At first blush, mangos may seem exotic (they’re a tropical fruit, after all), but more of them are eaten fresh worldwide than any other fruit. It’s easy to understand why, once you indulge. So sweet and juicy, mangos are fully satisfying on their own. In Mexico, they’re often placed on special forks and eaten like lollipops.

But they’re also a natural for fusion dishes, partnering their sweetness with the spice of chili peppers, ginger and curries. Add them to salsas and spicy marinades, as well as fruit salads and breakfast smoothies. Mangos will provide color, flavor and nutrition, morning to night.

What to make: Grilled Chicken with Mango Salsa

You can find this recipe located in our produce department, in the April 27 Co+op Deals flyer and  Stronger Together website.

One of our very own member-employees here at Valley Natural Foods created an easy and tasty casserole recipe that was featured on “In the Kitchen with FOX 9 News” recently. To view the clip, visit: Chicken Enchilada Casserole-FOX 9 News.

The next time you pick up a rotisserie chicken, take a free recipe as well, located next to the rotisserie hot shelf!

Discover the benefits of gardening in a safe, educational and community setting!

As a cooperative, member-owners of Valley Natural Foods expressed interest in the co-op developing community gardens as part of our expansion.

We now have 24 key hole garden beds and 24 field crop areas available for lease!

Lease rates for members:
Key-hole $18.00
Field crop area $5.00
Lease rates for non-members:
Key-hole $22.00
Field Crop area $7.00

The Co-op Community Gardens are to:
*Be an open growing space for our community
*Provide home-grown produce for healthier eating
*Mentor and develop tomorrow’s gardeners
*Connect children, youth, adults and seniors
*Share gained gardening knowledge through classes
*Provide education and outreach to Dakota County schools
*Promote and demonstrate environmental stewardship
*Encourage gardening as a fun and enjoyable activity

Registration information:
Forms available online (print out and bring in with your payment)
Forms available by e-mail (contact the coordinator, Gary Johnson at: community@valleynaturalfoods.com)
Forms available at customer service

Take a look at our Co-op Community Gardens brochure!

The simpler the meal, the better. This is believed to be more true during the middle of winter than any other time. This meal is one that can be made in about an hour or less. The first dish is a delicious stir fry that is easily made while using ingredients that are great for the health conscious. This recipe includes refreshing and healthy ingredients like ginger, baby bok choy, carrots, and green onions. Ginger alone is known to benefit hundreds of illnesses or deficiencies in the body. The second recipe is a salad that refreshes our bodies and mind for this winter. One of the ingredients, Burdock Root, is said to be a good scalp treatment that improves hair strength, and shine and is also believed to help battle hair loss. Watercress is one of the oldest leaf vegetables to be consumed by humans and carries significant amounts of iron, calcium, and folic acid. The blood orange is known to be a great antioxidant. Delicious to the last bite, these recipes are healthy for everyone.

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Berries are nutritional stars, and here are savory recipes that include two of our favorites, cranberries and blueberries.

Cranberries are included in a sautéed greens recipe that invites you to sample a leafy green you’ve seen but may not known how to prepare. By simply varying the greens you use, you can create a variety of flavors. Try frilly, bright green mustard greens or expansive deep-green collards for a peppery, bitter flavor.  Kale and chard are milder flavors, and dandelion greens will put hair on your chest, so to speak. These greens give so much nutritionally, that a basic recipe like this will open the door to a huge boost in your phyto-nutrient intake, besides being seriously delicious.

The Banana Corn Fritters are a slightly more healthy take on a typical fried fritter. Here they offer a slight heat from chipotle powder, sweetness from bananas, and are served under the savory blueberry sauce.

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Winter in Minnesota doesn’t have to be a wait for summer. Fresh red bibb lettuce paired with dried mushrooms and hearty roots is like a taste of summer with a splash of winter. How can that be?

Farmers involved with Valley Natural Foods and other co-ops enrich our winter selection with a homesteader’s legacy and a producer’s ingenuity. Centuries old techniques like cellaring, canning and freezing extend the availability of squash and allow for year-round delicacies like dried Morel, the official state mushroom.

Modern advances in cultivation that create a symbiotic environment between aquatic animals and plants are called Aquaponics. This brings us a near-summer taste of freshness with Aquaponically-grown plants like red bibb lettuce. It also allows for local farming during an unlikely season.

Those of us active in sustainability have winter options. Look for squash that is firm. You will find dried Morel mushrooms in packages in the produce department. Store these items in a cool dry place. When selecting Aquaponic plants, select fresh bunches and use within a day or two.

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Need just one more thing to provide for your holiday get-together? Go for convenience and select one of our  organic veggie trays, already cut-up and arranged. Choose from a variety of dressings to use for dip, also available in our produce department. Or, you can find homemade-style dips from our deli department.

But if you are one who likes to prepare their own, check out this weeks recipes for Produce Possibilities. Our shipment of avocados are perfectly ripe this week, so we are providing a simple recipe for guacamole, always popular for any get-together  no matter what the season!

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Pomanders are citrus or apples studded with whole cloves, brushed with spices, and allowed to dry. They are natural air-fresheners and moth repellents harkening back to Victorian times, and they are fun to make. This week’s Produce Possibilities includes explicit instructions for putting together a variety of pomanders, using oranges, apples, lemons and limes. After they are assembled, they dry inside a paper bag for a number of weeks, until they are completely dry. They will last at least a year after, and can easily be refreshed. 

This week’s Holiday Antioxidant Punch is festive and healthy. It would be especially beautiful served in a punch bowl surrounded by fresh-cut greens and whole fruits, and even a string of lights. 

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This week, we present a recipe that speaks volumes of simplicity and flavor, meat and potatoes (sort of). It is that time between Thanksgiving and Christmas when we crave comfort foods; it is also a period of time where healthy meals tend to be put aside a little bit more than usual. In this weeks recipe we will combine the two (comfort and healthy food).  First, we have seared Pork loin with honey glazed roasted veggies and the ever incredible Applewood Smoked seasoning . A pork loin is said to be a relatively leaner meat than other pork cuts as well as carries a varied amount of vitamins and minerals. The applewood smoked seasoning (brought to our attention by Joel in the Wellness Department who deserves much credit for this recipe) is by far the most aromatic seasoning there is, it arises all senses but specifically smell, and you’d be hard pressed to not use it in every single meal once you have had the pleasure to taste it.

The other recipe is a healthier version of mashed potatoes, a parsnip and Asian pear mashed potatoes. It holds the essence of traditional mashed potatoes but along with it an added value of nutrition and sweetness. Parsnips being a bit sweeter than carrots also are richer in vitamins and minerals, particularly Potassium. An Asian pear is an unknown to many but with its sweetness and crispness as well as its added value of dietary fiber and vitamin C it is a pear that needs to be placed front and center for all to see.

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With all the muted tones of mashed potatoes, stuffing, turkey, gravy and rolls, a couple highly colorful dishes can spark the visual and gastronomic impact of the holiday feast. Here are three ideas:

Roasted beets are wonderful on their own, but here they’re combined with sweet navel orange and edgy red onion to make a lively salad served over spinach greens. The beets and dressing can be prepped ahead, so salad assembly is quick. 

Every host needs a couple favorite cranberry recipes this time of year, and here are two that are distinct enough to be served side-by-side. The first is uncooked and zesty; the second is simmered and spicy. Both can be made a day in advance for extra convenience.

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