Heartland Cuisine: Huron Connect

Huron Connect is the new name for Huron Young Professionals. The group’s motto is “Connect. Live. Grow.” and it’s purpose is to give professionals from all industries in Huron the opportunity to have fun while networking at multiple events throughout the year.
After hearing from people that they either didn’t con- sider themselves young or professional, HYP decided to rebrand our organization to better represent both the objectives and membership of the organization.
Huron Connect’s signa- ture event is Glow Golf, which is a golf tournament that gives players the oppor- tunity to play after dark with glow in the dark golf balls.
Additionally, the group holds monthly lunch and happy hour events as well as regular professional devel- opment seminars. Huron Connect also hosts special showings at the movie the- atre and “all-you-can-bowl” events at the bowling alley. Huron Connect has annually run the family “Harvestfest” event at the fairgrounds every October.
This year, a group of members participated in the annual “Day of Caring” and worked with Habitat for Humanity to paint a local family’s home.
The next big event is an escape room experience at Top Floor Events that involves four different rooms in a mysterious adventure. The event is scheduled for February 10th.

Crockpot Asian Pork and Mushrooms
Ingredients
2 pounds lean boneless pork sirloin roast
kosher salt and fresh cracked pepper
Nonstick cooking spray
1 cup low-sodium fat-free chicken broth
1/2 cup reduced-sodium soy sauce
1/3 cup balsamic vinegar
3 tablespoon sugar
1 tablespoon hot sesame oil or use sesame oil and pinch of red pepper flakes
3 cloves crushed garlic
1 tablespoon fresh grated ginger root
8 ounces sliced mushrooms
1/4 cup chopped scallions
1/4 cup chopped cilantro
Sriracha sauce to taste

Method
Season pork on all sides with salt and fresh cracked pepper. Brown pork on all sides with cooking spray on medium high heat.
In the crock pot, combine the broth, soy sauce, balsamic, sugar, sesame oil, garlic and ginger; add the pork and set the slow cooker to 8 hours on low.  Thirty minutes before the timer goes off, remove the pork and set aside to rest a few minutes; add the mushrooms to the crock pot, cover and cook on low for 30 minutes.  Shred the pork using two forks.  
When the mushrooms are tender, remove about one cup of the broth and reserve if needed. Add the shredded pork to the crock pot and mix well.  Serve over udon or lo mein noodles and top with scallions, cilantro, and sriracha sauce.

Smoked Gouda Beer Cheese Soup
Ingredients
3 tablespoons butter

1/2 small onion, chopped

1 small carrot, chopped

Pinch salt

1/4 cup flour

2 cups vegetable or chicken stock

8 ounces lite beer

1/4 cup cream

1/2 cup milk

8 ounces grated smoked Gouda 

1 teaspoon dry mustard (or Dijon)

Pinch nutmeg

1/2 teaspoon black pepper


Method
Melt the butter in a soup pot or other heavy pot. When it’s melted, add the onion, carrot, and a pinch of salt. Saute 5 to 10 minutes, until the vegetables are softened. Add the flour and stir.
When the flour is thoroughly blended in, add 1/2 cup of broth and stir. Add the rest of the broth, slowly at first, stirring to make sure there are no lumps. Stir in the beer, then the cream and milk. Let simmer gently for 10 to 15 minutes, until the vegetables are very soft.  
Add the cheese to the soup in handfuls, fully incorporating one addition before adding the next. Stir in the mustard, nutmeg, and black pepper. Blend in the pot with an immersion blender, for a smoother soup, or if you don’t have an immersion blender, remove from the heat for 5 minutes, then remove to a blender and blend carefully until smooth. Return to the pot and warm gently.

Easy Tzatziki Sauce
Ingredients
1 cup fat-free plain Greek-style yogurt
2 cloves garlic, crushed

1/2 cucumber, finely chopped
 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
salt to taste

Method
Mix yogurt, cucumber, garlic, parsley, and salt together in a bowl. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate 1 hour. Stir before serving.

Asian Turkey Meatballs
Ingredients
1/4 cup panko crumbs
1-1/4 pounds lean ground turkey (93%)
1 large egg
1 Tablespoon ginger, minced
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
3 scallions, chopped
1 Tablespoon low sodium soy sauce
2 teaspoon sesame oil
Sweet and Sour Sauce or Sweet Red Chili Sauce

Method
Preheat oven to 500° degrees.  In a large bowl combine the ground turkey, panko, egg, salt, scallions, garlic, ginger, cilantro, 1 tbsp of the soy sauce and 2 tsp sesame oil. Gently mix with your hands until combined well. Shape meatballs 1/4 cup in size and transfer to a baking sheet. Bake until cooked through and browned, about 15 to 18 minutes.  Serve with Sweet and Sour or Sweet Red Chili Sauce.

