Kids Dish

My husband’s family tradition is to eat Pasta e Fagioli, also called Pasta Fazool, on Christmas Eve. I believe the tradition started because the dish, a hearty bean and pasta soup is quick and easy to make before mass and heat up when you get home. We don’t go to mass, but now that we’ve had his family over for Christmas Eve dinner the past two years we’ve kept the tradition going and made a big pot of soup.

My father in law prefers the soup the way his mother made it- with tomato sauce, just a few beans, spaghetti, and no onions, garlic or herbs (other than a shake of dried oregano) to speak of. I prefer a more flavorful, heartier version using smaller, bite sized pasta that fits on a spoon. Either way you make it, both recipes are quick, easy and healthy. Serve with warm Italian bread.

Pasta e Fagioli

Cook the onion in the olive oil until softened, about five minutes. Add the garlic and red pepper flakes and cook about a minute more. Add the tomatoes and the juices, the chicken broth and the beans and simmer about 10 minutes. For a heartier soup, add the pasta and cook in the soup for about 10 minutes, checking often to see if it’s al dente. For a more soup like soup, cook the noodles separately and add just before serving. Add the herbs, salt and pepper and serve with freshly grated Parmesan.

Delaware Online’s article about quick, healthy meals got me thinking. I don’t generally cook anything quickly. The majority of my meals take a minimum of half an hour unless I’m eating something unhealthy or eating something that’s primarily leftover based. Part of the problem may be that my definition of healthy may be a little different than most. For example, many quick recipes call for the addition of rotisserie chicken purchased cooked from the supermarket. I’ve bought them in the past and I don’t think there’s much that’s healthy about them. They’re salty and soggy and the chickens used come from factory farms. You might get a slightly better chicken from a market like Whole Foods, but it’s still supermarket chicken. Other quick recipes ask for store bought sauces and dressings. Unless you’re good at reading labels and know how to choose the healthiest options, most sauces, no matter how healthy and organic they claim to be are full of extra sugar, sodium and added oils. I prefer to make my own sauces, stocks and dressings which often adds to my total prep time.

So how do you make something healthy quickly? The article suggests stocking up on canned beans, chick peas, couscous and frozen vegetables and using the stove top instead of the oven and recommends purchasing a cookbook for quick and easy recipes. Focused grocery shopping, crock pot meals, and actually using leftovers for the next day’s meal (instead of letting them sit until they’re unrecognizable) will also cut down on prep time.

If your family eats fast food more often than you’d like to admit and you want to start cooking healthy meals, the article recommends choosing two nights a week to cook and moving on from there. Shopping with your kids on the perimeter of the supermarket where the fresh foods are located can help get them interested in the process. Getting them involved in prepping the food by chopping vegetables or tearing lettuce if they’re too young to use a knife can also ease your prep burden and make them more invested in the process. Using fruits and vegetables in your meals is key in making them healthy.

Over the next few weeks I’m going to try to change my mindset and move from slow food to quick and healthy. I may even bust out my dusty crock pot to see if I can find an appetizing recipe. If you have any suggestions leave them in the comments.

Here’s a recipe idea from the article with the timing to get you (and me) started.

Berman said parents don’t have to be “uber-organized” to get a healthy dinner ready, but Erica Cover enjoys her detailed methodology when meal planning. She creates her family’s meals for the week on a computer spreadsheet.

She put the tortilla dish in the oven, set to bake for 30 minutes. The time was 5:23. It took Cover 15 minutes to make a dinner that, before 6 p.m., would feed the whole family.

From the Holiday Insights website:

When: Always December 18th

But, Bake Cookies day is for EVERYONE!

I love baking cookies. Well, I love baking most cookies. I cannot, no matter what recipe I use and what approach I use, bake pretty chocolate chip cookies. I can make delicious chocolate chip cookies, but time after time they’re ugly. They always look lovely when I open the oven door, but as soon as they hit the air of the kitchen they begin to spread and flatten, leaving pockmarked crepes with bulbous chocolate chip lumps. Not pretty. Tasty, but not pretty. I don’t know what I’m doing wrong. I’ve experimented with the temperature of the butter, I’ve used the stand mixer, a hand mixer and my hands to mix. I’ve tried the recipe on the chip bag and the recipes in three different cookbooks. I’ve put them on the cookie sheet in rounded tablespoons and teaspoons wondering if it was the size of the uncooked dough that was the problem. I bought new baking soda. I let them cool on the tray and I’ve let them cool on parchment and I’ve let them cool on the racks. No matter what I do make them pretty. So I quit.

