Use these resources for cooking demostrations, cooking classes, or when simply teaching about cooking. There are plenty of fantastic recipes here or you can check out our Recipe Finder Database for more inexpensive and healthy recipes.
Food Preparation and Cooking
Recipes for Healthy Kids CookbooksUSDA. FNS. Team Nutrition.
Thirty kid-approved recipes from the USDA's Recipes for Healthy Kids Competition have been included in the Healthy Kids Cookbooks. Three separate cookbooks are available, each with the same recipes standardized for either:
- Homes (recipes for 6 servings)
- Child Care Centers (recipes for 25 and 50 servings)
- Schools (recipes for 50 and 100 servings)
Add a Little Spice (& Herbs) to Your Life!University of Nebraska-Lincoln Extension.
Experiment with herbs and spices to improve the flavor of your food. Also learn how to use seasonings to reduce fat, sugar and sodium in your diet. Available in handouts, downloadable PowerPoint, and online slide show.
Basic Bean Cookery: "Singing the Praises of Beans" (PDF | 354KB)
University of Nebraska-Lincoln Extension.
Beans are a great food to sing the praises of in ALL economic times. Cheap, tasty, convenient and good-for-you too. Tips and recipes are included.
Basic Foods for Cupboard, Fridge & Freezer: Create Your Own List!University of Nebraska-Lincoln Extension.
A "starter list" of basic foods that can be combined and recombined in a variety of new, delicious (and nutritious!) ways. Also available in PDF (172KB).
Cooking 101: Quick and Easy Menus, Recipes and Tips for Singles and CouplesNorth Dakota State University Extension Service.
Series of handouts specifically for those making healthy meals for one or two people. Includes booklets on "Equipping Your Kitchen", "Hot Tips About Food Storage" and "Healthy Eating on the Run". Designed for young adults but may be useful for many age groups. Each handout series is 8 pages.
Cooking with Fresh HerbsUniversity of Nebraska Cooperative Extension.
Site dedicated to relaying the benefits of cooking with fresh herbs. Includes tips, videos, and handouts. One handout, Healthy Cooking with Fresh Herbs (PDF 578KB) gives information on how to select, store, prepare, freeze and cook with fresh herbs and includes information on planting herb gardens. Another, Flavor that Food (PDF 133KB) gives information on herb & food combinations.
Creative Recipes for Less Familiar USDA Commodities Used By Household Programs (PDF | 516 KB)USDA. FNS. Food Distribution Division.
A 28-page collection of recipes for less familiar commodity foods. Includes appetizers, beverages, entrees, side dishes, desserts, and breads, all of which use USDA commodities.
Delicious Heart-Healthy Latino Recipes
DHHS. NIH. National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute.
Provides access to a bilingual (Spanish and English) cookbook containing 23 traditional Latino recipes reduced in fat, cholesterol, and sodium that still taste delicious.
Dinner Tonight Videos
Texas A&M System. AgriLIFE Extension. Healthy Living.
These videos from Texas AgriLIFE Extension Service demonstrate the preparation of a variety of hearty and thrifty recipes and provide ideas for quick and tasty dinners.
Easy Ground Beef Recipes from Your FreezerUniversity of Nebraska-Lincoln Extension.
Think of how often you could use already-browned and ready-to-go ground beef "crumbles" in recipes such as soups and sauces. Here's how to make your own and keep them frozen for ready access! Also available in PDF (614 KB).
Freezing SandwichesUniversity of Nebraska-Lincoln Extension.
Freezing sandwiches in advance can help you save time and money. This fact sheet reviews ingredients that DO and DO NOT freeze well and provides simple frozen sandwich recipes.
Healthy Food Can be Fun/Diviértase al preparar alimentos con sus niñosExtensión en Español.
How to involve children in planning, shopping for, and preparing meals. Also available in Spanish.
Healthy Recipes
Oregon State University. Extension Service.
This site contains more than 125 nutritious, low cost recipes. Many of the recipes have Spanish translations.
Healthy Recipes and Cookbooks Checklist (PDF | 70 KB)University of Hawaii at Manoa Cooperative Extension Service.
Provides information on recipe and cookbook evaluation. Also includes a one page checklist which is Hawaii specific but can be adapted for other regions. Material uses previous versions of the Food Guide Pyramid and the 2000 Dietary Guidelines for Americans.
Substitutions and Equivalents in Food Ingredients (PDF | 62 KB)Purdue University Cooperative Extension Service.
Detailed list of food substitutions.
Ingredient Substitutions (PDF | 137 KB)
University of Nebraska-Lincoln Extension.
This 3-page handout lists substitutes for common ingredients.
Microwave Your Way to More Produce Per Day! (PDF | 5.9 KB)Food and Health Communications.
Basic microwave recipes and tips for cooking fruits and vegetables in the microwave.
Quick and Easy Meals for Less (PDF | 913 KB)University of New Hampshire Cooperative Extension.
Booklet includes low-cost and healthy recipes. Also includes cooking and food shopping tips, and definitions of basic cooking terms.
Quick and Easy Meals Using the Freezer (PDF | 57 KB)Connecticut/Rhode Island Family Nutrition Program. Senior Nutrition Awareness Project.
Provides general tips for freezing make-ahead meals.
Reducing the Size of Recipes (PDF | 123 KB)University of Nebraska-Lincoln Extension.
Guidelines to help you adapt a larger recipe to a smaller one.
Simply Good Eating: Spices (PDF | 919 KB)University of Minnesota Extension.
Curriculum helps low literacy or English learning participants become more comfortable cooking. Includes two activities and four handouts.
Spanish/English Pictorial Recipes (PDF | 3.1 MB)
Oregon State University. Multnomah County Extension Office.
English and Spanish versions of recipes that use illustrations to communicate food preparation techniques. Includes: Apple-Cheese Bake, Chicken Mole, Crustless Pumpkin Pie, Enchilada Rice, Fruit Salad With Jicama, Pineapple Slaw, Taco Salad, Taco Pizza, Chicken Pozole Soup, and Master Mix. Link goes to main page of publications with links to all pictorial recipe categories near the center of the page.
Stay Young at Heart: Cooking the Heart Healthy WayDHHS. NIH. National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute.
Recipes for appetizers, soups, entrees, side dishes and desserts include yield, serving size and nutrient analysis.
Thrifty Recipes: Main DishesThe University of Maine Cooperative Extension.
This resource includes 17 low-cost, nutritious main dish recipes tested by small families.
Top Ten Healthy Cooking TipsAmerican Heart Association.
Includes ten tips to healthy cooking. Gives great ideas for easy preparation and substitution.
USDA's Collection of Nonfat Dry Milk Recipes (PDF | 675KB)USDA. FNS. Food Distribution Division.
A 25-page book of recipes using nonfat dry milk. Recipes included for appetizers, hot and cold beverages, entrees, side dishes, breads, sauces and desserts. Recipes have not been tested or standardized by the USDA.
