Food Revolution 'Evolution Tomato Salad'

Today's 'pass it on' recipe is the evolution salad. This salad is perfect for summer, it's light and full of a variety of flavors- it's awesome.
Serves 4.
1. Get yourself about 1 1/2 lbs of ripe grape or cherry, vine and regular tomatoes. Cut the larger tomatoes into wedges, halve the grape or cherry tomatoes, and leave the smaller ones whole. Put the into a bowl with 6 tbsp of extra virgin olive oil and 2 tbsp of red wine vinegar. Toss well and coat all of the tomatoes with the dressing. Pick the leaves off of a few sprigs of fresh basil and scatter them over the salad. Season well with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper.
2. Put a large handful of black olives on a clean surface and press down on them with the palm of your hand to remove the pits. Discard the pit and add the olives to the salad. Mix up well in a bowl before serving on plates.
3. Drain a 15-oz can of cannellini beans into a colander and add to the tomato salad. Mix up well to coat everything with the dressing.
4. Drain a small can or jar of tuna, break the fish into flakes or chunks and scatter over the salad.

So I skipped on the tuna this time, but you could also substitute it with canned chicken, or even diced tofu if you want to keep the extra protein in the salad. Hope you enjoy, and be sure to 'pass it on'. :)
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Food Revolution Lasagne

Although it was a great season of food revolution I was so disapointed it is over and wasn't on tonight. So I decided to get out my Jamie Oliver Food Rev cookbook. In the book he discusses his idea of 'pass it on'. The theory is that if you learn one recipe from each section of the book and then pass it on to 2-4 people and they each pass it on to 2-4 people before you know it there are loads of people who know how to cook good wholesome recipes. So for my first 'pass it on' recipe here is Jamie's Lasange.

Bolognese sauce:
2 slices of smoked bacon (preferably organic)
2 medium onions
2 cloves of garlic
2 carrots
2 celery stalks
Olive oil
2 tsp dried oregano
1 lb good quality ground beef, pork/ combination of the two
2- 14 oz cans of diced tomatoes
Sea salt & freshly ground black pepper
Small bunch of fresh basil

Lasagne:
4 oz parmesan cheese
2 1/2 c creme fraiche or 2 1/2 c thick sour cream
1 large ripe tomato

To make the bolognese sauce:
Finely slice the bacon. Peel and finely chop the onion, garlic, carrots and celery-don't worry about technique. Place a large casserole-type pan on medium to high heat. Add 2 lugs of olive oil, sliced bacon & the oregano and cook and stir until bacon is lightly golden. Add the veggies to the pan and stir ever 30 seconds for around 7 minutes or until softened and lightly colored. Stir in the ground meat and canned tomatoes. Fill one of the empty cans with water and add to the pan. Stir in a good pinch of salt & pepper. Pick the basil leaves and place in the fridge for later. Finely chop the basil stalks and stir into the pan. Bring to a boil. Turn the heat down and simmer with lid askew for 1 hour, stirring every now and again. Take the lid off and cook for another 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. Keep an eye on the sauce and if you think its starting to dry out, add a splash of water.

To finish the sauce:
Preheat the oven to 375. Remove the bolognese sauce from the heat. Tear and stir any large basil leaves, keeping the smaller ones aside for later. Have a taste of the sauce, and season with a little more salt & pepper if you think it needs it. Boil some water in a kettle and pour into a large pan, then add your lasagne sheets with a drizzle of oil and blanch (slightly soften) for 3-4 minutes. Drain the sheets in a colander and carefully pat them dry with some paper towels to absorb any excess water. Finely grate the parmesan and stir most of it through the creme fraiche.

To make your lasagne:
Spoon a third of your bolognese sauce into the bottom of an earthenware ovenproof dish (approximately 9x13 inches). Follow with a layer of lasagne sheets and another third of your bolognese sauce then dollop over a third of your creme fraiche. Sprinkle with a good pinch of salt & pepper & top with another layer of lasagne sheets. Spoon over the rest of the bolognese sauce and another third of the creme fraiche. Finish with a layer of lasagne sheets & top with the remaining creme fraiche. Scatter over the remaining parmesan cheese. Top with some slices of tomato, scatter over the small basil leaves and drizzle with olive oil. Cover with aluminum foil and place in the pre-heated oven and bake for 30 minutes. After that, remove the foil and bake for another 20 minutes until the lasagne is fresh and golden. Serve on the table with a fresh green salad and let everyone help themselves.

