Learning to Eat – Page 115

Blueberry Muffins

March 30, 2009 By caroline in Uncategorized Tags: baking, cooking with kids, recipes

I am not a Sneaky Chef. My brownies are not made with white bean purees, my guacamole contains only avocado, lemon or lime juice, and salt (no steamed pureed spinach, broccoli, or green peas), I use neither cauliflower nor sweet potato in my tomato sauce. I do understand the thinking behind trying to boost the nutrition of certain common foods kids like by adding purees of certain foods kids tend to dislike, but honestly, that kind of deceptive tactic really saddens me. If my kids don’t like sweet potatoes, then they’re never going to learn to like them by eating them mashed into brownies. I’d rather roast sweet potatoes, bake regular brownies, and give them more carrots and spinach to get them their Vitamin A. So sue me.

But first, make these muffins. They might seem to be slightly sneaky chef-like, because I’m suggesting you replace some of the butter with ground flax seed, but ground flax seed is not a food you can really eat or learn to love all on its own. It wants to be baked into things, and when it is, it provides a buttery nuttiness (plus lots of folate and minerals) to whatever you’ve baked. This recipe comes originally from the late, lamented Wondertime, with some revisions (of course) from me; they are the best blueberry muffins I’ve ever made.

2 c flour

2 t baking powder

1 t baking soda

4 large eggs

16 oz sour cream or yogurt (I use nonfat Greek yogurt, which works beautifully)

10 T butter or 8 T butter and 6 T ground flaxseed

1 3/4 c brown sugar

2 c old-fashioned rolled oats

2 c blueberries (if frozen, do not thaw)

Heat oven to 375.

Line two 12-cup muffin tins with muffin cup liners (you really do need them for this recipe).

In a small bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and flax (if using). Set aside.

In a large bowl, beat eggs with sour cream or yogurt until thoroughly combined.

In a small saucepan, melt butter and brown sugar, then cool slightly (about 5 minutes) and stir into egg mixture. Stir in oats. Fold in flour mixture and then gently fold in the berries. Fill muffin cups about 3/4 full.

Bake for 20-25 minutes, until edges are medium brown and tops are firm. If you’re using flax, the muffins will brown before they are baked through, so cover with foil after 15 minutes.

(Vegan) Cranberry-Orange Bread

March 19, 2009 By caroline in Uncategorized Tags: baking, recipes, vegetarian

by Caroline

or, “Using the last of the winter’s frozen cranberries to make way for more kumquats”

A recent installment of Pete Wells’ regular Cooking With Dexter column in the NYT magazine offers one of my all-time favorite chocolate cake recipes, one I’ve been making since I was about seven. Our family called it crazy cake and we found the recipe in Peg Bracken’s wry I Hate to Cook Book. More recently, I’ve seen the recipe in one of the Moosewood cookbooks ; Pete Wells found it in Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World, by Isa Chandra Moskowitz and Terry Hope Romero. Wells is baking vegan, aided by his “unlikely allies,” because of his son’s food allergies; we are baking (occasionally) vegan because of my teenage niece’s dietary preferences. No matter how or why you get there, and even if you aren’t a vegan or vegetarian, Moskowitz & Romero’s books are worth checking out. The women are good and funny writers–which matters to me, even in a cookbook; they are your companions through a recipe, after all, and you want to enjoy their company– and they don’t require any particularly unusual ingredients. They cook with food, and thus the recipes produce delicious things to eat.

I’m posting this recipe straight and unadulterated (rare for me) from Veganomicon, Moskowitz and Romero’s most recent cookbook. I put the vegan in parentheses up there so that people might find this in their searches for vegan recipes, although if baking vegan troubles you, just ignore that part.

1/2 c soy milk (I used almond; I expect you could unveganize this quite well with regular cow’s milk, too)

1/4 c fresh orange juice

1/4 c canola oil

1 c sugar

1 t vanilla extract

2 c all-purpose flour

1 1/4 t baking powder

1/2 t baking soda

1/2 t salt

1/4 t ground allspice

1 T grated orange zest (zest your orange before you juice it; it’s much easier)

1 c chopped fresh or frozen cranberries (if your berries are frozen, don’t bother thawing them before using)

1/2 c chopped walnuts

Preheat the oven to 325. Lightly grease a 9×5″ loaf pan.

In a large mixing bowl, combine the milk, oj, canola oil, sugar and vanilla.

Sift in the dry ingredients and mix until just smooth. The batter’s pretty thick, but don’t be alarmed. Fold in the orange zest, cranberries and nuts. Spoon the batter into the prepared pan and bake for about an hour. Let the bread cool for 15 minutes or so before turning it out onto a cooling rack.

