Beadle County 4-H held its Special Foods Contest on July 12.  All participants received a purple ribbon. The Special Foods project is judged on Nutrition, food safety, technique and appearance.

Following are winning recipes:

Strawberry Kiwi Blast Smoothie
Georgia Wachter – Beg.

2 cups frozen strawberries
2 medium sized kiwis peeled and cut in half
1/2 cup milk
1/4 cup plain yogurt
1.5 Tablespoons sugar

Add all ingredients to a blender.

Blend 1-2 minutes until smooth and creamy.

Serve with a strawberry garnish on the glass and enjoy.

Chili Con Carne
Charleston Wachter – Beg.

1 small onion
1 small green pepper
1 pound ground beef
1 15.5-ounce can kidney beans
1 15-ounce can of tomato sauce
1 teaspoon chili powder
3/4 teaspoon salt
Corn Chips

Break up the ground beef into a 3-quart saucepan. Add the chopped onion and green pepper. Cook until the meat is browned. Drain fat from pan. Add the kidney beans with liquid, the tomato sauce, chili powder, and salt to the meat in the pan. Stir to mix well. Turn burner to high heat. Cook until mixture boils, stirring occasionally. Turn burner to low heat. Simmer, uncovered for 10 minutes. Add corn chips to each bowl of chili to garnish.

Makes 4 or 5 servings.

Hailey’s Smothered Pork Chops
Hailey Schoenfelder – Jr.

4 4-ounce pork loin chops cut 1-inch thick
¼ cup flour
1 teaspoon Paprika
½ teaspoon black pepper
1 Tablespoon avocado oil
1 yellow onion, cutup
2 cloves garlic
¼ teaspoon dried thyme
1 cup water
1 cube chicken bullion
½ cup butter milk
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
Parsley for garnish
½ teaspoon salt

Mix flour, salt, paprika, and pepper in a large ziplock bag, add the pork chops and shake to coat them with the flour. Transfer the chops to a plate shaking off excess flour.

Select the sauté setting on the Instant Pot and heat oil for about 2 minutes, until shimmering. Using tongs, add the pork chops in a single layer and sear for about 5 minutes per side, until browned. Return chops to a plate. Add the onion and garlic to the pot and sauté for about 2 minutes, until the onion is slightly softened. Stir in the thyme and chicken broth, using a wooden spoon to nudge loose any browned bits from the bottom of the pot. Return the chops to the pot in a single layer. Secure the lid and set the pressure release to sealing. Select the Meat/Stew setting and set the cooking time for 10 minutes at high pressure. When the cooking program ends, perform a quick pressure release by moving the pressure release to venting. Transfer to the pork chops to serving dish, then select the sauté setting. Add buttermilk and mustard to the pot and stir to combine. Simmer the sauce for about 8 minutes, stirring occasionally, until slightly reduced. Ladle the sauce over the pork chops and garnish. Serves 4.

Puff Pastry Chicken
Laina Puffer– Jr.
Servings: 4      

4 boneless chicken breasts
Olive oil
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 teaspoon salt
All-purpose flour (for rolling pastry dough)
2 sheets frozen puff pastry
1/2 cup onion & chive cream cheese
1 large egg
1 Tablespoon water    

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Measure salt and pepper into a bowl. Unroll chicken breasts and lay them flat on a sheet pan lined with parchment paper. Trim any dangling chicken parts and straighten any uneven sides so that the breasts are as rectangular as possible. Drizzle the breasts with olive oil and sprinkle salt and pepper mixture evenly. Bake the chicken until they reach 165 degrees F, approximately 15 minutes. Allow to cool for 10 minutes.

Reduce oven temperature to 400 degrees F.

Lightly flour work surface and roll out the pastry sheets to about 13 inches. Arrange chicken evenly onto pastry, leaving approximately 1½ inches between pieces. Divide cream cheese and smear onto chicken. Lightly brush water on the pastry around the chicken to help seal the edges. Place the second pastry sheet onto the chicken and press lightly to close. Cut the chicken pieces apart leaving a ¾-inch rim. Discard any extra dough. Press along edges to seal the pastry. Place chicken pastries onto the baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Prepare egg wash by mixing egg and water in a small bowl and whisk. Brush onto each pastry. Bake 25-30 minutes, until pastry is golden brown. Let rest 15 minutes before serving.

Hannah’s Sweet and Sour Pork
Hannah Schoenfelder – Sr.

