Veggie "Reuben" with Minute Pickles

This is one of those recipes that to my delight seemed to evolve on it's own. Last week I made a Warm Winter Slaw as a side-dish. I ended up eating alone that night though and I just had the idea to throw the slaw on some bread and keep dinner simple. As I ate it, I was reminded how I used to enjoy a classic Reuben sandwich. I decided to try to figure out how to make a protein packed variation of thousand island dressing to make up for the lost cheese and meat. The sandwich got rave reviews from everyone. Two big successes in the kitchen this week and it's only Tuesday. Yippee!

Components:
Bread of choice (I used marble rye)
Warm Winter Slaw
KateEO's Reuben Sauce with Sweet + Sour Relish mixed in

You can prepare all the ingredients in advance and then just pile them up for a super yummy sandwich.

I wasn't sure how the kids would handle such a "big" sandwich. So they got a deconstructed variation which included a grilled cheese with all the components on the side. Everyone left the table with clean plates!


In a Minute Pickles are a family favorite. Fast, easy, finger-friendly, and delicious. 
I like to use English cucumbers because the skin is unwaxed so you don't have to peel it and the seeds are barely noticeable. This cuts way down on prep work.

Prepare the In a Minute Pickle marinade.
Combine:
2 Tb. olive oil
2 Tb. apple cider vinegar
1 Tb. honey (agave nectar for vegan)
1/4 tsp. sea salt

Slice 1 English cucumber into thin disks and soak in the marinade/dressing until dinner time.

"Go To" Black Bean Soup

This is the perfect soup when I don't have time to A. think about what to eat, B. go grocery shopping, and C. don't have time to cook at dinner-time.  I try to keep all of these ingredients in my pantry or fridge at all times. They work great in this and many other soups.


Because I work many evenings, I often have to prep the food before-hand so my family can eat while I'm off at work.  I often prep dinner at lunch time or if I'm organized enough;-) maybe the night before. For this recipe, I sauté the veggies ahead of time and then pop it all in the slow-cooker so it's ready when we need it. If you didn't want to take the time to sauté the veggies, you could skip that step. Just chop 'em up and put it all in the slow cooker. If you are making dinner at dinner time, skip the crock-pot. Just sauté your veggies in a big soup pot. And simmer until the beans are warmed through.

Heat a skillet over med-high seat. Add 1-2 Tb. olive oil to coat the pan.

Chop these veggies into a fine dice and add them to your pan as you go to soften and caramelize them: (Rachael Ray named this technique "chop and drop.")

• 1 small onion
• 3 stalks of celery
• 2 carrots
• 1 or 2 garlic cloves minced
• 1/2 tsp. sea salt
• 1/2 tsp. cumin
• 1 tsp. chili powder
• 1/2 tsp. cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp. coriander

Add the veggies to your crock-pot (or keep them in your soup pot) along with:

• 2 cans of black beans*
• 1 can of tomatoes (I like Muir Glen Organic Fire Roasted)
• 2 cups of water
• another 1/2 tsp. sea salt and a few grinds of black pepper

Cook on low heat until you are ready to eat.

You can leave the soup as is or blend it up. I like to blend about 3/4 of the soup and leave 1/4 so there are some veggie bites for texture. 

* I like to use organic beans and then feel comfortable adding the bean liquid in with the beans. If the beans aren't organic, I'll usually drain and rinse them before cooking. You may need to add a little extra water if you drain the beans before cooking. 

Enjoy!

Have a Tea Party for Dinner

It's quick, easy, and super fun to have a tea party for dinner! I have a 7-year old daughter and this is probably her favorite meal. You can make a tea party out of anything. Just prepare some small bread slices and lay it out on a tray with your favorite sandwich ingredients. The kids love to make their own sandwiches which means less time in the kitchen for mom or dad.



This is our basic tea party...
Toasted Baguette
Slice the baguette, brush on olive oil, sprinkle on a tiny bit of sea salt, and grill until nice and toasty. You can get most of it done in one batch on the outdoor grill.

Cucumber and Goat Cheese Sandwiches
Cucumbers are my four year olds favorite veggie so it's easy to get him to eat them. Highlight your child's favorite veggie. Make it a big deal that the veggie is the star of the show. Party picks make the sandwiches more fun too. 

• Spread a thin layer of goat cheese on the toasted baguette, top with a cucumber slice, basil leaf, and spear an olive on top with a fun party pick. 

Celery Sticks with Dip
(click here for my favorite Buffalo-style Artichoke dip)

Peanut Butter and Banana Sandwiches 
- pretty self explanatory there

Honey Tea
I am a tea fanatic(!) and have lots of flavors but I keep it really simple for the kids. Sometimes I'll share some white tea with the kids but I prefer not to give them caffeine. Most tea is mildly (or powerfully) medicinal so usually I'll just make them what I call Honey Tea. 

