This classic after-school snack matures a bit thanks to the addition of walnuts. The brown rice flour not only makes these graham crackers gluten free, but also helps give them a crisp texture, while the maple syrup lends a deeper flavor that brings out the subtle earthiness of the walnuts.
Continue Reading: Walnut-Maple Graham Crackers →
Celebrating the first days of the school year with some back to school design finds.
Continue Reading: Inspiration: Back To School →
Some ingredients turn people off with mere mention; for many, one such ingredient is tofu. It’s really a shame because tofu is a chameleon ingredient that takes on any flavor it’s mixed with. I blame it on the fact there’s tons of crappy tofu in the grocery stores. That and because not enough people have had this recipe. The flavor of this rich, intensely chocolatey pudding is such a dead ringer for traditional chocolate pudding that’s it’s unbelievable that it’s made with tofu and dairy-free, hence the reason I named this “Unbelievable Chocolate Pudding.”
I came up with this recipe for a pudding-loving friend who’s dairy free and hoped it would be a decent replacement. What I didn’t anticipate is that it’d turn out so well that my omnivorous friends would request it on a regular basis. Not that I mind because this recipe requires a fraction of the effort and kitchen time of regular pudding, not to mention it’s lower in fat and calories, so it’s less of a guilty pleasure. Of course, none of that would matter if it didn’t taste so unbelievably good.
Urban legend has it that the smooshed sandwich came about when a mother put her toddler on the kitchen counter while making a sandwich. The mother turned away for a second and when she looked back her baby had sat on (and thus squashed) the bread.
I love that imagery but it’s more likely this sandwich came about when someone made a no-cook panini by putting a sandwich at the bottom of a picnic basket and letting it get smooshed by the other contents. Whatever the origin, it’s a fun sandwich that kids adore making. There’s something about manipulating and squashing food that gets kids jazzed and this sandwich takes full advantage of that. The fillings are a riff on the BLT, known as the PALT (prosciutto, lettuce, avocado, and tomato) around my house, but feel free to use whatever sandwich fixings your kids like. No matter how you fill it, just make sure you leave yourself adequate smoosh time because it a flattened sandwich is all that more fun to eat.
By now it’s engrained in us: soda’s the enemy. Even so I still yearn for a cold fizzy drink when it’s hot out, like, for example, this week where temperatures have been nearing the triple digits. There’s only so much water I can down, so I’ve compromised by mixing up homemade nonalcoholic drinks. Making them myself allows me to avoid all the scary stuff while still satisfying my soda fix. These fizzies are an awesome alternative because they’re simple to make, just a tad sweet, and an easy way to get a few extra servings of fruit, which is why they’re part of my week of healthy back to school recipes. So, help your little ones stay cool and healthy and toast the new school year with these homemade fruit fizzies.
Continue Reading: Fresh Fruit Fizzies →
Think of these as chips with curb appeal. They’re a shoo-in for the little ones (and adults with a sweet tooth) because they’re tad sweet, have a deep garnet color, and are tons healthier than potato chips with lots of iron, fiber, and beta-carotene. Unlike the storebought vegetable chips, which tend to be fried, these are slow roasted until they’re shatteringly crisp. The only downfall? They make like ShrinkyDinks in the oven and end up almost half their original side. So, make lots. Trust me, you’ll thank me after.
I’m by no means the first person to make kale chips, but I am a huge advocate of kale chips as a healthy snack option. My first kale chip experience was courtesy an adventurous hippy friend who’s alway on the lookout for new food finds. After a taste, I was a fan and would buy them by the armful from the local co-op (which said hippy friend introduced me to, of course). After a short while I decided to save the trip to the store (and some money) and began making them myself.
But I never thought of them as kid-friendly food until my niece came over and I gave her a few chips to try. Seconds later, she was tugging at my hem, asking for more, and the rest is history. What makes these such a kid-worthy snack is that kale is one of the most nutritionally dense foods available with loads of calcium, fiber, vitamin A, C, K, and tons of fiber. But enough about nutrition, they’re also tasty and super simple to make. My niece and nephew (aka my guines pigs for all my kid-friendly recipes) nosh them as is, but the chips are also great stirred into mashed potatoes, crumbled and tossed with popcorn, or eaten with a dip.
In case I haven’t made it clear, I have major love for chickpeas. Their nutty, sweet taste is thoroughly addictive, which is why I use them everywhere from salads and stews to veggie burritos and sliders. So you can imagine how jazzed I was the first time I tried fried chickpeas.
When I was working in the CHOW test kitchen, we developed them for Hanukkah and every time we’d test the menu, the chickpeas were the first to go. But I couldn’t help thinking how unhealthy they were, which is a shame since chickpeas themselves have loads of fiber, iron, and protein. So, I began roasting them and, along the way, made the process simpler and much less messy, which is why this is one of the picks for this week’s healthy back-to-school recipes.
Continue Reading: Spiced Chickpea Snackers →
School keeps starting earlier and earlier each year, but I still think of Labor Day as the official back-to-school kickoff. That’s why I’m dedicating this week to school-worthy (make ahead and transportable) kid-friendly recipes that are healthy and (mostly) vegetarian. I cooked these recipes today for a family-friendly picnic at the Los Angeles-based food fest, The Taste and while they’re fab eaten together, they’re also great on their own.
Continue Reading: Toasted Garlic Edamame Hummus →
