Thank you to everyone who submitted a recipe for our contest. I’ve listed each entry below. Of course, if you missed the deadline, send yours in and I will print it in a future newsletter.
Pink Pancakes
From “Deceptively Delicious” by Jessica Seinfeld
3/4 cup water
1/2 cup ricotta cheese
1/4 cup beet puree
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1 cup pancake mix
1/4 cup grated apple
nonstick cooking spray
1 tablespoon olive oil
pure maple syrup
In a blender of food processor, combine the water, ricotta, beet puree, vanilla, and cinnamon and blend. Dump the mixture into a medium bowl, add the pancake mix and apple, and stir until just combined. The batter will be a little lumpy.
Coat a griddle with cooking spray and set it over medium high heat. When hot, add the oil. Spoon the batter onto the griddle, using about 1/4 cup batter for each pancake. Cook the pancakes until bubbles form on top and the batter is set, about 1-2 minutes. Then flip the pancakes with a spatula and cook until golden brown on the the other side. Serve warm.
Zucchini Bread
1 1/2 Cups Organic Flour
1/2 Cup Raw Honey
1/2 Cup of Brown Sugar
1/2 Cup of Organic Zucchini (peeled and grated)
1 tsp Vanilla
1/2 tsp Baking Powder
1/2 tsp Baking Soda
1/2 tsp Salt
1 1/2 tsp Cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg
2 eggs (beaten)
Beat Honey and Brown Sugar until creamy
Add Eggs (beaten), vanilla, and zucchini and mix
Sift dry ingredients together together, then mix in with wet ingredients.
Bake at 350F for 45-60 minutes.
Kale Caesar Salad
From http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/food-network-kitchens/kale-caesar-salad-recipe.html
Puree 1/3 cup olive oil, 1 garlic clove, 2 anchovy fillets, 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce, and salt and pepper to taste in a blender. Toss 1 1/2 cups crusty bread cubes with 1 tablespoon of the dressing; broil on a baking sheet until toasted, about 2 minutes. Toss 1 1/4 pounds chopped kale with the remaining dressing; broil on another baking sheet, stirring, until crisp, 5 to 8 minutes. Put the kale and croutons in a bowl and top with lemon juice, grated parmesan and a chopped hard-boiled egg.
Ladybug Pancakes
From: http://www.parentmap.com/article/healthy-kids-cook-how-to-make-ladybug-pancakes
A bright and healthy way to start your day! These pink pancakes look just like ladybugs with blueberry dots and apple wings. They also freeze well for quick weekday morning breakfasts.
Serves 6
2 medium red beets
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons brown sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
Pinch of salt
1¾ cups milk
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
½ cup fresh or frozen blueberries
Apple wedges, for wings
Maple syrup, nut butter or jam for serving
Preheat oven to 400° F.
Remove the stems and most of the roots from the beets. Scrub well under running water until clean. Wrap the beets in foil and roast in the oven until tender when poked with a knife, 45 minutes to 1 hour. Let cool to room temperature.
Wearing a pair of gloves or plastic bags (so your hands don’t get stained bright red!), remove the skin from the beets. Carefully cut the beets into four pieces then puree in a food processor until smooth. Measure ¾ cup of beet puree and freeze the remainder for another use.
In a large bowl, combine flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and a pinch of salt. In a separate bowl, whisk together beet puree, milk, egg and vanilla extract. Slowly add the flour mixture into the beet mixture until just combined. Be careful not to overmix! Fold in the blueberries.
Heat a lightly oiled griddle or frying pan over medium heat. Add a little less than ¼ cup pancake batter for the ladybug “body” and 1 tablespoon batter (right next to body) for the “head” for each pancake. Once bubbles start to form on the top of the pancakes, flip over and cook until the bottom is golden, about 5 minutes total.
Serve the pancakes hot from the griddle with apple “wings,” maple syrup, nut butter or your favorite jam!
Note: Kids will love peeling and chopping the cooked beets – just make sure you’re using gloves and a dark cutting surface so your little people and counters don’t turn bright pink!
Onion Pie
Vegan Pie Crust
2 ¼ cups all purpose flour (or whole grain)
¼ cup coconut oil, cool enough to be solid
¼ vegetable shortening
1teaspoon salt
1/3 – ½ cup ice water
Pie Filling
Two bunches Montalbano new onions, thinly sliced (greens too)
Oil
Salt
2 t Caraway
2 t Thyme
1 lb Mushrooms, sliced and sautéed
Zucchini, sliced into coins, sautéed
For the crust:
Add all ingredients except water to a food processer and pulse until crumbs form. Slowly add water and pulse until dough comes together. Form dough into a ball and roll out into a 10-inch crust. Transfer to a 9-inch pie plate and dock the bottom of the shell with a fork. Bake in a 350 F oven for 15 minutes.
Pie filling:
Sauté all of the onions in a large skillet with salt and oil until well caramelized. This may take 40 minutes to do, but is well worth the effort. Keep an eye on them so they don’t burn, you may need to add a splash of water to deglaze the bottom of the pan to prevent burning the onions.
Add caraway, thyme and mushrooms to the onions and stir to combine. Fold into pie shell and smooth, don’t pack, the surface of the pie. Lay sautéed zucchini rounds to the top of the pie to create a “crust.” Bake at 350 F for another 30 minutes.
Cucumber Ribbon Salad
From: http://www.parents.com/recipes/cooking/family-favorites/vegetables/
Trim the ends off a medium cucumber, then cut it in half crosswise and peel into strips. Whisk 2 tablespoons rice vinegar, 1 tablespoon canola oil, 1/2 teaspoon toasted sesame oil, 1/2 teaspoon honey, salt, and pepper. Toss the dressing with the cucumber and some toasted sesame seeds.
Zucchini Wagon Wheels
Cooking spray – recommend canola oil
2 medium zucchini (about 1 pound total)
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan (3/4-ounce)
1/4 cup plain dry bread crumbs or Italian seasoned bread crumbs
1/8 teaspoon salt
Freshly ground black pepper
Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F. Coat a baking sheet with cooking spray.
Slice the zucchini into 1/4-inch thick rounds using either a kitchen knife or mandolin. In a medium bowl, toss the zucchini with the olive oil. In a small bowl, combine the Parmesan, bread crumbs, salt, and a few grinds of fresh pepper. Have the children dip each round into the Parmesan mixture, coating it evenly on both sides, pressing the coating on to stick, and place in a single layer on the prepared baking sheet.
Bake the zucchini rounds until browned and crisp, 25 to 30 minutes. Remove with spatula. Serve immediately.
Cook’s notes:
You can use zucchini or other types of summer squash
Other types of cheese may be substituted but harder block cheese grates better. (Nutrition info based on Parmesan cheese)
Other dried herbs may be added to breadcrumb mix for different flavors.