Mixing Bowl Kids

Watermelon Feta Cups

I'm not sure about your children, but my boys have never been a fan of salad.  I think they are daunted by the big pile of "stuff" on the plate, and find it takes too long for them to review what's there and to decide if they'll like it or not.  To help with this "salad detest", I've started combining two or three well-liked ingredients into salads and adding more and more as we go, showing them it's okay to eat all of these foods combined...and to like it.

A classic combination, which I think is incredibly kid-friendly, is watermelon and feta salad.  I find that those who have not been exposed to these combined flavours aren't sure of them, but trust me - it tastes great and your kids will love it. Plus, it couldn't be easier for them to make on their own.  Allow your kitchen helpers to chop up slices of watermelon and pieces of feta.  Drizzle a small amount of olive oil or the combined ingredients, add a splash of balsamic vinegar and top with minced herbs..whatever you have on hand or whatever your sous chef likes.

Do your children like salad?  Do they have a favourite type of salad?  If they don't eat salad, what do you feed them instead?  I look forward to hearing your thoughts...

Watermelon Feta Cups 

8 slices watermelon, cubed

Feta cheese

Olive Oil

Balsamic vinegar

Mint, thyme, basil, or rosemary

~ Combine the watermelon and feta into a small bowl.  Top with a drizzle of olive oil, a touch of balsamic vinegar and stir to combine well.

~ Scoop into small cups and topped with minced herbs.

~ Enjoy!

202 Great Ideas

                                    

I'm quite smitten with Mark Bittman.  You know him, right?  Known for "The Minimalist" column in the New York Times, and his How to Cook Everything series, his approach to cooking is so aligned with my way of thinking that each week I enjoy what he has to offer, more and more.

Two summers ago I discovered his 101 guide to summer cooking...totally brilliant, I tell you.  Not specifically written for families, I found this list of simple, easy foods for summer so family friendly that it became my guide for those long, hot and humid months.

This summer he's back again with a list of 101 salads for summer.  Divided into categories like vegan salads, salads with meat, noodles salads etc, there is sure to be something for every family on this list.

I'm anxious to try salad #7 - grated carrots, toasted sunflower seeds, blueberries, olive oil, lemon juice and black pepper...yum!  Oh, and #44 as well - Make a crisp grilled cheese with good bread and not a lot of cheese.  Let it cool, cut it into croutons and serve over a basil salad.  I think #88, the pasta salad, will be a smashing hit with my boys.  

For the older sous-chefs in your home, I can guarantee that there will be many salads on this list that they will be able to create solo.  Print the list off, post it on your fridge and see what your kitchen helpers come up with.  I've included the links for both 101 series below - read them, cook from them, then store them - I'm sure you will come back to these resources time and time again.

Enjoy!

101 Simple Summer Meals

101 Simple Salads for the Season  

Grilled Zucchini and Goat Cheese Pizza

Ah, to be home.  As much as I like (or rather love) road trips and family vacations, I love the return to home just as much.  Like anything of significant importance, I think we often need to step away from something in order to realize just how much it's enjoyed and appreciated.  And boy, do I appreciate my home and all it has to offer...running water, a shower, a dishwasher and an oven.  Not to say that I didn't enjoy NOT having those things over the past week, because I truly did, but I'm so happy and grateful to be back in their company today.

Of all the items listed above the one I missed the least was my oven.  Surprised? I was.  I didn't miss it because we spent all of our time cooking with something better.  Hard to believe, I know, but said item was not only more challenging and more fun, it yielded such better tasting food that my oven-love disappeared after the first meal.  What could possibly be better you might ask?  Nothing more than the simple campfire.  

For six days, two meals a day, my spatula-wielding husband and I cooked all manner of foods over nothing more than some charcoal, a few ignited pieces of wood and a small grill rack.  Breakfasts and dinners for the family were lovingly and time-consumingly cooked this way and it was completely fantastic.  Each dinner took almost two hours, from start to finish, but we didn't mind.  It was so fun and new and we had all the time in the world, that we didn't even notice just how much time we spent over that fire.  But when we ate (and we ate well) we were so happy that we had just cooked the way we did.

My favourite meal of the week was our grilled zucchini and goat cheese pizza. An early morning trip to the local farmer's market, found us home with a few pounds of the courgettes and a nice container of homemade basil/herb goat cheese from a farm not too many miles away from where we were staying. Add in a few balls of pizza dough and we were rocking a meal so tasty, and healthy, that I ate in complete silence, too happy to speak.  My boys quite enjoyed the pizza as well, and while initially hesitant to eat a pizza made of "nothing but zucchini, Mom?", in the end they were as happy as me...well, almost.

