Dole is Powering the Hero Within With Their New Captain Marvel-Inspired Recipes!

Disclosure: I received compensation by Dole in exchange for my honest opinion.

Dole is Powering the Hero Within With New Captain Marvel-Inspired Recipes!

In less than two weeks, Marvel Studio’s Captain Marvel is coming to theaters! Dole has another tasty collaboration with Marvel as part of the “Powering the Hero Within” program, which is a 10-week long alliance where Dole created healthy recipes inspired by Danvers’ transformation into the title character. In the past, the Powering the Hero Within Program has included Mickey Mouse-inspired recipes and Incredibles 2 -inspired recipes to name a few. For the Powering the Hero Within Captain Marvel collaboration, Dole’s registered dietitians created these special recipes with women’s health and wellness needs in mind.

Lisa Overman, director of marketing for Dole, is aiming for this collaboration to honor Captain Marvel’s distinction as the first female superhero as the center of a film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe:

“We’re applauding the women everywhere who use their powers, whether supernatural or everyday, to fight for a healthier and more equitable planet. At the top of this list are all the female farmers, chefs, doctors, nurses, dietitians, scientists, engineers, philanthropists, and others who have sacrificed over the years to give us a more fulfilling, nutritious life.”

On Dole, you can find the complete recipe series. Below, you can find some of my favorite they created for the collaboration: A Cocoa Acai Bowl for breakfast, Berried Treasure Yogurt Cups for a yummy snack, Spicy Sweet Potato and Banana Chili in Tortilla Bowls for a delicious lunch, and Vegetable Lasagna for dinner!

Cocoa Acai Bowl

Ingredients:

• 4 DOLE® Bananas, divided
• 1/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon unsalted almond butter, divided
• 2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1 pkg. (14 oz.) frozen unsweetened acai berry pulp
• 2 cups DOLE Strawberries, hulled and sliced
• 1 cup unsweetened almond milk
• 1/2 cup granola
• 1 tablespoon cocoa nibs, optional
• 2 tablespoons shredded unsweetened coconut, optional

Directions:

1. PEEL and slice 2 bananas.
2. COMBINE bananas, 1/4 cup almond butter, cocoa powder, acai pulp, 1 cup strawberries, and almond milk in blender container. Cover; blend until smooth. Divide the puree between four bowls.
3. PEEL and slice remaining 2 bananas.
4. TOP puree with banana slices, remaining 1 cup strawberries, granola, cocoa nibs, coconut, and remaining 1 tablespoon almond butter.

Berried Treasure Yogurt Cups

Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup lowfat granola
• 1/2 cup lowfat Greek yogurt
• 2 teaspoons honey, optional
• 1/3 cup DOLE® Blueberries
• 1/3 cup DOLE Peach, sliced

Directions:

1. LAYER 1/2 granola, 1/2 yogurt, 1/2 honey blueberries in glass.  Repeat layers of yogurt, granola and honey.
2. TOP with peaches.

Spicy Sweet Potato and Banana Chili in Tortilla Bowls

Ingredients:

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 DOLE® Red Onion, peeled and diced
• 4 cloves garlic, peeled and finely chopped
• 1 poblano pepper, cored, seeded and diced (optional)
• 1 tablespoon chili powder
• 1 tablespoon ground cumin
• Salt, to taste
• 1 can (28 oz.) diced tomatoes
• 1 cup water or low sodium chicken broth
• 1 (12 oz.) DOLE Sweet Potato, peeled and diced
• 2 firm DOLE Bananas, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch slices
• 2 cups DOLE Baby Spinach, loosely packed
• Cilantro leaves, diced avocado, sliced DOLE Green Onions, sliced DOLE Radishes, low-fat sour cream or plain Greek yogurt (optional garnishes)
• 8 (6-inch) flour tortillas
• Olive oil spray

Directions:

1. HEAT olive oil over medium-high heat and cook onions until softened, about 5 minutes. Add garlic and continue cooking 2 minutes. Add poblano pepper, if desired, and cook for 1 minute. Stir in chili powder, cumin and salt.
2. ADD tomatoes, water or broth, sweet potato and banana. Bring mixture to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer until liquid is absorbed, about 30 minutes. Fold in baby spinach just before serving.
3. MEANWHILE, preheat the oven to 375°F. Lightly spray each tortilla with olive oil spray. Press into cups of a muffin tin, making sure bases are flat. Bake until firm and lightly browned, about 15 minutes.
4. ARRANGE tortilla cups on serving plates or platter. Fill cups with approximately ¾ cup of chili and garnish with cilantro, sliced green onions, radishes, avocado, and sour cream or low-fat Greek Yogurt if desired.

Vegetable Lasagna

Ingredients:

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 cup chopped DOLE® Onion
• 1 package (8 ounces) sliced DOLE Mushrooms
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1 bag (16 ounces) frozen spinach, thawed
• 2 packages (12 ounces each) soft silken tofu, drained
• 4 teaspoons minced garlic
• 1 can (28 ounces) crushed tomatoes
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1 1/2 cups DOLE Shredded Carrots
• 1 cup shredded part-skim mozzarella (4 ounces)
• 1 box (9 ounces) no-boil lasagna noodles

Directions:

1. PREHEAT the oven to 350°F.
2. WARM the olive oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add the onion and cook for 3 minutes until it begins to soften. Add the mushrooms, 1/4 teaspoon of salt and 1/4 teaspoon of pepper. Continue cooking for 5 minutes or until mushrooms have browned. Remove from heat. Squeeze as much water from the spinach as possible and scatter over the mushroom mixture. Set aside.
3. MASH the tofu with the back of a fork in a medium bowl. Add 1 teaspoon of garlic and the remaining 1/4 teaspoon of salt and pepper. Stir until well combined. Set aside.
4. OPEN the can of tomatoes and add the remaining garlic and the oregano. Stir until well combined.
5. LAYER 1 cup of the tomato mixture in the bottom of a 9 x 13 baking dish. Layer three noodles, side-by-side, on top. Spread 1 cup of the tofu mixture over the noodles, followed by 1/2 cup of carrots, 1/3 of the filling, 1/3 of the spinach mixture and 1/4 of the remaining sauce. Repeat 2 more times, followed by a final layer of noodles, remaining sauce and cheese. Cover with foil and bake for 45 minutes. Uncover and bake another 15 minutes. Let stand 10 minutes before serving.

You can find the complete Dole x Captain Marvel recipe series here. You can see Marvel’s Captain Marvel in theaters March 8th!