Kids Dish

Just kidding. I’m not going to actually write about xantham gum though I will tell you it’s not one of those especially scary and creepy food additives so don’t worry too much if you see it in your ice cream ingredients.

Sadly X is one of those letters that’s not going to get me much food ingredient mileage. The only other ingredient I could find that starts with the letter X is X-cat-ik, a type of chile pepper I’ve never heard of. So instead of the letter X I’m moving on to the letter C- for cupcakes!

Gothamist reports that Assemblyman Michael Benjamin of New York is pushing to make cupcakes the official state snack as a way to foil school cupcake bans. Many schools, in response to the obesity epidemic have restricted cupcakes from classrooms, even for birthday celebrations.

Benjamin said, “Making the cupcake the official state children’s snack is my way of saying, ‘Let’s put some brakes on what’s happening to the cupcake.’ The way the American eagle is the official national bird and it’s illegal to harm one — my thought is, you make the cupcake something similar, and leave the cupcake alone.”

Oddly, I kind of agree with him. As much as I think school cafeterias need to clean up their acts and start serving tasty, healthy foods on a daily basis, I think that banning cupcakes is ridiculous the same way I think that banning all food at classroom parties is ridiculous. Let parents decide what their children can and cannot eat and teach them how to monitor their choices. Why make all the kids suffer? I LOVED when kids brought cupcakes in for their birthdays when I was in school and hated that my birthday almost always fell during spring break so I almost never got to bring them in for my classmates. What was better than homemade Halloween cupcakes with candy corn on top or Valentine’s Day cupcakes decorated with red hots? Even we Jewish kids appreciated the cupcakes decorated with green and red sugar for Christmas.

Michael Benjamin, I applaud you for taking a stand, no matter how insignificant it may be. Teach parents to cook for their kids instead of buying them Happy Meals every night and let them bake some cupcakes for a school party a few times a year. Kids (and teachers) need to celebrate once in a while.

photo by Orange County Girl on Flickr

Acorn Squash, Butternut Squash, Spaghetti Squash, Delicata, Hubbard, Kabocha and fall’s ubiquitous pumpkin are just a few varieties of squashes harvested in late summer and fall. Winter Squashes store well in cool basements for months if they are checked regularly for soft spots or mold.

Unlike summer squash, winter squashes tend to have thick, hard skins so I find it’s easiest to bake first and cut later for the larger varieties like butternut or cut in half and bake in the shell for smaller varieties like acorn. Most squashes are sweet when cooked, making them popular with kids. They’re high in Vitamins A and C, high in potassium and fiber.

To cook most squashes, bake them in a 375 degree oven until the skin is easily pierced with a fork. Cut the squash in half, scoop out the seeds and either serve in the shell or scoop out the flesh and mash or puree. Other squashes are delicious cubed in soups or stews. For these cut first, scoop the seeds, bake for about 20 minutes and peel and cube when the flesh is cool enough to handle.

The flesh of squash when pureed can be baked into breads or muffins for an extra vitamin boost. This time of year pumpkin finds its way into many baked goods like my favorite pumpkin cheese muffins. This recipe calls for canned pumpkin, but if you have access to small, sweet cooking pumpkins, not the large jack-o-lantern types which tend to be tasteless, you can puree the cooked flesh and use the equivalent amount in the muffins.

Pumpkin Cream Cheese Muffins

1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese (low fat is fine. Non fat is not)
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 tablespoons brown sugar

4 1/2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
5 tablespoons white sugar
3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
3 tablespoons butter
3 tablespoons chopped pecans

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup whole wheat flour
1 3/4 cups white sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 eggs
1 1/3 cups canned pumpkin ( I usually add more)
1/3 cup olive oil or applesauce
2 teaspoons vanilla extract

DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Grease and flour 18 muffin cups, or use paper liners.

To make the filling: In a medium bowl, beat cream cheese until soft. Add egg, vanilla and brown sugar. Beat until smooth, then set aside.