Instead I bake oatmeal chocolate chip cookies. Delicious and higher in fiber than regular cookies. My new recipe of choice? Oatmeal, Chocolate Chip, and Pecan cookies. They’re the perfect cookie- crispy on the outside, chewy on the inside. A bit of orange zest adds some unexpected flavor. The cookies are addictive and store well though three dozen cookies of these cookies don’t last long.

Oatmeal, Chocolate Chip, and Pecan Cookies
from Epicurious

Preheat oven to 350°F. Line a large cookie sheet with parchment or a Silpat (rubber nonstick baking mat). Using an electric mixer, beat the butter in a bowl until light and fluffy. Add both sugars, salt, and vanilla, and beat until well mixed, about 3 minutes. Stir in eggs, one at a time. Sift together the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, and clove in a separate bowl. Add half of the flour mixture to the butter with the mixer on low speed. Once the flour has been incorporated, add the second half. Stir in the oats, pecans, orange zest, and chocolate chips. Drop the dough, by the tablespoon, onto the cookie sheet and bake for 10-12 minutes or until golden. Remove from the oven and cool the cookies on a rack. Store at room temperature in a cookie jar or other airtight container.

I used less orange zest than the recipe called for the first time based on a recommendation from Smitten Kitchen (the photo was borrowed from Smitten Kitchen too since her photography is far superior to mine) and the full amount the second time I baked these. Everyone who ate them loved them both ways. I was surprised that no one mentioned the orange, especially after reading some of the reviews on epicurious.

I use ginger in recipes pretty regularly because I love its hot, tangy flavor. I use it primarily in Asian dishes like rice and stir fries and paired with carrots. But ginger, both in its sweeter ground form and fresh is a deliciously subtle addition to many baked goods.

With Christmas coming I know many people are in the middle of holiday baking. Here are two recipes for Ginger Cookies, one using fresh ginger and one using ground and crystallized. Because the dough in both recipes has to be refrigerated these are great to make ahead. You can freeze the dough and thaw in the refrigerator to use or refrigerate for up to three days before baking. Both recipes also store well so you can bake ahead and serve a few days later.

I know that the following recipe is for cookies, not health food, but if your little one likes ginger cookies and needs iron you can use blackstrap molasses. Just add an extra tablespoon or two of sugar.

Fresh Ginger Cookies

Roll dough into 1 1/2 inch balls and then roll them in sugar. Place 2 inches apart on ungreased baking sheets. Bake until edges start to brown, about 15 minutes. Centers will be slightly soft. Let stand on cookie sheets 1 minute and remove to racks to cool completely.

For the Ginger Spice cookies you can substitute butter for some or all of the shortening. I’d recommend half and half, especially now that they make and sell trans-fat free shortening, but using all butter works too. I love crystallized ginger and the little ginger bits add a lot of sweet, spicy taste to these cookies, but if you’re not a fan you can omit it and add a bit more of the ground ginger.

Ginger Spice Cookies
2 cups all purpose flour
2 1/2 teaspoons ground ginger
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground cloves
3/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup chopped crystallized ginger
1 cup (packed) dark brown sugar
1/2 cup vegetable shortening, room temperature
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 large egg
1/4 cup mild-flavored (light) molasses

Here’s a third recipe from the Elementary Chef.

In the past few weeks I’ve seen carbonara recipes all over the place and for the first time ever they started to appeal to me. Carbonara is basically bacon and eggs pasta. I’ve heard rumors that it’s Italian hangover food. I love bacon but I’m not a huge fan of eggs which is why the idea of carbonara never intrigued me. But lately? I don’t know, for reasons I can’t explain I needed to give it a go. I’m so glad I did.

