Recipe Contest

Vegetarian Nutrition DPG's Recipe Contest Winners Announced! 

The VN DPG is thrilled to announce the winners of  Annual  "Food Around the World" Recipe Contest. Recipe entries must have featured Rice, Beans (legumes), or Potatoes. Each winner will receive $100 for their winning recipe. 

Recipe by Lotta Andonian, Graduate Student, M.S. in Nutrition, Healthspan and Longevity

Ingredients 

1 Sweet Potato, rinsed and scrubbed well
1/4 cup plain or vanilla cononut yogurt
2 tbsp almond butter
2 tsp Maple Syrup (optional) 
1/4 tsp Cinnamon
1 tbsp raw or dry-roasted pumpkin seeds
Pinch of Sea Salt (optional)

Cooking Instructions

• Prick a sweet potato all over with a fork, then wrap in a wet paper towel.
• Microwave on a plate on high for 3-4 minutes, then flip and microwave another 3-4 minutes.
• Poke with a fork to test if done (the interior should be soft). If not done yet, microwave in 1-minute intervals until the interior is soft.
• Cut the sweet potato in half lengthwise almost all the way through, then open to form a V-shape.
• Spoon coconut yogurt into the middle, then drizzle with almond butter and optional maple syrup
• Sprinkle with cinnamon, pumpkin seeds, and optional sea salt.

Black-Eyed Pea Veggie Dip
Recipe by Ginger Hultin, MS RDN CSO

Ingredients 

• 2 tablespoons olive oil, 3 tablespoons fresh lime juice,  1/2 teaspoon ground cumin, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper, 2 teaspoons hot sauce (tabasco, Sriracha, etc), 2 15.5-oz cans black eyed peas, rinsed and drained (consider canned or frozen),  1 1/2 cups corn fresh, canned or frozen (thawed), 1 red bell pepper chopped; 2 green onions, sliced thinly (green and white parts), 1 ripe avocado cut into small cubes; 1/2 cup cilantro roughly chopped

Cooking Instructions

• 1.   In a small mixing bowl, whisk the olive oil, lime juice, cumin, salt, pepper and hot sauce together.   2.  In a separate large mixing bowl, combine the black-eyed peas, corn, bell pepper, onions and avocado. Fold gently to combine.  3.  Sprinkle with cilantro then drizzle with the dressing.

Turmeric Rice with Tamarind-Glazed Roasted Cabbage and Tempeh
Recipe by Lotta Andonian, Graduate Student, M.S. in Nutrition, Healthspan and Longevity

Ingredients 

For the rice:
 1 ½ cups brown basmati or long grain rice 
½ teaspoon salt   
¾ teaspoon black pepper, freshly ground 
1 ½ teaspoons turmeric

For the cabbage and tempeh:  
1 small head of red cabbage, outer leaves removed   
1 package tempeh (8 ounces)   
2 tablespoons tamarind puree  
1 tablespoon sesame oil   
1 teaspoon soy sauce   
1 teaspoon sriracha or other chili sauce   
1 clove garlic, minced   
¼ cup cilantro, chopped  
 ¼ cup roasted peanuts or cashews, chopped   
1 lime, cut into wedges 

Cooking Instructions

1.     Rinse the rice and add to a saucepot with 2 2/3 cups water, salt, black pepper and turmeric. Bring to a boil, then cover and reduce heat to simmer for 30 minutes, then remove from heat. Keep covered and fluff with a fork before serving.
2.     Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.
3.     Cut the cabbage into quarters, remove the core, then cut each quarter into ½ inch thick strips
4.     Cut the tempeh into 1-inch cubes.
5.     In a large bowl, mix the tamarind, sesame oil, soy sauce, sriracha and garlic. Toss the cabbage and tempeh in the sauce.
6.     Spread the cabbage and tempeh mixture on a rimmed baking sheet and roast for 15 minutes, then stir and roast another 10-15 minutes until browned and cabbage is tender.
7.     Spoon the rice into a bowl, then top with the roasted cabbage and tempeh mixture.
8.     Top with cilantro and chopped peanuts or cashews, and serve with lime wedges and extra sriracha.

Winners 

Lotta Andonian, Graduate Student, M.S. Nutrition, Healthspan and Longevity
Lotta is a graduate student in the University of Southern California's Master of Science in Nutrition, Healthspan and Longevity Coordinated Program. (Class of 2024) She has been interested in nutrition and cooking from a young age, and wrote a cookbook to raise money for a local food bank in high school. Prior to going back to school to become a Registered Dietitian, she founded Eat Chic Chocolates, an award-winning vegan, organic, ethically-sourced chocolate company that was sold in over 600 stores, including Erewhon, Whole Foods Market (NYC), Neiman Marcus, and Bloomingdale's, which operated for six years before closing during the pandemic. She takes a holistic approach to nutrition as the foundation for a healthy lifestyle that also incorporates joyful exercise, stress management, sleep, social engagement, a sense of purpose, and self-expression. She hopes to combine her entrepreneurial and culinary background with a strong foundation in nutritional science to help reduce the burden of lifestyle-related disease in an aging society and to promote health-supportive behaviors, especially the inclusion of whole, nutrient dense foods in modern diets. When not working or studying, she enjoys yoga, boxing, cooking, shopping at the Santa Monica Farmers' Markets, and going to concerts and music festivals. 

Ginger Hultin MS RDN CSO

Previous Winners:

• 2020
• 2022

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Celebrate National Nutrition Month<sup>®

This year's theme is "Fuel for the Future." Eating with sustainability in mind is a tasty way to nourish ourselves during every phase of life and protect the environment. A Registered Dietitian Nutritionist can help you create healthy habits that are sustainable and celebrate your unique needs.</sup>