• Warm some water up in the kettle so it looks professional and then add a teaspoon of honey which melts right into the warm water. If the "tea" is too hot just cool it off with some room temp water or an ice cube if your kids are old enough for ice.

Last Day of Summer Break Simple Supper - Simple Tomato Gazpacho and Easy Cheesy Quesadillas

I spent most of this day soaking up quality time with my soon-to-be second grader. Like most parents, I'm ready for my kids to get back to school but the change is so drastic it makes me a little sad. We'll go from spending almost every waking moment together to just having a couple of hours between school, work, activities and bedtime. As the kids get ready for school and my hay-fever allergy starts to settle in, I also am acutely aware that summer is waning. It's time to really savor the signature flavors of summer. Looking for a quick, easy and summery menu I thought of tomato gazpacho and an easy side.

I had always resisted gazpacho, thinking, "soup should be warm and comforting. Well one year a friend made the most delicious gazpacho while we were vacationing at the beach and my mind was changed forever. It's a simple recipe filled with loving care and crisp, bright flavor. His recipe and many other gazpacho recipes call for worcestershire sauce but this isn't an ingredient I usually use so I've modified the recipe with ingredients from my pantry and backyard garden. I've got more common ingredients in parenthesis next to my sauce ingredients which are more normal to me but probably more exotic to most.

I knew quesadillas would be a hit at the table but I had no idea everyone would love the soup. There were arguments at the dinner table. Not about disliking the food but about who was more right about the soup being "delicious" or "good."

Simple Tomato Gazpacho
Prepare the Veggies
The loving care in this recipe comes from dicing these veggies super small. It takes some time but it's worth it! The soup flavors meld and deepen with time so feel free to make it a day ahead.

Dice these veggies super small and add to a bowl:

• peel, seed and chop 2 tomatoes 
• peel, seed and dice 1 cucumber
• seed and chop 1 bell pepper (I use yellow just to round out the colors but feel free to use your favorite)
• 1 shallot (or small onion)
• (opt. hot chili pepper)
• 2 Tb. basil chopped

Dress the veggies:
In a small bowl whisk up this simple dressing and then pour over the veggies you've prepared above.

• 2 Tb. olive oil
• juice of 1 lime
• 1 tsp. salt

While the veggies soak up their marinade,
Prepare the soup base:
In a large bowl, combine:

• 1 cup tomato juice (I love that I have a juicer now and can make my own! V-8 works too.)
• 1 Tb. balsamic vinegar
• 1 Tb. Organic Shoyu (soy sauce)
• 1 Tb. Umeboshi Plum Wine Vinegar (red wine vinegar/worcestershire sauce)
• 1 tsp. jalepeno pepper sauce
• 1 tsp. chili powder

Add the veggies to the soup base and let it rest until ready to serve. Most recipes will suggest you let the soup sit for at least 4 hours (or overnight) before serving but I don't have time for that. I let it sit while I made the quesadillas. No one noticed that I didn't "follow the rules."

Easiest Cheesey Quesadillas
So simple!
Preheat oven to 350 degrees
On a baking sheet, sandwich grated cheese between two 8" tortillas. Cook for about 8 minutes until cheese is melted and tortillas are slightly golden.
That's it... enjoy.

Cabbage Wraps with Black Bean Sauce

Prepare the Sauce

Place a saucepan over med-high heat and add:

• 1 can of organic* black beans
• 1 Tb. soy sauce
• 1 tsp. orange zest
• few dashes of hot pepper sauce

When the sauce bubbles, turn down heat and simmer to thicken for about 20 minutes. As the sauce thickens prepare the rest of the ingredients which you can then serve family style at the table so everyone can feel the privilege of making their own food. 

Prepare Cabbage Leaf Wraps

1. You will begin by removing the outer leaves one small cabbage to use as the wraps. 
2. Wash and dry your cabbage so that it is not slippery when you work with it. 
3. Take a small paring knife and carefully cut through the base of the stem to begin to separate the leaf from the head. The cabbage leaves tear pretty easily so you'll want to move patiently as you then peel the leaf away from the head. 
4. I usually pull back the edges all around the perimeter of each leaf working my way into the center. Continue trimming the base of each leaf and pulling them back. 
5. Stack the cabbage leaves into a pile. In our family the kids eat one wrap and the adults usually go for two. 
6. After you've pulled back enough leaves, cut the cabbage in half. You'll use one half of the interior of the cabbage for the filling for the wraps and you can reserve the other half for another day.

Prepare the Filling
This recipe has two fillings. One with mushrooms and one without. Mushrooms are the one thing that my son detests and I let him get away without even tasting. We should all have at least a little control over what we eat, right?

The Family Friendly Filling 
... only different in that there are no mushrooms or herbs. Although I often do include herbs in many of our family meals, fresh herbs are potent, powerful and medicinal so I take it easy if I'm making something specific for the kiddos.