Carbonara is not a recipe for people on low fat, low cholesterol diets or for people who live in permanent fear of getting sick from what they eat. The three eggs used in the sauce are not fully cooked. The recipe I used calls for heating an oven-proof serving bowl in the oven while the rest of the dish is prepared so the combination of hot pasta and hot bowl cooks the eggs just enough. I recommend using the freshest, locally grown eggs from humanely raised chickens you can find for this dish. The whole thing takes about 30 minutes start to finish. Heat up a loaf of fresh bake Italian bread along with it and serve with a salad and a simple steamed vegetable. We skipped the salad last night and inhaled the entire bowl of pasta with some leftover steamed broccoli and half a loaf of bread.

Sam, after deciding the fork was entirely too much at the pasta by the handful. He ate two and half bowls crying “More noonoos” each time his bowl was empty. Since he was eating by the handful, we refilled his bowl using spaghetti spilled on his tray and bib three or four times. Seriously, he loved the pasta. Loved it. This is the first thing he’s loved since my leftover pot pie and it took him two or three days to warm up to that. This he couldn’t get enough of from the first bite.

Spaghetti Carbonara

When the pasta is still slightly firm (al dente) drain in a colander, first reserving 1/2 cup of pasta water. Leaving the pasta slightly wet, add it to the pan and toss it with the bacon and reduced wine. Add in the egg and toss with tongs until well combined. Transfer to warm serving bowl, add fresh parsley if using and salt and fresh ground pepper to taste and serve hot.

I loved this pasta, but I plan on modifying the recipe the next time I make it. I don’t think the bacon needs to cook in olive oil. Well, perhaps it does if you’re using pancetta or another more authentic Italian bacon, but I used locally raised cured bacon and it didn’t need any extra oil. I’ll skip the oil, drain the crisp bacon on paper towels, pour off all but a tablespoon of the bacon grease and follow the recipe as written from there.

Because it’s all I have in the house I used whole wheat spaghetti. Next time I want this I’m going to use regular spaghetti to make it more like comfort food. And if you don’t have white wine you can substitute vermouth or chicken or vegetable broth. If you use broth, add a tablespoon of vinegar or lemon juice to the egg mixture.

If you’re sketched out by the barely cooked eggs, this recipe from Emeril calls for cooking them slightly.

I bought two bags of cranberries for Thanksgiving before my aunt told me she’d make the cranberry sauce. She did not bring any cranberry sauce for dinner but by the time she arrived it was too late for me to start so I got stuck with two bags of cranberries. Not knowing what to do with them, I stuck them in the freezer. They were taking up space I decided to use some.

I’m not a huge fan of muffins, yet for some reason I like to bake them. These cranberry muffins turned out much better than I expected. Bonus points for Sam loving them and asking for “muffin, muffin” every time he sees them. The recipe is for 12 regular sized muffins. I froze half.

Cranberry Muffins
INGREDIENTS

In a mixing bowl, cream butter and sugar. Add eggs and vanilla; mix well. Fold in sour cream. Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, nutmeg and salt; stir into the creamed mixture just until moistened. Fold in cranberries. Fill greased or paper-lined muffin cups two thirds full. Combine topping ingredients; sprinkle over muffins. Bake at 400 degrees F for 20-25 minutes or until muffins test done. Cool in pan 10 minutes; remove to a wire rack.

Feta cheese, a Greek cheese usually made from goat’s milk, is sharp and salty. The consistency varies, but most feta available in regular supermarkets has a dry, crumbly consistency. Some feta cheeses are now made of cow’s milk and others are creamy rather than crumbly, but feta can be addictive in all of its forms.

Feta is a great cheese crumbled on salads. Bob loves traditional Greek salads made with chopped tomatoes, cucumbers, red onion, olives and feta. Here’s a recipe from the Boston Globe. I like feta on baby spinach with cranberries, grapes, nuts and a balsamic vinaigrette. The feta adds a punchy, salty counterpart to the tart, sweet fruits, the nuts (I like walnuts or pecans) add protein, and the baby spinach base has more nutrients and a stronger flavor than lettuce but the baby leaves are still tender.

