AUBURN – Pat Zinke is a breast cancer survivor who continued to pursue her passion of cooking through all of her treatments.
“I want to let other women know,” says Zinke, “that because I had cancer and chemo, it did not mean my life stopped.” She is quick to admit that she had family members help her with some other things around the house but held onto a skill and enjoyable pastime she had developed at an early age. Zinke, the oldest of four children, said of her early cooking: “When my mom found out that I enjoyed it, it was mine.”
While Zinke has known adversity, she has also used her cooking skills to help others through tough times. Prior to retirement, she was a director of general assistance in Illinois. She created a program with a local farm in which she and her husband would go once a week and get whatever produce hadn’t sold and pass it along to people who needed the assistance. The produce included turnips, beets and squash. To help people cook with these vegetables, she says, “I went to the library and would find recipes to go along with them.”
Zinke enjoys attending culinary schools to get new ideas. Several of the classes focused on herbs, which she notes add flavor and a healthy touch to cooking. She likes to share some of her healthy cooking tips.
“One yellow pepper has as much vitamin C as an orange,” says Zinke. “I believe in using good salt – no table salt. Kosher or sea salt is better for you.”
Zinke and her husband, John, spend five months of the year living on Taylor Pond in Auburn and the rest of the year in Florida, where her husband is known as “Captain Jack,” a charter captain for fishing in West Florida. “I like to help the customers when they return from fishing on how to cook it,” says Zinke.
Barbecue sauce with Moxie
Ingredients:
1 onion, small, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, put through garlic press
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 cup tomato ketchup
¼ cup balsamic vinegar
¼ cup light brown sugar
1 teaspoon celery seed
1 teaspoon sea salt
1 teaspoon chili powder
1 tablespoon orange zest
2 cups Moxie soda
Method:
In a heavy 2-quart pan, sauté onion in oil until soft, add in garlic and cook one more minute. Add in remaining ingredients and bring to a soft boil. Simmer about 1½ hours, stirring often. Should result in about 2 cups of barbecue sauce.
Wonderful strawberries
Ingredients:
1½ cups fresh sliced strawberries
1/3 cup sugar
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
1 tablespoon raspberry vinegar
Method:
Mix strawberries with sugar. Set on counter and occasionally stir for an hour. Mix in both vinegars and let the mixture rest, and occasionally stir for one more hour. Refrigerate until you are ready to serve. Can be topped with whipped cream or served over ice cream.
Gourmet green enchiladas
Ingredients:
1½ cups cooked and drained ground beef or turkey, crumbled
1 10-ounce can green enchilada sauce
1 16-ounce can fat-free refried beans
1 8-ounce package fresh goat cheese
1 onion, medium, chopped
¾ cup fresh cilantro – stems removed, chopped
1 14-ounce package Manny’s low carb tortillas (8 per package)
1 bottle salsa, to be used in enchiladas and as a side dish
1 container light sour cream
2 tablespoons taco seasoning
Method:
Place cooked meat in frying pan; over low heat add chopped onion. Sprinkle with taco seasoning and cook for five minutes. Remove from heat.
Take one tortilla and lay on flat surface. Spread about 2 tablespoons refried beans down the center. Spread some meat mixture on top of beans. Sprinkle some cilantro over meat, crumble a little goat cheese over cilantro and scatter some salsa over cheese. Fold over until securely rolled, place seam side down in prepared pan (see note below). Continue in same manner until all eight enchiladas are rolled.
Note: To prepare pan for enchiladas, spray non-stick cooking spray in a large baking dish. Place 2-3 tablespoons of green enchilada sauce in pan. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
After all enchiladas are in pan, carefully pour remaining sauce over all enchiladas. Cover with foil and bake for 20 minutes. Remove from oven, remove foil and sprinkle with all the grated cheese. Put back in oven and bake until golden brown and bubbly. Remove from oven and let rest for 10 minutes.
Pat’s note:
Serve with a side dish of greens, onions and tomatoes.
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