Potluck Crowd Pleasers

Summer potlucks call for dishes that travel well, look impressive on a table, and actually get eaten – not just politely sampled. In this free live cooking demonstration, Kelsy Baker, MS, RDN of Sound Dietitians, LLC walks through four crowd-pleasing recipes with practical prep tips, ingredient swaps, and a few nutrition notes woven in along the way. Hosted by Kristina Wigren of Stilly Valley Health Connections, this class is part of the free cooking and nutrition programming offered through SVHC – explore more in our free class recordings library.

What’s covered in this class:

• Cantaloupe salsa – a sweet and savory twist on classic salsa using diced cantaloupe, no-salt-added canned tomatoes, red onion, yellow bell pepper, jalapeño, cilantro, garlic, and fresh lemon and lime juice; chilled before serving so the flavors meld; how to pick a ripe cantaloupe (weight, scent, and the slight-give test); nutritional highlights include vitamin C, beta carotene from the orange and yellow produce, and antioxidants from the onion; versatile enough to top tacos, fish, or salads
• Buffalo cauliflower wings – cauliflower florets dried thoroughly, coated in a batter of flour (or gluten-free 1:1 or almond flour), water, garlic powder, paprika, and pepper, then baked at 450 degrees for 25 minutes before tossing in buffalo sauce and returning to the oven; the class covers cauliflower’s often-overlooked nutritional profile as a cruciferous vegetable high in fiber and compounds that support liver detox pathways
• Warm chipotle lime sweet potato salad – diced sweet potato (skin on for extra fiber), red bell pepper, red onion, garlic, and kale sautéed in olive oil with crumbled bacon; finished with a chipotle lime dressing of mayo, chipotle or paprika powder, and lime juice served on the side; the class covers prepping potatoes ahead of time and adding the rest as guests arrive, and notes on kale – massaging raw kale with a pinch of salt and lemon juice reduces bitterness
• Homemade ranch dressing – DIY buttermilk made by adding lemon juice to regular milk, combined with mayo (look for no hydrogenated oils), Greek yogurt (strain off excess liquid to keep the dressing from getting runny), dried dill, green onions, garlic powder, onion powder, and pepper; stores in the fridge for at least a week; tip to buy infrequently used spices from bulk bins at WinCo or Fred Meyer to save money and avoid waste