I thought this dish came out super delicious, I hope you guys enjoy it too, and most importantly, be sure to 'pass it on' :).
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Pumpkin- Applesauce Muffins

      Thinking of summer treats? They can be healthy too. Muffins are a good way to get fiber into your little ones and for some who aren't very fond of fruits or veggies, a creative way to sneak them into their diet. You can experiment with pureeing different fruits and veggies and adding them to your mix. Plus, baking is a great way to introduce the kids into the kitchen, let them help stir or pour and even use the time to talk about what the food you are preparing will do for their bodies.

      Pumpkins are rich in carotenoids, leutein, iron, zinc and fiber. They help fight free radical damage and eye conditions like cataracts and macular degeneration. This recipe calls for 1 1/2 cups of flour and then 1 cup of whole wheat flour, but I substituted whole wheat for the whole recipe and thought they came out very well. I also used safflower oil in the recipe, which is high in Vitamin E (a free radical fighting antioxidant). Also, when buying applesauce, look for *no added sugars* and check the label for unnecessary things like high fructose corn syrup or added colors.

I found this recipe in a cookbook called "pigtails and frog legs" ...

Pumpkin-Applesauce Muffins

1 1/2 cups flour


1 cup whole wheat flour

1 cup sugar

1 tbsp pumpkin pie spice

1 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

2 eggs beaten or  1/2 c  egg substitute

1 16oz can pumpkin

1/3 cup vegetable oil

1 ¼ cups applesauce

In a large mixing bowl, combine flours, sugar, pumpkin pie spice, soda and salt. In a medium bowl, combine beaten eggs, pumpkin and oil. Add pumpkin mix to flour mixture and stir well. Add applesauce and mix until smooth. Don't over mix. Fill greased muffin cups. Bake in preheated 350 degree oven for 30-35 minutes. Yields 16 muffins.


Enjoy :)

Busy Busy...

     So this month has been insanely hectic. Finals, volunteering, field day, kindergarten graduation (which I think, positively, was the cutest thing I have ever seen.. As they stood in the outdoor amphitheater singing to the tune of "New York, New York" "If we made it here we can make it anywhere, see you soon 1st grade, 1st grade!!!..".. But, I digress :) So, I've been a little pressed for time to blog- but here we go...

     So summer is here, the kiddo's are home and it is so easy to want to hit up your local fast food restaurant of choice, or feed them a lunchable for that matter, while you are out and about experiencing beautiful warm days; but with a little planning it is so easy not to fall into this rut- not to mention your wallet will thank you ;). Buying fresh fruit is a great way to get those nutrients in your little ones, however once we become pressed for time, the fruit may sit and go bad because who has time to cut a few slices of watermelon when there are swimming lessons or soccer practice or whatever other lovely activities your kiddos are involved in. So forgive me if this sounds moronically simple, but I know many people are not in the practice of it...*cut the fruit ahead of time*. Whether you prefer a nice big tupperware in the fridge or individual plastic baggies ready for little hands to eat, it will be there, begging to be eaten. Easy. As. Pie.
     Whether you're headed to the pool, the beach or even to the back yard who says you can't still pack their lunches in the summer? Whether you continue your school year routine of making lunch at night or in the  morning, have it ready in the fridge. When lunchtime comes or if you decide to head out for the day, it's there, and you won't be tempted to eat out and eat unhealthy. Plus, I know my daughter likes the fact that she can grab her own lunch box just like during the school year and eat when she's hungry. It may seem like a pain, but it really simplifies things, no last minute trying to decide what to make- it's already done :).
     Trying to think of things to do with your little ones? Try farmer's markets and local farms. Most farms will let you do a tour, you may have to call ahead and plan it but it is a great experience for them to see where food comes from, beyond just the grocery store. You can head to fruit farms near you where you can go and pick your own, and have a really fun experience. Farmer's markets are  a great opportunity to expose them to all sorts of fruits and veggies and they may be more likely to want to try something new when they are surrounded by all the bright colors and different textures.
     If there are local parents out there who are interested in their kids eating habits and what they are served at school, check out Denver Food Revolution on facebook. We can use the page to share ideas and recipes :).   