I Let Them Eat Cake

March 19, 2009 By lisa in Uncategorized Tags: afterschool snack, baking, cardamom vanilla pound cake, chocolate guinness cake, cooking with kids, dessert, everyday cocoa cake, Harriet the Spy, recipes, snacks, sweets

by Lisa

My daughter wants to be a spy. Specifically, these days, a CIA operative.

What does this have to do with food, you might wonder?

As we’ve been working our way through the library holdings of spy books for children, I re-found of course, Harriet the Spy, which is one of the best books for children that’s ever been written. Harriet is wedded to routine, including her spy route, Ole Golly, her coveted notebooks, and a snack of cake and milk every day after school.

Back in January when we were reading the book, we had a house full of leftover fresh cakes: my Chocolate Guinness birthday cake (in which we substituted the easy glacage in this recipe for the frosting), the Obama cake which is really just an Everyday Cocoa Cake + said glacage + fondant). One day, with all that cake lying around about to go stale, I had an epiphany:

If I grew up eating cookies and milk after school, why couldn’t my kids have a very small slice of homemade cake and milk?

I decided that what was good for the goose was good for the goslings, and we started our own Harriet the Spy ritual: cake + milk every day after school. Seriously.

This was a big hit with the offspring, of course, solved the problems of all those leftovers, and even made homework a lot more pleasant on tired days.

To keep the cakes fresh, I cut them into very thin slices, wrapped them in Gladwrap (that spaceage weird plastic that sticks to everything. It’s not green, but used sparingly in your home it is perfect for jobs like this), and froze the whole batch in a gallon ziplock freezer bag.

Now, each day, I can take out 2 small slices, which defrost very quickly. It gives me unreasonable pleasure to set out the cake on two small plates with two small glasses of milk.

This is an amazingly economical strategy, too–absolutely the recessionista way to give your kids fun snacks. Recently, when we ran out of our chocolate cakes, I baked a cardamom vanilla pound cake, which was pretty enormous, and delicious. We had two family desserts from it (above, with whipped cream), and still enough leftovers for 2-3 weeks of afterschool snacks. (Remember, very small slices of something really good is very satisfying. Plus you don’t want to ruin dinner.) Even though the cardamom and vanilla is expensive, at this rate, I figure I can bake about once a month, and have a real treat in the house. The side benefit is that when they beg for dessert you can remind them they already had it.

Green Food. Literally.

March 18, 2009 By lisa in Uncategorized Tags: recipes

by Lisa
I like to pretend I’m Italian, and even though I do have ancestors who immigrated from the very most southern region of Germany, which might have been Italy back then, I am really of mostly Irish descent, so St. Patrick’s Day is a lot of fun for us. It’s my son’s Saint Day, and Ella has been making leprechaun traps for as long as she could talk, and though lots of tricks have been played on us, we’ve not yet caught one.

As for food, of course we cook corned beef, because we all love it, even though I never saw one the whole time I lived in Belfast (but lots of salmon, potatoes, and ulster fries for breakfast).

But the real fun is when the leprechauns turn everything green for breakfast:

Green eggs (Hard boil, peel, then let the eggs sit in food dye. They’re fun for lunches, too.)

Green vanilla milk (whole milk + vanilla + confectioners sugar to taste):

Green “white” bread from the bread machine:

which is good fun for sandwiches:

and green soda bread and homemade butter:

I’m a purist when it comes to soda bread, and much prefer this version, which is like what you really get in Ireland, to the sweet Irish American version with raisins and caraway. (The trick: do not knead too much or it gets very tough.)

I don’t know how much longer the leprechauns will get away with all this, but for now, it’s fun.

Surviving First Grade

March 11, 2009 By lisa in Uncategorized Tags: cooking with kids, family dinner, fast food, marketing, produce, recipes

by Lisa

Or: Surviving 3 months of Migraines.

Or: Surviving Afterschool without Insanity.

Or: Getting Dinner on the Table. Fast.

Or: What to Do About Dinner When You and/or Your Children Just Can’t Cope.

The adjustment to first grade was hard for us. Ella loved school–more than ever, really–but she was also completely exhausted by it. She’d emerge onto the blacktop each day looking about as disheveled and worn down as it’s possible for a child to look without having a 103 degree fever. Then she had to do homework–not a lot, mind you, it was truly a very small amount–but early on, anything that involved sitting upright was, well, rough. This situation was compounded by the fact that during these months I was beset by several migraines a week, for which I was prescribed heavy doses of medication which made thinking impossible, cooking difficult, and any amount of added stress nearly unbearable. It was not a good time for our family. My husband had started a new position, too, which required longer hours, so help at and with dinner and bed wasn’t forthcoming either.

