March is National Nutrition Month, and it is the perfect time to evaluate your eating habits and maybe consider adding more nutritious foods to your daily meals. Fun fact: many of the ingredients that contribute to a balanced and healthy diet wouldn’t be possible without honey bees, including foods like fruits, vegetables, nuts, and crop seeds. Join us this month in celebrating the humble honey bee and all they do to keep our food world buzzing!
These days, many of us are looking for natural ways to support our health by boosting our immunity and may not know where to start. Antioxidants, minerals, vitamins – these are common health words that we hear nearly on a daily basis, but what exactly do all of these things do? Check out these popular immunity-boosting, honey-inspired recipes from the National Honey Board.
Ginger, Turmeric, Cardamom, Buckwheat Honey Oatmeal
Yield: Makes 1 serving
Ingredients
½ to ¾ cup milk of choice
1 packet (approx. 1 oz) plain instant oatmeal
¼ tsp ground ginger
¼ tsp ground turmeric
¼ tsp ground cardamom
2 tsp buckwheat honey
1 T toasted pistachios, chopped (optional)
2 tsp dried cranberries, optional
Method
- Heat milk in a microwaveable mug in microwave until boiling, approximately 1 minute on high.
- Pour packet of oatmeal into serving bowl. Add ginger, turmeric, cardamom.
- Pour heated milk on top of oatmeal and stir, adding more milk as needed until desired consistency is reached.
- Top with honey, pistachios and cranberries.
Watermelon Salad with Whipped Feta
Yield: Makes 4 servings
Ingredients for Honey Balsamic Reduction
½ cup white balsamic vinegar
2 T honey
1 tsp dijon mustard
zest of 1 orange, plus 2 T of the juice
¼ tsp kosher salt
Ingredients for Whipped Feta
4 oz feta cheese, crumbled
¼ cup whipped cream cheese
3 T honey
6 cups seedless watermelon, cut into 1" cubes
½ cup fresh mint, julienned, reserving a few sprigs for garnish
4 (1") pieces honeycomb
freshly ground pepper
Method
- Combine the balsamic vinegar and 2 T honey in a small saucepan and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to a slow bubble and cook for 8-10 minutes. The syrup will be thickened, remove from the heat and stir in the dijon mustard, orange zest, juice and salt, set aside and let cool.
- Process the feta cheese, cream cheese and honey in a food processor until smooth, chill.
- Combine the watermelon, fresh mint and honey balsamic reduction in a bowl and toss gently. Spoon the watermelon onto 4 plates, drizzling with the remaining balsamic reduction, top with a dollop of whipped feta and garnish with a piece of honeycomb and a sprig of fresh mint and freshly ground pepper, serve immediately.
Honey'd Chicken Stir-Fry
Yield: Makes 2 servings
Ingredients
6 oz chicken breast, sliced into 2 ½ × ½-inch strips
½ cup - Honey of a Dressing, divided (recipe below)
1 T vegetable oil
½ cup sweet red peppers, thinly sliced
½ cup onion, thinly slice
½ cup mushrooms, thinly sliced
4 quarts packed spinach leaves
¼ cup radishes, sliced
Method
- Marinate chicken in 1/4 cup dressing at least 2 hours or overnight, refrigerated. Drain and reserve marinade.
- Heat oil in non-stick pan and stir-fry chicken until juices run clear. Add pepper, onion, mushrooms, and reserved marinade; stir-fry one minute. Add spinach leaves and toss in pan until barely wilted. Add radishes and toss to mix.
Ingredietns for Honey of a Dressing
⅓ cup red wine vinegar
⅓ cup honey
½ tsp diced oregano, crushed
½ tsp salt
¼ tsp ground pepper
1/8 tsp cayenne pepper
Method
-
Combine vinegar and honey; mix well. Stir in remaining ingredients.
Citrus Fruit Salad with Honey Mint Lime Syrup
Ingredients for Honey Mint Lime Syrup
¼ cup honey
¼ cup fresh lime juice
2 T mint, chopped
Ingredients for Citrus Fruit Salad
2 navel oranges
1 white grapefruit
2 pink or red grapefruits
Method
- Cut and peel, removing white pith of oranges and grapefruits. Cut between membranes to release citrus segments and add all fruit to a large bowl. (Can prepare this a day ahead of time and refrigerate).
- In a medium bowl, whisk honey, lime juice and mint together. Pour honey mint syrup over prepared fruit and toss gently until all fruit is combined and coated. Let citrus salad stand for about 15 minutes to allow flavors to blend.
- Cover and refrigerate until chilled. Garnish with mint before serving.
