Family Bites

Five Minute No-Bake Granola Bars

I'm avoiding the "S" word this week (hint: it rhymes with cool). I'm just not ready to get back to the hustle and bustle that comes with the arrival of September, so I'm avoiding any talk of it, which is why you aren't seeing posts upon posts of recipes for the lunchbox etc. here.  I'll let the bloggers take care of that for you because goodness knows there have been a ton of them making the rounds these days.

But the one thing I can't avoid or ignore is hockey season.  It came upon us fiercely this week with hockey camp, shooting practice, team fundraisers, skate sharpening, new sticks, mass quantities of stinky laundry and appetites that could rival any NHL player.  Which means it's time to start thinking of lots of snacks for sports.

When I came acorss this granola bar recipe I thought it fill the bill perfectly.  No refined sugars, whole grains, protein and flax.  The fact that it can be made in five minutes and it's a no-bake recipe only increased it's potential in my mind. I've made the recipe six times in the past eight weeks, and the boys haven't tired of it at all. In fact, they cheer (for real!) when they discover what I'm making.

And while I'm choosing to ignore it's impending arrival, I'm sure this will double up as an excellent after-school snack as well.  There, I said it.

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Five Minute No-Bake Granola Bars (adapted from Do It Delicious)

• 1 1/2 cups brown rice or multigrain cereal
• 1 cup old-fashioned rolled oats
• ¼ cup unsweetened finely shredded coconut
• ¼ cup flax meal
• 1/2 cup pumpkin seeds
• ½ cup brown rice syrup
• 6 tablespoons almond butter
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
• ½ cup chocolate covered sunflower seeds (or mini chocolate chips)

Spray an 8- by 8-inch baking pan with cooking spray and set aside.

In a large mixing bowl combine with the cereal, oats, coconut, flax meal, and pumpkin seeds.

In a small saucepan over medium heat, combine the rice syrup, almond butter and vanilla and cook 2 to 3 minutes, stirring, until melted and creamy. Pour over the cereal mixture and stir until well combined.

Once cooled stir in the sunflower seeds. Press evenly into the prepared pan and let cool completely (about 30 minutes). Slice into bars.

Tip: Brown rice syrup can be purchase at health food, organice and most large grocery stores.

 

Roasted Peachy Chicken

Forgive the photos please.  Although they were taken with Instagram, which is quickly becoming my favourite way to capture any image, they were shot in haste as three hungry boys were at the table ready to dig into the roast chicken, leaving me with less than three seconds to take a photo.  You know how it is when you get boys and meat together at the table.  Well, maybe you don't, but if you have little guys at home I'm telling you know, be prepared for mass meat consumption.

I miss making roast chicken.  I don't know why we all but give up on it in the summer months, especially when it pairs so well with our warm-weather bounty.  Roast chicken is a perfect famly meal, but also one that's ideal for entertaining.  It's easy to assemble, cooks on it's own with little attention required and perfumes the house so it seems as though you've spent hours in the kitchen working away.  Oh, did I mention it's easy?

This particular chicken was slathered in a homemade peachy barbecue sauce and topped with fresh peach slices and thinly cut onion rings.  It baked for just under an hour, thanks to the spatchcocking, but you could leave it whole and cook it for just a little longer if you like.  Or use pieces of chicken like breasts, thighs and drumsticks. No one in my house was worried about how it was cooked and what part of the chicken I used, as they were only concerned with trying to lick as much of the sauce from their fingers as possible.  The sign of a very good sauce indeed.

We paired the whole thing with fresh green and yellow beans from the market. Rob bought five pounds for $5, which is proof that farmer's market purchasing isn't always more costly than supermarket shopping.  The were perfectly crunchy and when topped with sea salt and butter, made the perfect accompaniment to our first proper Sunday dinner in weeks.

Roasted Peachy Chicken

• 1/2 cup peach preserves
• 2 whole peaches, sliced
• 1 cup barbecue sauce
• 1 tablespoon worcestershire sauce
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• Fresh ground pepper

Combine all the ingredients in a small saucepan set over medium-high heat and bring to a boil.

Allow to boil for just under a minute, stirring often.

Reduce the heat to a simmer and cook for ten minutes.  Remove from the heat and allow to cool.

Puree the sauce with an immersion blender.

Wash the chicken well, and pat dry with a paper towel.  Season with salt and pepper and coat the chicken with half the sauce.  Allow to marinate for 20 minutes.

