My Favorite Recipes: By Mary Collins: Meet Adrienne Maxwell

Adrienne Maxwell, Pullman, has devoted her career to food and nutrition related occupations. She loves living on the nutritionally rich Palouse.

Adrienne Maxwell grew up just north of San Francisco in Petaluma, Calif., close to Bodega Bay. She earned a bachelor's degree in foods & nutrition at Humboldt State University in Arcata, Calif., and did a dietetic internship for one year in Utah through the VA Medical Center. She has been a registered dietitian for 26 years, specializing in working with families with children prenatal age through 5 years. She also worked as a program manager for San Bernardino County WIC, Puget Sound Education Service District Early Head Start & Preschool Program and as a consultant to early intervention programs.

Maxwell has been married to her husband, Bob, for 23 years. They have two daughters, Madeline, 16, and Kate, 13. The family moved from Puyallup to Pullman in Aug. 2013, when her husband started working for the Pullman School District. Her most interesting trip was when she went to China in 2004, where they adopted Kate. They took the train from Hong Kong to Guangzhou to see as much of the landscape as they could.

“The Guangdong province had very interesting foods that most of us don't eat in daily diets, like snake, squirrel and starfish. Our tour guide said ‘if it flies, swims or walks, it's food to us!’”

Maxwell has been a contractor with the Whitman County Health Department for the last three years. She works primarily in WIC, Children with Special Health Care Needs, Maternal & Child Health programs, does menu reviews for the CCCC preschool programs and coordinates SmileMobile. Additionally, she contracts with Boost Collaborative to provide dietician services for children who are receiving early intervention services.

SmileMobile is a recreational vehicle that has been converted into a traveling dental clinic.

It is sponsored by the Washington Dental Service Foundation and is manned by volunteer dentists.

SmileMobile came to Whitman County in the early 1990s for several trips.

It returned for the first time in 10 years in June, 2015.

Since then it has been here each spring and fall.

The bus is stationed in Pullman, but serves all of Whitman County.

On average, they have helped more than 100 children ages 1-17 and pregnant and postpartum women.

They coordinate with Encounter Ministries, Head Start/ECEAP, WIC, Dr.

Torrey and staff, other local doctors and dentists, all Whitman County School Districts, Pullman Radio, League of Women Voters and United Way to make this happen.

Adrienne said “I really love the Palouse! The people are incredible and they really care about this community. The first thing that really struck me about this area is how nutritionally rich it is. Wheat, garbanzo beans, lentils, split peas, barley, canola and, of course the awesome WSU honey.”

Recipes

Mom’s Christmas Fruitcake

Make these around Halloween

4 cups un-sifted flour

3 cups applesauce

2 cups granulated ........sugar

2 cups raisins

4 tsp. baking soda

1 cup chopped walnuts

2 tsp. cinnamon

1 cup vegetable oil

1 tsp. nutmeg

1 container candied mixed fruit

1 tsp. ground cloves

1 container candied cherries

6 Tbsp. unsweetened cocoa powder

2 Tbsp. cornstarch

Mix dry ingredients together. Add applesauce and oil. Stir batter. Add raisins, nuts and mixed fruit to batter. Pour into four greased loaf pans. Add cherries to the top. Bake in 350 degree oven for one hour or until toothpick comes out clean. Cool and pour brandy over the top. Wrap in wax paper and foil. Pour brandy over the top of the fruitcake every 2 weeks until Christmas.

Roasted Garlic Smoked Hummus

Two cans (15 ounce) Chickpeas/garbanzo beans (may substitute three cups of fresh, cooked beans)

2 large cloves of garlic

1 tsp. of smoked paprika

1 Tbsp. chopped fresh parsley

3 Tbsp. reserved liquid from canned beans (fresh beans use chicken broth)

1/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice

1/4 cup Tahini (sesame seed paste)

1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper

3/4 tsp. salt

5 Tbsp. olive oil

Mix together in a food processor. Serve with Pita wedges, rice crackers or as a dip for carrot and celery sticks.

Garlic Dill Pickles

Use sterile one quart canning jars. Add the following to each jar:

1 Tbsp. pickling salt

1/4 cup cider vinegar

1 large piece of dill (push to the bottom)

2-3 cloves peeled garlic

2 small dried red peppers (add 1 more if you like hot, spicy pickles!)

Add small pickling cucumbers until the jar is full.

Fill with boiling water.

Add lids (according to instruction on canning lids).

Boil in a hot water bath for 12-15 minutes. Jars should form a seal within 20 minutes of being removed from water bath. Place sealed jars in cool, dry place. Ready to eat in two weeks.