Napa Cabbage Salad with Peanut Dressing and Cod Nuggets

Tonight I made a totally delicious dinner. I was inspired by an online class I took a few weeks ago called Child Nutrition and Cooking. The class is offered for free on Coursera, a pretty amazing site that offers free online courses on a wide array of topics. One of the recipes the instructor demonstrates is homemade chicken nuggets. I don't eat chicken, but I was interested in this recipe because I will be teaching a class at Headstart in October, and I'm looking for healthier recipes that will appeal to young children. Many years ago when I worked at Headstart as a teaching assistant, chicken nuggets and fish sticks were pretty universally loved by the kids there. I decided to try out this recipe to see if it is really as good as the instructor made it look. I made it with cod, and yup, it's pretty awesome.  The instructor points out that commercially prepared chicken nuggets often have nearly 40 ingredients in them, one an anti-foaming agent that is also used to make Silly Putty-yuck! The recipe taught in this class has just 6 ingredients: chicken (or in my case, fish), flour, egg, bread crumbs, olive oil,and salt. I served my fish nuggets on top of a Napa cabbage salad with a spicy peanut dressing that I adapted from here. If you are vegan, the salad itself is delicious as is, or you could top it with a vegetable protein source like tofu or tempeh.

Napa Cabbage Salad with Peanut Dressing and Cod Nuggets
makes 4 servings

Salad
1 small head of napa cabbage, shredded
2 carrots, julienned
3 green onions, finely chopped
large handful of basil chopped  (save a little for garnishing if desired)
large handful cilantro, chopped (save a little for garnishing if desired)

Mix all salad ingredients in a large bowl

Dressing
2 Tbs peanut butter
2 tbs rice vinegar
1 tsp toasted sesame oil
1 tsp tamari
squirt sriracha
1 colve garlic, finely chopped
1 inch piece of ginger, peeled and minced
2 Tbs water

Whisk together all dressing ingredients in a small bowl, thinning with more water if desired

Nuggets
4 small portions of boneless, skinless fish or chicken, cut into small pieces
whole wheat flour
2 eggs, beaten
breadcrumbs (I used whole wheat panko-style)

Dredge fish or chicken pieces in this order: flour,  eggs,  breadcrumbs. Heat olive oil in a large skillet. Lay coated pieces of meat in the pan and sprinkle with salt. Cook until nuggets are cooked at least halfway through, then flip over and repeat on the second side (I cooked mine 10 minutes per side).

Other Toppings (optional, but good)

2 avocados, sliced or cubed

roasted peanuts, chopped

black sesame seeds

To assemble salad: Coat cabbage mixture with dressing, using your hands to make sure it is well mixed. Plate the salad and top with nuggets and optional toppings. Serve!

Blueberries!

One of my yearly July rituals is picking blueberries. Blueberries are extremely nutritious, and also one of the most refreshing and convenient foods to eat in the heat of the summer. If you pick enough, you can also freeze them and continue enjoying their health benefits and deliciousness for many months to come.  I am lucky to live near several organic/no-spray blueberry farms, and I have visited three of them regularly in the past few years. Today, my mom joined me at the Friendly Grove Blueberry Farm, where we had perfect weather for picking lots of tasty berries. I have also  enjoyed picking at Carr's Organic Blueberry Farm, and Blue Horizons Farm.  There is something really cool about having seasonal rituals to look forward to, and when I woke up this morning, I knew that I wanted to do my first pick today. Last year, I ate all of the blueberries I picked before I got a chance to freeze them, so this year, I'll need to be sure to go out a few more times to make sure I get my freezer (and belly) full of blueberries before the season is over!

