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.

Friday Night Alfresco

Friday is a day I have a little more time to prepare; and more importantly, to actually savor dinner before rushing off to work or practices. I'm always appreciative when I have a little time peruse my plethora of cookbooks and food magazines to find something new, healthy,  and delicious. I had come across a recipe for cucumber gazpacho that I wanted to try and  was looking for something special to go with the simple cold soup. I came across two meal plans (links below) and, as usual, pulled from a few places to come up with a meal that fit my family's tastes and needs. I ended up making:

• Gazpacho of Cucumber and Green Tomato (better known as Pickle Soup)
• Sweet and Spicy Pepper Relish
• Balsamic Glazed Roma Tomato and Goat Cheese Crostini

Click the links above for my recipes and keep in mind the photo of the crostini does not do it justice. This is one of the tastiest bites I've had in a long time. It is on a classic white french baguette but the ingredients would be just as good on a gluten-free cracker or rice bread toast if you are looking for healthier alternatives.

Inspiration for my Friday Night Alfresco Meal Plan

Natalia Rose's Cucumber Gazpacho in Detox 4 Women

http://www.foodnetwork.com/food/cda/recipe_print/0,1946,FOOD_9936_554109_RECIPE-PRINT-FULL-PAGE-FORMATTER,00.html

http://www.cookingchanneltv.com/cook/cda/recipe_print/0,1946,COOK_41503_468966_RECIPE-PRINT-FULL-PAGE-FORMATTER,00.html#

As I'm typing this I'm watching Kelsey's Essentials on The Cooking Channel. She's making this pomegranate glaze for steak. It looks amazing! I'm going to have to try to come up with something to go with it.
Pomegranate Glaze
??? Pom juice
1 Tb Dijion Mustard
3 Tb. Balsamic
1 t. Cornstarch
1/4 brown sugar

I also came across this cocktail recipe to try:
http://www.marthastewart.com/318052/pineapple-and-mango-rum-cocktails

Green Gazpacho

This is a very easy cold soup perfect for a hot summer day. Because I tell my kids that cucumbers are pickles, this soup has the nickname of pickle soup.


Marinate your green veggies:
Prepare veggies and place in a long shallow dish:

• 1 english cucumber sliced thin
• 2 green tomatoes (if you can't get green tomatoes, use another cucumber)
• 1 shallot, chopped (garlic is a fine replacement)
• 1 jalepeno pepper, chopped - discard the seeds and ribs if you want a more mild soup
• juice of 2 limes
• 1 t. ground coriander
• 1 cup of water

Marinate veggies for at least an hour and up to 24 hours.

When it's supper time, simply blend your soup.

Here I've topped it with Spicy Sweet Pepper Relish and Served it with Balsamic Glazed Tomato and Goat Cheese Crostini.

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

No Chips Needed for this Salsa Verde Salad

Salsa Verde with Corn Cakes and Sweet Potato Chips

This Salsa Verde is my favorite thing to make in summer. I love to add it avocado for guacamole and use it as a healthy and yummy sauce on anything! Today I used it as my salad dressing and it was worth writing about.

Salsa Verde
In a mini food chopper or blender, combine:

• 4-6 husked, rinsed and quartered tomatillos (no need to cook them)
• 1 large or two small shallots
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1-2 handfuls of cilantro leaves (depending on your taste)
• juice of one lime
• a little heat by way of some jalepeno or pepper sauce would be a nice addition if you like it spicy

That's all there is to it. You could add it to some mashed avocado for guacamole; or make the....

No Chips Needed Salsa Verde Salad

• Prepare the Salsa Verde Salad dressing
• In a large bowl, mash one avocado and add 1/4 cup Salsa Verde
• Stir to combine
• Prepare your veggies
• There is so much flavor and healthy goodness in this dressing that I keep the salad really simple. It's just:
• 1/2 head or romaine lettuce
• 1 diced cucumber
• Mix it up and enjoy

The salad recipe makes one large salad and you'll have some leftover salsa for snacking on later.

Emerald Green Vitality "Soup"

In keeping with my recent theme of cocktail inspired soups, this could be called Margarita Soup and I do think it's yummy enough to drink out of a glass. You just whiz it up in a blender and you are good to go. The color might be scary if you aren't used to eating the freshest of food so just think "I am eating (or drinking) pure vitality when I take this in."

Recipe is for one large serving or two smaller portions


Prepare the veggies:

• Chop 1/4 english cucumber* (reserve a little for garnish if you like)
• Halve an avocado **

Place the ingredients into your blender

• chopped cucumber
• half of an avocado
• a large handful of baby spinach
• juice of one lime
• small handful of cilantro leaves***
• 1/2 teaspoon good quality sea salt
• 1/4 cup water

Puree the soup in the blender and add water as needed to bring it to a pleasing consistency. Pour into you bowl or glass and enjoy. If using as a soup you might garnish with a bit of chopped cucumber and pine nuts.


*English Cucumbers have thin un-waxed skin and barely noticeable seeds so they require less prep work and no worry of eating wax. If you are using a conventional cucumber you should peel and seed it first)

**To preserve the other half of the avacado, keep the pit in one half. This is the side you will save the pit helps keep it fresher longer. Sprinkle a little citrus juice on the exposed portion of the reserved avacado. Place in an airtight container in the fridge. You should use the second half within a day or two. When you go to prepare the second half, remove the pit and scrape off the browned top layer. Everything underneath will still be nice and fresh.

***When using this as a drink, I leave out the cilantro.

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!