Easy meals, life-saving knife skills part of West Texas Fair & Rodeo Spotlight Kitchen – Abilene Reporter-News

Three cooks in the Spotlight Kitchen on Monday at the West Texas Fair & Rodeo were not too many to showcase an easy weeknight meal.

The cooks were Texas A&M AgriLife Extension family and community health county agents for Jones, Nolan and Taylor counties.

Attendees at the 6 p.m. demonstration in the AEL Building (Round Building) at the Taylor County Expo Center lined up quickly after the demonstration to sample Zucchini Garlic Bites, Simple Beef Pasta Soup and No-Bake Dark Chocolate Bars.

Chef Opal Darlene Walton simply known as Chef Darlene is host of the Spotlight Kitchen each fair day that continues through Saturday (schedule listed below). Chef Darlene or local chefs demonstrate a dish or two or three during each session.

More:How to incorporate butternut squash into fall cooking

For those unfamiliar with county extension agents, Kim Miles from Taylor County started the introductions by saying "I describe it as we're school teachers We're just not in a school setting."

"... We cover nutrition, diet, health, child development, and then, of course, we have our ag program and our 4-H program," she added.

The three recipes shared during the demonstration are part of the AgriLife Extension's Dinner Tonight - Healthy Cooking for a Healthy Texas program, with more recipes at dinnertonight.tamu.edu.

Miles handled the main course of one-pot Simple Beef Pasta Soup with canned or frozen vegetables, tomato sauce, beef broth and orzo. Cooking the stew meat before the show made the dish come together quickly.

The recipe is part of the AgriLife Extension's goal to help people eat at home more to have better control of the fat, sodium, sugar and costs of their meals, she said.

Such control can be simple, too. Miles said her mother and grandmother were home economics from the school of thinking that every food had to be cooked in a separate pot and served in a dish.

She takes a less formal approach.

"We're just going to eat off the stove at my house," Miles said as she told the family tale while putting the soup together, to audience laughter.

Precluding the entre was a healthy appetizer by Kelli Maberry designed to trick kids into eating more vegetables.

"So as parents, it's always good when you can cover up some vegetables with strong flavors where they don't even taste the vegetables and they want to eat more of them," Maberry said as she used a paper towel to squeeze out the water from a cup of grated zucchini.

Bread crumbs, Parmesan cheese and several spices provide just enough of a mask to transform the squash into a "I want more" food baked in the oven.

And, eating healthy does not mean skipping desserts. Staci Winders demonstrated No-Bake Dark Chocolate Bars, with the hardest step waiting for the chocolate to melt on the stovetop.

Peanut butter, dark chocolate and rolled oats elevate the nutritional value of the bars sweetened with honey instead of processed sugar, Winders said.

"This is an actual healthy snack," she said.

The extension agents conduct cooking classes and demonstrations throughout the year that are open to the public. Miles said one on canning is in the works in response to several requests.

To learn more about upcoming classes in the three counties, visit their websites taylor.agrilife.org, jones.agrilife.org and nolan.agrilife.org.

Chef Darlene handled Monday's 4:30 p.m. session on healthy snacks available from Spotlight Kitchen sponsor H-E-B.

While praising the granola bars, microwave popcorn with sprinkled seasonings and other organic snack options from the San Antonio-based grocery store, she shared some proper knife-handling skills. The first is having a sharp knife.

"A dull knife is more dangerous than a sharp knife. Why? Because when you're cutting you have to use force on that knife," Chef Darlene said.

A second tip is placing a flat paper towel or two under a cutting board to keep it from sliding, turning or slipping.

And, here's the big no-no: Placing your index finger on the spine of the blade while cutting. It's a kitchen crime some Food Network celebrity cooks have committed, she said, until they had additional culinary training.

The fingers should be on the knife handle behind the blade bolster for maximum control, said Chef Darlene as she held a knife incorrectly and then correctly.

"I want you to look professional, and also in control of the knife," Chef Darlene said.

