Black Bean Corn Salsa and chicken nuggets

      Holidays are so hectic. Have lots of good food stories to share about the holiday weekend, but have been having technical difficulties that are delaying the posts. Highlights were some Asian aduki bean burgers and a blackberry spinach and walnut salad that I made. Also had some fabulous fish tacos. Will rectify these technical glitches as soon as possible.
Black Bean Corn Salsa
      This is my favorite kind of salsa, but I've never made it before. Only bought it in a jar. So I was very excited when Meatless Monday offered this recipe for making it at home. I love that there is a little bit of protein in it, as I am always looking for ways to up the protein in my kid's diet.
     Also saw the following come across my desk yesterday. Not a bad article to share with tweens and teens who are starting to make their own decisions about what goes into their mouth and what doesn't. There is a very common fallacy that chicken nuggets are a healthy food choice for kids. I certainly let my kids eat them regularly when they were little. The truth is prepared thoughtfully at home they may be, but what we get when we are ordering them out is seriously suspect. I am really glad my daughter wont touch these anymore.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/worldnews/article-1291526/U-S-Chicken-McNuggets-contain-Silly-Putty-chemical-calories-fat-Britain.html

Happy Independence Day!

Here is a kid friendly holiday appetizer that kids cans can feel independent in making themselves, and yet it is still tasty and pretty enough to bring along to any social gathering. And it is so healthy it is a superfood.

Simply, wash and pat dry fresh fruit. Gently scoop out a bit of strawberry center and spoon in a yogurt filling of your choice. Top with one blueberry. I like to sprinkle a fancy sugar over the top but that is not necessary. Just delightful, don't you think?!

Tex-Mex Casserole

     Once in awhile a single mom has to get out of the house, but because she is single she has to have a meal for the kids prepared in advance that they can manage on their own. Enter the casserole. I think a casserole shouldn't be just a one-dish, easy to heat meal, but also that all of your food groups should be present there-in. This is one that I created for my kids. You can, as always, tweak it, to better suit your tastes or needs.

Tameri T's Tex-Mex Casserole

     In a large baking dish layer;
all natural corn tortilla chips (I like to break them a bit),
then one can Mexican rice and beans, (I sometimes use or add a layerof one can of chili)
then one layer homemade guacamole,
then one layer of your favorite salsa (I used chunky tequila lime)
then one layer of plain yogurt (I used 4 oz. of grass fed organic)
then sprinkle top with chopped cilantro and shredded cheese.

Here is what it looks like before it goes in the oven;

And after it has been warmed up in a 300 degree oven for ten minutes.

French Fries; A Bad Habit We Can Improve

    "If you keep eating those you are going to turn into a French fry!" It's a fact - kids love French fries. (Sadly, they may have started this habit as teething toddlers.) I remember the actual physical craving I felt for them when I was a teenager. Now I am the mother of two teenagers. I don't buy them fast food very often, but have always felt that it is better not to altogether ban anything. Occasional treats are okay. Yesterday, I pulled through McD's drive thru to get Grace, who was hungry, a large order of fries and a yogurt parfait. It never occurred to me that in so doing I was giving her food which violates her commitment to vegetarianism. Today I learned that their fries are not vegetarian. They have always been cooked with a bit of beef flavoring. How could this not be common knowledge?! I am rather outraged. The following is a quote that seems to be the consensus from the vegetarian community. I did check the McDonald's official web site, but found their nutritional information to be much less than forthcoming. Surprise, surprise.
     "McDonald's fries are not vegetarian. They add beef powder to the fries, in the factory, before it is shipped to the restaurants. They then fry their fries in vegetable oil, once it gets to the locations. A lot of companies secretly add animal products to their foods, by listing the animal products as "enzymes", "mono-and diglycerides" or "natural flavors." McDonald's lists natural flavors, instead of writing beef powder, because they don't want to hurt their image or lose customers that would get freaked out, if they knew that even their potatoes have animal products in them. McDonald's was sued in 2002 for lying to vegetarians and Hindus about their use of beef products in their fries and hash browns. You're better off going to Burger King. They have vegetarian fries that are cooked in separate oil from their meat, and they have a BK Veggie burger value meal. They also have vegan Dutch apple pie slices."
     So I offer up this alternative from our friends at Meatless Monday which we are going to try at home;
Baked Zucchini Fries. They look really yummy, and so does the superfood dip.

