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Cow Appreciation Day, this year celebrated on July 13, is an unofficial holiday with a considerable following. Popularized by Chick-Fil-A and their chicken-loving cow mascots, Cow Appreciation Day offered a healthy dose of novelty and excitement to an otherwise mundane workday.
Although Chick-Fil-A and it’s bold cows pushed for a day free of cow consumption, what better way to celebrate cows than to appreciate all the delicious flavors they offer our palates? Any day can become a cow appreciation day with the many different, delicious dairy and meat products cows offer us. So, spend a day indulging in the countless ways these cow-based products, like milk, yogurt and beef, can be incorporated into a meal – while still staying healthy.
Breakfast: Start your day with some cow-licious dairy, such as low fat yogurt. Try mixing it with cereal or fruit, adding it to a smoothie, or just eating it plain. Try these easy recipes from Eating Well for inspiration.
1/2 cup nonfat or low-fat plain yogurt
1/2 cup blueberries, fresh or frozen (thawed)
1/4 cup diced apple
1/4 cup diced banana
1/4 cup unsweetened muesli (see Note)
1-2 teaspoons honey or pure maple syrup
Stir together yogurt, blueberries, apple, banana, muesli and honey (or maple syrup) to taste in a bowl.
1 1/4 cups orange juice preferably calcium-fortified
1 banana
1 1/4 cups frozen berries, such as raspberries, blackberries, blueberries, or strawberries
1/2 cup low-fat silken tofu, or low-fat plain yogurt
1 tablespoon sugar, or Splenda Granular (optional)
Combine orange juice, banana, berries, tofu (or yogurt) and sugar (or Splenda), if using, in a blender; cover and blend until creamy. Serve immediately.
Lunch: Sandwiches and wraps are a lunchtime staple, made better with some cow-themed flair. Include cheese or lean beef in your daily sandwich today. Spice things up with this chipotle beef wrap from Fitness magazine or try a healthier version of classic grilled cheese from “Cooking Classy.”
2 teaspoons olive oil
1 6- to 8-ounce lean steak
1 tablespoon canned chipotle in adobe, chopped
4 tablespoons fresh cilantro
2 large whole wheat tortillas
2 tablespoons light mayonaise
Lettuce and tomato
Rub olive oil in a heavy skillet. Saute steak over high heat until medium rare to medium, turning once (7 to 10 minutes). Set aside until cool; slice thinly. Stir together chipotle in adobe and mayonnaise; spread on tortillas. Add 2 tablespoons fresh cilantro to each; top with beef and lettuce and tomato. Roll up.
2 slices whole wheat bread (preferably fresh)
Sliced Monterrey Jack, Muenster, Cheddar, or Mozzarella Cheese (enough to cover bread)
2 tsp extra virgin olive oil
Preheat a small nonstick fry pan over medium low heat. Place cheese slices (enough to cover bread) between 2 slices of wheat bread. Once fry pan is warm drizzle with 1 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil, slightly tilt pan back and forth to evenly spread oil. Place sandwich in oil, cover with a lid and cook until bottom is golden, about 2 minutes. Then lift sandwich with a spatula an add remaining 1 tsp olive oil to fry pan. Flip sandwich and cook opposite side until golden. Serve immediately.
Dinner: Break out the (lean) beef for some cow-tastic burgers, a classic ode to our bovine friends. Experiment with healthier takes on the classic burger, such as Eating Well’s Portobello and beef burger or their cherry burger. Wash down your meal with a cool glass of skim milk for some added cow appreciation.
12 ounces 93%-lean ground beef
2 cups finely chopped portobello mushroom caps, (about 2), gills removed
3 tablespoons plain dry breadcrumbs
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme, or 1/2 teaspoon dried
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
4 slices rye bread
1 clove garlic, peeled
8 teaspoons pickle relish
4 slices Swiss cheese, (2 ounces)
Position rack in upper third of oven; preheat broiler. Line a broiler pan with foil. Gently mix beef, mushrooms, breadcrumbs, Worcestershire, thyme, salt and pepper in a medium bowl until combined. Shape into 4 patties and place on the prepared pan. Broil until cooked though, 4 to 6 minutes per side. Meanwhile, toast bread. Rub each slice of toast with garlic. Place 1 patty on each piece of toast, top each with 2 teaspoons relish and cover with a slice of cheese. Remove foil and place the sandwiches on the pan; broil until the cheese is just melted, 30 to 60 seconds.
1/2 small sweet onion, such as Vidalia or Walla Walla, cut into thin rounds
12 ounces lean ground beef
1/2 cup dried cherries, finely chopped
1/2 cup coarse dry whole-wheat breadcrumbs, (see Note)
1 clove garlic, minced
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
4 whole-wheat English muffins, split
4 lettuce leaves
1/4 cup Cherry Ketchup, (recipe follows)
Place onion in a medium bowl, cover with ice water and let soak while you prepare burgers. Preheat grill to medium. Place beef in a large bowl and gently mix in cherries, breadcrumbs, garlic, vinegar, mustard, Worcestershire sauce, salt and pepper until combined. Divide into 4 equal portions and form into 1/2-inch-thick patties. Make a slight impression in the center of each. (This is so the patties cook evenly and don’t puff up.) Oil the grill rack. Grill the patties until browned and an instant-read thermometer inserted into the center registers 160°F, 5 to 6 minutes per side. Toast English muffins. Drain the onions. Assemble the burgers on the English muffins with onion slices, lettuce and about 1 tablespoon Cherry Ketchup each. Broiler variation: Coat a broiler pan with cooking spray. Broil patties 3 to 4 inches from the heat source until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the center registers 160°F, 4 to 5 minutes per side.
Dessert: Finish off a cow-filled day with your favorite ice cream flavor. Stay healthy - and in keeping with the day’s theme – with a treat from Skinny Cow. Or, make your own ice cream!