Rae Udy

RECIPES: Red Hot Pineapple Punch, Shelly Stuart’s Salad, Vegetarian Baked Beans for an Army

By Rae Udy

The autumn season seems to be always busy with some kind of pot luck occasion. From reunions to football fifth quarters it’s a good idea to have an easy dish to whip up to share with friends and family.
Red Hot Pineapple Punch is a fun and functional centerpiece to get the party started. The kids will love the idea of red hot candies in the punch. This easy to make punch provides vitamin C, potassium and just eighty fat-free calories.
At a recent family get together in Iowa, cousin Shelly Stuart brought one of the best salads anyone has ever had. This colorful and nutritious salad is loaded with crisp veggies and feta cheese and the recipe can be adjusted to how many people you expect. Shelly makes hers the day before serving to marinate and bring out all the flavors.
If you can plug in a crock pot at the get together Vegetarian Baked Beans for an Army is a tasty main dish. This easy recipe starts with canned beans and combines molasses and vegetarian bacon to keep the dish healthful. High in protein with 26 percent daily value per serving, this dish also provides 20 percent iron and is packed with B vitamins. Find vegetarian bacon in the freezer section of most grocery stores near the waffles.

RED HOT PINEAPPLE PUNCH
½ (one-half) cup organic sugar
2 cups water
6 ounces cinnamon candies (red-hots)
1 gallon pineapple juice
2 quarts ginger ale
8 cups ice
Cook sugar, water, and cinnamon candies over low heat, stirring until candies are dissolved. Combine pineapple juice and cinnamon candy syrup into two one-half gallons pitchers and chill until you are ready to serve. At the party, fill a large punch bowl with ice and add one pitcher of chilled juice and one quart of ginger ale. Float fresh orange and lemon slices, if desired. Continue adding ice, juice and ginger ale as needed to keep the punch bowl full. Serves 35 to 50.

SHELLY STUART’S SALAD
1 carton cherry tomatoes, slice in half
1 bunch fresh asparagus, cut into bite-size pieces
1 pound fresh green beans, ends broken off and cut into one-inch pieces
6 stalks celery, chopped
1 large each: red, yellow and green peppers, seeded and cut into small pieces
1 medium purple onion, peeled and chopped
1 small jar light Italian salad dressing
1 block Feta cheese, cut into small cubes
Combine all vegetables in a large salad bowl with a lid. Pour Italian dressing over salad and toss. Cover and allow to marinade at least 24 hours. This helps ‘cook’ the asparagus and green beans to a delicious crisp tender texture. Add cheese before serving and toss well. Serves 50.