Food Poems

      In recognition of the last day of National Poetry Month I'd like to promote this fun site of food poems to share with children. There are some delicious ones!
     http://www.brownielocks.com/kidpoems.html

Anti-cancer Foods

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/david-servanschreiber-md-phd/which-fruits-and-vegetabl_b_550397.html

     I've long been preaching the gospel of super foods as important to warding off cancer, but this recent article gives great new info on which fruits and vegetables are most helpful in reducing the risk of different cancers. For example if you have specific reason to worry about breast cancer, it tells you which superfoods are most helpful. This is really useful information that isn't being widely touted, which is a shame. Check it out. Tell your friends.

Seasonal Eats Are Best

      I love cooking seasonal dishes. It's the very best way of using fresh local ingredients, and enjoying them when they are at their best, resulting in the best tasting food, but also the most nutritious. So much is lost in transit and storage, in addition to the price the planet pays. Here is a wonderful spring supper recipe from our friends at Meatless Monday. Miso Morel Pasta with Peas I've got to wait awhile before I can get some good fresh peas living up here in the north. If you try it first let me know what you think.
     Speaking of seasonal eats, I did enjoy my first lobster roll of the season this weekend, while eating on the decks (what we call outdoor dining with a harbor view in my town). Breezy but nice. Had a cup of chowder on the side to keep me warm. My daughter had her favorite fried clams with french fries and was happy, well relatively.
     Over the last week I made eggplant parmigiana subs for the family. Those did not go over well. Not sure why, they were fresh and tasty. I prepare them with an egg and panko crumb coating, and then pan fry in olive oil with seasoning and herbs. Then bake a bit with marinara sauce and mozzarella cheese.

      And my first dinner on the grill for the year did go over well. I would have expected this one to be unpopular with the kids, but it was well received. They can be awfully unpredictable. It was a lazy evening plan actually. I bought a quantity of swordfish kebabs at a very reasonable price and marinated them in hot plum chipolte grilling and glazing sauce. The ingredients of the sauce are; pureed plums, sugar, chipolte peppers, lime juice, and apple cider vinegar. I didn't make it myself, but heartily recommend it. The fish was outstanding. I served it with grilled potato slices with my first fresh herbs, and grilled portabello mushroom slices marinated in an herb infused and salty oil that also came out great. I'm hesitant to say what I really thought which is that the 'shrooms had a steaky taste that was quite satisfying. Here is a photo of that dinner in progress;

Note that veggies should always be the most abundant part of the meal.

Speak up

Ask Congress for Healthier School Meals on April 21!

Meatless Monday / Cooking Kids

      Really want to help promote this brand new initiative by our friends at Meatless Mondays, so many resources in one spot for the whole family. http://www.healthymonday.org/the-kids-cook-monday/
     Last night I took my daughter, Grace, out to an Indian restaurant for dinner. I wanted to teach her about the long standing tradition of vegetarianism in India that has resulted in so many wonderful dishes that are now loved all over the world. She was obnoxiously uninterested. To the point where she refused to try the mango ice cream for dessert just so she could make a point. The heady aroma of ethnic spices seemed to give her a lot of trouble. I ordered a variety of things urging her to try each; naan, spinach paneer, basmati rice, and tandoori shrimp, and a cup of chai tea. It was all so tasty and lovingly prepared. I enjoyed it immensely last night at dinner, and some leftovers for lunch today. She didn't really like anything. We both noticed there were a lot of families there. I noticed most of the children were quite content.
    Here is a link to a cooking demonstration of authentic palak paneer with a recipe;

Noodles and soup for the tummy beast

     Tonight we had the pasta with carrot walnut sauce (see last post for recipe) and it was very good even without using the freshly roasted garlic. I had roasted garlic on hand which made prep much quicker. I added chopped fresh parsley and a bit of freshly grated parmesan cheese to mine. My foodie friend Barb was visiting and she liked it. It is an excellent meal for vegetarian children because the healthy components are not very visible. It looks like a big bowl of noodles. The tastes are subtle, nothing to overpower little taste buds. Really worth a try.
     Other than that I have been working so hard this week I haven't been doing a lot of cooking from scratch. A few nights ago my 13 year old daughter and I did have another go at making miso soup. We are still perfecting our recipe and wont post it til we get it just right (there are plenty of versions on the web) but we got quite a bit closer with this second version. The first time we used dark instead of white miso and neither of us liked the result. You can see the color difference in the following photos, and there is a taste difference also. The dark is much stronger in flavor. Here are some photos of her efforts so far. You'll remember, because this is one of her favorite vegetarian dishes, that I want to teach her to whip it up for herself whenever she wants it.

