The Surprising Spinach and Pineapple Smoothie
We’ve spent the summer testing and tasting smoothies every Tuesday, and have had some surprises along the way. The Purple Cow (AKA Purple Pucker smoothie) on this site usually gets raves, but THIS – with spinach! was a favorite with the kids. I thought they would be suspicious about veggies in the mix, but I was wrong. They loved it! And they got tons of vitamins and antioxidants along with the great taste.
This came from a favorite Trader Joe’s cookbook called “Pack a Lunch.”
Deviled Egg Sailboats
These are very often requested! They really capture the kids’ imaginations and we may have to create some sort of food “lake” (blue hummus?) on which to float them.
Catalan Tomato Toasts
I recently had the wonderful opportunity to visit Barcelona to see my cousins, and then to tour Portugal with a group of food-oriented travelers! I brought back a few recipes for my kids’ class. This simple Catalan Tomato Toast recipe comes from a cooking class I took in Spain, and a similar recipe also appears in the book Catalan Food by Daniel Olivella. Try this, it may become a new favorite, and be added to your rotation!
The kids loved to rub and squash the tomato pulp onto the rough bread.
Fresh Peach Sparkler
This summer, we started off our cooking series by whirling up a faux “mojito,” a fresh peach cooler with mint, which the kids love to smush. The recipe is based on one I found in People magazine.
This is so delicious! The kids loved it, and so did adult guests at two potlucks I attended. I’ll use it all summer long, and with frozen peaches all year!
Hoppin’ John for a Prosperous New Year
Recently in cooking class, we enjoyed a giant pot of Hoppin’ John: black-eyed peas cooked with onions, celery, carrots & veggie sausages. Served over brown rice, it’s a variation of a Southern specialty, symbolizing prosperity & luck for the New Year.
The kids loved it!
My version is health-ified with lots of veggies, vegetable broth, and smoky “Field Roast” sausages. Tip: you can use Trader Joe’s Mirepoix instead of chopping the veggies yourself.
It’s definitely going into the meal rotation here!
Build your own Bug
It was “Build Your Own Bug” day recently in my Friday cooking class. I loaded celery sticks with cream cheese, and gave the kids tomatoes and pretzels in individual bowls so they could create edible butterflies or bugs. The best part might have been the candy googly eyeballs.
Maple Fruit Dip
You have gotta try this! A simple, healthy delicious fruit dip, made with vanilla yogurt, maple syrup, warm spices & a bit of orange juice. In my kids’ class, we dipped in two kinds of apples – Granny Smith & Honeycrisp – plus slices of Bartlett & Bosc pears. The kids ate ALL the pears (so they’re not pictured here!)
This is a great holiday crowd pleaser & comes together in seconds!
Holiday Fruit Punch
Holiday Punch, anyone? For my kids’ class, I adapted this fruit-filled drink recipe – it’s delicious and full of vitamin C.
Then I made a batch at home with Prosecco (none of my little students are over 21 .) Delicious!
The recipe is so flexible – you can switch out the pineapple juice or cranberry juice for grape or a blend – just watch that it’s not too sweet. I think a generous amount of club soda helps cut the sugar.
Those Crazy Unicorn Noodles!
These delicious “glass” noodles actually change color when you add certain ingredients. They’re great for a weekend project with your kids, or to make for a party! I’ve made them with my after-school class and for small groups. You’ve gotta try them.