A Taste of The Taste

     Last night was a big night out for me, and one of my favorite social engagements of the year. It is called Taste of The Nation, a fundraiser for Save our Strength, an organization that works to end childhood hunger. You may have one of these events each year in your town. If you don't, you should. I will share with you just a very small sample of the vast array of amazing very small samples provided by hundreds of local food and beverage pros from my region. The emphasis is on gourmet goodness using fresh local ingredients.

The early evening sky over Strawbery Banke upon our arrival.

What it looks like under the tent. Each vendor sets up their own exhibit, and most feature two appetizers.

This was a delightful little crab cake operation.

I wish I had this recipe. It was a bruleed Caprese tomato where the balsamic glaze was torched and caramelized. I crazy loved it!

There was a huge assortment of tuna treats available. This was one.

Tomato croquettes with a variety of toppings.

This was one of the stand out winners for me, made by a little breakfast lunch spot that doesn't pretend to be high end. They are mini eggs Benedict Florentine made with fresh local quails eggs. Can't describe how tasty that was...

Shrimp Diablo deviled eggs

Fresh figs aren't quite in focus. Another winner was blue cheese stuffed dates.

 

Crab and cucumber canapes with yellow watermelon. Very refreshing on a hot night.

An entirely edible salad created, from seed to table, by master gardener John Forti.

Many wonderful wines and micro brews were available. This is one of my all-time favorites.

I was so full, I skipped all of the sweets, but took a few photos for you.

 















     The crowd was  cuckoo over Clyde's Cupcakes.

BFF Barb who will be my guest blogger if I ever get to go on vacation.

About that time I put my fork and camera away and hit the dance floor...

         Hope I have inspired you to participate.

Sunday Shrimp on the Barbie and Rhubarb Bread

      We weren't really celebrating Father's Day here yesterday, it was just me and two kids, but I did prepare a slightly special dinner on the deck. I marinated a good pound of jumbo shrimp in a marinade I whisked up on the fly. A mixture of lime, lemon, and orange juice with some garlic, olive oil, and low sodium soy sauce, and lot of parsley and cilantro. I left that chilling in the fridge along with a baby red potato salad blended with a dressing of half mayo and half Greek yogurt and lots of my fresh chives, and I left the half husked corn on the cob to soak in cold water, while I worked out in the yard all afternoon. After lighting the grill (you may have read in a previous post that I will only cook over charcoal or wood outside) the corn on the cob and shrimp veggie kebabs grilled up quickly and deliciously. It all went down very nicely with an ice cold lemonade. Toasted marshmallows were offered for dessert before the coals died out.

     And here is a recipe I scored from Meatless Monday today that I really want to try because I still have some rhubarb in the garden that I need to harvest and I have never made a bread with rhubarb before. I have a couple of social engagements this weekend and I am going to need something to bring, so I would like to try this. http://www.meatlessmonday.com/rhubarb-nutmeg-bread/?utm_source=Meatless+Monday&utm_campaign=8428d3dd63-Eater%27s_Digest_Monday_06_21_2010&utm_medium=email

Save the animals

Happy Father's Day.

     My daughter asked me to pull over as we were driving through our neighborhood yesterday so that she could take this photo, and I said I would post it on our blog;

          I'd also like to share this link about a great idea called Gumbo for the Gulf;  http://www.environmentwashington.org/action/oceans/gumbo?id4=tafsent    It is a wonderful way we can do something for the gulf coast catastrophe.  Please take a look and share the idea with your foodie friends.