Ninja Storm Companion Cookbook Reviewed by Ruth Paget
The companion cookbook for the Ninja Storm blender/food processor combination set with blades that can crush ice has several recipes that Salinas and Monterey County California residents can easily make with local agricultural products.
The cookbook’s official name is Ninja Storm: 50 Quick and Easy Recipes. The following recipes from the cookbook make great use of Salinas and Monterey County California’s agricultural products:
-Apple-Chicken Sausage – This recipe is worth the price of the cookbook. I have eaten Aidells link apple-chicken sausage for decades, but this recipe for handmade patties is easy to make as well. This recipe calls for olive oil, seasonings, thigh chicken meat cubes, and apple slices mixed in the blender.
The apples add fiber, Vitamin C, and antioxidants that remove free radicals that can cause cancer from the body to the chicken. The apples also stretch the meat to make it feed more people. For a lighter sausage, you can replace the thigh meat with white breast meat for frying.
-Fresh Vegetable Fritatta – a frittata is an Italian baked omelet made here with broccoli, red bell pepper, onion, garlic, olive oil, and eggs that is blended and then poured into a baking dish with Parmesan cheese sprinkled on top.
-Spinach Feta Strata – cubes of day old bread are placed in a casserole dish with a mixture of eggs, feta cheese, and thawed frozen spinach poured on top of the cubes. The strata stays in the refrigerator overnight so the bread cubes can fully absorb the egg mixture before baking the next day.
-Broccoli – Cheddar Soup which is mixed in the blender
-Tomato – Basil Soup which can also be used as a sauce. This recipe calls for canned tomatoes, tomato paste, and fresh basil.
-Cucumber feta dip made with red onion and lemon juice and used as a dip for carrot, celery, and bell pepper sticks
-Baked Spinach and Artichoke Dip made with thawed frozen spinach, canned artichokes, sour cream, cream cheese, and mozzarella cheese that is baked.
-Blueberry Antioxidant Sorbet made with frozen blueberries and apricot nectar.
-Peach (or Strawberry) Ice Cream made with frozen peach slices, lime juice, sugar, and low fat milk mixed in the Ninja Storm.
All good recipes!
The Ninja Storm: 50 Quick and Easy Recipes cookbook contains many easy, healthy, and delicious recipes that highlight produce.
Residents in Salinas and Monterey County will find great use for the region's organic produce in this cookbook including recipes for smoothies, frozen drinks, hummus, ranch dressing, and sauces.
(Note: Salinas and Monterey County are practically self-sufficient in food.)
By Ruth Paget, author Eating Soup with Chopsticks and Marrying France