Roast chicken as per usual.  When cooked through, remove from oven and brush on the remaining sauce.

Serve immediately.

 

 

Dinner Dates: Advice from an Eight Year Old (Revisited)

We are on a camping vacation this week.  While I'm off, I thought it might be fun to revisit some posts from the blog's archives.  This post originally published on January 5, 2011.  Have a great week!

      

Jackson is a true cassanova. He's the only eight, almost nine, year old boy I know who's very interested in wooing a lady. Not now of course, but in the future when he's a "man". We've spent lots of time talking about what girls like (humor) and what's considered an appropriate gift for a lady love (no, diamonds aren't recommended when you're in Grade three). 

Last night, while Rob was making dinner for me, we had a great conversation about dinner dates and how they should be executed.  In case you've been wondering how to prepare a dinner for your sweetheart, here is some advice from a boy in the know.

Me: "Jackson, what would you make for dinner for a girl you liked"?

Jack: "Ya know what Mom?  Girls like the cheese.  I would make a nice Italian pasta with Italian sauce.  And maybe some Brie on top."

Me: "That sounds nice.  Would there be anything else"?

Jack: "I might add in an appetizer sort of thing.  Different cheeses and different crackers, like the circle crackers and square crackers and those long rectangle crackers we buy."

Me: "What about dessert"?

Jack: "I'd make a very nice ice cream treat.  I'd buy plain chocolate ice cream and then throw in some chocolate chips, marshmallows and banana.  And to drink I'd pour her some water".

Me: "Sounds great.  Would you set the table"?

Jack: "Yes! The knife would go on the left and the fork on the right.  The water would go beside the fork.  The napkin would be set gently on the plate.  I like a large plate not a medium or small plate.  If it was a date-date, like just me and her, I'd put down candles - you know the giant thick ones that look like magic wands.  That's exactly what I would do on a date night if I was cooking dinner."

There you have it.  Dinner advice from an eight year old.  And I have no doubt he'll do exactly what he said. Someday.

 

Pizza Patate (Revisited)

We are on a camping vacation this week.  While I'm off, I thought it might fun to revisit some posts from last year's blog archives.  This originally published on June 8, 2010.  Have a great week!

I have a new best friend and his name is Jim Lahey.  We've actually become quite close over the past few months, spending plenty of time together in my kitchen perfecting the art of homemade bread and pizza dough.  My favourite thing to make and bake also happens to be his as well, so it's a friendship destined to last, I'm sure. 

Don't worry, Rob has no concerns about this new friendship.  In fact, he wholeheartedly supports it and reaps the benefits of our time together.  By the way, I don't actually know Jim, but I do know his new book and it has a permanent spot on my bookshelf filed under "new-favourite-must-cook-from-often".  I've spent so much time with it lately that it actually does feel like Jim and I are new best friends.

Aside from his fabulous no-knead bread recipe, I'm also completely smitten with the pizza patate recipe nestled about halfway into the pages of the book.  Potato-topped pizza dough embellished with onion, fresh rosemary and ground pepper makes for quite the tasty dinner.  And despite the fancy sounding title this is truly a no-fuss-no-muss recipe designed to feed the entire family.  Because I'm your good friend, I think it's only fitting I share the recipe with you - after all, isn't that what friends are for?

Pizza Patate, adapted from My Bread

 

• 6 litres lukewarm water
  
• 1 tbsp kosher salt
  
• 6 Yukon gold potatoes, peeled
  
• 1 yellow onion, diced
  
• Fresh ground pepper (about 10 cranks of the grinder)
  
• 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
  
• 2 tbsp fresh rosemary leaves
  
• 1 recipe pizza dough (Use your favourite recipe - here's mine)
  

 

Preheat the oven to 500 degrees. 

In a medium bowl combine the water and salt, stirring until the salt has dissolved.  Using a mandolin, slice the potatoes very thin (1/16 inch thick) and put the slices in to the salt water.  Let soak for  1 1/2 hours or until the potatoes are no longer crisp.

Drain the potatoes in a colander and pat dry with a clean kitchen towel.  Place in a medium bowl and toss together with onion, pepper and olive oil.

Spread the potato mixture evenly over the rolled out dough, going all the way to t edges but putting a it more of the topping around the edges as the outsides tend to cook a little more quickly.  Sprinkle with rosemary.