In the clear-headed, quiet moments (there were a very few), I had to figure out how to feed my very tired, very hungry children with a minimum of stress and preparation. The difficult part was that my daughter especially needed the most attention and care and supervision during the witching hours, between 3 and 5 pm, when I would normally prep dinner. But back then, spending more than 15 minutes on dinner was pretty much out of the question.

And while we do have some good places for take-out (delivery, not so much), that would have involved piling the kids in & out of the car and driving–which was out of the question. If you can imagine back to how you felt during those first days of bringing your newborn home from the hospital, when even defrosting the meals you & your friends had painstakingly stockpiled in the freezer, you can get a pretty good idea of my exhaustion during this time.

I knew that part of surviving these early days and adjusting to the new routine would involve keeping Ella rested and well-fed, and developing a calm routine. Devising how to do this was a major part of feeding my family in the last months of ’08. Now that my health has returned, and Ella manages school swimmingly, I can still use the general principles I developed back then on those days when things run late, or spin out of control, or the best laid plans run amuck. Which, of course, they sometimes do. So, for what it’s worth, here are my emergency strategies and plans for those busiest, terrible days.

My first strategy: The Snack. Right after school, I sat Ella & brother down for a good snack. Sometimes this would be a cookie or two & milk. Sometimes it would be whatever fresh fruit we had from the farmer’s market. Sometimes it was fresh almonds or pistachios, which we also get from the farmers market in all sorts of great savory and sweet flavors. Sometimes it was fresh popcorn. I pretty much let her eat a small amount of whatever made her happy. Happiness is good and so, I believe, are most things, in moderation.

For dinner, planning is essential.

1. Many side dishes can all be prepped and ready to go hours ahead:

I work from home, so it’s possible for me to get one or two things started at lunchtime, or right after lunch. I still do this all the time. I can wash and prep vegetables and set them in their pots to simmer/steam. This might involve broccoli, spinach, green beans–whatever is in season. I left little pots of carrots or radish or celery in the refrigerator to set out before dinner. If I’ve made a batch of homemade Thousand Island dressing, I throw that on the table too. It’s delicious, and it keeps. The principle is to get as much done when a) I’m not so tired and b) my kids aren’t both home and tired and doing homework and cranky. Getting side dishes ready to get frees me up to be with them and cook a really simple main dish right when it’s time to eat.

Since we eat whatever is seasonal and fresh from our farmer’s market, digging into my vegetable bin for a side dish or two is really, really simple. Vegetables can be simmered or steamed in a matter of minutes, or very quickly sauteed with garlic, add olive oil, salt. I add a squeeze of lemon juice or drizzle a balsamic or red vinegar, and we’re all very happy.
Use canned white beans, add olive oil, maybe a small amount of garlic (you can even crush a clove and let it sit, it will flavor just as well; just take it out after a few hours), sage, a sprinkling of salt. You don’t even have to heat them up.
If you can remember to put potatoes in the oven, there’s not much simpler than a baked one. But I often forget even to do this.
Rice. Prep and start the rice cooker early. In a pinch, I have been known to rely on TJ frozen, precooked rice. It’s fast and good.
Nothing beats a good loaf of bread. I always keep some in the freezer to heat up with dinner if nothing else inspires.

2. Main Dish.

Eggs are your friend. Especially if you buy excellent eggs directly from a farmer, there’s not much better or faster than a good omelet or plate of scrambled eggs. My kids both love to make/eat eggs, and when eggs are freshest (right now) they’re a real treat. Even if you pay $7/dozen, it’s still one of the cheapest sources of protein you can find. For the grown-ups, pair it with a salad, crusty bread, and a glass of wine. You can also fry them in a mix olive oil/butter +garlic + herbs and serve over pasta. It’s delicious. Right now, eggs are coming into markets and if you’re lucky, you’ll find the ones from Happy Quail Farms whose yolks can be nearly red. They’re amazing.

Simple Spaghetti. Many of these exist. We like canned tuna + olive oil + capers + lemon zest. Cacio e pepe=spaghetti + lots of finely shaved grana padano + pepper. Fresh tomatoes (though they weren’t in season most of the fall, so this didn’t work) + black beans + olive oil + balsamic + basil + fresh mozzerella (a raw sauce). The list goes on.

Quiche. You can make this hours ahead and reheat or serve room temperature.

Precooked sausages. You can do a lot with many of the “natural”, uncured sausages & kielbasas available these days. They can be heated in your convection/regular oven in a matter of minutes, paired with white beans, added in the final minutes to a roast of apples & onions.   I use a very small amount of meat, and add sides.