Hot N' Sweet Broccoli and Asparagus
Yield: Makes 4 servings
Ingredients
¼ cup honey
2 T soy sauce
1 tsp ground ginger
½ to 1 tsp crushed red pepper
1 lb broccoli, trimmed
½ lb asparagus, trimmed
2 T olive or vegetable oil
Meethod
- Combine honey, soy sauce, ginger and red pepper.
- Cut up broccoli and slice stem.
- Diagonally slice asparagus.
- Heat oil in large skillet; add broccoli and asparagus and stir-fry over medium-high heat for 3 minutes. Add 1/2 cup water to pan; cover and steam vegetables for 2 minutes or until tender-crisp. Drain water from pan.
- Add honey mixture and cook uncovered until glaze is slightly thickened, about 2 minutes.
Curried Honey Sweet Potato Soup
Yield: Makes 8 cups
Ingredients
1 T olive oil
1 onion, diced
4 ea. medium-sized garlic cloves, peeled
6 cups (48 oz) chicken or vegetable stock
1 lb sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into chunks
2 ea. medium russet potatoes, peeled and cut into chunks
2 tsp salt
¼ cup honey, divided
1 ea. medium red bell pepper, seeded and diced
2 to 3 tsp curry powder
½ tsp pepper
½ tsp ground ginger
¼ cup chopped fresh cilantro, optional
Method
- Heat oil over medium-high heat in a soup pot. Add onion and sauté until translucent, 2 to 3 minutes. Add garlic and sauté 1 minute. Add stock, potatoes and salt. Cover and simmer until potatoes are tender, about 15 minutes.
- Puree mixture in batches, put soup back over low heat and add honey, bell pepper, curry powder, pepper and ginger. Bring to a simmer, taste and adjust seasonings.
- Serve soup with croutons or crostini and sprinkled with chopped cilantro, if desired. Serves 4 to 6.
Honeyed Frozen Yogurt Pie
Yield: Makes 8 servings
Ingredients for the crust
1 ½ cups graham cracker crumbs
6 T unsalted butter, melted
¼ cup honey
Method
- Preheat oven to 350°F.
- In medium bowl, stir together graham cracker crumbs, butter and honey until well combined. Firmly press the mixture into the bottom of a 9-inch pie pan. Transfer to oven and bake 14 to 16 minutes or until dark golden brown. Transfer to cooling rack to cool completely before filling.
Ingredieints for the filling
½ cup heavy cream
½ cup full fat Greek yogurt
2 T honey
½ tsp vanilla bean paste or vanilla extract
For garnish
Fresh fruit, optional
Honey for drizzling
Method
- Place cream in mixing bowl and mix on medium-high speed until soft peaks form. Add yogurt, honey and vanilla bean paste and beat until well combined. Evenly spread mixture in prepared pie crust. Cover and transfer to freezer for at least 4 hours or up to 3 days.
- To serve, let pie stand at room temperature for 20 minutes to soften slightly. While pie is softening, garnish with fruit, if desired. Cut pie and serve drizzled with honey.
Asian-Style Noodles with Spicy Honey Grilled Chicken
Yield: Makes 6 servings
Ingredients
2 ea. boneless, skinless chicken breast halves
2 cups (8 oz) broccoli florets
1 ea. small red bell pepper, cut into thin slice
1 ea. medium carrot, thinly sliced
1 (9 oz) package asian style noodles
2 ea. green onions
¼ tsp Chinese five-spice powder
2 T sesame seeds
⅓ cup rice vinegar
¼ cup honey
2 T peanut butter
2 T soy sauce
2 T vegetable oil
1 T sesame oil
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
½ T crushed red pepper flakes
¼ tsp ground ginger
Method
- In a large bowl, combine rice vinegar, honey, peanut butter, soy sauce, vegetable oil, sesame oil, garlic, red pepper flakes and ground ginger. Remove 3 T sauce to plastic bag; reserve remaining sauce in bowl.
- Add chicken to marinade in plastic bag, turning to coat. Close bag securely and marinate in refrigerator 30 minutes, turning once.
- Meanwhile, cook broccoli, peppers and carrots in boiling water, 2 to 3 minutes, or until crisp-tender; drain and set aside.
- Cook noodles as package directs; drain.
- Add noodles, cooked vegetables and green onion to sauce in bowl; toss to coat. Set aside.
- Remove chicken from marinade; discard marinade. Sprinkle chicken evenly with Chinese five-spice powder. Grill over medium coals 6 to 10 minutes or until done, turning once. Slice chicken across grain.
- Arrange chicken on top of noodle mixture. Sprinkle evenly with sesame seeds.