Bake for 30 minutes or until the topping turns golden brown.  Serve hot or at room temperature.

 

Ten Ways to Enjoy Roasted Garlic at the Family Table (Revisited)

We are on a camping vacation this week.  While I'm off, I thought it might fun to revisit some ideas from last year's blog archives.  This post originally published on March 10, 2010.  Have a great week!

Isn't it great when you eat something that tastes so good you forget just how good it is for you?  I can think of approximately ten foods that fall into this category, but none please me as much as garlic.  Used for centuries for both culinary and medicinal purposes, garlic dates back to 500 A.D and is consumed in almost every culture around the world.

We eat an inordinate amount of garlic, specifically roasted garlic.  I tend to throw a few heads in the oven each time I make a cake or bake something that requires the oven to be on for at least 20 minutes. Then we use the garlic that day, or the day following in a myriad of ways. Culinary multitasking at it's best. We have always fed garlic to the kids so the strong, pungent taste is not offensive to them and, in fact, they adore it now.

Without further ado, here is a list of how we enjoy roasted garlic at our family table:

• Smear the roasted cloves onto pieces of sliced baguette and serve as the "carb" portion of your dinner.

• Mash the roasted garlic and spread it over a baked potato in place of butter.

• Place garlic in a saucepan with some olive oil, diced onion and thyme.  Saute and then cover with chicken stock and simmer for 15 minutes.  Puree and add a splash of cream. Makes a delicious soup.

• Serve 2-3 heads of garlic as a veggie.  The kids will have fun fishing the cloves out of their skins.

• Toss cloves of roasted garlic, baby spinach and goat cheese with warm pasta for a quick and easy weeknight dinner.

• Mash the roasted garlic and combine with some mayo.  Spread on bread and top with turkey, lettuce, avocado and swiss cheese for an open faced sandwich.

• Combine roasted garlic cloves with chickpeas, lemon juice, olive oil and dill for a rustic hummus spread.  Serve with assorted veggies.

• Combine roasted garlic cloves and olive oil and spread on pizza dough in place of traditional tomato sauce.

• Make a salsa with mashed roasted garlic, diced red pepper, feta cheese, green onion, oregano and olive oil.  Serve with assorted crisps and crackers.

• Saute roasted garlic cloves with any of the following: bok choy, asparagus, broccoli, green beans or snow peas (whatever your kids will happily nosh on).

The simplest, most unassuming item can add such an interesting element to your dinner table.  The fact that it also cures colds, repels mosquitoes, manages cholesterol and supposedly treats acne is just an added bonus. How do we create this gem of an ingredient?  It couldn't be easier! 

Roasted Garlic

• 6 garlic bulbs
• olive oil
• sea salt
• fresh ground pepper

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.  Peel away the outer skin of the garlic bulb and slice 1/2 off the top.  Place the bulbs on a piece of aluminum foil and drizzle each with some olive oil and a generous sprinkling of sea salt and ground pepper. Cover with another sheet of aluminum foil in order to create a foil parcel and bake for approx. 35-45 minutes, or until the cloves are softened to the touch.  Allow to cool and remove from the skins by squeezing the bulb to release the individual cloves or pulling them out with the tip of a knife.

Do you enjoy roasted garlic?  What is the multitasking-ingredient most often used in your kitchen?

 

The Open-Faced Sandwich (Revisited)

We are on a camping vacation this week.  While I'm off, I thought it might fun to revisit some ideas from last year's blog archives.  This post originally published on November 29, 2010.  Have a great week!

An open-faced sandwich is made with a single slice of bread, and one or more individual toppings.  They can be served as hors d'oeuvres, brunch and even dinner when you're looking for something fun and simple. They also make for an excellent and easy option for a kiddies's party, when the guests in attendance are prone to fussy or peculiar preferences.

All you need to successfully make an open-faced sandwich is a robust bread - something with a tough exterior and soft interior - which provides both texture and balance for the toppings, and assortment of goods for garnishing.

Rob and I like to experiment with our sandwiches, creating unique combinations of flavours, but the boys prefer to stick with what they know.  And what they like.   Our mashed avocado mixture is a great base for many creations, but has yet to be eagerly received by the kids, who would likely say the open-faced pizza sandwich is probably their favourite.

Would you serve open-faced sandwiches to guests? How about for an easy appetizer? What topping combinations do you like best?