In a large bowl combine:

• 1/2 of the interior of a small cabbage cut into thin ribbons
• 2 grated carrots
• 6 oz. snow peas cut into thin ribbons

Adult Filling

Divide the family friendly mixture in half so you can add adult ingredients:

• 3 shitake mushrooms cut into thin ribbons
• about 20 thai basil leaves cut into ribbons (chopped cilantro would be excellent as well)

Assemble wraps

1. Choose your wrap - (flour tortillas may be more kid-friendly.) 
2. Into your cabbage leaf cup or tortilla, scoop your veggie filling and top with black bean sauce.
3. Wrap up and enjoy! So yummy  - I scraped the black bean sauce bowl clean!

Here is what else was on the menu today and where I got the inspiration for the wraps. 

Breakfast - green go juice

Lunch - backyard garden salad

Dinner Inspiration = vegetarian times article and wanting alternative protein source = black bean sauce?

http://www.myrecipes.com/recipe/asian-black-bean-sauce-10000000665258/

Power Packed Corn Cakes with Zucchini and Chick Peas

These little cakes are adorable and delicious. They still need a little work to pass the "kids love them test" but my husband and I  can't get enough of them. They are my new favorite snack in fact. I started with another published recipe and wanted to give them a little more nutrition so I took out some of the wheat flour and added chickpeas instead. I'll be playing with the quantities in the next batches so watch out for a refined version of these coming soon. I had a request for the recipe though, so I wanted to get them out there for you. Frying them in a cast iron skillet will make them especially crispy.

Make the Veggie Base
In a food processor combine:

• 1 zucchini diced
  
• Chick peas - I used 1 cup for this recipe but will reduce this amount next time so not sure how it will affect the texture.
• 1 small shallot cut into chunks for easy processing (or onion and garlic if you prefer)
• 2 - 4 Tbs. water to make the puree smooth but not runny

Mix Your Dry Ingredients
In a large bowl combine:

• 1 cup of cornmeal
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon salt

Make the Batter

• Add 1 beaten egg to the veggie base and mix well
• Make a well in the center of your dry ingredients and pour the veggie base into the dry ingredients
• Add about 3/4 cup corn kernels (1 large or 2 small ears of corn worth if using fresh)
• Combine and add about 2 Tablespoons milk of your choice - any will work. I had buttermilk left over which is notorious for helping to make things a little fluffier and soft. Your mixture should stick together although it will feel just slightly crumbly. The egg will bind it as it cooks.

Make the Cakes

• Heat 1-2 Tbs. olive oil in a skillet over medium-high heat for each new batch
• Use an ice-cream scoop to dollop the batter into the plan
• Gently flatten the scoops and fry until golden brown (about 3-4 minutes each side on my stove)
• Keep the cakes warm in the oven until it's time to serve them

Serving
My favorite way to enjoy these is with my Summer Salsa Verde and a little Green Jalapeno Pepper Sauce, which is by the way, my new favorite condiment. Red salsa is also a good complement.

French Fried Potato and Carrot Pancakes

Don't let the name fool you these little cakes are delicious AND healthy. Like my four-year old, it might take a little practice for your kids to enjoy the form of the food but they taste yummy. My seven year old ate her first one and then said, "These are sooo good - I NEED another one." The inspiration for these came from a recipe I made awhile back from Mark Bittman. He had a recipe for carrot cakes as a suggestion for breakfast. The recipe was little more than grated carrot, eggs, salt, and a dash of cornmeal. After recently falling in love with corn cakes and watching the zucchini grow in the garden, I thought they would combine well. Then my new Vegetarian Times Magazine came in the mail. In a glossy centerfold was a stack of Potato, Carrot, Zucchini Pancakes. I love synchronicity like this. I modified their recipe and decided to use the chick pea flour for protein instead of the cornmeal I had used in my previous carrot cakes and a star was born in these crunchy, savory pancakes. Writing about them now, I feel excited to have not only a yummy dinner option but I think they will be fantastic for brunch and maybe combined into a nice casserole when it comes time for buffet season this fall.

Prepare the Veggies

• Saute 1 large shallot* in a cast iron skillet (any other skillet is fine but the cast iron will give your cakes more crispness) 

In a large bowl grate:

• 1 medium potato (I used an Idaho potato but I think a sweet potato would be great too!)
• 2 large carrots
• 1 small zucchini
• Wrap the veggies in a kitchen towel and squeeze out as much of the liquid as you can over the sink

Prepare the Batter
In a separate small bowl mix:

• 1/4 cup flour - I used chick pea flour for added protein and to make it gluten-free but any type will work fine
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper

In the large bowl that once held your veggies (which are now wrapped in a towel in your sink;-)

• Whisk 2 eggs
• Add the sauteed shallot*
• Add the veggies
• Dust with your seasoned flour and mix well - Your batter will look a little like the texture of coleslaw and you might wonder will this work? As the eggs cook around the veggies it will bind the cake.