Ham steaks. Niman ranch makes an excellent uncured hamsteak that cooks in about 5 minutes. After you cook it, you can deglaze the pan with hard cider or beer or or just water, add some honey, mustard, shallots if you’re inspired, and you have a nice sauce. Ham is great with a baked potato and salad.

Fish tacos. For these, you can use frozen, breaded tilapia or cod filets, or, better, use an inexpensive fresh fish from your fishmonger, like red snapper. Salt the fresh fish, drizzle with lemon & olive oil, & broil in about ten minutes. Salsa, sour cream, cilantro, mayo, and lime make a good baja-style sauce, and you buy fresh or precut cabbage, avocado/guacamole, etc. The kids can assemble their own with some help.

Frozen Tamales. There are several great, organic brands on the market these days. Keep them and some prepared guacamole in your freezer. Always

Trader Joes Maryland Crabcakes. Like tamales, we always have some of these on hand. They’re really, really good. Serve Sponge-Bob Style on a roll, with lettuce and tomatoes, or naked with faux aioli made with smashed up garlic, salt, lemon and mayo.

Roast Chicken. For me, this is one of the easiest things to cook. If I’m home, I prep & start it roasting at lunch or late afternoon, then it’s ready to serve for an early dinner. OR–I’ll roast a larger chicken on the weekend, with extra potatoes, carrots, onions. Then, with the help of a frozen pie crust & a quick bechamel I can make chicken pot pies. These can be made in about 20 minutes prep time at lunch: divide the ingredients, make the bechamel, top with crust. Then you can refrigerate until it’s time to cook or bake right away and reheat. I use individual serving dishes for the kids, and to the already cooked chicken and vegetables, you can add a handful of frozen peas, frozen green beans, fresh spinach–these days, Ella & Finn decide what they want. The kids adore these, and like to put action figures and princesses on top of their crusts for presentation. Or the kids can just eat leftovers, reheated in the pan sauce, and my husband and I can eat a composed salad, with the dressing made from the drippings.

Shrimp. Fresh, frozen, fresh frozen from my fisherman. Nothing cooks more quickly. Add rice + vegetable+ soy based dipping sauce=easy Japanese style bowl. Or sautee in butter + lemon + wine for a scampi, server with bread and salad. There’s also this Grilled New Orleans Style Shrimp (you don’t actually have to turn on your grill, just pan sautee) if you like hot–not for most kids.

Fresh fish. Petrale sole can be cooked a la meuniere (dredged in flour and pan fried in butter) in a matter of minutes then topped with lemon/caper butter.    I can sometimes get fresh albacore tuna from my fisherman and it can can be grilled or broiled or pan seared and served with a Korean soy dipping sauce and rice. Very, very fast, clean cooking. Scallops, same thing, but served with caper/butter/lemon sauce. But they’re not cheap.

Pancakes. I was not above serving pancakes and fruit for dinner. Not the good kind. The kind from a box. Of course, a big, big hit.

A good meatloaf can be made ahead–at lunchtime or even the night before.   Mine is never the same, but maybe I’ll blog this soon.

Pesto. I made, during the summer, in the height of basil season, dozens of batches of pesto and froze them, enough in each bag to dress pasta for one family dinner. This saved me many, many times.   It’s still saving me.

3. Use your freezer. I also learned to rely on a few decent, frozen prepared foods that my kids loved, and we kept these in the freezer. I have never in my life done this, and it does sort of horrify me, but many times these things saved me.

Instant Miso. Add tofu, a side of rice (fresh or frozen), and potstickers.
TJ Potstickers
TJ (frozen) Organic Jasmine Rice
TJ Teryaki Chicken (This comes in a bag, and I sort of think it’s gross, but for a few months, my kids loved it. Now they’ve gone off it, but if you can bear to buy non-organic chicken, it’s worth trying as an emergency supply)
TJ Frozen, Cooked Edamame, makes a terrific side dish
TJ Maryland Crabcakes. See above.
Tofu + premade simmer sauce
Tamales (see above)
Pesto (made fresh in the summer and stockpiled….)

Generally speaking the trick is to get the freshest produce you can find, which you can cook very simply. Stock up on canned beans and rice and freeze a really good baguette or two. Decide on a few main dishes that you know your family really loves that you know can be cooked very, very quickly. Keep a few things in your freezer for emergencies–not what I keep, necessarily, but things like these that your whole family will like. Let me know, too, what you’ve found that’s uber fast and (mostly) fresh.

«‹ 114 115 116 117 ›»