Mashed Avocado Spread

• 2 avocados, halved, pitted and peeled
• 2 teaspoon lime juice
• 2 tablespoons mayonnaise
• sea salt and fresh ground pepper
• 2 tablespoons fresh cilantro, chopped (optional)

Combine all ingredients in a bowl and chill.  Smear over bread and top with desired ingredients. 

 

Rainbow Juice Jigglers

The internet's obsession with all things rainbow is far from over, and I'm not afraid to admit that I'm pretty happy about it. Colour is a good thing. It's fun and inviting and continues to impress the kids no matter how many times they've seen it before.

Speaking of kids, when I entertain I always try to have something special on hand, just for them. They don't need their own meal per se, just a little something that lets them know they were thought of. Kids love surprises, and when are pulled from the fridge they'll be tickled.

In an effort to make life easy, and somewhat healthy, and contrary to what you might expect, these were not made with Jello. Instead, it's white grape juice, thickened with gelatin and vibrantly tinted with a little fancy food colouring, the kind you would use for a pretty cake or to tint your icing. Slightly sweetened whipped cream and sprinkles round out the look, and minus the time it took the set, these are made in less than twenty minutes.

A rainbow themed birthday party is also something fun to consider. Serve these cocktail-style as a welcome "drink", and adorn your table with other colourful goodies like veggies, fruits, a colourful candy bar, not to mention a tiered rainbow doughnut cake. 

Rainbow Juice Jigglers

Recipe adapted from Martha Stewart

• 4 cups white grapes juice
• 3 pacakges (1.8 g) gelatin
• 1/2 cup whipping cream
• 1 tablespoon icing sugar
• Assorted sprinkles
• Food colouring

1. Place one cup of the grape juice in a small bowl and cover with the gelatin. Allow to set for five minutes.

2. Meanwhile, heat the other three cups of grape juice in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Add the warm juice to the gelatin mixture, and stir to combine, ensuring the gelatin is completely dissolved.

3. Allow the mixture to cool for 3-4 minutes, then divide it evenly between your glasses. Add a drop of two of food colouring to each glass and mix well.

4. Transfer the glasses to the fridge and allow to set, approx. 1-2 hours.

5. Place the whipping cream in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, and add the icing sugar. Whip on high speed until stiff peaks form. Transfer the mixture to a zip top bag or (piping bag fitted with a tip), cut the bottom and pipe a dollop of whipped cream onto the top of each juice jiggler. 

6. Cover with sprinkles and place in the fridge until you're ready to serve. 

Egg Salad with Zucchini

I've been staring down a packed fridge this week, wondering how we are possibly going to eat all the food that lies within before we leave for our camping trip on Sunday.  I've managed to purchase more produce that we can possibly eat because the summer harvest looks so inviting, not to mention my memories of what romaine in February tastes like.  I'm stocking up and trying to eat it now, to remind myself that lettuce isn't really limp and murky-coloured all year round. 

Garden greens aside, it's really the zucchini that has me scratching my head though, as I ponder the possibilities for using up my supply over the next three days.  I've done the requisite loaves (with chocolate chips!), muffins (with quinoa!) and biscuits (with cheddar!).  I've sauteed, grated and sliced and added it to many of my cooked meals, and until yesterday morning I was convinced that I had given my zucchini more personalities than it could handle - until I decided to make use of it raw.

Which is how the very best egg salad sandwich was born.

Hard boiled eggs, a touch of creamy mayo and grainy mustard, fresh herbs, a grind of salt and fresh ground pepper, combined with raw zucchini, has yielded what can only be dubbed as the best sandwich ever.  It seems impossible to believe, but give it a try and I think you'll see that I'm right.  

What's even better is that the kids like it.  They really do.  They may think the "green stuff" is chopped herbs, and who am I to correct them.  While I'm not in the habit of filling their foods with hidden items - at least not that often - I'm not opposed to letting them believe it's parsley that's tucked in with the eggs if that's truly what they think they're seeing.

Speaking of which, I have a bunch of that lying around too if you have any ideas.

 

Egg Salad and Zucchini Sandwiches

• 5 eggs, hard boiled
• 3 tablespoons mayonnaise
• 2 teaspoons grainy Dijon mustard
• 1 tablespoons fresh dill, minced
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• fresh ground pepper
• 1 cup grated zucchini

Peel the eggs, place them on a cutting board and give them a rough chop with a knife.