Birthday, bananas,burgers and beets

   Yesterday was James' birthday. I started the day early, early making banana pancakes with fresh berries and agave nectar and smoky tempeh strips:

    After a super delicious breakfast and dropping E off at school we ran some errands (including taking his birthday shoes back to the Vans store), then went to a burger place in Denver called Park Burger (http://parkburger.com/). Friggin' awesome. I had the turkey burger with bacon and guacamole... One of the best burgers I've ever had. James had the buffalo burger with brie and slices jalapenos which he said was also pretty killer. We split a side of sweet potato fries too, which were perfectly crispy and salty. After lunch we headed downtown to see a daytime showing of Sucker Punch which was a pretty good flick, then headed home to pick up E from school and start on the birthday cake.

    So this cake we made (which came out really good), I saw on an episode of Christina Cooks on PBS. This woman has amazing recipes all of which are wholesome and great for you, but an even more amazing story. She was diagnosed with terminal leukemia at the age of 26, she met with a whole foods advocate, radically changed her diet and lifestyle and overcame her diagnosis. This particular recipe was a chocolate red velvet cake, instead of using food coloring like most recipes would call for to get that rich red color, she used beets.
(you can find her recipe and read her story here:
http://www.christinacooks.com/_webapp_3121462/Chocolate_Red_Velvet_Cake)

  

 It came out really good. There is a definite interesting flavor from the beets, but it all blended together super nice. I added vanilla gelato in between the two layers and drizzled the chocolate icing (which is included in her recipe) all over the top. It was definitely a cake you don't have to feel bad about enjoying :)


    Also last night I was able to watch the premier of Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution which I missed Tuesday night because I was in class. Again I want to say how amazing this man is for what he is trying to do for the youth and future of America. I can not believe that he would be denied access to public schools in California. It is an absolute shame that his help wouldn't be accepted, and probably for no other reason than that the school board is ashamed of what they are feeding their kids, they should be even more ashamed of not allowing change to happen. The information he presented about beef and "pink sludge" I believe he called it was sickening. I can not wait to see how much progress he is able to make this year.


Birthday, bananas, burgers and beets :)
Valley

Spring Planting

     So E is so excited to start planting a garden this year, we already picked up all of our seed packs from the store and put down the little wire fencing stuff around where we are going to plant, but I think it's still too early for anything to survive the cold nights.. Plus just when you think the weather is starting to get nice here it seems to snow soooo :). Anyway, to help curb her excitement in the meantime we planted a strawberry plant in a big terra cotta pot we can bring in at night:

     The little guy looks so lonely in the big pot, hopefully it will take root in its new home and turn into a pretty (producing) plant.. How great would it be for her to pick fresh berries this summer while she's playing outside- all those great nutrients :).
     Tonight's dinner was a little lazy, but really good...MorningStar Farms spicy black bean burgers (just one of their veggie burgers for E) on whole wheat buns and corn on the cob:

       On a side note, I'm super excited about the premier of Jamie Oliver's second season of Food Revolution starting next week! He also has a link on his food revolution website to send an email to the USDA regarding better food in school lunches, which you can sign up for too here:

http://www.jamieoliver.com/us/foundation/jamies-food-revolution/usda

Here's to blossoming strawberry plants and food revolutions ♥

Valley

Spring Break and Spring Cleaning

So spring break had me cleaning out my house and kitchen. I decided to trash the microwave- sure it's more convenient but, it isn't really a necessity, plus, since the space where it was was free-d, I was able to fill it with these beautiful fresh herbs :). Not only are they super pretty to look at, but they smell amazing, like a natural potpourri. Also, an unanticipated bonus, Esther couldn't be more excited about popping popcorn on the stove in our glass lid pot where she can see each kernal pop. She finds it extremely entertaining :)

This week I made these super yummy personal size pizzas:



 I used pre-packaged whole wheat pizza crusts we found at Sunflower Market, pesto, mozzarella flavored rice shreds, tomato and artichoke. They came out really great and E had tons of fun 'decorating' her own pizza, she threw sliced black olives on hers and made a smiley face :).

Although yesterday was unseasonably warm (we saw record breaking high temps) and we slept with the windows opened for the first time this year (which is always refreshing), today we woke up to dropping temps and now- snow :(. So E and I made a trip to the local Ace hardware and picked up all of our seed packets for the garden we're going to plant as the temperatures normalize. We got lots of veggie seeds, and we're very excited to see if they take :).