For the streusel topping: In a medium bowl, mix flour, sugar, cinnamon and pecans. Add butter and cut it in with a fork until crumbly. Set aside.

For the muffin batter: In a large bowl, sift together flour, sugar, baking powder, cinnamon and salt. Make a well in the center of flour mixture and add eggs, pumpkin, olive oil and vanilla. Beat together until smooth.

Place pumpkin mixture in muffin cups about 1/2 full. Then add one tablespoon of the cream cheese mixture right in the middle of the batter. Try to keep cream cheese from touching the paper cup. Sprinkle on the streusel topping.

Bake at 375 degrees F (195 degrees C) for 20 to 25 minutes.

winter squash, muffin recipe, pumpkin cheese muffin recipe

No recipe today, just a little tip to save you some money.

My old house had a series of widely spaced, fairly useless, narrow shelves. After a few accidents they ended up housing boxes of tea and jars of spices. My mother came over, looked at the expansive spice rack and asked, “Why would you buy imitation vanilla extract?” I shrugged, not wanting to tell her that I bought imitation because the real stuff was about five dollars more. I was embarrassed though, and after that I started buying the real thing.

But now I’m going back to imitation. America’s Test Kitchen, a source I’d trust with any recipe, assures me that their tasters (and I’m sure there were many) could not discern the taste of imitation vs. real vanilla extract in any of their recipes. The America’s Test Kitchen testers also found that they did not prefer one brand of vanilla extract over another. With that in mind I’m done paying the big bucks for the good stuff when the chemical composition of imitation is identical to the real thing. My cookies will never know the difference.

vanilla extract, imitation vanilla extract

Udon noodles are thick, wheat based noodles popular in Japanese cooking. In Japan people eat udon hot in the winter and chilled in the summer. They’re eaten in hot soups, cold soups, and cold udon noodles can be eaten by dipping into different sauces or served with any number of different toppings. Your kids may think that the best part about eating udon is that custom says it’s okay to make slurping sounds while eating udon in Japan. I don’t know if that custom will extend to your kitchen, but if you have a picky eater it may be worth a try.

If you get them at an Asian grocery store you may find udon noodles dried, fresh or boiled so you’ll want to check the package directions before you prepare them. The regular supermarket will most likely have them in the Asian section, near the chili paste with garlic, mirin, and sesame oil the following recipe (from Gourmet, via Epicurious) calls for.

Chilled Udon with Sweet-and-Spicy Chicken and Spinach
serves 4, 45 minutes start to finish
2 to 3 tablespoons finely grated fresh ginger
1 1/2 lb boneless skinless chicken breast halves
1/3 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup mirin (Japanese sweet rice wine)
1 teaspoon Asian chile paste with garlic
2 teaspoons Asian sesame oil
12 oz dried or 16 oz fresh udon noodles
6 cups baby spinach, coarse stems discarded

garnish: julienne scallions and toasted sesame seeds (optional, but good for presentation)

Press or squeeze ginger using a fine sieve or cheesecloth until enough juice is extracted to measure 1 tablespoon. (Or, if you’re me, skip this step and just use the grated ginger as is)

Heat a well-seasoned large ridged grill pan over high heat until hot. Pat chicken dry and season with salt and pepper. Mix together soy sauce, mirin, ginger juice, chile paste, and sesame oil. Set aside 1/2 cup of soy mixture and toss remainder with chicken.

Grill chicken until just cooked through, 4 to 5 minutes on each side. When cool enough to handle, tear into bite-size pieces.

If using dried noodles, cook in a large pot of boiling water until al dente, about 12 minutes. Stir in spinach during last minute of cooking. (If using fresh udon, add noodles and spinach simultaneously to boiling water and cook 10 to 20 seconds total.) Drain noodles and spinach and transfer to a bowl of ice and cold water. When cold, drain well in a colander.

Toss noodles and spinach with reserved soy mixture in a large bowl.

Serve noodles and spinach topped with chicken. Slurp loudly while enjoying.

Using leftover grilled chicken for this recipe cuts the preparation time by a good 30 minutes.