But my favorite way to use feta is in another traditional Greek dish- Spanakopita. Spanakopita is a pie made with spinach and feta layered in crispy phyllo (sometimes spelled filo) dough. You can usually find prepared spanakopita in the freezer case at your local supermarket but it’s a fun, though labor-intensive dish to make yourself. You can make it as one large pie or if you’re throwing a party you can make individual spanakopita triangles that are light, crispy, slightly healthy finger foods. I say slightly healthy because the spinach, cheese and egg may add protein, calcium and nutrients, but the butter needed for the phyllo may just cancel it out. Here’s a recipe for the triangle sized version from the Food Network. When I make spanakopita I use the recipe from the Moosewood cookbook. (The original version seems to be out of print. I don’t know if the updated version has the recipe.)

Spanakopita

Bake uncovered, about 45 minutes–till golden.

Phyllo dough is notoriously tricky to work with until you get the hang of it. I like making one large pie because it requires less fiddling with the delicate layers of pastry. To keep the phyllo from crumbling, lay it out on the countertop and cover it with a sheet of plastic wrap and a damp kitchen towel. You’ll have to remove the cover to get a new sheet which requires some finagling, but it will keep the feta from drying out and help it stay in one piece. It’s not a big deal if the sheets rip. Just lay the ripped portion over the other piece so it overlaps.

This is also a great recipe to get your kids involved in the cooking process. They can stir the spinach mixture and be in charge of brushing the phyllo with butter. Having the kids “paint” the butter on the pastry will make it easier for you to transfer each phyllo sheet into the pan.

(Easy as ABC Monday’s last F post was F is for fish)

Sweet potato latkes, almost identical to latkes made with regular white or yellow potatoes looking at a list of ingredients, are (dare I say it?) possibly superior. Seriously, they are amazing. And I’m not talking about the fact that they’re healthier than regular potato latkes. Yes, sweet potatoes have more fiber and nutrients, but the taste is superb. I don’t know what it is about the simple substitution of a sweet potato but the difference is incredible.

Bob took his first bite and asked, “What did you put inside of these?� I said they’re sweet potato latkes. He asked again what I put inside them. Again, I told him sweet potatoes. He said “yes, but what’s in them?� I explained that they were practically identical to the previous night’s latkes except for the type of potato. He said, “yes, but they taste like something’s in them. They’re delicious.�

After I took another bite I understood what he was talking about. Unlike the plain potato latkes they have a bit of a soft, sweet center, like they’ve been filled with something. This might be a bad comparison since the two foods are absolutely nothing alike, but they’re crisp on the outside and warm and soft of the inside like a freshly baked chocolate chip cookie. Only salty, and served with sour cream and applesauce.

This recipe serves 4 but it’s easy to double if you want more. It takes about half an hour start to finish.

Sweet Potato Latkes

Heat oil in a deep 12-inch nonstick skillet over moderately high heat until hot but not smoking. Working in batches of 4, spoon 1/8 cup potato mixture per latke into oil and flatten to 3-inch diameter with a slotted spatula. Reduce heat to moderate and cook until golden, about 1 1/2 minutes on each side. Transfer latkes with spatula to paper towels to drain.

My notes. I didn’t quite have a pound of sweet potatoes so I used one small Yukon Gold potato in the mix. I also didn’t have scallions so I used half of a finely chopped yellow onion. I used less vegetable oil than the recipe called for. In my non-stick pan I ran out of oil altogether with about 5 latkes to go. I didn’t add more and the last latkes did just fine without it. I’m not recommending not using oil. You need oil for authentic latkes. However, if you run out, I wouldn’t add more unless you’re willing to wait for the oil to heat again.

This is crucial. For latkes that stay crisp, do not drain them on paper towels. Place a wire rack on a foil lined baking sheet in a preheated 250 degree oven to drain and stay warm. The oil will drain, but the latkes will stay crispy, no matter how long it takes to finish the rest of the latkes. This is important if you’re doubling the recipe.

I should add that Sam wouldn’t touch these. I guess latkes aren’t familiar enough. But if you read the reviews at the recipe site at Epicurious most of the reviewers stress that their kids, even those who won’t touch sweet potatoes, went back for seconds and thirds.

