Category Archives: Kid Friendly
Sausage Mushroom Calzone
3 to 4 links sausage of choice, casings off and crumbled
1 tablespoon olive oil
Heat a frying pan with the oil and add the crumbled sausage. Saute on medium heat for 4 to 5 minutes till the sausage is golden brown. Turn heat of and keep aside.
10 ounces Cremini mushrooms, sliced
1 tablespoons olive oil
Salt
Heat a frying pan with the oil and add the mushrooms and cook on high heat for 4 to 5 minutes. Add salt and continue cooking till mushrooms have wilted and golden brown. Keep aside.
½ cup fresh ricotta cheese
1 teaspoon salt
¼ cup grated Parmigiano Reggiano
1 garlic clove, grated
Mix all the ingredients and keep aside.
1½ – 2 cups grated mozzarella cheese
1 egg, beaten
2 balls of store bought or homemade pizza dough, each divided into 4 parts
2 cups tomato sauce, homemade or store bought
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
Roll each quarter into thin circles on a lightly floured surface. Place 1 tablespoon of ricotta mixture on one half of the circle and spread with knife. Add 1 tablespoon of sausage mixture and mushroom mixture. Top with couple tablespoons of cheese and fold over, securing edges by folding in and pressing with a fork. Brush the top of each calzone with egg and create a slit in the middle with a knife for the hot air to escape. Place on a lined cookie sheet and bake for 15 to 20 minutes till golden brown. Serve with tomato sauce.
Pork and Kale Chili
In spite of this dish having kale, this was a big, big hit. A great dish to make in this chilly weather.
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 pound good quality ground pork
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 2 teaspoons ancho chili
- 1 teaspoon Mexican oregano
- 1 medium yellow onion, chopped
- 3 garlic cloves, chopped
- 1 14 ounces can chopped fire roasted tomatoes with chili
- 4 cups chicken stock
- 2 14 ounces can of any kind of beans (I used black and pinto), washed and drained
- Salt
- 10 ounces baby kale, chopped
Heat a heavy large pan with olive oil. Add the ground pork and cook on medium heat, separating the meat with the back of a wooden spoon. Add the ground cumin, ancho chili and oregano and continue cooking and browning for 5 to 6 minutes on medium heat. Add the onion and garlic and a teaspoon of salt. Saute for 3 to 4 minutes. Add the tomatoes and sauté for another 3 to 4 minutes. Add the chicken stock and beans and bring to a boil. Lower heat to a simmer and cover with lid and cook for 30 minutes, checking every 10 minutes to stir. Take lid off and add the kale and bring to a boil. Simmer for another 10 minutes until the kale is wilted and cooked through. Check for seasonings and garnish with cheese and serve.
Easy Citrus Chicken
Here is another yummy, healthy chicken dish. This particular one has Latin flavors. I started with marinating the chicken- I do think it is the key to amazing flavor every time. I marinated the chicken in orange juice, lime juice, agave, smoked paprika and garlic. I later made a sauce out of the left over marinade- always a good idea! To thicken the sauce, I dredged the chicken pieces in a bit of flavor before cooking. The dish came together in no time at all and it was delicious.
I served the healthy chicken breasts with citrus broccoli and some sweet potato oven fries.
- 3 to 4 chicken breast filets, boneless, skinless and pounded thin (about ½ inch)
Marinade
- 1 cup orange juice
- Juice of one lime
- 1 to 2 tablespoons agave
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 3 garlic cloves, grated
Add the orange juice, lime juice, agave, salt, paprika and garlic in a small bowl and mix well. Add the marinade and chicken to a zip lock bag and marinate for 3 to 4 hours in the fridge.
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1 cup all purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon salt
Heat a large frying pan with the olive oil. Take the chicken filets out of the marinade and dredge in flour and salt (save the marinade for later). Brown the chicken on high heat for 2 to 3 minutes on each side. Take the filets out and add the marinade into the frying pan. Bring to a boil and reduce the heat. Add the chicken filets and cook on a medium flame until chicken is done (time will vary according the chicken thickness). Serve hot with pan sauce on top of the chicken.
Crispy Tofu with Lemon Grass and Snow Peas
- 1 (12 to 16 ounce) block firm tofu, drained and cut into 1 inch
- 3 tablespoons corn starch
- 1 teaspoon salt
Add the cornstarch and salt into a zip lock bag. Add the tofu and shake the bag until well coated.