So, now we're home and I'm happily back in the company of the kitchen I have.  I don't think I could cook over a campfire for much longer than we did, for really who has that much time to make a meal. But the space I will have between those flames of last week and our annual camping trip next year, will remind me just how much I enjoy, and appreciate, cooking that way when I can.

Grilled Zucchini Goat Cheese Pizza, my recipe

2 green zucchinis, thinly sliced

2 yellow zucchinis, thinly sliced

1/2 cup herbed goat-cheese

1/4 cup olive oil + extra for cooking the zucchini

salt and pepper, to taste

big glug of light beer or white wine

whole wheat pizza dough

1 cup grated mozzarella cheese

~ Allow pizza dough to rise according to your recipe or package directions.  While the dough is rising, combine the goat cheese and oil in a small bowl and set aside.

~ Place the zucchini and a good drizzle of olive oil in a pan set over medium high heat (or low flames).  Sprinkle with salt and pepper and toss around with a wooden spoon, cooking until the zucchini is golden brown.  

~ De-glaze the pan with a big glug of beer or wine, whatever you have on hand, and cook until the liquid had evaporated.

~ Press out the dough onto a round pizza pan and cover evenly with the goat cheese mixture.  Top with the pan-grilled zucchini and grated mozzarella and bake (or grill) until the dough is cooked through and the cheese has melted.

~ Enjoy!

Cucumber Yogurt Dip/Sauce

We have finally decided to enjoy eating dips and spreads.  By we, I mean my sous-chefs.  This is momentous for me, for I have been creating a lot of plain, lightly dressed meals for years as my boys decided long ago they weren't fond of the texture of dips.  Hummus was our first foray into these spreadable foods and was met with great joy by one child and detest by the other (of course, they both wouldn't like it).  Since then we've sampled other dips and have now happily made our way to salsa and the like.  

So, since we're navigating the waters of bravery these days, with respect to new foods that is, I decided to introduce a new dip/sauce.  A cucumber sauce from the fun read, Too Many Cooks.  Created as an accompaniment to summer fish dishes, it also serves as an excellent dip for tortilla chips and pitas. My children had no trouble making this on their own, with only one slight modification - the boys grated some of the cucumber (and I diced some), simply because it was easier for my seven-year-old.

Don't forget to enter for the giveaway of Too Many Cooks.  Leave a comment on this post before midnight Friday July 17th and alternatively link back to this website with your facebook or twitter account for an additional entry.

Happy Thursday everyone...

Cucumber Sauce, from Too Many Cooks, by Emily Franklin

1 cucumber, peeled, sliced and diced

1 clove garlic, minced

3/4 cups greek yogurt

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp cumin

Squeeze of lemon juice

~ Combine all ingredients in a medium sized mixing bowl (except the paprika) and allow to sit in the fridge for several hours or overnight.

~ Dust with paprika and serve.

~ Enjoy!

Mash It Up - White Bean Style!

My least favourite thing about cooking, but most favourite thing to eat when devouring a large meal, is a side dish.  I don't enjoy the lengthy process involved in the preparation of most sides, and I spend many hours searching for those sides that require little effort, yet elicit maximum flavour.

We are big bean lovers in my house and I'm so thankful that my boys enjoying a variety of legumes. White beans are no exception and this tasty little mash took five minutes to make and was a great addition to a sandwich we ate for dinner.  It would also make a wonderful side for a chicken or fish dish, and it would be equally as wonderful eaten on it's own, or tossed with some caramelized onions and mushrooms and baked au gratin with a nice topping of gruyere cheese.  How yummy would that be?

Made of nothing more than a splash of olive oil, fresh rosemary, garlic, lemon and beans, your side-dish preparation just became much easier.  Let your sous-chefs help by juicing the lemon and "mashing" the beans in the pan or the bowl (most children love having the opportunity to make anything into a "mush") and encourage their culinary creativity by having them come up with a yummy way to eat this dish.  Little effort and maximum flavour, plus family enjoyment equals a side dish worth making. 

Rosemary White Bean Mash

2 tbsp olive oil

2 large rosemary sprigs

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 cups of white beans, soaked and cooked or canned and rinsed

Juice of half a lemon

Salt and pepper to taste 

~ Heat olive oil in medium skillet pan over medium high heat.

~ Add the rosemary and saute for a few minutes, long enough to flavour the oil.  Remove the rosemary and set aside.

~ Add the garlic and sautee for 2 minutes.  Add the beans and toss together in the pan.  Using the back of a wooden spoon mash the bean mixture while cooking.

~ While the beans are cooking, remove the rosemary from the stem and chop finely.  Add to the bean mixture.

~ Pour the lemon juice into the pan, add the salt and pepper (season to your tastes) and stir to combine all of the ingredients well.

~ Serve warm or room temperature.