More:West Texas Fair & Rodeo 2022: What and when for the annual almost-fall event

Where: East end of the Taylor County Expo Center grounds, AEL Building (Round Building), during the West Texas Fair & Rodeo

WEDNESDAY

2:30 p.m. Lytle Lane & Cattle, with Lindsay Flores

4:30 p.m. Texas Family Popcorn, with Toni Adams; H-E-B gift card giveaway

6 p.m. Life of Pie, with Leslie and Cory Bivens

THURSDAY

4:30 p.m. H-E-B "My Texas Table"

5:30 p.m. H-E-B "My Texas Table," gift card giveaway

6 p.m. Stalling Time Beer & Bistro, charcuterie board

7 p.m. The Winery at Willow Creek, with Maddy Green

FRIDAY

4:30 p.m. H-E-B "My Texas Table"

5:30 p.m. H-E-B "My Texas Table," gift card giveaway

6 p.m. The Local, with Chef Cody Enriquez

7 p.m. H-E-B "My Texas Table"

SATURDAY

2:30 p.m.. H-E-B "My Texas Table"

4:30 p.m. Sweet Thyme, with Misty Lowe and Mandi Sims

6 p.m. H-E-B "My Texas Table," gift card giveaway

7 p.m. H-E-B "My Texas Table"

(courtesy Texas A&M AgriLife Extension)

Ingredients

1 cup zucchini, grated and well drained

1 egg

1/3 cup bread crumbs

1/2 cup reduce-fat Parmesan cheese, grated fine

1 clove garlic, grated fine

2 tablespoons fresh chives, chopped*

1 tablespoon fresh parsley, chopped*

1 teaspoon fresh basil, chopped*

1 teaspoon fresh oregano, chopped*

1/4 teaspoon cumin powder

1/2 teaspoon onion powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon pepper

* A reduced amount of dried herds can be substituted for the fresh.

Directions

1. Heat oven to 400 degrees and lightly grease a baking sheet.

2. Grate or shred zucchini into fine pieces. Pat dry with a paper towel, or ring moisture out in a cheesecloth.

3. Combine all ingredients in a medium bowl and mix well.

4. Form a tablespoon of the mixture into small balls and place on the prepared baking sheet.

5. Bake for 15-18 minutes. Yields about 20 balls.

(courtesy Texas A&M AgriLife Extension)

Ingredients

1 pound beef stew, cubed

4 cups low-sodium beef broth

1 (29-ounce) can unsalted mixed vegetables (frozen can be substituted)

1 (8-ounce) can unsalted tomato sauce

2 ounces orzo, uncooked

Salt and pepper, to taste

Directions

1. In a pot, brown the meat over medium-high heat.

2. Stir in the beef broth, mixed vegetables and tomato sauce.

3. Add the orzo, reduce the heat, and cook for about 15 minutes. Taste and season with salt and pepper, if necessary. Yields 4 servings.

(courtesy Texas A&M AgriLife Extension)

Ingredients

1 cup creamy peanut butter

1/2 cup honey

2 tablespoons butter

1/2 cup dark chocolate morsels

2 cups rolled oats

1 tablespoon vanilla

1 tablespoon cocoa powder

Directions

1. In a large saucepan, met together the peanut butter, honey and butter.

2. Remove from the heat, add the chocolate chips and stir until melted.

3. Stir in the oats, vanilla and cocoa powder.

4. Line a 9- by 9-inch pan with parchment paper. Spread the peanut butter mixture into the pan. Refrigerate until hardened, about 2 hours. Cut into 12 bars.

Laura Gutschke is a general assignment reporterand food columnist and manages online content for the Reporter-News. If you appreciate locally driven news, you can support local journalistswith adigital subscription to ReporterNews.com.

More:West Texas Fair & Rodeo 2022: What and when for the annual almost-fall event

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Easy meals, life-saving knife skills part of West Texas Fair & Rodeo Spotlight Kitchen - Abilene Reporter-News