- 2 tablespoons extra light olive oil
Heat a non-stick frying pan. Saute the tofu till all sides are golden brown, about a minute or two on each side. Place the tofu on to a lined plate.
- 4 stalks fresh lemon grass, tender part only, minced
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 large yellow onion, cut into 1 inch pieces
Sauce
- 2 tablespoons tamari
- 2 tablespoons fish sauce
- 1 tablespoons chili paste
- 2 tablespoons palm sugar (or 1 tablespoon honey)
- Juice of one navel orange
- 1 teaspoon corn starch
Mix the tamari, fish sauce, chili paste, palm sugar, orange juice and corn starch in a small bowl. Keep aside.
- 2 tablespoons extra light olive oil
- 2 cups snow peas
- Juice of a lemon
Heat a wok like saucepan and add the oil. Add the lemon grass and garlic. Saute on high heat for a minute. Add the onion and sauté for another minute.
Add the snow peas and sauté for 2 to 3 minutes. Add the sauce and bring to a boil. Add the tofu and mix well – gently, making sure not to break the tofu.
Sprinkle the lemon juice and serve.
Turkey Meatballs with Zucchini
- 1 pound ground dark meat turkey
- 1/3 cup prepared pesto
- 1 cup grated zucchini
- 2 eggs, beaten
- ¼ cup breadcrumbs
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 3 cups homemade or store bought tomato sauce
- 2 tablespoons extra light olive oil
- 1 small onion, minced
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- ½ pound whole-wheat spaghetti, al dente
In a large mixing bowl, add the turkey meat, pesto, zucchini, eggs, breadcrumbs and salt. Mix well with fingertips and keep aside for an hour.
In the meantime, in a large saucepan, heat the olive oil. Add the onion and garlic. Saute on medium heat for a couple of minutes and add the tomato sauce. Cook on medium heat for 5-6 minutes and turn it down to a simmer.
Form medium sized meatballs and begin adding to the simmering sauce. Once all the meatballs are formed, cook on medium heat for 20 minutes.
Serve on top of al dente spaghetti.
Cauliflower and Yellow Pepper Stir Fry
1 head of cauliflower, cut into florets
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon tamari
Place the florets onto a lined cookie sheet. Drizzle olive oil and tamari. Mix well and broil under a high setting until the florets are golden brown for about 10 minutes.
1 yellow pepper, chopped
1 yellow onion, sliced
4 garlic cloves, chopped
2 tablespoons olive oil
½ cup cilantro, chopped
Sauce
¼ cup ketchup
2 tablespoons sweet garlic chili sauce
2 tablespoons tamari
1 teaspoon hoisin sauce
Mix the ketchup, garlic chili sauce, tamari and hoisin sauce and keep aside.
Heat a large wok like saucepan and add the olive oil. Add the onion and garlic cloves and sauté on medium high heat for 2 to 3 minutes. Add the cauliflower florets and sauté for 4 to 5 minutes. Add the sauce, mix well and cook covered on low heat for 7 to 8 minutes. Take the lid off, check for seasonings and top with cilantro.
Steak Mushroom Broccoli Lo Mein
- 8 ounces lo mein noodles, cooked according to package instructions, rinse with water and drizzle a teaspoon of oil to avoid clumping
- 4 garlic cloves, minced
- ¼ soy sauce
- 3 tablespoons honey
- 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 4 tablespoons peanut oil
- 4 ounces steak, filet mignon, cut thinly
- 1 inch fresh ginger, sliced thin
- 4 cups fresh broccoli, cut into florets
- ¼ cup chicken broth
- 2 cups Cremini mushrooms, cut into quarters
- 2 carrots, shredded
- Salt
- 3 scallions, thinly sliced
- 2 teaspoons sesame oil
- Juice of one lime
Stir together the garlic, soy sauce, honey and red pepper flakes. Heat a tablespoon of peanut oil in a wok like pan till scorching hot. Add the steak and ginger. Saute on high heat for about two minutes, sprinkle with salt and transfer to a plate.
Add 2 tablespoons peanut oil into the same wok, add the mushrooms and sauté on high for 3 to 4 minutes, till the mushrooms are golden brown. Transfer to the same plate.
Add the remaining tablespoon oil to the wok and add the broccoli florets. Cook on high for 2 minutes and add chicken broth to steam the broccoli. Cook for 2 minutes, add the carrots, steak, mushroom and soy sauce mixture. Bring to a boil and add the noodles and toss well. Check for seasoning and add salt accordingly. Add the sesame oil, scallions and lime juice. Toss to coat and serve warm.