vegetables and kids

I swore that my children would never turn their nose up at vegetables. That my children would gladly eat almost every green out there.

Then I *had* children.

Sigh

To be fair, my oldest eats just about everything he is offered. He is much less picky at 6.5 than he was at 4. He was, however, less picky at 4 than his sister is. My youngest is my most picky child yet. They do have to try things, but she is the most likely to say "paa, icky". Which she does. None of my children like carrots though, which is really just strange. Granted, my children love fruit, but fruit still isn't vegetables.

So, I will hide some veggies in our food. Not all the time, because I think that children should actually see what they are eating. I'm just not above "boosting" some foods with veggies. Like quiche, or sloppy joes. You can hide a lot in there.

Here are some tips for zucchini.

- grated zucchini is hideable

- grated and peeled zucchini is even easier to hide

- grated, peeled and squeezed (to remove moisture) is the easiest to hide.

Any good tips for veggies?

Salad dressing

You know how some people have a specific dish that they become known for? I have two that are "mine". If it's a funeral, I make lemon squares. Almost every time, few exceptions. For pot lucks, I generally make a salad. A basic green salad, with this dressing.

Maple Dressing
2 1/2 oz cider vinegar
3 tbsp pure maple syrup
1 tbsp dijon mustard
1 clove garlic (minced or crushed)
3 oz olive oil
salt and pepper

whisk together and serve with a basic green salad. I like spinach, romaine and chopped peppers. This has gotten rave reviews at a few meals where it has been served.

one of my favorite chicken recipes

After watching Sandi Richard on the Food Network a few times, I was pleased to find some of her cookbooks - locally too! I didn't quite buy in to her "system", but there are a lot of great recipes that are quick and simple in her books. One of our family favorites is the honey-curried chicken.

8-12 boneless skinless chicken thighs (about 800 grams). You can sub chicken legs, we have used breasts too.
1/2 cup liquid honey
1/4 cup mustard (just regular yellow mustard)
1 tsp curry powder
1/4 tsp salt

Mix ingredients and pour over chicken. Then sprinkle chicken with 1/2 tsp dried tarragon. Bake at 375 for about 50 minutes. Serve with rice and veggies.

breakfast for supper!

While Joy finds bliss on the allrecipes.com website, I've been tinkering on my own.

Some days, supper just doesn't seem exciting. Breakfast sounds more exciting - that doesn't explain why breakfast sounds as dull as dishwater some days, but you can't win em' all.

Last night, I decided to make pancakes for the family. I took a basic pancake recipe (Betty Crocker cookbook if you must know), and jazzed it up. I doubled the recipe and tossed in 2 cups of old fashioned oats and a half cup of ground flax seed. Let sit for 15 minutes before proceeding to allow the grains to soak into the batter. After 15 or so minutes, I realized I would need to increase the milk. So I added more until it felt right. Not too sure how much, I'm just like that some days in the kitchen.

While making the pancakes, I pureed up some strawberries I had pulled out of the freezer earlier in the day to make a nice berry sauce. Then I mixed up about 3/4 of a cup of low fat ricotta cheese with some local honey (about 1 1/2 tbsp or so). Serve the pancakes with berry sauce and sweetened ricotta cheese, with syrup for those who like that too. They went over very, very well here indeed.

Special Beef Rendang Curry

O.M.G. - I made this tonight, and while the two boys didn't care for it, Lloyd & I, and baby M sure enjoyed it!! She ate all the boys' rice with sauce!

1 pound round beef, diced
2 tbsp cooking oil
3/4 cup dried shrimp, minced (I didn't have any, and didn't miss it!)
1 clove garlic, minced
1 tbsp lemon grass, chopped (I used the juice, some pulp & some zest of a small lemon)
2 onions, chopped (this is an awful lot of onions, even for me! LOL)
1 3/4 cups coconut milk
1/2 cup red curry paste, or to taste (I used about 1/3 cup, and it had a great kick)
3 tbsp turmeric powder
1 fresh red chile pepper, finely chopped (optional) (I used some dried red pepper flakes)
1 bunch fresh cilantro, chopped (I used the stuff in the tube... about 1 tbsp)

Heat the oil in a wok over medum-high heat. Brown the beef, add the shrimp & garlic, and stir-fry for a few seconds before adding in the lemongrass and onions. Reduce heat to medium, and stir in coconut milk, red curry paste, turmeric, and chile pepper. Simmer for about 45 - 60 minutes over medium heat.

Stir in the cilantro just before serving. Serves great over steamed or spiced rice.

Note: I cut the beef into larger than 1 inch pieces - next time, I will cut the beef into smaller pieces.

Altnernate: One can soften the beef first, so the texture is like chicken: Dice the beef, place in a medium saucepan, and add enough water to cover the beef. Cover and simmer over low heat for at least an hour. Remove beef from water and set aside, then add with the lemongrass and onions, and only simmer for 10 minutes over medium heat.

from: allrecipes.com

Spicy Honey-Mustard Chicken Stir-Fry

This was very yummy, and quite quick. I didn't have any of the veggies noted in the recipe, but used carrots, broccoli, and fresh mushrooms...

2 tsp cornstarch
1/2 cup reduced sodium chicken broth
2 tbsp reduced-fat peanut butter
4 tsp lime juice
1 tbsp Dijon mustard
1 tbsp honey
2 tsp reduced-sodium soy sauce
2 tsp sesame oil
1/4 tsp hot pepper sauce
1/8 tsp cayenne pepper
1 lb boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut in thin strips
2 tsp canola oil, divided
2 small zucchini, sliced
1 medium sweet red pepper, julienned
hot cooked rice, optional

In a blender or food processor, combine the first 10 ingredients; cover and process until smooth. In a large non-stick skillet, stir-fry chicken in 1 tsp hot oil for 5-7 minutes or until juices run clear. Remove chicken and keep warm. In the same skillet, stir-fry veggies in remaining hot oil until crisp-tender. Return chicken to pan. Stir sauce and add to pan. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 1-2 minutes or until thickened. Serve over rice if desired. (Yield: 4 servings.)

It occurred to me that one could substitute tofu (if one knew anything about cooking with tofu, which I don't, except that it can taste very good) for the chicken. If someone else knows about tofu, and tries it in this recipe, please let me know how it goes (and provide me with idiot proof instructions, like what kind of tofu to use, etc.)... Thanks!!

Asparagus Tomato Stir-Fry

I want spring. Today, I miss it. There are many days when I enjoy winter, and enjoy the foods that come with stored root vegetables, and roasts and stews and thick soups. But today, I want the fresh, tender new produce of spring... This recipe reminds me of spring, and I can't wait for the new crops of tender young asparagus to arrive.

2 tsp cornstarch
1/4 c. chicken broth
4 tsp reduced-sodium soy sauce
2 tsp minces fresh gingerroot, divided
1 tsp canola oil
3/4 lb fresh asparagus, cut into 1-inch pieces
4 green onions, cut into 1-inch pieces
1-1/2 cups sliced fresh mushrooms
2 small plum tomatoes, cut into thin wedges
1 tsp sesame oil

In a small bowl, combine the cornstarch, broth, soy sauce, and 1/2 tsp ginger until blended; set aside. In a non-stick skillet or wok, stir-fry the remaining ginger in canola oil for 30 seconds. Add asparagus and onions, stir-fry for 3 minutes; add mushrooms, stir-fry for 1 minute more.

Stir cornstarch mixture and add to skillet. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 1 minute or until thickened. Reduce heat. Add tomatoes and sesame oil; cook 1 minute longer.

Yield 4 servings.