     Did you know that April is National Poetry Month? Something else that I believe adults should share with the children in their lives. Here is a poem that children will enjoy, for you to share with your little loved ones. They might also enjoy drawing the tummy beast and what he wants to eat after you have read it together.

The Tummy Beast by Roald Dahl
One afternoon I said to mummy,
“Who is this person in my tummy?
“Who must be small and very thin
“Or how could he have gotten in?”
My mother said from where she sat,
“It isn’t nice to talk like that.”
“It’s true!” I cried. “I swear it, mummy!
“There is a person in my tummy!
“He talks to me at night in bed,
“He’s always asking to be fed,
“Throughout the day, he screams at me,
“Demanding sugar buns for tea.
“He tells me it is not a sin
“To go and raid the biscuit tin.
“I know quite well it’s awfully wrong
“To guzzle food the whole day long,
“But really I can’t help it, mummy,
“Not with this person in my tummy.”
“You horrid child!” my mother cried.
“Admit it right away, you’ve lied!”
“You’re simply trying to produce
“A silly asinine excuse!
“You are the greedy guzzling brat!
“And that is why you’re always fat!”
I tried once more, “Believe me, mummy,
“There is a person in my tummy.”
“I’ve had enough!” my mother said,
“You’d better go at once to bed!”
Just then, a nicely timed event
Delivered me from punishment.
Deep in my tummy something stirred,
And then an awful noise was heard,
A snorting grumbling grunting sound
That made my tummy jump around.
My darling mother nearly died,
“My goodness, what was that?” she cried.
At once the tummy voice came through,
It shouted, “Hey there! Listen you!
“I’m getting hungry! I want eats!
“I want lots of chocs and sweets!
“Get me half a pound of nuts!
“Look snappy or I’ll twist your guts!”
“That’s him!” I cried. “He’s in my tummy!
“So now do you believe me, mummy?”
But mummy answered nothing more,
For she had fainted on the floor.

Source: Dirty Beasts (Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2001)

Walnutty

     You have got to love them. You just must! They are an offical super food, offering life enhancing nutrition. And they are delicious. In the raw. Roasted. Toasted. For breakfast in your yogurt. For lunch in your salad. For dinner in your pasta. For dessert in your brownie.
     Here is a shot of a scrumptious salad I had this weekend, that was made so by the addition of candied walnuts.

      Yes, I said for dinner in your pasta. Check out this interesting vegan recipe from Meatless Mondays;
http://www.meatlessmonday.com/carrot-walnut-tagliatelle/?utm_source=Meatless+Monday&utm_campaign=4574305fa1-Eater%27s_Digest_Monday_04_12_2010&utm_medium=email We are going to be checking it out at our house as soon as I pick up some carrot juice.
     Seriously, everyone, not just vegetarians, should be making an effort to work walnuts into their daily diet. The key is (as always) moderation. I have read that when you have more than 9 nuts per day, you forfiet the benefits by overdoing it, and it becomes a high fat habit that isn't so good for you. I have found that to be an easy rule to remember and to work with. The facts are walnuts are one of the best plant sources of protein. They are rich in fiber, B vitamins, magnesium and antioxidants such as Vitamin E. Nuts in general are also high in plant sterols and omega 3 fatty acids. Walnuts, in particular, have significantly higher amounts of omega 3 fatty acids as compared to other nuts. In 2004, the FDA endorsed the health benefits of walnuts by approving the heart health claim. There should always be a bag in the fridge. I've got plenty, but need to go pick up some carrot juice now.