Chocolate-Cherry No Bake Pie

Tonight I made a pie by pairing components of two separate desserts and then topping them with fresh cherries. It turned out really well, and is quite healthy as far as desserts go. Recipe #1 is here. It's a raw fruit pie that I've tried making before. The crust is amazing, but the cashew "cream" in the original recipe didn't turn out well for me- maybe because I don't have a high speed blender- I couldn't get the texture right, and it tasted like sweet hummus,ugh! So I was looking for something else creamy to use for a filling and I came across this recipe for a chocolate mousse that's made from avocados. Perfect! I didn't have the raw cacao powder or coconut nectar that the original calls for, so I used cocoa powder and honey+maple syrup. I also learned a great trick for pitting cherries! If you don't have a cherry pitter, check out this video for a demonstration of pitting cherries using a bottle and a chopstick. Anyhow, this pie takes awhile to make, but it's a delicious and healthy sweet for a hot night when you want to impress someone and you don't want to use your oven.

Chocolate-Cherry No Bake Pie
adpted from recipes at lifewithgreens.com and thekitchn.com

Pie Crust:

8 medjool dates

1 cup raw unsweetened coconut

1 cup nuts ( I've used both raw and toasted, both are good)

1/4 teaspoon of sea salt

2 teaspoons of vanilla

Directions: Place all ingredients into a food processor with the “S” blade. Pulse and mix until moist and formable. Transfer raw pie crust mixture to a pie pan of your choice and press into the sides of the pan.

Make Pie crust first. Place in the refrigerator to chill while you are working on the other ingredients.

Chocolate Avocado Pie Filling

4 ripe avocados
, cut into chunks

1/3 cup honey

2 Tbs maple syrup

1/2 cup raw cocoa powder


1 teaspoon vanilla extract


pinch of salt
fresh fruit and nuts for garnish

In a food processor, blend avocado until smooth. Add all other ingredients, blending until mixture is uniform. Chill for half an hour in the freezer.

Next make the chocolate filling. Put it in the freezer to chill while you are pitting the cherries

About 1lb cherries, pitted 

Go on, pit those cherries!

Remove pie crust from refrigerator. Place half the pitted cherries on top of the crust in a uniform pattern. Top with chocolate filling (I only used about ¾ of the filling recipe in the pie). Top with remaining cherries. Serve immediately or keep in the refrigerator for later enjoyment.

Beet, Feta, and Walnut Salad with Blackberry Dressing

Earlier this week I was in the mood for a very specific beet salad. I have had variations of this salad at a few fancy restaurants over the years. The truth is that it is ridiculously easy to make, and if you make extra beets, you can have it for lunch a few more times during the week. The beets do take awhile to cook, so plan to have something else to do while they're doing their thing on the stove (I did laundry and cleaned the house). I made A LOT of beets, so I've been eating them every day. So far, I'm not sick of it, and it makes me laugh that I feel "fancy" each time I eat it.

Beet, Feta, and Walnut Salad 
with Blackberry Dressing
makes six generous servings
Salad
enough washed salad greens for six
4 large beets, ends and tails trimmed off
1 cup walnuts or hazelnuts, toasted
feta or blue cheese for sprinkling
To prepare beets, heat a large pot of water on the stove top until it is nearly boiling. Submerge beets, and simmer them until you can pierce them with a fork (mine were large and took about an hour and a half). Remove from heat, drain, and run the beets under cold water, rubbing the outside to remove their skins. When the beets are free of their skins, slice them up.
Toss salad greens with dressing (recipe below). Plate the greens and top evenly with sliced beets, nuts, and cheese. If you are making this to eat in several sittings over the week, be sure to wait until right before eating to toss the greens with the dressing.
Dressing
1 cup blackberries (I used thawed frozen berries)
2 Tbs balsamic vinegar
2Tbs olive oil
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp agave syrup or honey
To make dressing, put all ingredients in a pint jar and shake.