~ Enjoy! 

Garlic Naan

A super easy recipe to make, Naan is a great addition to any family dinner.  We ate it last night with some Indian-spiced chicken and turmeric-scented rice, but I think it would would be great to serve with shish kebobs at a summer bbq.  Served up with some corn on the cob or grilled veggies, it would complete the meal nicely.

I was a bit apprehensive when I decided to make the nann - I really had no idea what it entailed - and let me tell you, it couldn't have been easier.  A simple dough mixture left to rise, punched down and shaped into balls, rolled out and grilled.  Simple...and oh so good.

The weekend is here and I couldn't be happier...Happy Friday everyone!

Garlic Naan, adapted from this Allrecipes recipe

2 1/4 tsp active dry yeast

1 cup warm water

1/4 cup sugar

3 tbsp milk

1 egg, beaten

2 tsp salt

3 cups all purpose flour

1 1/2 cups whole wheat pastry flour

2 tsp minced garlic

1/4 cup melted butter or oil

~ In a large bowl, dissolve yeast in warm water. Let stand about 10 minutes, until frothy. 

~ Stir in sugar, milk, egg, salt, and garlic and combine well.

~ Add flour and mix well  to make a soft dough. Knead for 6 to 8 minutes on a lightly floured surface, or until smooth. 

~ Place dough in a well oiled bowl, cover with a damp cloth, and set aside to rise. Let it rise 1 hour, until the dough has doubled in volume,

~ Punch down dough.  Pinch off small handfuls of dough about the size of a golf ball. Roll into balls, and place on a tray. Cover with a towel, and allow to rise until doubled in size, about 30 minutes.

~ Heat your grill, panini press, electric griddle or non-stick pan.  At grill side, roll one ball of dough out into a thin circle. Lightly oil grill. 

~ Place dough on grill, and cook for 2 to 3 minutes, or until puffy and lightly browned. Brush uncooked side with butter/oil, and turn over. Brush cooked side with oil/butter and cook until browned, another 2 to 4 minutes. Remove from grill, and continue the process until all the naan has been prepared.

~ Enjoy!

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Eco-friendly Fare

Happy Monday...I hope it was a yummy, chocolate filled weekend for everyone!  

In an effort to break up the sweet posts that have been occupying this space lately, I'm writing about a more savory dish today.  The above, a rice and bean burrito,  is what my loving husband made for dinner one night last week and it was so delicious I thought the recipe needed to be shared with all of you. 

I like to call food like this "Eco-friendly fare" - for the reference to the Ecological and Economical benefits this meal brings.  From an environmental perspective, meatless meals are something we should all strive to eat at least one a week. Studies have shown that if North Americans skipped one meat meal every week the savings on pollutants in the air would be equivalent to removing hundreds of thousands of cars off the road during rush hour traffic.  For those concerned about Economics (and who isn't today), meatless meals are less draining on the wallet as the protein element is often the most expensive.

So, this Eco-friendly meal is made up of a bean mixture simmered with onions and garlic in a tomato base, then mixed with rice and stuffed into a whole wheat tortilla with Monterrey Jack cheese.  So, so good!  We served this with a side of broccoli to round out the meal, but you could also add corn to the bean mixture and stuff it into the wrap instead of eating your veggies on the side.  For some children this may be the preferable route.  To jazz this up for adults, a side of jalapenos, salsa and sour cream works quite nicely.  

We discovered this yummy mixture lends itself to generous portions with plenty of leftovers.  For us that meant TWO days worth of lunches...and if that doesn't define ECOnomy-sized I don't know what does.

Rice and Bean Burritos, adapted from this recipe

3/4 cups rice (brown or white)
2 tbsp. olive oil
2 onions, chopped
4 cloves garlic, chopped
1/2 tsp ground cumin
salt and pepper
3 tbsp. tomato paste
1 can white kidney beans
1 can black beans
6 green onions, thinly sliced
1 1/2 cups water
8 10-inch whole wheat tortillas
2 cups Monterrey Jack cheese, shredded
Optional items: salsa, sour cream and jalapenos

~ Cook the rice according to package instructions and set aside.

~ Meanwhile, heat the oil in a large saucepan over medium high heat.  Add the onions, garlic and cumin and season with some salt and pepper.  Cook, stirring occasionally for 10-12 minutes.  Add the tomato paste, stir and cook for 1 minute.

~ Add the beans and water and bring to a boil.  Reduce the heat to medium and simmer, stirring occasionally, until thickened, about 10-12 minutes.

~  Add the rice to the bean mixture and warm through.  Add the green onions and mix well.

~ Heat the tortillas according to package directions and fill with the rice and bean mixture.  Top with shredded cheese.

~ Enjoy!