Last year we had about a dozen people over for latkes and candle lighting, but this year we decided not to do a big Chanukah dinner. Even though Sam’s too young to really remember I still think it’s important to keep the ceremony going, whether we celebrate it with friends and extended family or just celebrate the holiday ourselves. Last night we lit the first candle in the menorah and said the traditional prayers. Sam got a Chanukah present, a collection of Curious George board books in a little carrying case. He was thrilled with the books and didn’t want to let them go when it was dinner time and pretty much ate nothing. Tonight we decided to do it differently. We ate dinner first, then lit the candles.

Dinner wasn’t necessarily a traditional Chanukah meal, but tonight Bob helped me make latkes, fried potato pancakes. Oddly, tonight was the first time I’ve ever made them. As a kid my grandmother or mother made them. I don’t know what recipe they used. But their latkes weren’t made with shredded potatoes. I’m pretty sure they mixed them in a blender with matzoh meal and onion. The resulting mixture was liquid and fried up more like a traditional pancake. Crispy on the outside and soft and warm in the middle. I like that version but decided to go with a more typical grated version. I saw several different recipes online but they all seemed pretty complicated for something that I just thought was made with potatoes, onions and egg. Epicurious, the old standby provided the recipe I used.

Bob grated the potatoes while I chopped the onion. He drained them and squeezed out the water while I prepared the rest of our untraditional dinner- buttermilk biscuits, spinach and leftover meatloaf. The biscuits (a new recipe I’ll post later) were awesome. But the latkes were fantastic. Crisp and delicious. Sam, true to form, wouldn’t touch them, instead eating all of the spinach off my plate and a few spoonfuls of applesauce. At least he eats his veggies. One of these days he’ll realize fried foods are a gift from the gods and beg for more.

Potato Latkes

Serve with sour cream and applesauce.

I think this just may be latke week. Tomorrow I’m going to try sweet potato latkes and later in the week I’m going to have to give these apple fritters a go. Happy Chanukah!

This is in no way groundbreaking research but yet another study, this time published in Pediatrics, says that the way to raise children who like fruits and vegetables is to eat them yourself while pregnant and nursing to pass on the preference.

Repeated exposure to fruits and vegetables in infancy is key, said study senior author Julie Mennella, a biopsychologist and member of the Monell Chemical Senses Center in Philadelphia. “They need to taste them to learn to like them.”

Mennella’s advice: “Eat the fruits and vegetables you enjoy while you are pregnant and lactating, because your baby is going to be learning about those foods. Whether you are breast-feeding or formula-feeding, once you start introducing a food, make sure you offer your baby opportunities to eat fruits and vegetables. They need to taste them to learn to like them.”

From my limited personal experience I have to say this is true. Sam loves fruits and veggies and won’t touch cows milk, a beverage I’m won’t drink either unless disguised by espresso and sugar. Yesterday the freak picked all of the broccoli off of his, ate it, and left the pizza itself untouched. He did ignore all of the tomatoes though. He’s a chip off of the old block.

(I’m double posting this at Nursing Your Kids)

Escarole is a variety of chicory with bitter, bright green leaves. Similar to kale and spinach, it’s packed with nutrients. It’s eaten raw in salads but I usually prepare it by steaming or braising. I love escarole and beans, but my absolute favorite way to eat escarole is in Italian Wedding Soup, where escarole is cut into thin strips and cooked in broth.

Italian Wedding Soup is appealing for a variety of reasons. It has little meatballs, pastini, and a chicken broth base. It’s a perfect soup for little mouths and the escarole adds vitamins and nutrients. Even if the escarole is overcooked or your picky eater picks it out, you’re cooking it in the broth so any lost nutrients will just be absorbed by the soup and pasta. It’s a win, win situation.

Italian Wedding Soup

Soup: Bring the broth to a boil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Add the meatballs, pasta and escarole and simmer until the meatballs are cooked through, pasta is al dente, and the escarole is tender. Season the soup to taste with salt and pepper.

A few notes. If you have time, precook the pasta. That way you can add the cooked, drained, pasta to the soup and it won’t suck up all the broth. If you’re so inclined, brown the meatballs before adding them to the soup. It’s not necessary, but it adds a nice flavor. If you’re trying to sneak veggies past your picky eater kids you can grind them in the food processor and add them to the meatballs. If you brown the meatballs before adding them they probably won’t notice.