Easy and Versatile Fruit Cobbler

The following recipe is magical. It's delicious, takes very little time or effort to make, can be made with any almost any fruit, and comes out perfectly every time. Is it healthy? Well, it has a lot of fruit in it, but it also has quite a bit of butter and sugar, so this is one you''ll want to eat in moderation. I got the recipe many years ago when I was getting a CSA from Helsing Junction Farm. It was printed in one of their newsletters, but luckily, they still have the recipe on their website. I have made it with apples, pears, peaches, nectarines, berries, cherries apricots, and plums. I never peel the fruit, so the only real work is slicing the fruit up. It's also a great way to use up fruit that is getting a little too ripe or is otherwise not in the best shape for fresh eating. Usually, I use a mixture of whatever fruit I have on hand. The one ingredient you don't want to leave out is the lemon zest- it adds a bright and unique flavor to this excellent and very special dessert.

Easy and Versatile Fruit Cobbler
adapted slightly from Oly’s Swedish Apple Pie recipe at helsingfarmcsa.com

-Slice whatever fruit you are using into a 10 in round cake pan. I usually try to fill the pan about ¾ full with fruit. For this one I used 3 white peaches, 2 yellow nectarines, 2 plums, 4 apricots, and a ½ pint of blueberries. I never peel the fruit, but if you don't like the texture of the peels, you could. If you are using apples or pears, you will probably want about 5-6 pieces of fruit.

-Mix together the following:

-1 TBS sugar

-½ tsp cinnamon

-Sprinkle half over the fruit and toss together. (Save the other half to sprinkle over the top of the cobbler).

-Melt 1 stick of butter in a small saucepan and then add the following:

-1 cup of flour

-The zest of 1 lemon

-¾ cup of white or brown sugar

-Gently mix together and then add 2 beaten eggs.

-Fold the mixture together and then pour it over the top of the fruit

-Sprinkle with the remaining cinnamon/sugar mixture.

-Bake at 350 degrees for 50-60 minutes until firm and lightly browned.

Garlicky Lemon Broccolini

This simple side dish is awesome- it's quick to make, delicious, and pairs well with lots of things. Broccolini (also called brocolette or baby broccoli) is a cross between broccoli and gai lan (Chinese broccoli). It's very tender and sweeter than broccoli, and the delicate stems do not need to be peeled. Here is a little write up about the nutritional benefits. I really love garlic, so I made this with a lot of garlic. If you're not such a fan of the stinking rose, reduce as desired. Other things you might try adding are a dash of toasted sesame oil, a pinch of red pepper flakes, or some shredded parmesan.

Garlicky Lemon Broccolini
2 bunches broccolini, rinsed and trimmed (I cut about an inch of the end of the stalk)
10 cloves garlic, sliced
2 tsp olive oil
juice of 1 lemon
dash of salt
Bring a large pot of water to boil on the stovetop. Submerge the broccolini and cook for about five minutes (you should be able to just pierce it with a fork). Drain and rinse with cold water (or submerge in an ice bath) to stop the cooking. Heat the olive oil in a frying pan and add the garlic slices. Cook until they are fragrant and starting to become golden colored. Add the broccolini, lemon juice, and a pinch of salt and stir well. Cook until the broccolini is heated through.

An Excellent Resource For Adventurous Eaters

A few days ago a farmer I know shared a site that I think is pretty cool: the irreverently named WTF is this vegetable. On it are pictures of vegetables you may have seen in the produce aisle (or in your CSA box) but aren't really sure how to use, as well as several recipes for each vegetable. Some of the vegetables include kohlrabi, celeriac, rutabaga, nettles, and parsnips. There is even a place where you can suggest vegetables for her to include!
It's funny how one person's staple vegetable is another person's "WTF" vegetable. I am totally comfortable cooking with kale (and most other greens), but have always felt a little sheepish about my lack of experience with bok choi. This year I planted some in an effort to get myself to try cooking with it more often. Luckily for me, bok choi is on the site, so I have lots of new recipes to try out. If you've found yourself curious about cooking with vegetables you haven't used much (or at all), check this site out, it a terrific resource.