Founded in 1981, the Berkshire Food Co-op in Great Barrington, MA, has held strong to its commitment to provide the community with a place to shop, gather, eat and learn by offering good food and sustainable products. The result has produced a veritable cornucopia of community engagement with food in the Berkshires and the introduction of versatile chef artisans skilled in the heart of delicious healthy food. Now they’re back with two more recipes thanks to marketing manager Devorah Sawyer that will inspire and delight the healthy, home-foodie.
Homemade BBQ sauce:
A simple dish like BBQ chicken doesn’t have to be unhealthy, especially if you make your own BBQ sauce instead of buying a premade one from the grocery store. The best part is it’s so easy to make with things you probably already have, and then you’ve got it ready for anything.
Ingredients: (measurements are approximate, measure with your heart)
- 1 cup ketchup (this is also pretty easy to make if you want to go one step further)
- ½ cup cider vinegar
- ¼ cup brown sugar
- 2 tsp smoked paprika
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 1 tsp each salt & pepper
Directions:
- This is the really hard part. Put everything in a saucepan. Mix everything together and let it simmer over medium heat for 5 minutes.
Notes:
For a quick BBQ chicken recipe, cover your chicken in this sauce and let it marinate for up to 4 hours. Then throw it in the oven at 425°F for 25 minutes. At that point, flip it, cover in more sauce, and bake for another 25 minutes.
Be careful, BBQ sauce has a bunch of sugar in it, so it could burn if you don’t pay attention.
For a vegetarian option, this sauce is great on roasted cauliflower!
Vegan Stuffed Peppers:
This recipe is perfect for a weekday dinner. It’s high in fiber and protein because of the quinoa and beans, and it’s beautiful too especially if you choose more than one color bell pepper.
Ingredients:
- 1 cup quinoa
- 1 ¾ cup water
- Chili powder
- Cumin
- Garlic powder
- Salt
- 14 oz corn
- 1 can black beans (drained & rinsed)
- 1 cup pico de gallo
- 6 bell peppers, multiple colors
- Cilantro & avocado to serve
Directions:
The filling.
Add the water, quinoa and spices to a medium sized pan and bring to a boil. Then, cover it, lower the heat, and let it simmer for about 15 minutes. Let it cool for 5 minutes, then stir in the corn, beans and pico de gallo. Taste for seasoning and adjust as desired.
The assembly.
Preheat your oven to 375°F. Slice all your pepper in half and remove the seeds. Arrange them on a baking sheet and fill them with your quinoa mixture! Toss that in the oven for 20 minutes or until the peppers are almost soft.
The presentation.
Serve your peppers with sliced avocado and cilantro. You could also grab a vegan ‘sour cream’ and mix that with spices to drizzle on top of your peppers. A bit of freshly squeezed lime juice would be nice too!
Follow the Berkshire Food Co-op on social media @berkshirecoop and check out everything they have to offer at berkshire.coop
