Summer Smoothie

How wonderful when the children actually like that healthy drink! Try this one in your blender for a healthy start to each day. The Granola recipe on page 196 in Tastes & Treasures cookbook is also a very healthy snack.

Summer Smoothie
Ingredients:
3 cups fresh spinach
1 cup cucumber
6 leaves fresh basil
2 cups ice
1 cup fresh or frozen strawberries
1 cup fresh or frozen blueberries
1 cup Almond milk

Directions:
Place in blender and whirl away. The kids can even help make this one.
Pour into pretty glass and add straw. Yummm.

Free Centennial Legacy Project Book for Libraries

Ruth McLeod, Zona Lorig and Joan Clark, State Librarian and Director of the Arizona State Library, Archives and Public Records

 Last year the Historical League had a small table at the AzLA Annual Conference at South Mountain Community College and gave away complimentary copies of Arizona Recollections and Reflections: An Arizona Centennial Historymakers Commemoration to librarians. There was a wonderful response to this leather-bound Arizona Historymakers Commemorative book. 

With increased donation for this Program to Donate the Historymakers book to Libraries, the Historical League is offering the complimentary book again.

Contact RuthMcLeod@earthlink.net for information.

Maricopa Co. Library Director Mallory Smith with League members Ruth McLeod and Susan Dale

Rock Springs Cafe helps our Troops

Nice to know that Rock Springs Cafe is using the Boots for Our Troops cut-outs to help raise funds for veterans of any conflict. You can enjoy the great food, donate to a good cause and learn about Arizona when you purchase the historic cookbook, Tastes & Treasures A Storytelling Cookbook of Historic Arizona.

Refreshing Summer Salads

Butternut squash with Red Quinoa salad

Tomato and Mozzarella salad

Ruth and Zona enjoy a lunch break

Summertime salads are a delicious break from working on League projects. Tastes & Treasures cookbook has many wonderful salad recipes.

Zona Lorig served two salads at the meeting:

Roasted butternut squash, Red quinoa, Wheatberry, Red pepper, Green onion, Baby argula, Toasted almonds, Cranberries and Goat cheese tossed with a honey sesame vinaigrette.

Tomato, Mozarella cheese, Mixed lettuce, Green onion, Pine nuts, Black olives drizzled with Balsamic Vinaigrette.

Zona and Ruth McLeod are working on the program for the Historical League's September meeting. It will feature the Historymakers Gala and Recognition Program. We look forward to past Historymaker chairs sharing stories about their specific events.

Wild Rice from Kay Holcombe

The cookbook contest begins with our first entry from Historical League member Kay Holcombe. She prepared this recipe ahead of time for her dinner party. It was a big hit with everyone wanting seconds!

Have you made an interesting dish to enter into the Historical League's contest? Send recipe and photo to the comment page on this blog.

Tastes & Treasures cookbook has another Wild Rice Pilaf on page 57 from historic Hassayampa Inn in Prescott.

Kay's Wild Rice

Ingredients:
1 cup wild rice
1/4 pound butter or margarine
2 cans Campbell's French Onion soup (10 3/4 ounces)
1 Soup can of water
2 Small cans button mushrooms

Directions:
1. Cook wild rice in boiling water for 30 minutes.
2. Drain.
3. Sauté in butter.
4. Add soup, water, and mushrooms.
5. The mixture should look watery and sloppy.
6. Put into a 1 1/2 to 2 quart casserole.
7. Bake two hours at 350°.
(Mushrooms should rise to the surface)

Makes 6 to 8 servings

Rock Springs Cafe reorders Cookbook

Thanks to Mary and John Garbaciak for delivering 30 copies of Tastes & Treasures cookbook to Rock Springs Cafe. Great place for dinner and pies and now you can read about historic venues in Arizona as well as prepare the recipes!

Crockpot Quinoa Chili

Even on a hot day, Chili is good. Tastes & Treasures has a recipe for Chicken and White Bean Chili on page 181. Yummm.


We found this Chili recipe using quinoa. Unique flavors combine to create a delicious dish.

Crockpot Quinoa Chili

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups uncooked quinoa
3 cups water or bean cooking liquid
1 1/2 cup cooked kidney beans (1 can, drained and rinsed)
1 1/2 cup cooked black beans (1 can, drained and rinsed)
1 cup unsalted tomato sauce OR: 1/4 cup unsalted tomato paste + 3/4 cup water
1 Tbsp olive oil
1/4 cup chopped onion
1 celery stalk, diced
1 Tbsp (2 - 3 cloves) minced garlic
2 Tbsp minced jalapeño pepper
1/2 green bell pepper, diced
1/2 red bell pepper, diced
1 tsp cumin powder
2 tsp gr coriander
1 tsp paprika
1 tsp dried basil leaf
1/2 tsp dried thyme leaf
1/2 tsp dried marjoram leaf
1/8 - 1/4 tsp chipotle pepper powder
1 bay leaf
1 Tbsp light molasses
1 Tbsp Braggs Liquid Aminos, or soy sauce
1/4 cup chopped cilantro
Fresh ground black pepper to taste
More Heat: Add more chile powder

Stovetop Directions:

Soak the quinoa 5 minutes
Rinse, then drain into a colander
If using canned beans, drain into a colander and rinse well
Peel & mince the garlic and jalapeño pepper
Dice the onion
Wash and trim the celery, slice lengthwise, then crosswise to dice
Seed and dice the red and green pepper
Heat the oil on medium-high in a dutch oven or large sauce pan
Fry the garlic, jalapeno, onion and celery until soft (about 5 minutes)
Add the peppers and fry 5 minutes
Add the spices and herbs, stir 2 minutes
Add the beans, water or bean liquid, molasses, tomato sauce, and quinoa
Bring to boil, cover, and simmer 20 minutes or until quinoa is cooked
Stir in Braggs or soy sauce, and pepper. Adjust seasonings
Serve garnished with cilantro
Optional: Add a dollop of dairy or non-dairy sour cream to each bowl

Crockpot Directions:
Sauté jalapeno, garlic, celery, and peppers in oil for 5 minutes on med-high
Add spices and herbs, stir 2 minutes
Combine with water, tomato sauce, salt, quinoa and beans in a 6 qt crockpot
Cover and cook on low for 5 - 6 hours
Add Braggs or soy sauce, molasses, pepper
Serve garnished with chopped clilantro and sour cream (optional)
Cooking Tips:
You can use any combination of beans you like in quinoa chili, although we thought it was perfect with a mixture of kidney beans and black beans. One or the other would be good too.

We used canned tomato sauce, but tomato paste and-or fresh tomatoes would also work. We like the Amore brand that comes in a tube - we got tired of throwing out almost-full cans of tomato paste.
This chili recipe only takes about 1/2 hour to cook on the stove, or 5 - 6 hours in a crockpot or slow cooker. If you need to be away longer, a digital timer is handy & inexpensive. Then your chili can be ready to eat when you are.
Serve with fresh cilantro as garnish. Add a dollop of dairy or non-dairy sour cream if you like.

6 Servings
Nutrition Data, 194g Serving: 227 cal, 39g carb, 4g fat, 183mg sodium, 8g fiber, 11 g protein, low Cholesterol, good source Vit C, Folate. Estimated Glycemic Load 17