Udon noodles would be great in this Cold Sesame Noodle recipe I posted earlier in the summer.

udon noodles, Japanese cooking, cold noodle recipe

Whether you call it a fruit or a vegetable, last week’s CSA share came bearing tomatoes of all different shapes, sizes and colors. Grape tomatoes, cherry tomatoes, striped tomatoes, green tomatoes, yellow tomatoes and purple tomatoes all made appearances in different meals throughout the weekend. Sam mostly stuck to eating the tiny yellow ones raw, but he particularly enjoyed last night’s pizza, made with a tomato sauce I threw together in about 30 minutes, start to finish.

Red, Orange, Yellow and Green Tomato Sauce (enough for one pizza crust)
4 medium tomatoes of different colors, peeled, seeded and chopped (you can just use the red ones if you like, but the different colors sure do make a pretty sauce)
1 cup of cherry tomatoes, halved
half an onion, thinly sliced
4 cloves of garlic, toasted whole then peeled and minced
2 tablespoons of olive oil
salt and pepper to taste
a few torn basil leaves

To peel tomatoes, with a knife score an x on the bottom of each tomato. Plunge into boiling water for about 30 seconds. Drain until cool enough to handle. Peel. To seed tomatoes, cut them in half and squeeze out the seeds.

While waiting for the water to boil, toast the garlic cloves whole in a dry frying pan over medium heat for about 10 minutes or until brown spots cover all sides. Remove the garlic from the pan to cool. Turn the heat down to medium and pour in the oil. When the oil is hot, cook the onion for 3 to 4 minutes until it’s translucent. Add the tomatoes and garlic and cook ten minutes. If you like your sauce chunky, cook it uncovered, if you like it saucier cook it covered. Stir in salt and pepper to taste and the torn basil leaves.

I made the pizza using a multigrain crust I bought from Trader Joe’s. Boboli will work as well, or you can make your own dough or buy uncooked pizza dough in the supermarket. I don’t have a pizza stone so I stick with the precooked. I put a thin layer of homemade pesto on the whole crust, covered the pesto with the chunky, colorful tomato sauce, and sprinkled the sauce with shredded mozzarella and grated Parmesan. Easy and delicious.

We also enjoyed a white bean and tomato dish that I based on this recipe for Roasted Tomatoes and Cippoline Onions Over White Beans With Garlic-Rubbed Bread Cubes. It was crazy hot so I cooked the tomatoes on the stove top instead of roasting them. When it cools down a bit I’ll try the recipe for real.

Elsewhere on the internet, Farm to Philly offers ten things to do with tomatoes (other than salsa, gazpacho, sauce, or sandwiches)

tomatoes, quick tomato sauce recipe

The yellow zucchini in my garden didn’t make it. Powdery mildew and end rot forced me to rip the plant out by the roots and plant a new crop of haricot verts beans in its place. But zucchinis and other summer squashes the size of baseball bats are still lurking under leaves in other people’s gardens everywhere. So far this summer I’ve eaten small, tender zucchini, yellow zucchini, crookneck squash, and pattypan squash in a variety of different dishes. I’ve eaten it hot, cold, sliced, shredded, sauteed, baked, fried and steamed.

Here are a few of the squash recipes we’ve tried this summer and my thoughts.

We all loved these Zucchini Patties with Feta. I made them for lunch one afternoon and we had almost none left over. Even Sam who doesn’t ordinarily like Feta gobbled them up. If you try the recipe make sure to read the reader reviews because they have a ton of useful advice. The patties require more flour than the recipe calls for.

Bob and I enjoyed the Stuffed Pattypan Squash more than Sam, but Sam did eat some of the filling the next day for lunch. I added fresh herbs and a bit of cayenne pepper to the filling, but otherwise made the recipe as is.