1 pound pork loin cut into 1-inch pieces
1 20-ounce can pineapple tidbits
½ cup tomato sauce    
2 Tablespoons apple cider
2 Tablespoons soy sauce
¼ cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon garlic powder
¼ teaspoon ground ginger
½ teaspoon black pepper
2 Tablespoons avocado oil
1 yellow onion cut into 1-inch pieces
1 large green bell pepper, seeded and cut into 1-inch pieces
1 Tablespoon cornstarch
1 Tablespoon water
2 green onions, sliced thinly Parsley for garnishing
1 ¾ cups water
1 Tablespoon butter
2/3 cup brown rice

Bring water and butter to a boil, then add rice. Simmer 15 minutes. Let stand 5 minutes.

In medium bowl, combine the juice from the can of pineapple, tomato sauce, apple cider, soy sauce, brown sugar, garlic powder, ginger and black pepper.  Stir until the sugar dissolves and then set aside.

Select the high Sauté function on the Instant Pot and heat the avocado oil. Add the pork in an even layer and let it sear for about 3 minutes, until it begins to turn opaque and brown just a bit. Give it a stir, then let cook for about 4 more minutes, until mostly opaque (it is fine if some traces of pink remain). Stir in the onion, bell pepper, pineapple and pineapple juice mixture.

Secure the lid and set the pressure release to Sealing, then select pressure cook or manual setting and set the cooking time for 1 minute at low pressure. (The pot will take about 10 minutes to come up to pressure before the cooking program begins.)

When the cooking program ends, perform a quick release by moving the pressure release to venting.

While the pressure is releasing, in a small bowl, stir together the water and cornstarch. Open the pot and stir in the cornstarch mixture, then select the sauté setting, and set the cooking time to 1 minute to thicken the sauce.

Spoon the pork on to serving platter and garnish with green onion and parsley.

Serve with rice. Serves 4.

Karly’s Beef and Broccoli Stir Fry
Karly Knippling – Sr.

1 Tablespoon olive oil
2 Tablespoons brown sugar
1 pound round steak, thinly sliced
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon minced ginger
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
4 cups broccoli florets
1/3 cup water
1/4 cup liquid aminos
1 1/2 teaspoon sesame oil
1/2 Tablespoon cornstarch
1/4 cup green onion (for garnish)

Add the sliced steak, garlic, ginger and pepper to a mixing bowl and stir until well combined. Heat a Tablespoon of olive oil in large skillet over medium-high heat. Cook the steak for 4-5 minutes, until browned halfway through.

While the steak is cooking, make the stir-fry sauce by adding the liquid aminos, sesame oil, red pepper, brown sugar and cornstarch to a small bowl and whisking until well combined.

Remove steak from the pan, add in the broccoli florets and 1/3 cup water. Cook the broccoli until it is bright green and slightly tender but still has crunch (about 4-5 minutes). Add the steak and any juices back to the skillet and then add the stir-fry sauce. Give everything a stir to combine steak, broccoli and sauce and cook for one more minute. The sauce should thicken a bit as it heats. Remove the skillet from the heat, serve with rice and garnish with green onion. Enjoy!

Will’s Pepper Steak
Will Knippling - Sr

Marinade Ingredients:
1/4 cup soy sauce
1/3 cup water
2 Tablespoon rice wine vinegar
1 Tablespoon corn starch
1/8 teaspoon coarsely-ground black pepper

Add all marinade ingredients to a large bowl or ziplock bag and stir to combine. Add the sliced steak and toss in the marinade. Cover and refrigerate for at least 15 minutes.

Pepper Steak Ingredients:
1 pound thinly sliced flank or sirloin steak
2 Tablespoons olive oil
12 mini sweet peppers, thinly sliced (or 2 regular sized bell peppers)
2 scallions, sliced diagonally into 1-inch pieces, white and green pieces separated
2 Tablespoons minced ginger
4 garlic cloves, minced

Heat 1 Tablespoon oil in a large sauté pan over medium/high heat. Add the sweet peppers and white part of the scallions, ginger, garlic, and sauté for 3 minutes, stirring occasionally. Transfer to a plate.

Add the remaining oil to the sauté pan. Remove steak from the marinade (reserving the marinade) and sauté about 2-3 minutes until browned, stirring occasionally. Transfer steak to plate with the veggies. Add the reserved marinade to the skillet and cook for 1 minute or until thickened. Add the steak, veggies and green parts of the scallions to the skillet and stir to combine. Cook for an additional minute, then remove from heat. Serve immediately over rice or quinoa.