Newsletters: March - April 2007
Cook's Corner
Recipes-Healthy, Kid-Friendly Foods
In some circles, "health food" has a bad rap-especially among kids. We often hear parents worry that their kids won't go for "natural" foods. Next time you're fixing food for your kids, invite them in to help. Kids enjoy taking part in creating their foods and are more likely to accept healthy foods if they participate in their assembly. In the following recipes kids can wash veggies, chop, assemble sandwiches, measure ingredients, squeeze lemons, toast bread, spread nut butters, mash bananas, and much more.
Vegan Pimento "Cheese"
MAKES 1 12 cups
1 cup pine nuts or cashews, soaked for 2 hours
1- 4 ounce jar pimentos rinsed
1/4 cup nutritional yeast flakes
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
2 T un-hulled sesame seeds
2 T raw onions
1 clove garlic
1 tsp Celtic sea salt (optional)
Water to desired consistency
Place all ingredients in a blender or food processor and blend until creamy smooth. Refrigerate in a tightly sealed container. It will keep for about 10 days.
Recipe by Faye Pulvermuller
Easy Hummus
MAKES 2 cups
1 can organic garbanzo beans (approx 1 12 cups)
2-3 T liquid from beans
2-3 T organic lemon juice
1 1/2 T Tahini
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1 clove garlic
1 tsp extra virgin olive oil (optional)
1 T organic parsley, chopped (optional)
Place all ingredients in a food processor. Process until smooth.
Best Ever Veggie Sandwich
MAKES 4 open-face sandwiches
4 English muffins, split and toasted
1-2 avocados, mashed
1 cup alfalfa sprouts
1 small tomato, chopped
1 small sweet onion, chopped (optional)
1 small carrot, shredded
4 T ranch dressing
4 T toasted sesame seeds
1 cup shredded cheese or cheese substitute of choice. Smoked cheddar works well.
Place each muffin half face up on a cookie sheet. Spread each half with mashed avocado; place halves close together. Distributing rest of ingredients evenly, cover each half with sprouts, tomatoes, sweet onion, dressing, sesame seeds and cheese.
Place halves under broiler or in toaster oven until cheese is melted. Recipe from www.kaboose.com
Nut Butter and Jam Wafflewiches
SERVES 1-2
2 toaster waffles, available in gluten-free
1 T natural nut butter
1 T jam, jelly, agave nectar or honey
1/2 banana, sliced
Toast waffles. Spread one waffle with nut butter; the other with jam. Arrange banana slices on one side. Put sides together and press lightly so they stick together. Cut into fourths, triangles or other interesting shapes.
Orange/Banana Breakfast Smoothie
3 Tablespoons frozen orange juice concentrate
1 frozen banana
1/2 cup milk, plain yogurt, or soy, almond, rice milk
1/4 juice of choice, pineapple, cranberry etc.
For additional nutrition add: one tablespoon flax oil and/or 1 teaspoon of powdered greens
Apple Ladybugs
SERVES 2-4
2 red apples
1/4 cup raisins
1 T nut butter (peanut, almond, chocolate hazelnut, cashew, macadamia, sunflower, tahini)
8 thin pretzel sticks
Slice apples in half from top to bottom and scoop out core using knife or melon baller. If you have an apple corer, core apples first before cutting in half. Place each half flat side down on a plate. Dab nut butter on back of "ladybug." Stick raisins to the nut butter for "spots." Do this to make eyes also. To make antenna, stick a raisin on one end of each pretzel stick; stick the other end into the apple.
No-Bake Almond Cookies
MAKES 8-12
2 cups almonds
1/2 cup unfiltered raw honey
Unsweetened coconut flakes
Grind almonds into fine meal. Work in enough honey to make sticky dough. Roll into balls or log. Roll in coconut. Chill. Slice. Eat. Recipe by Faye Pulvermuller
Vanilla Orange Freeze Pops
MAKES 2 quarts
1 quart Edensoy® Vanilla or Extra Vanilla
3 cups orange juice
3 T pure maple syrup
2 tsp pure vanilla extract
10 ice cubes
Place all ingredients in a blender and pulse until smooth. Pour into freeze pop molds and freeze a minimum of two hours or until frozen solid.
Crunchy Banana Lollipops
MAKES 10
1 cup organic cornflakes
2 tsp non-hydrogenated shortening
1/2 cup peanut butter
1/2 cup chocolate chips
5 bananas, peeled and halved
10 Popsicle sticks
Cover a baking sheet with wax paper. In a plastic bag, crush cereals with a rolling pin. In a saucepan, put the shortening, peanut butter and chocolate chips. Heat until melted. Remove from fire. Insert a wooden Popsicle stick at the center of each banana half. Dip banana in chocolate, peanut butter and shortening mixture. Completely coat bananas. Roll in cereal. Transfer to baking sheet. Chill until firm.
Instant Banana Pudding
SERVES 1
1 small banana
1/2 cup applesauce
2 tsp plain yogurt
1/2 tsp cinnamon
Mash banana with fork or potato masher. Add applesauce, yogurt and cinnamon. Enjoy!
Crispy Rice Snacks
MAKES 24 balls
1/2 cup chunky peanut butter or almond butter
1/2 cup honey
1/2 cup chopped nuts
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp cinnamon
2 cups Erewhon® Crispy Brown Rice Cereal
Mix nut butter, honey, nuts, vanilla and cinnamon together in a bowl. Add cereal and stir gently until cereal is well coated. Place a dish of water near the bowl. Using wet hands, form the mixture into walnut-sized balls and place them on lightly oiled dish or on waxed paper.
For variety, try rolling balls in coconut, chopped nuts or sesame seeds. Try adding dried fruit to your mixture.
Super Easy Nut Butter Balls
1/4 cup granola of choice
2 T brown sugar or Sucanat®
1/4 cup raisins
1/4 cup finely shredded carrots
1/4 cup nut butter
Combine all ingredients except nut butter in a bowl. Set aside. Soften nut butter in microwave or heat in small saucepan of hot water. Add softened nut butter to granola mixture and stir to combine. Cool. Shape into balls.
Recipe from Teen Vegetarian Cookbook