Back in the spring, way before zucchini season, when we learned Sam’s iron was low I made these vegan Full Meal Muffins because they’re supposed to be full of iron. I didn’t have spelt or barley flour so I used white and wheat flour instead and I used golden raisins because I had them on hand. They don’t sound like they’d be that good, but they were surprisingly tasty. Sam ate most of one or two, picking out the nuts and raisins, but then refused to touch them. I froze them and forgot about them for a few months. Now that he’s bigger Sam really enjoys them. Oddly, he enjoys them frozen. I pull them out of the freezer, help him pull off the paper, and he gnaws on them until they defrost and get all sticky on his grubby little hands.

If your kid won’t eat vegetables you can try this Chocolate Zucchini Cake. I don’t know how much nutrition the zucchini adds, but the zucchini sure does make the cake moist. Read the reviews for healthier substitutions. Ladybug’s Picnic posted a similar recipe not too long ago that doesn’t require buttermilk (an ingredient I almost never have on hand and have to substitute). She also posts some of the alterations that she makes to the cake to make it a bit healthier.

It’s probably a bit late in the season for this recipe, and I can’t vouch for the deliciousness since I haven’t made it, but Straight From the Farm has a recipe for goat cheese stuffed squash blossoms with accompanying photos. I wish my zucchini had been healthy enough for me to be brave enough to try it. Next year.

summer squash, zucchini

What are your favorite summer squash recipes?

I know I just posted a risotto recipe last week, but Sam loves risotto more than I do. The absolute best thing about risotto is that you can make Risotto Cakes the next day with the leftovers. If you’ve never had them, risotto cake are little balls (about the size of a ping pong ball) of risotto, rolled in cornmeal or breadcrumbs and fried. They are heavenly. I generally don’t deep fry anything in my house because I don’t have a well-ventilated kitchen. Instead I’m forced to pan fry the cakes in just a small bit of oil. But I’ll give you the proper method that I’d use if I had a true exhaust system.

Risotto - serves two adults and a child or two with enough to make Risotto cakes the next day

1 cup Arborio Rice(or your favorite risotto rice- I like short grain brown rice)
1 White Onion, peeled and finely chopped
2 Cloves Garlic, peeled and finely chopped
4 tablespoons Butter
2/3 of a cup Parmesan
6 cups Chicken Stock brought to a simmer
1/4 cup white wine (optional)
salt and pepper to taste

Heat the butter in a large saucepan or saute pan and gently saute the onions for 3 to 4 minutes. Add the garlic and cook about 2 minutes longer until it’s softened but not browned. Pour in the rice and stir well until it is coated. Pour in the wine, if using, and stir gently until absorbed. Pour in half of the chicken stock and let it simmer on high heat until absorbed, stirring occasionally, about 12 minutes. Then keep ladling in the hot stock, a ladleful at a time, waiting until each ladleful is fully absorbed before adding more. Add stock until the rice is tender to the bite but not mushy, about 10 to 15 minutes more.

Remove from the heat and throw in the parmesan and salt and pepper. Serve immediately with more parmesan for grating.
Place the reserved risotto into a dish and cover well. Leave to cool, then refrigerate.

Risotto Cakes makes about 8

Cornmeal (polenta) or breadcrumbs
Vegetable oil for frying
Mozzarella cubes (optional)

Heat the oil until hot but not smoking. Lightly flouring your hands, scoop out little handfuls of the rice, placing into the palm of one hand and flatten slightly. Place a couple of cubes of the Mozzarella into the center of your risotto cake then close the rice up around the cheese, making sure it’s completely closed. Make it into a ball then place onto a plate. You should be able to make about 8. Wash your hands.

Roll each ball into the cornmeal, coating it well. Using a metal slotted spoon, drop the risotto balls a few at a time into the hot oil and cook for about 2 minutes until golden. Drain on paper towels while you cook the rest. Serve immediately, plain or with tomato sauce for dipping.

risotto, risotto cakes, recipe, rice, absolutely delicious

Quinoa (pronounced keen-wah) is a quick cooking, protein packed whole grain. I called it a grain, but it’s actually the fruit of an herb that’s cooked like a grain, making it a good substitute for rice or couscous. What makes quinoa especially good for you is that it’s a complete protein, containing all nine essential amino acids. Complete proteins are essential for vegetarians, especially vegans, and children like mine who treat most meat like it’s poison.

