Tuesday, June 22, 2010

Chef Night: Grandad and Mama Mae visit

The week that Dad and Andi (Grandad and Mama Mae) came to town, we had already decided the boys would all be "chefs" on the same night and that Grandad and Mama Mae would help "Direct" the effort.

We determined "Mexican food" would be our theme and we bought vegan almond cheese, fat-free re-fried beans, black beans, tostada's and chips for the occasion.  The raw condiments we had available were:  avocado, tomato, lettuce, onion & salsa.

Children Chefs













Mama Mae instructs in proper avocado sliding techniques









Matt slicing Almond cheese

Noah practices what he's just been taught









Grandad demonstrates proper tomato slicing techniques















Tostada condiment assembly line









See, it melts like real cheese!









The 5 Chefs...

Thursday, June 17, 2010

Chef 3: Noah

Noah (6yrs) was the "Chef" tonight and he made dippers and home-made vegan pizza.  Your mouth will water when you see the pictures below!

 
Noah chopped the veggies for dippers and made the pizza- with only a little help and direction from Mom.  He enjoyed the entire process and especially liked being able to lick all the spoons at the end!

 
The other boys were VERY happy Noah chose to make home-made pizza... it's only the second time we've had it (normally, we just buy the frozen Amy's soy cheese pizza for events which require pizza).  We all agreed this is WAY better than a frozen pizza!

 
Chopping veggies for Dippers (with "Chef" apparel)

 
Pizza ingredients: 

  • Pizza pie crust (from local health food store)
  • we made Pizza sauce made from organic tomato paste mixed with lots of Italian seasoning, fresh basil & garlic
  • Almond cheese typically melts better than soy or rice cheese
  • fresh veggies:  mushrooms, tomatoes & onions
  • fresh basil snipped and sprinkled on top


 

 

 

 

 

 

 


And the pizza making begins:

 
Can you see the smiley face?
Ready to cook now--- doesn't this look gourmet?
After a long day of yard and garden work, the boys enjoyed the fruit of Noah's labor!
Noah's comments: 
"I liked making food for everyone.  I really liked wearing the chef hat and apron too.  I can't wait to do it again next time and next time and next time... all summer!"

Sunday, June 13, 2010

Chef Taylor-- Second "Child Chef" meal

Taylor (9) chose some All-American favorites for his first dinner as "Chef".  He made mashed potatoes and gravy, steamed beans and broccoli and salad.  Although his meal took an increased time investment on my part, I believe the ROI will yield great future results!

 
Taylor did a wonderful job!  I must admit to being nervous about him using sharp knives, but we discussed it all and he was very careful.  He did a great job of  following instructions and juggling multiple tasks.  Check out his notes at the end of this entry.

 
Before he could begin preparations, the beans and potatoes had to be harvested. (Note to all readers:  kids enjoy harvesting MUCH more when someone is taking their picture! :)

 
Digging potatoes

 

 

 

 

 
Picking green beans

 
Now the food preparation begins:
Scrubbing/chopping potatoes    Prepping veggies for steaming
Chopping up salads                            Mashing potatoes
Whisking gravy
(we used organic gravy packets
from health food store)
Taylor's Masterpiece!
Recipe for Skins-on, Lumpy, Old-fashioned potatoes:
Ingredients:   

  • Red new potatoes
  • Soy milk or Soy creamer (the creamer makes them richer- can also use Almond or Rice milk)
  • Butter (yes, one of the few animal products we use is butter- healthier alternative to margarine)
  • Sea salt to taste 

 
Chop and boil potatoes with skins on.  When done, pour in soy milk or creamer and use masher to mash the potatoes.  Add soy milk while mashing until you reach desired consistency.  Add sea salt to taste.  Top off with a slice of butter to melt on top of each individual serving.

 
Some thoughts from Taylor:
Taylor's Notes:
My favorite part about it was when I mashed the potatoes and got to taste it. MMMMMMMMMM! I loved the experience of actually being in the kitchen making meals for 4 people. Also I am looking forward to doing it next week, not only having the apron, but also having the paper chef hats from my mom's friend, Jamie.

Saturday, June 12, 2010

Chef Matthew... 1st "child chef meal" in our summer project

I was a proud and somewhat surprised Mom tonight as Matthew made his first entire meal for the family.  Proud because he did an AMAZING job and and surprised because not only did he NOT complain about all the work, he was full of happiness and joy throughout the entire process!  Check out his comments below- his words are in blue font.

Matthew chose to make Quinoa with steamed veggies and salad for our dinner.  I was a bit apprehensive about his choice because Quinoa can be tricky... when the directions tell you to RINSE or SOAK it before cooking, they mean it.  If you don't, it can cause intenstinal discomfort like SEVERE heartburn symptoms if not thoroughly rinsed.  Even when you buy it packaged the directions may tell you not to rinse, but my advice would be to rinse anyway- better safe then sorry. (See info about Quinoa at the end of this entry).

