Whining and Dining

Toddler Test Kitchen: Edamame Pesto

Pesto can really make pasta sing. Pestos can be made of all sorts of ingredients -- one of them being edamame. It's another great way to get some veggies into your little one and weave a little soy into their diet. My parents love to serve this as an appetizer on toasted slices of baguette with a light, crisp white wine like Viognier, Pinot Gris or Sauvignon Blanc.

Most importantly, our daughter loves this stuff as an appetizer or on her pasta.

Servings: 4

Note: Edamame, green soybeans, are available fresh and frozen in well-stocked markets like Trader Joe's.

1/2 pound pasta

1 cup cooked, shelled edamame

1/4cup pine nuts

3/4 cup  extra-virgin olive oil

1 tablespoon minced ultra-fresh garlic

Sea salt and coarsely ground black pepper

*Sometimes I add about a 1/4 cup of fresh paramesan to this, also.

**If desired, add 1 cup fresh mint leaves, chopped for a different spin. 

***To be really fancy, my dad adds a dribble of truffle oil to give it a more refined taste.

1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add the pasta and cook until al dente.

2. While the pasta cooks, combine the edamame, nuts and olive oil in a blender or food processor and blend until smooth. Stir in the garlic and season with salt and pepper.

3. When the pasta is cooked, drain it well and return it to the pot. Add the pesto and toss until coated. Season with salt and pepper liberally to taste. *You can top with fresh chopped mint.

Try This: Mini-Burgers

It's not just the kids that love mini foods. Grown ups really dig them, too. The slider (mini-burger) craze has been sweeping the nation and has landed on many a menu as an appetizer or small plate at trendy restaurants.

I must admit that I love it when my dad gets excited about a new culinary find. (He's actually quite good at finding the latest kitchen gadgets). And I'll give him full credit here for discovering the Mini-Burger Press at Williams Sonoma.

Ever since he bought the press, sliders have been one of his go-to dinners for entertaining friends and family on game days, beach party weekends, etc. And that's what we did on the 4th of July -- picked up a load of hamburger meat from Costco, a large package of Hawaiian rolls (of course, you can find these at your local grocery store, too) and whala....mini-burgers to celebrate our nation's b-day. Delicious and a cost-efficient way to feed a lot of people. But most importantly, it's something that both kids and adults alike can enjoy!
 

Toddler Test Kitchen: Meatless Corn Dogs from Trader Joe's

Nitrates. Ugh. Just another chemical we have to worry about when feeding our kids. Especially when it comes to hot dogs, which seems to be high on every kids' list of favorite foods.

Recently, I discovered the Meatless Corn Dogs from Trader Joe's. We LOVE them! And what fun to introduce my daughter to a "corny dog" (as I called when I was kid back in TX, the home of Fletcher's Corny Dogs). She loves to hold the stick and dip it into ketchup. And honest to gosh, they taste like the real thing. You would NEVER know that there's no meat.

Find them in the freezer section of your local TJ's. Enjoy them this summer! Such fun. No nitrates. No worries. YAY!

Toddler Test Kitchen: Green Juice

During a recent trip to Whole Foods, I came across Odawalla's Superfood Juice, which is green juice with blended green plants and strawberry, peach, mango and banana purees and apple juice. It also includes a 1,000 mg of spirulina per serving, lots of Vitamin C, Manganese and Potassium. On a whim, I bought some wondering if my daughter would try it. She loved it. I mean, really loved it.

Because the Odawalla juice is more expensive, I turned to Trader Joe's to see if I could find a similar juice that's a little lighter on the wallet. I found the Green Plant Juice to be almost exactly the same. Tastewise, I still prefer Odawalla, but the ingredients are almost identical. The only difference really is that the Green Plant juice has less spirulina (620 mg) and pineapple juice in lieu of the strawberry puree.