Though you can buy it in bulk at a health food store, I prefer to buy prepackaged quinoa because most of the work has been done for you. That means you only have to rinse it once before cooking, not the five times recommended in many quinoa recipes. I usually make a quinoa pilaf, similar to rice pilaf, but I saw a few recipes for different quinoa salads that piqued my interest but were a bit too labor intensive. So I scaled them down, switched a few ingredients and came up with this.

Curried Quinoa Salad

1/3 cup plain yogurt
1 lime, juiced and zested
2 teaspoons curry powder
1 teaspoon finely grated peeled fresh ginger
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
2 tablespoons peanut oil (substitute vegetable oil if you don’t have peanut)
1 cup quinoa
1 firm-ripe mango, peeled, pitted, and cut into 1/2-inch chunks (2 cups)
1 red bell pepper, cut into 1/4-inch dice
1 fresh jalapeño seeded and minced
1/3 cup chopped fresh cilantro
1/2 cup salted cashews, chopped

Prepare quinoa according to package directions.

Whisk together yogurt, lime juice and zest, curry powder, ginger, salt, and pepper in a large bowl. Add oil in a slow stream, whisking until combined.

Toss quinoa with yogurt mixture and remaining ingredients in a large bowl. This can be served warm or at room temperature, but I think it’s better cold.

quinoa recipe, vegetarian recipe, vegan recipe

As a kid I was the weirdo who loved eating peas, not just playing with them. (Though I did enjoy playing with them- especially when they were served with mashed potatoes.) As an adult I like them on their own, especially when fresh garden peas are in season. There’s something sort of soothing about getting a quart of peas in the pod and shelling them on the front porch. When they’re not in season they’re still delicious frozen. Peas in the bag, flash frozen still retain their nutrients, don’t have nearly as much sodium as canned peas and cook quickly. I throw them in the water when I make pasta and add them to boxes of mac and cheese when I’m too lazy to cook a vegetable for real. They’re also good with just a little butter and salt.

Here’s a quick, in season recipe that my whole family enjoyed. Even Sam. The recipe and photo were found at Food and Paper. Delicious.

Fresh Peas with Green Onions and Basil

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 1/2 cups fresh shelled peas
2 green onions, white and light green parts, chopped into 1/4 inch pieces
a pinch of dried pepper flakes
1 teaspoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
1/4 cup basil leaves, torn into pieces
parmesan cheese, shaved with a vegetable peeler
coarse salt and fresh ground pepper

Have all of your ingredients ready when you start…everything comes together fast, and you don’t want to overcook your peas.

1. In a medium skillet, heat olive oil and pepper flakes over medium heat.
2. Add peas and cook, stirring, for about 2 minutes.
3. Add chopped green onions and cook, stirring, for an additional 2 minutes.
4. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Add lemon juice and basil. Remove from heat, and stir to combine.
5. Divide between two bowls. Top with shaved parmesan cheese, and serve.

Oats are considered health food because of their soluble fiber which is supposed to lower cholesterol and reduce the risk of heart disease. Oats are not just for breakfast, though a bowl of oatmeal with fruit and nuts is one of the best breakfasts you can eat. You can substitute part of your white flour for oat flour when you bake cookies or muffins. Oatmeal chocolate chip cookies are a still tasty but much healthier alternative to regular chocolate chip cookies. You can sprinkle oat bran on hot or cold cereal, yogurts and smoothies for a fiber boost. If you’re breastfeeding you can even enjoy an Oatmeal stout under the guise of increasing milk production.

One of my favorite ways to use oats is in meatloaf to boost the fiber content.