Matthew had a great natural sense of timing... making salads while the Quinoa was cooking and starting the veggies to steam at just the right time.

Quinoa and Veggies:  

  • Soak and Rinse Quinoa thoroughly
  • Bring water to a boil, then add Quinoa (2 cups water to 1 cup Quinoa)
  • Cook on high for 15-16 minutes (make sure all water has cooked out)
  • Let cool til Quinoa is light and fluffy
  • Pour into large mixing bowl and add steamed veggies
  • Drizzle with some olive oil, Bragg's Liquid Aminos and/or Tamari
  • Sprinkle with garlic powder (optional) 


We decided to celebrate the special occasion by eating outside. 

 
Matthew's Notes:
I thought it was very fun and I had no trouble cooking it at all, but like Mom said, I picked a difficult dish to make. I just can't wait for my cooking turn next week and the brothers ideas also sound very delicious.   

 
Dad (Jeff) joined us for a fun family dinner and everyone enjoyed the first meal prepared by Chef Matthew!
Wikipedia has some good information about this ancient grain that we've listed below:
Nutritional Value:
Quinoa was of great nutritional importance in pre-Columbian Andean civilizations, being secondary only to the potato, and was followed in importance by maize. In contemporary times, this crop has become highly appreciated for its nutritional value, as its protein content is very high (12%–18%). Unlike wheat or rice (which are low in lysine), quinoa contains a balanced set of essential amino acids for humans, making it an unusually complete protein source among plant foods.[4] It is a good source of dietary fiber and phosphorus and is high in magnesium and iron. Quinoa is gluten-free and considered easy to digest. Because of all these characteristics, quinoa is being considered a possible crop in NASA's Controlled Ecological Life Support System for long-duration manned spaceflights.
Preparation:
Quinoa has a light, fluffy texture when cooked, and its mild, slightly nutty flavor makes it an alternative to white rice or couscous.

 
The first step in preparing quinoa is to remove the saponins, a process that requires soaking the grain in water for a few hours, then changing the water and resoaking, or rinsing it in ample running water either in a fine strainer or in cheesecloth. Removal of the saponin helps with digestion; the soapy nature of the compound makes it act as a laxative. Most boxed quinoa has been pre-rinsed for convenience.

 
A common cooking method is to treat quinoa much like rice, bringing two cups of water to a boil with one cup of grain, covering at a low simmer and cooking for 14–18 minutes or until the germ separates from the seed. The cooked germ looks like a tiny curl and should have a slight bite to it (like al dente pasta). As an alternative, one can use a rice cooker to prepare quinoa, treating it just like white rice (for both cooking cycle and water amounts).

 
Vegetables and seasonings can also be added to make a wide range of dishes. Chicken or vegetable stock can be substituted for water during cooking, adding flavor. It is also suited to vegetable pilafs, complementing bitter greens like kale.

Tuesday, June 8, 2010

Summer Sneak Preview: Children Chefs

Just wanted to give readers a sneak preview of our plans for this summer.

Each week, the boys are going to choose a meal in which they will do the planning, shopping and preparing for our family.  We will provide weekly updates including pictures of the process for each child.

A friend has some chef hats and aprons that will help create the atmosphere for our summer project!

The boys have been counting down the days til school and baseball are over so that we can begin.  It all starts next week...

More to follow...

Saturday, June 5, 2010

Spring/ Summer Garden

It's that time again... time for harvesting what we've sown.  I enjoy being able to go outside and pick lettuce for dinner or kale for breakfast Green Smoothies or herbs for dressings.

You don't need to have a lot of space to plant a garden.  My Dad and Andi had fresh tomatoes all summer last year from a few plants in containers on their deck.

First harvest- kale, 4 types of lettuce and some herbs like dill and basil.
2nd Harvest:  New Potatoes, cucumber, green beans, brocolli, sweet peas basil, dill, tomatoes.  The lettuce is coming to an end.  Some herbs are still going strong (sadly, cilantro is a cool weather friend like spinach and lettuce and it has already gone to seed).

Very surprisingly we got our first ripe tomato Saturday, June 5th and our dinner that night consisted of everything from our garden or that we caught:  fish (caught by Papa and the boys), new potatoes, steamed beans, brocolli and onions, salad with cucumber, radishes, tomato, lettuce and herbs.  We would have eaten sweet peas, but the boys ate them all while harvesting!


Salad with our first tomato!
Last year's Summer harvest:
We love tomatoes and make salsa or gazpacho every day in the summer.  We plant 10+ different types of tomatoes.