Food Fit for the Family. As parents and kids navigate back-to-school routines and extracurricular activities, making healthy food choices is essential to keep everyone energized and engaged.
When it comes to selecting snacks and preparing meals, keep it simple and stock up on foods that are easy to prep and can be used in more than one way.
Whether eaten fresh or frozen for a cool treat, grapes are a healthy, hydrating alternative to highly processed and calorie-rich foods. They can also be used as an ingredient in easy weeknight meals like California-Style Pizza, cousin to Hawaiian pizza, where fresh grapes star instead of pineapple, and prepared pizza dough gives the cook a head start. Frozen Yogurt-Dipped Grapes are an easy, fun snack or dessert that kids can help prepare.
For more snack and meal inspiration, visit grapesfromcalifornia.com.
California-Style Pizza
Servings: 8
- 1 pound prepared pizza dough
- 3/4 cup prepared pizza sauce
- 1 1/2 cups halved California seedless grapes
- 1 cup diced lean ham
- 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
- Heat oven to 450° F.
- Divide dough into eight equal portions. Spread into pizza rounds on baking sheets.
- Spread with pizza sauce; sprinkle with grapes, ham, and cheese. Bake until dough is lightly browned and cheese melted about 12-14 minutes.
Nutritional information per serving: 220 calories; 11 g protein; 32 g carbohydrates; 6.2 g fat (24% calories from fat); 15 mg cholesterol; 573 mg sodium; 121 mg calcium; 1.4 g fiber.
Frozen Yogurt-Dipped Grapes
Servings: 6 (10 grapes per serving)
- 60 California grapes, any color, rinsed and patted dry
- 3/4 cup 2% vanilla Greek yogurt
- 1/2 cup graham cracker flour or almond flour
- Insert a toothpick into each grape. Place yogurt in a small bowl. Pour graham cracker or almond flour onto the plate. Line 9-by-13-inch baking dish with parchment paper.
- Dip each grape into yogurt, coating two-thirds of grape, then dip yogurt-covered grape into desired flour to coat bottom. Place each dipped grape on a baking dish; repeat until all grapes are yogurt-covered and dipped in flour. Freeze for at least two hours, or until grapes are frozen solid.
Nutritional information per serving with graham cracker crumbs: 100 calories; 3 g protein; 20 g carbohydrates; 1.5 g fat (14% calories from fat); 0 g saturated fat; 5 mg cholesterol; 55 mg sodium; 0 g fiber.
Nutritional information per serving with almond flour: 110 calories; 4 g protein; 14 g carbohydrates; 4.5 g fat (37% calories from fat); 0.5 g saturated fat (4% calories from saturated fat); 5 mg cholesterol; 15 mg sodium; 1 g fiber.
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Family Favorites with a Blended Twist. If you are raising picky eaters, there’s a cooking technique that makes some of the kids’ favorite foods – like burgers and nachos – more nutritious while still tasting delicious.
Mushrooms, with their inherent umami flavor, are a perfect addition to blending into meals to increase both flavor and nutrition. Chefs kicked off the trend by blending finely chopped mushrooms with meat for burgers that are flavorful, healthy, and Earth-friendly, and now blended burgers are showing up in school cafeterias, supermarket meat counters, and fast food drive-thrus.
“Blended entrees like burgers are a win-win-win for families wanting to eat better,” said Dayle Hayes, registered dietitian and founder of School Meals That Rock. “Mushrooms add delicious umami flavor, reduce fat and sodium in many popular dishes and kids love them.”
Another fan of blending is MasterChef Junior finalist and teen chef, Evan Robinson. Robinson likes to blend with multiple varieties of mushrooms in family favorites such as tacos, burgers, and stuffed peppers.
“I find that blending mushrooms into some of my go-to recipes helps increase the flavor while reducing the amount of fat and sodium,” Robinson said.
If you’re ready to start blending at home, it can be a simple process for introducing foods to even the pickiest of eaters. Recruit kids as kitchen helpers to tackle tasks such as wiping mushrooms clean and using their hands to blend the meat and mushrooms together.
For more family-friendly, blended recipes, visit Blenditarian.com.
A Cooking Technique You Need to Know: Blending
Blending involves mixing finely chopped mushrooms with ground meat for more nutritious, but still delicious, burgers, tacos, meatballs, and more.
1. Chop your favorite mushroom variety to match the consistency of the ground meat. This can be done with a knife or food processor.
2. Blend the chopped mushrooms with the ground meat.
3. Cook with Mexican seasoning mix for tacos, marinara sauce for meaty ragu or salt and pepper for juicy, flavorful burgers.
Blended Mushroom Nachos
Recipe courtesy of Chef Evan RobinsonServings: 4
5 shiitake mushrooms
5 white button mushrooms
1 clove garlic
1/4 cup chopped onions
1 tablespoon Mexican meat seasoning
10 ounces ground turkey
Cheese Sauce:
1 tablespoon butter
1 tablespoon flour
1 cup milk
1 1/4 cups Mexican blend shredded cheese
tortilla chips
salsa (optional)
guacamole (optional)
kale (optional)
romaine lettuce (optional)
tomatoes (optional)
cilantro (optional)
diced red bell peppers (optional)
In a blender or food processor, pulse mushrooms, garlic, and onions. In a large saute pan over medium-high heat, mix the finely chopped mushroom mixture with seasoning and cook for 2 minutes. Add ground turkey, breaking into fine crumbles until completely cooked through. Set aside.