Meatloaf

One lb ground beef or meatloaf mix
One lb ground turkey (white meat or 7% fat)
Half of a large vidalia onion or one small white onion chopped
one cup rolled oats
1 grated carrot
1 clove minced garlic
2/3 cup ketchup
2 large eggs lightly beaten
1 cup chopped fresh parsley
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper

Knead with your hands to mix all ingredients- don’t overmix. Bake in a nonstick or well greased loaf pan (free form works if you don’t have one)at 350 in a preheated oven for 60-75 minutes or until meatloaf reaches 160 degrees. Drain fat and let sit for a few minutes before serving (serves 8 )

oats, meatloaf recipe

Because I sometimes have the mentality of a 12 year old I keep giggling at the thought of the word nuts. Heh heh.

Nuts are either a seed or a fruit, except for the all-American favorite, the peanut, which is actually a legume. Seed, fruit, or legume, nuts are a great snack, they’re full of the “good for you” fat, and they have a number of health benefits. Studies have shown that eating nuts can lower your cholesterol and protect your heart. One study even suggests that people who eat nuts regularly may live 2 to 3 years longer than non nut-eaters. (heh heh)

Delicious on their own, nuts are also welcome additions to a number of baked goods, stir fries, casseroles and vegetables. One of the most kid friendly way to eat nuts is in butter form. Because of the high oil content in nuts, when ground they make a spreadable paste. Peanut butter is the classic nut butter, but cashew and almond butters are also widely available.

Unfortunately nuts are also highly allergenic, especially the nut that isn’t actually a nut, the peanut. Babies should avoid consuming all nuts during the first year of life or longer, depending on family history. Because I tend to err on the safe side, after I forgot to ask about peanuts at Sam’s 12 month appointment I held off. At his 15 month appointment his pediatrician recommended peanut butter to fatten him up. He likes it on crackers, but he loves it in a smoothie.

Peanut butter banana smoothie

1/2 cup milk (you can also use soy milk or yogurt)
1 frozen banana
2 tablespoons smooth peanut butter
1 generous squirt of chocolate syrup

Blend all ingredients into a thick, liquidy puree.

This recipe makes 2 small smoothies. If you have leftovers freeze them in a popsicle mold.

nuts, peanut butter banana smoothie recipe,

One of the best parts of late summer is the abundance of sweet, ripe melons. Sure you can usually get cantaloupe, honeydew and watermelon all year long at the supermarket, but that stuff is like soggy cardboard compared to the huge variety of melons available come summertime.

No matter what kind of melon you choose, they’re a perfect summer snack. They taste best chilled, either right from the fridge or right from the picnic cooler. You can use them in fruit salads, salsas, cold soups and sorbets. The shells make pretty serving dishes- watermelon shells are a gorgeous vessel for fruit salads. And kids love melon. I’ve never met a kid who didn’t like to spit a watermelon seed (all the more reason to avoid the seedless varieties!) Melon balls are fun and easy for kids to make (and for some reason the phrase melon ball always makes me giggle.)

You can buy melons precut in the supermarket, but you’re much better off buying them whole at the farmer’s market. When picking a watermelon, look for a melon that’s mostly blemish free, symmetrical, and evenly colored with a dull, not shiny, exterior. If it’s hollow when you thump it, it should be ripe. All other melons are easy to pick at the farmer’s market- if they smell delicious, 9 times out of ten they’ll taste delicious. But at the supermarket, when they’ve most likely been refrigerated for a while before they get there, they won’t be so easy to smell. In that case, when you’re choosing honeydew, cantaloupe, casaba, cranshaw, canary or any other variety, look for melons that are slightly fragrant and are heavy for their size. You’ll need to pick up a lot of melons to get the hang of judging ripeness by weight, so if you see someone handling every melon in the pile it’s not as strange as it looks.

If you’re looking to expand your melon repertoire, here’s a quick, easy recipe for melon salsa. It’s delicious with tortilla chips, or as a topping for fish or chicken.