If you're like me, then you probably already have your nose turned up. Green juice, ICK! Trust me, I was skeptical, too. But then I realized that I could give her a little green juice on those not-so-nutritious days like yesterday, for instance, when she ate only French fries for lunch. I gave her a glass of green juice when we got home from In 'n Out Burger, knowing that hey, she's at least drinking some spinach, broccoli, mango and peach. And then I didn't feel SO bad.

Peanut Butter Pretzels: #1 Snack Food in Our House

If I had to pick a favorite snack food, it would hands down go to Trader Joe's Peanut Butter Pretzels. A protein-packed, delicious snack. Only a handful of these bad boys will keep you going. Hubby, our toddler and me all LOVE them. So add them to your next TJ list as long as you are a peanut eating family.

What's even better than eating the PB pretzels plain is indulging in the  Trader Joe's Chocolate-Covered Peanut Butter Pretzels.

What's even better....making your own Chubby Hubby ice cream. Meaning that you crunch the PB pretzels on top of your vanilla ice cream. And not any vanilla will do. If you're going to indulge here, you should always go with the best -- Double Rainbow Vanilla Ice Cream. (If you haven't tried this ice cream, you MUST, MUST. It is an outstanding vanilla. Well, as outstanding as "vanilla" can be. I say this coming from Blue Bell country, and that's sayin' somethin').

Does my toddler like this?  Of  course, and she loves getting to help crunch up the  pretzels over the ice cream. Fun and delicious.

And there you have it - a snack food and new dessert to love. What more could you ask for?

Meals on the Go: Japanese Balls

Tonight's featured recipe idea inspired me to create a new category, "Meals on the Go." Especially since many of us parents are constantly racking our brains for portable meals.

I thought this was such a great idea to feed an older baby or toddler on-the-go. It's from one of my new favorite blogs, Weeliscious.

Can't wait to make these, wrap'em up and take'em to the beach or zoo or picnic. After all, summer is almost here!

Toddler Test Kitchen: Spicy Baked Macaroni

Leave it to Giada to serve up a new Italian favorite for our family, Spicy Baked Macaroni. Think mac 'n cheese Italian style. It's full of spinach and tomatoes and cheesy goodness. And it's very easy to make.

The toddler of the house LOVED it. She was shoving it into her mouth with both hands at one point. Despite the title, it's really not that spicy. You can omit the red pepper flakes if you so choose. She actually seemed to like this more than my signature mac 'n cheese dish. Oh well.

Here's the recipe that took me forever to find since my parents said the recipe came from Rachael Ray. So finally, I give you Spicy Baked Macaroni.

INGREDIENTS

Salt
1 pound elbow macaroni pasta
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 (14.5-ounce) can diced tomatoes
1 (10-ounce) package frozen spinach, thawed and drained of excess liquid
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1/2 cups bread crumbs
1/4 cup grated Parmesan, plus 1/3 cup
1/4 cup Romano, plus 1/3 cup
2 tablespoons butter, softened, plus 2 tablespoons
12 ounces mozzarella cubed (about 2 cups)
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

2. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the pasta and cook until tender but still firm to the bite, stirring occasionally, about 8 to 10 minutes. Drain pasta.

3. In a large skillet, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the onion, and garlic. Cook until the  onion is golden, about 7 minutes. Add the tomatoes, spinach, and red pepper flakes. Stir to combine and cook until heated through, about 5 minutes.

4.In a small bowl, mix together the bread crumbs, 1/4 cup Parmesan, and 1/4 cup Romano. Spread the softened butter in a 9 by 13-inch glass baking dish and sprinkle half of the bread crumb mixture inside the dish to coat.

5.In a large bowl combine the vegetable mixture with the cooked macaroni, cubed mozzarella, the remaining Parmesan and Romano cheeses, and the nutmeg. Spoon into the prepared baking dish, top with the remaining bread crumb mixture, and dot the top with the remaining butter. Bake until the top is golden brown, about 30 to 40 minutes.

Toddler Test Kitchen: Shredded Zucchini

As I mentioned early, last week we focused on zucchini recipes in our kitchen. Along the way, I discovered a delightfully delicious way to cook zucchini by shredding and then sauteing.  And the result....drumroll please.....was zucchini hashbrowns.  We all loved it and frankly I wouldn't miss potatoes if I just ate hashbrowns this way all of the time. Yummy!