Making Cake

• Coat your skillet with a thin layer of olive oil for each new batch
• Use an ice-cream scoop to dollop the batter into the pan
• Gently flatten and shape your cakes
• Cook over med-high heat until golden brown (about 3-4 minutes per side)
• Keep the cakes warm in the oven until ready to serve

Serving
I'm going to work on some type of creamy sauce for these the next time. In the meantime, the adults ate them with green jalapeno sauce and the kids used, what else, ketchup! Vegetarian Times served them with a tomato corn relish.


* I prefer shallots but a little chopped onion and garlic work in the same way as the shallot

Bloody Mary Soup (aka Cheesy Pizza Sauce Soup) and Power Packed Dippers

I've been enjoying perusing Jessica Seinfeld's "Double Delicious Cookbook". She hit the food scene with her cookbook "Deceptively Delicious." Today's post is inspired by her Tomato Soup and Protein-Packed Grilled Cheese. Jessica's "big thing" is hiding veggie puree in foods so that kids can barely even detect the added nutrition. I didn't have purees ready for the soup recipe so I made up my own and followed her Grilled Cheese recipe to the tee. Both were delicious.

If I had a "big thing" it might be using my creatively to make adult and kid versions of the same food. I try to make them enticing to both groups with the presentation, what I call the food, the associations I make with the food to things the kids enjoy, and with the accompaniments.

As I chopped the celery for the soup today, I started thinking about Bloody Mary's. Now, I'm not a Bloody Mary drinker per say but the combo of celery, tomatoes and a little spice was sounding really good. So I made the soup a Bloody Mary variation (minus the alcohol - but you could add it if you wanted to.) I know my kids wouldn't appreciate this version in the same way my hubby and I would so I decided to make a spicy relish to top our soup and would just leave it off for the kids. The soup has some ricotta cheese swirled in so it's no stretch for me to call it Cheesey Pizza Soup because basically that's what it was. Usually my son tells me he doesn't like soup but with a name like this he didn't refuse.

To save time on a busy weeknight make the soup and bean spread ahead of time and you'll have this yummy dinner ready in no time.

Start the Soup

• Drizzle some olive oil in soup pot
• Chop 1 shallot or small onion (if you use onion feel free to add a little garlic too)
• Turn the heat to med or med-high to begin to saute your veggies - from here on just chop and drop them in the pot
• Small dice two carrots
• Small dice two celery stalks (save the leafy tops for the relish)
• Season with a little salt and saute until the veggies get soft and the shallot has just begun to caramelize
• Remove half of the veggie mix and reserve in a small bowl for the relish
• To the remaining veggies in the soup pot, add a 28oz. can of fire roasted tomatoes
• Add 1 cup of water
• 1 teaspoon maple syrup
• 1 teaspoon soy sauce
• Simmer for about 10 - 15 minutes

While the soup simmers, start the Protein-Packed Portion of the Grilled Cheese Dippers

You can find Jessica's recipe

Quick + Easy Bean Spread

• Drain and rinse 1 can of white beans. Add to a food processor along with:
• 2 teaspoons of lemon juice (I used my favorite white balsamic vinegar because I didn't have lemons)
• 1/4 part-skim ricotta cheese
• 1 teaspoon olive oil
• 1/2 clove garlic roughly chopped
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/8 teaspoon pepper
• puree until smooth and set aside

After the bean spread is prepped, take the soup off the heat so it can start to cool before you blend it. You should never put hot liquid in a blender with the lid on. 

While the soup cools, assemble the dippers.

• Warm the oven to 350 degrees.
• Spread 4 slices of bread with the bean spread
• Sprinkle on pizza cheese 
• Toast in oven for about 7 minutes - if you have a broiler turn in on for the last minute to brown the cheese

While the dippers are in the oven, prepare the relish.

• To the veggies you set aside earlier add:
• 1 chopped chile (your heat preference)
• diced celery leaves you set aside earlier
• juice of a half lime
• sprinkling of salt

Finish the Soup

• Stir 1/2 cup ricotta cheese into the cooling soup. 
• Pour the soup into blender and puree. (If the soup is still hot, you can take the center measuring cup out of the blender and cover with a towel while you blend it so that pressure won't build in the blender bowl or use an immersion blender.)

To serve

• Put the soup in a small bowl. 
• Top the adult versions with the relish and feel free to top the kids versions with a little extra cheese. 
• Slice the toasts into little dippers and serve along side the soup.

Leftovers:

I have enough soup leftovers to use this as a fresh nutrient pasta sauce for our next meal.

Enjoy and know your whole family is eating well with just a few little modifications for optimum pleasure!