Melon Salsa

1/4 cup fresh lime juice
2 tablespoons (packed) golden brown sugar
3 cups chopped seeded watermelon
1 cup chopped seeded honeydew melon or cantaloupe
1 medium cucumber, peeled, seeded, chopped
1/2 cup chopped red onion
1/4 cup chopped fresh mint
2 tablespoons minced seeded jalapeño chilies

Whisk lime juice and sugar in large bowl until sugar dissolves. Add watermelon and all remaining ingredients; toss gently. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

melon, melon salsa recipe, no cook recipe

By request, this week’s “L” food is lentils, a quick cooking legume. Lentils come in several different varieties and are generally sold dried in bags. Unlike other dried beans lentils don’t need to be pre-soaked and cook pretty quickly. The brown and green colored lentils tend to hold their shape the best after cooking and the red and yellow varieties cook down to what’s almost a puree. No matter what color you choose, lentils are non-fat, low calorie, and full of fiber and iron.

The iron portion is key for me. When his iron was tested at his one year appointment we learned that Sam was slightly anemic. We had to give him iron supplements twice a day for three months which tasted just like iron. He fought the supplements so I tried to slip iron into his self-imposed vegetarian diet as often as I could. He resisted most of my efforts, but every so often he’d forget to be ornery and eat something full of naturally occurring iron. I won’t lie. He didn’t eat lentils. But I’ve heard from other moms that their kids love them so it’s worth a try. I haven’t given up yet.

I’ve only ever cooked green lentils, but I’d love to try this red lentil soup recipe or this red lentil and sweet potato curry. Since I’m familiar with them, here’s a quick prep (15 minutes prep, 75 minutes total) recipe from cookthink.com that uses green lentils and chard since it’s in season.

Chicken, Lentil and Chard Soup
2 boneless skinless chicken breast halves (1 whole breast), cut into 1-inch cubes
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 medium onion, diced
1 medium carrot, diced
2 teaspoons fresh chopped thyme
3 cloves garlic, minced
5 cups low-sodium chicken broth
1 bay leaf
1 cup green lentils, rinsed and picked through
1 bunch chard, stemmed and thinly sliced
2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice

1. Prep all the ingredients. Season the chicken cubes with a sprinkling of salt and pepper.

2. Melt the butter in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. When the foam subsides, add the onion, carrot and thyme, and sprinkle them lightly with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are soft, 6-8 minutes. Add the garlic and stir 30 seconds.

3. Add the broth, bay leaf and lentils and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer gently until the lentils are almost done, 20-30 minutes.

4. Stir in the chicken and chard, and simmer until the chicken is cooked through, 10-15 minutes.

5. Take the pan off the heat, discard the bay leaf and stir in the lemon juice.

lentil, recipe, iron, low iron at one year, soup, red lentils

Kale is a super veggie. It’s full of fiber, iron, potassium, vitamins K, A and C, and studies have shown it has cancer fighting properties and promotes lung health. As a bonus it is very much in season right now, judging by the myriad varieties offered through my CSA.

To prepare kale before cooking, rinse it several times in very cold water to wash away any remaining dirt or sand. It can be eaten with or without the ribs, depending on what your recipe calls for.

If you’re looking for a quick recipe, you can saute kale, ribs removed, until tender (about 10 minutes) and add to cooked pasta with feta, olive oil and pine nuts. Sam picks around the cheese and pine nuts, but he eats the greens and pasta.

If you happen to have a kid like mine who needs to gain some weight, you can also add sauteed kale to mashed potatoes. It’s wonderful, which is a shame since I do not need to gain any weight and it’s currently taunting me from the kitchen.

My all-time favorite kale recipe is White Bean, Kale and Roasted Vegetable soup. It’s also my favorite soup recipe. It’s a bit time consuming, but it’s well worth the effort because the soup is amazing. The roasted vegetables give the soup a creamy sweetness which complements the kale well. The recipe calls for butternut squash, but yams make a good substitute.