Place the eggs in a bowl and add the mayo, mustard, dill, salt and a few grinds of fresh pepper.  Mix well.

Add the zucchini and fold into the egg mixture until everything is combined well.

Serve in a small bowl with crackers or spread onto bread and make a sandwich.

 

 

 

Farmer's Market Soup

Saturday mornings have developed a sweet little pattern for us.  Rob heads out for his weekly round of golf and the boys I walk the dog, read the paper, and then take off for the market.  

Busier than ever, our little market has grown over the past few years, and now includes vendors who sell cured meats, fresh baked breads, roti and Indian pastries.  Each week we purchase a few of the spicy chicken and beef parcels, then walk the rows and rows of glorious garden goods, while loading up our baskets.

It's all perfectly fun, and something the kids seem to enjoy almost as much as I do. We eat our purchases over the course of the week, and are often left with just a little bit of everything by the time Thursday or Friday comes around.

While none of it is enough for a real meal for the four of us, when combined together it makes our farmer's market soup: a collection of seasonal produce and herbs, baby potatoes and beans.

This isn't the boys favourite meal.  In fact, they tolerate it but would never ask for it.  I think the key to getting them to accept it, is to only put in items that I know they're familiar with.  If I threw something unknown in the pot, it would ruin the entire meal for them.  Kids are so funny, aren't they?  As long as all of the vegetables in the pot are recognizable, they will eat this soup.  

Farmer's Market Soup

• 3-4 small red potatoes, washed and diced
• 3-4 carrots, peeled and diced 
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 medium onion, peeled and diced
• 1 bunch kale, stems removed and chopped
• 1/2 zucchini, thinly sliced and quartered
• 1 tomato, chopped
• 2 cans white beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 tablespoon fresh oregano, chopped
• 1 tablespoon fresh basil, chopped
• 4 cups vegetable or chicken stock
• salt and pepper
• 1/4 cup feta, crumbled 

Place the potatoes and carrots in a large stock pot with the bay leaf and 1 teaspoon of salt and cover with 2 cups of water. Bring to a boil, cover with a lid, and reduce the heat to a simmer.  Cook for 10 minutes, or until the potatoes are fork tender.

While the potatoes are cooking, heat the butter and olive oil in a small skillet set over medium high heat.  Add the onion and kale and saute until the onion is translucent, about 5 minutes.

Once the potatoes are cooked, add the onion and the kale to the pot.  Add the zucchini, tomato, beans, oregano, basil and vegetable stock and stir well.

Bring the soup to a boil again, reduce the heat, and allow it to simmer for 10 minutes. Check the seasoning and add salt and pepper if desired.

Ladle into bowls and top with crumbled feta.  Serve with crusty bread.

 

 

Meal Planning Monday and An Update

Reading my Twitter feed last night, I realized that some of you have kids who go back to school today!  I can't believe that school starts so early in some parts of North America, and I'm grateful to have three more weeks with my kids at home.  

We have some local (but fun!) things planned for this week, cousins coming for a few days to play, a birthday party and then we're off on our annual camping trip.  This year we're heading to Vermont and Lake Placid, which will be our third trip to the Adirondacks.  Both Rob and I are unplugging while we're gone, and I can't wait.

Before we leave though, I wanted to share with you a few places that you can find me other than here at Family Bites.  I'm over at the Eat Savvy Blog twice a week sharing kitchen tips and ideas for breakfasts, lunches and snacks. In the past few weeks I've talked about the many ways to enjoy watermelon, my favourite knives, how the book The Help inspired my cooking, and what kinds of foods and recipes are meal deal breakers.  

I'm also excited to share that I'm now blogging for The Huffington Post (Canada edition).  I know, right?  Big! For me, anyways.  Last week I wrote about winning friends and influencing people with good food, and I expect to be in the space once a week talking about plenty of topics relating to food and family.

So, now that the summer update is out of the way, let's talk dinner.  This week's meals are simple ones, as I've planned them to allow me to use up what's in the fridge and freezer in order to leave nothing left behind when we go away.

Monday:: Creamy polenta with garlic greens and a fried egg

Tuesday:: Veggie and couscous pie, mixed green salad

Wednesday:: Fish tacos

Thursday:: Make your own grilled pizza bar

Friday:: Turkey burgers and grilled corn