To make the cheese sauce: In a medium saucepan over medium-high heat, melt butter then add flour and whisk constantly, breaking up lumps. Stir 2 minutes then add milk and continuously whisk. Stir in cheese and mix with a wooden spoon.
Assemble chips on a serving platter; spread mushroom-meat crumble on top. Add cheese sauce and toppings like salsa, guacamole, kale, romaine lettuce, tomatoes, cilantro, and diced red bell peppers, if desired.
Family Favorites with a Blended Twist
Pizza Burgers
Recipe courtesy of Chef Evan RobinsonServings: 4
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1 medium portabella mushroom, finely chopped
2-3 white button mushrooms, finely chopped
1/2 small onion
1/2 clove garlic
2 teaspoons Italian-style herb seasoning
8 ounces ground beef
salt, to taste
pizza or marinara sauce
shredded mozzarella cheese
hamburger buns
In a large pan over medium-high heat, saute extra-virgin olive oil, mushrooms, onions, garlic, and herb seasoning for approximately 5 minutes until vegetables are soft. Set aside and let cool to room temperature.
Blend mushroom mixture with ground beef. Season with salt, to taste.
Form into four patties and cook in the same pan as a mushroom mixture to preferred doneness. Top with dollop pizza sauce and mozzarella cheese. Cover pan to melt cheese then carefully transfer to buns.
SOURCE:Mushroom Council
Back-to-School Food Fit for the Family
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Originally posted on September 18, 2019 @ 12:28 amShare ThisRelated Posts:Go Gluten-Free with Family FavoritesA Fresh Twist on Fajitas to Support Family NutritionBlended TacosBlended Mushroom NachosThis supermoon has a twistTwist on Sushi
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Sides for Entertaining. It’s about time for gathering family and friends for food and celebration. To make the process easier, incorporate recipes that can feed a crowd without lots of exotic, hard-to-find ingredients or long, laborious prep and cook times.
These recipes for Hearty Roasted Vegetables featuring Aunt Nellie’s Whole Pickled Beets and Caprese Bean and Salami Salad with READ 3 Bean Salad, for example, are ideal side dishes for holiday gatherings with enough to go-’round for everyone at the table. Plus, if you’re heading to a holiday potluck, they’re perfect for bringing along to share with the whole crew and versatile enough to be paired with a variety of main courses. Plus, the Caprese Bean and Salami Salad can also stand in as an appetizer.
Find more holiday recipes at auntnellies.com and READsalads.com.
Sides for Holiday Entertaining
Hearty Roasted Vegetables
Prep time: 10 minutesCook time: 45-55 minutesServings: 6
1 jar (16 ounces) Aunt Nellie’s Whole Pickled Beets, drained
1 small red onion, cut into 12 wedges
2 cups baby portobello mushrooms, cleaned and stems trimmed
2 cups butternut squash, peeled, seeded, and cut into 3/4-inch chunks
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
2 teaspoons chopped fresh rosemary
2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme
1/4 teaspoon salt, plus additional, to taste (optional)
1/8 teaspoon pepper, plus additional, to taste (optional)
2 cups Brussels sprouts, ends trimmed and scored with cross-cut
Heat oven to 400° F. Place beets, onion, mushrooms, and squash on rimmed 15 1/2-by-10 1/2-by-1-inch baking sheet; drizzle with olive oil. Add garlic, rosemary, thyme, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and 1/8 teaspoon pepper; toss to coat. Roast 15 minutes.
Add Brussels sprouts, stir and continue to roast until vegetables are tender and browned, about 30-35 minutes, stirring once. Adjust salt and pepper, to taste, if desired.
Sides for Entertaining
Caprese Bean and Salami Salad
Recipe courtesy of “The Reluctant Entertainer”Prep time: 25 minutesServings: 16
5 cans (15 ounces each) READ 3 Bean Salad (3 cans drained, 2 cans undrained)
1 pint grape tomatoes, halved
1 pound small marinated mozzarella balls, drained
3/4 cup (1 ounce) fresh basil, chopped
8 ounces dried salami, sliced
salt, to taste
pepper, to taste
2 whole-wheat baguettes (13 ounces each), sliced
In a large bowl, stir together bean salad, tomatoes, and mozzarella balls.
Before serving, add basil and salami. Add salt and pepper, to taste. Stir to combine.
Serve on a large platter surrounded by baguette slices.
SOURCE:Seneca Foodshttp://www.readsalads.com/
Food fit for the family
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Originally posted on October 1, 2019 @ 11:12 pmShare ThisRelated Posts:Entertaining with EaseEffortless Summertime EntertainingPunched Up Summer Side Ideas for Backyard EntertainingFlavorful, On-Trend Asian-Inspired Summer Entertaining