White Bean, Kale and Roasted Vegetable Soup

Nonstick vegetable oil spray
3 medium carrots, peeled, quartered lengthwise
2 large tomatoes, quartered
1 large onion, cut into 8 wedges
1/2 small butternut squash, peeled, seeded, cut lengthwise into 1/2-inch-thick wedges
6 garlic cloves, unpeeled
1 tablespoon olive oil
6 cups (or more) canned vegetable broth
4 cups finely chopped kale
3 large fresh thyme sprigs
1 bay leaf
1 15-ounce can Great Northern beans, drained

Preheat oven to 400°F. Spray rimmed baking sheet with oil spray. Arrange carrots, tomatoes, onion, squash and garlic on sheet. Drizzle with oil. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Toss to coat. Bake until vegetables are brown and tender, stirring occasionally, about 45 minutes.

Transfer carrots and squash to work surface. Cut into 1/2-inch pieces; set aside. Peel garlic cloves; place in processor. Add tomatoes and onion; puree until almost smooth. Pour 1/2 cup broth onto baking sheet; scrape up any browned bits. Transfer broth and vegetable puree to large pot. Add 5 1/2 cups broth, kale, thyme and bay leaf to pot; bring to boil. Reduce heat; simmer uncovered until kale is tender, about 30 minutes.

Add beans and reserved carrots and squash to soup. Simmer 8 minutes to blend flavors, adding more broth to thin soup if necessary. Season with salt and pepper. Discard thyme sprigs and bay leaf. (Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover and chill. Bring to simmer before serving.)

recipe from Epicurious

kale, soup, recipe, super veggies

J is for jalapeño! Jalapeños, as hot peppers go, are low to mild on the Scoville scale that ranks their heat. That means if you seed them and remove the white ribs (wearing gloves if you don’t want the heat to linger on your fingers!) they’ll have a nice flavor, minus the tingly hot.

Jalapeño jelly is a fun substitute for boring grape or strawberry on a cream cheese and jelly sandwich, or serve it with crackers, veggies and cream cheese for a fun afternoon snack. Jalapeño poppers, which are peppers stuffed with cheese, battered and deep fried (mmmm. deep fried) are on the appetizer menu at many restaurants these days. But my all-time favorite use for jalapeños, the reason why I’m growing them in my backyard (those are mine in the picture), is eating them chopped in guacamole.

Kids love to dip and Sam is no exception. Last week at happy hour (now that the bars in Philadelphia are smoke-free, happy hour is a family affair) we ordered a side of guacamole and Sam was too interested in dipping his chips into the extremely hot salsa then scraping the hot off of his tongue to bother with it. Knowing that it takes a couple of exposures to a food for kids to like it (Sam has clearly forgotten that avocado was his first food) when I saw avocados on sale at the grocery store I bought a bag. I’ve made guacamole twice since and Sam has caught on. He dips his chip in the guac, licks it off, dips it again, dips his chip back into the bowl of chips, licks off the guac, and dips again before taking a bite. (I know, I’ve got to teach him that double-dipping is anti-social behavior.) Occasionally he’ll reach over and offer his chip to me before yanking it away and eating himself. Such a tease, that kid.

If you’re avoiding the chips, guacamole makes a great dip for veggies, it’s a perfect spread for grilled chicken wraps and better for you than ranch dressing, and it’s a healthy mayonnaise substitute on sandwiches. Get your kids to mash the avocado while you chop the veggies and half the work is done for you.

Guacamole

3 ripe avocados, halved, pitted and peeled
1 small onion, chopped
2 small jalapeño peppers, seeds and ribs removed, finely chopped
1 small tomato, seeded and chopped
1 1/2 limes, juiced (or a couple of tablespoons of bottled lime juice)
1/2 cup of fresh cilantro, cut into smallish pieces (Do not substitute with dried. Yuck.)
salt and pepper to taste

Mash the avocado with a potato masher or fork then add the remaining ingredients, mixing until combined. Serve with tortilla chips.

A tip for storage: when using fresh, the lime juice helps keep the guacamole from turning brown in the refrigerator. An extra squirt or two of lime juice before storage helps, but a layer of plastic wrap directly on the guac works better. Fresh guacamole lasts one to two days in the refrigerator. That’s only if you don’t eat it all at once. We almost never have leftovers.

Jalapeños, recipe, guacamole