Easy Chicken Broccoli Bake
Ingredients
1 pound boneless skinless chicken breast.  Cut into ½ inch pieces
Salt and pepper
1 teaspoon dried thyme
8 ounces spiral pasta, uncooked
1 1/2 cups warm chicken broth/stock
2 cups warm milk
1 large garlic clove , minced
1 - 2 tablespoons butter
1 bag broccoli florets (1 large head)
1 1/2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
1/4 cup all purpose flour

Method
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Season chicken with salt, pepper and thyme, toss to coat.
Spread pasta in a baking dish. Sprinkle flour over pasta and then pour milk and broth, add garlic and butter and mix well. Spread uncooked chicken over the top, then broccoli. Cover with foil, bake for 15 minutes. Remove foil, stir well.
Add most of the cheese, then stir well again. Top with remaining cheese.  Return to oven. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes until top is golden and sauce is thickened. Let stand for a few minutes then serve immediately.

Bacon Blue Cheese Hashbrowns
Ingredients
½ pound cooked bacon, crumbled
20 ounce bag garlic and herb hashbrowns (Simply Potatoes)
¾ cup crumbled blue cheese
1 cup half and half
6 tablespoons fresh chives

Method
In a large bowl, combine potatoes, 1/2 cup blue cheese, half-and-half, one-half of the chives and one-half of the bacon and mix well.  
Place in an 8 x 8 baking dish or pan and bake uncovered at 375 degrees for 45 to 60 minutes. Top the casserole with remaining bacon, blue cheese and chives and bake an additional 5 minutes.

Crockpot Italian Beef
Ingredients
3 cups water
3 cubes beef bullion
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon dried basil
1 teaspoon onion salt
1 teaspoon dried parsley
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 bay leaf
2 (.7 ounce) package dry Italian-style salad dressing mix
1 (5 pound) rump roast

Method
Combine water with bullion, salt, ground black pepper, oregano, basil, onion salt, parsley, garlic powder, bay leaf, and salad dressing mix in a saucepan. Stir well, and bring to a boil.
Place roast in slow cooker, and pour salad dressing mixture over the meat. Cover, and cook on Low for 8 to 10 hours.  
When done, remove bay leaf, and shred meat with a fork and return to crockpot for an additional 1-2 hours.
Serve on hoagies with sautéed bell peppers and/or Italian giardiniera.  


Ham Lasagna Toss
Ingredients
1 1/2 cups cooked diced ham
½ cup chopped onion
¼ tsp chopped garlic
15 oz can chunky tomato sauce
1 tsp Italian seasoning
2 cups hot cooked rotini pasta, rinsed and drained
1 cup cottage cheese
¾ cup shredded mozzarella cheese
¼ cup parmesan cheese

Method
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Spray 8 x 8 baking pan with cooking spray.  In skillet, saute ham, garlic, and onion.  Mix in tomato sauce and Italian seasoning and saute for 5 minutes.  Set aside 1 cup of meat sauce.  Stir rotini pasta into remaining sauce in skillet.  Spoon ½ of rotini pasta into baking dish.  In a small bowl, combine cottage cheese, ½ of the mozzarella, and the parmesan.  Spread over layer of rotini.  Spoon remaining rotini over layer of cottage cheese.  Top with remaining meat sauce that was previously set aside.  Sprinkle top with other ½ of mozzarella cheese.  Bake 30 minutes covered and an additional 15-30 minutes uncovered.

Gyro Meatloaf
Ingredients
1 pound ground beef
1 pound ground lamb (may substitute additional pound of ground beef)
1/2 cup breadcrumbs
2 garlic cloves, finely minced
3 teaspoons oregano
2 teaspoons onion powder
2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon pepper

Method
Combine all ingredients in a bowl, and mix well.  Form into a flat loaf, making sure you straighten out the edges to form a rectangle so that when it comes time to slice, they are nice and even.  
Bake the loaf on a broiler pan or a pan with raised edges at 350 F for about an hour. Alternatively, you can grill it over coals, that’s my favorite way, just be sure to turn often so as to distribute the juices.  
Allow to cool for at least 10 minutes before slicing thin.  Serve on Pita bread with feta cheese, onion, tomato, and tzatziki sauce.