So if you find yourself searching for a new way to cook zucchini for your wee one, give this tactic a try.

Hopefully, you have a Cuisinart to do the shredding for you. If you don't, then it is time to buy one. EVERY PARENT NEEDS ONE!! (See, I feel so passionate that I need to shout about it). After you have done your shredding, melt about 1 Tbsp. of Smart Balance butter spread (or regular butter) in a saute pan. Cook the zucchini until golden brown.

Toddler Test Kitchen: Corn Quesadillas

Annabel Karmel is one of the ultimate authorities on how to feed your baby or toddler. Her book for feeding babies, First Meals, was our Bible for introducing solids to our daughter. And she's got loads of ideas for toddler, too, especially the fussy eater types.

Here is a sampling from Annabel Karmel's the toddler cookbook. It's on my list of recipes to try this week.

Ingredients
1 small red onion
1/2 red or orange pepper
7 oz (198 g) canned corn
1 cup (100 g) cheddar cheese
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 Tbsp honey
4-5 flour or corn tortillas
1/4 cup salsa

1. Prepare ingredients
      

Chop up the red onion and the pepper, drain the canned corn. Have an
       adult grate the cheddar cheese.

2. Stir, stir, stir

Heat oil in a pan and stir-fry onion and pepper for 3 minutes. Add corn and cook for 2 minutes until onion and pepper are soft. Add honey - after 1 minute remove from heat.

3. Spread the mixture

        Spread half of each tortilla with a heaped Tbsp of salsa. Then add some of the corn                         mixture.

4. Sprinkle with cheese

        Scatter a little cheese over the salsa a corn mixture. Make sure you don't use too
       much since you will need some cheese to put on top of each tortilla.

5. Roll and cook

        Roll the tortillas up and put on a cookie sheet. Scatter over the rest of the cheese.
       Broil the quesadillas for 1-2 minutes until the filling is hot and the cheese topping
       is lightly golden.

Easy Coq Au Vin

It was another cold day in Los Angeles. And it was a very, very busy day for our family. We needed an easy dinner, a one pot meal that warmed to the core. What we needed was a little Coq Au Vin, French for chicken cooked in red wine. Oui Oui, Monsier!

My husband who is the expert on all things braising was the mastermind behind the dish with inspiration from Julia Child and The Silver Spoon cookbook.

Serves 4

2 Tbsp. Olive oil

1/2 large onion

1 garlic clove

3 1/2 oz. mushrooms (optional - we didn't add tonight)

1 fresh sprig of thyme or 1 tsp. dried thyme

1 Tbsp. flour

1 chicken, cut into pieces (we used chicken thighs from Costo)

2 1/4 cups of red wine (Thank you Charles Shaw)

1 1/2 Tbsp. of tomato paste

salt to taste

1. Saute onions, garlic, mushrooms and thyme and cook over low heat, stirring occasionally for 5 minutes, then sprinkle with flour. (**Technically, you are supposed to saute 1/2 cup of pancetta here, too, but we are trying to be a little healthier. The taste is even better when you add the pancetta.) Add tomato paste.

2. Add the chicken. Cover and cook 10 minutes.

3. Pour the wine in and season with salt. Cover and simmer over low heat for about 30 minutes until tender and cooked through.

This can be served with rice or pasta. We threw in diced potatoes while cooking our chicken a la pot roast style.

We also served this dish with roasted butternut squash (cut into strips, tossed with olive oil and kosher salt; roasted at 450 until golden brown on edges). We also sauteed brussels sprouts (ends cut off, outside layer peeled and cut in half) in some olive oil until edges started to brown. Then, I added a few Tbsp. of chicken broth and continued to saute them until golden brown.

This meal got me thinking....if only we were in France, if only this Charles Shaw Shiraz was a fine Burgundy. If only. Oh well, we can't always have it all, but this meal makes me feel just one step closer.