonstick pizza pan, stretch out dough and form pizza crust. Drizzle olive oil on crust and spread it with a pastry brush over the dough to the edges. Sprinkle crust with grated Parmigiano-Reggiano.

In a small covered saucepan, bring 2 inches water to a boil. Separate broccoli tops into florets, discarding lower stalks or reserving for soup. Salt water and add broccoli florets. Cook, covered, 3 to 5 min utes. Drain broccoli and set on cut ting board. Chop broccoli florets into small pieces.

Heat a small nonstick pan over medium high to high heat. Add oil, cracked garlic and chicken. Season with salt and pepper. Brown chicken until lightly golden all over, 3 to 5 minutes.

Chop saut ed chicken and garlic on a cutting board into small pieces.

To assemble pizza, dot crust with broc coli and chicken. Dot crust with spoonfuls of ricotta, spreading gently with the back of spoon. Add sliced sun-dried tomatoes, scattering around pizza to edges. Complete assembly with a thin layer of shredded mozzarella.

Place pizza in oven on middle rack and lower heat to 450 degrees.

Bake 12 minutes, until cheese is deep golden in color and crust is brown and crisp at the edges.

Remove from oven and let stand 5 min utes. Top with lots of torn or shredded basil.

Cut pizza into 8 slices using pizza wheel and serve.

Tip: Put an individual serving size of chicken in Ziploc Brand Perfect Portions Bags right after purchasing and freeze in a Ziploc Brand Freezer Bag. That way you don’t have to defrost more chicken than you need for a meal.