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Coconut Macaroons with a Chocolate-y Drizzle

Photo Credit: anna.xie via Compfight cc

Coconut Macaroons with a Chocolatey Drizzle

With Passover right around the corner, we had the idea of trying out some Kosher for Passover recipes. While this recipe makes a delicious macaroon, it also allows you the opportunity to get your kids helping in the kitchen and to teach them the traditions of Passover.  Make these delectable desserts with your little ones and share with family and friends at your next gathering!

 

Ingredients:

  • 4 egg whites
  • 3 ½ cups of shredded coconut, unsweetened
  • ¾ cup sugar
  • 1 tsp of vanilla extract
  • 1/8 tsp of salt

Optional:

½ cup of semisweet chocolate chips

 

Method:

  1. Preheat the oven to 350˚F.
  2. Combine the egg whites, coconut, sugar, vanilla extract, and salt into a bowl.
  3. Place the bowl over a pot of simmering water.  Do not let the bowl and the pot touch.
  4. Stir the ingredients until the sugar has melted, roughly 5 minutes.
  5. When the mixture is slightly thick and begins to appear opaque, remove the bowl from the heat.
  6. On parchment paper or a non-stick baking sheet, spoon out 2 tbsp of the batter for each cookie.  Leaving approximately 2 inches of space between each cookie.
  7. Bake for 5 minutes.
  8. Lower the temperature to 325˚F and bake for another 10 minutes so that the outside is a deep golden brown.
  9. Remove the cookies from the oven and let them cool before serving.
  10. (Optional)- Melt the chocolate chips in a small saucepan over low heat.  With a fork dipped into the chocolate, drizzle the chocolate over the macaroons.
  11. (Optional)- Let the cookies sit at room temperature for about 30 minutes until the chocolate has cooled.
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Salmon Patties for Breakfast!

We mentioned the importance of getting kids active in the kitchen in yesterday’s blog post. To continue with that message, we wanted to post a recipe that makes a great addition to a homemade, weekend brunch and serves as a wonderful opportunity to get your children to expand their eating and cooking horizons! Salmon is a great source of both DHA and EPA, forms of omega-3 fatty acids, which have been shown to aide in decreasing the risk of heart disease and help fight inflammation. So have the kids help with the potatoes (careful of the knife, of course!) or cracking the egg. Then enjoy a family meal all together to help further foster a positive relationship with food!

Photo Credit: Dalboz17 via Compfight cc

Salmon Breakfast Patties
Serves 6

Ingredients

  • 1/2 cup sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into bite-sized cubes
  • 8 ounces skinless, deboned salmon
  • 1 lg egg white
  • 3/4 tsp black pepper
  • 1/4 tsp kosher salt
  • 1/4 cup chopped green onions
  • 1 tbsp chopped basil
  • 1 tsp canola oil + oil for cooking

 

Method

  1. Bring potatoes to a boil in small saucepan. Cook for 5-7 minutes or until potatoes are tender. Drain and allow to cool.
  2. Preheat the oven to 350˚F.
  3. Place salmon in a food processor and pulse until chopped. Add the egg white, salt and pepper. Process until pureed.
  4. Transfer the mixture to a mixing bowl. Mix in the potatoes, onions, oil and basil.
  5. Spoon the mixture into burger-sized patties. Set aside.
  6. Heat a skillet with canola oil over medium-high heat. Add patties and cook until brown (roughly 2 minutes per side). Transfer the cooked patties onto a parchment-lined baking sheet. Repeat until all patties are cooked.
  7. Bake the patties an additional 5-7 minutes in the oven.
  8. Remove from oven and enjoy!

 

Recipe adapted from the Mindful Eating Miraval Cookbook.

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Get your kids cooking in the kitchen!

Get your kids cooking in the kitchen!
By Laura Cipullo, RD CDE CEDRD CDN and Mom

To honor National Nutrition Month we wanted to focus on helping children foster a positive relationship with food. A great way to do that is by getting kids active in the cooking process. Even if its making sometimes foods like baking cookies or, in this case, making pancakes! Here’s a cute video we made with the kids:

 

Buttermilk Pancakes
Recipe makes about 12 pancakes, depending on size.

Ingredients:

  • 1 large egg
  • 2.5 cups low-fat buttermilk
  • 2 tbsp butter, melted
  • 1 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1 tbsp sugar
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • 1 tsp baking soda
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • maple syrup for serving

Directions:

  1. Mix all ingredients in a large mixing bowl. Beginning with the eggs, followed by the buttermilk, butter, and whisk until combined. Add flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt and whisk until the flour is incorporated.
  2. Heat a large frying pan over medium heat, add a little butter or cooking spray to the pan. Spoon about 1/2 cup of batter into heated pan and cook about 2 minutes or until edges are golden brown. Flip and cook for an additional 1-2 minutes or until golden brown.
  3. Serve with optional warm butter, maple syrup, and/or fruit.

 

 

– See more at: Bitsy’s Brainfood

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Quinoa Cornbread (gluten & dairy-free)

Whether you serve it alongside Thanksgiving dinner or as a side at a Sunday night family supper, cornbread is a great addition to a home-cooked meal. This recipe is both gluten and dairy free and could easily be made vegan by swapping the egg for a flax egg or applesauce. Plus, it’s very easy to prepare, making it a great activity to share with your children in the kitchen. We hope you enjoy this recipe, and feel free to send us your favorite cornbread recipe! Do you add quinoa to other recipes, too?

Quinoa Cornbread

Ingredients

*   2 ¼ cups unsweetened soy milk (or milk of choice)
*   2 cups gluten-free cornmeal
*   1 cup quinoa meal
*   ¼ cup agave nectar
*   1 egg, beaten (or 1 flax egg)
*   2 tbsp canola oil
*   2 tsp salt
*   1.5 tsp baking soda
*   ½ tsp baking soda

 

Directions

  1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.
  2. Combine dry ingredients in large mixing bowl.
  3. Mix wet ingredients in separate bowl.
  4. Combine both wet and dry ingredients, mixing well.
  5. Grease loaf pan with canola oil spray. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until the golden-brown. Remove from oven and allow to cool.

We love quinoa! Are you new to this nutritious grain? If so, we recommend heading over to Cooking Light’s test kitchen. They have a great piece on quinoa, plus a video on how to cook it!

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Festively Fall Butternut Squash Pizza

Festively Fall Butternut Squash Pizza

The other night, my family and I enjoyed a butternut squash pizza from Whole Foods. We loved it so much that I thought it would be a great activity to get my kids involved in replicating the recipe. This is a fun and festive twist on a classic pizza dish!

4-6 servings

 Ingredients:

  • 1 package of whole wheat pizza dough (we get ours from the local Whole Foods bakery)
  • 1 cup tomato sauce (we used Cucina Antica’s la Pizza sauce)
  • 1 cup steamed butternut squash, cut into bite-sized cubes
  • Manchego cheese, freshly grated
  • 1 tbsp fresh oregano or 1 tsp dried (optional)

Directions:

  1. Preheat oven to 350˚F (or the recommended temperature of your store-bought pizza dough).
  2. Roll out dough onto a pizza stone or parchment paper-lined baking sheet.
  3. Spread the sauce, add the squash, and grate the cheese until the pizza is covered. Add oregano or spices of choice.
  4. Bake for 10-15 minutes, until edges appear golden brown (or as long as your specific pizza dough calls for).
  5. Remove from oven and allow to cool for 5 minutes. Serve with a side salad or mixed vegetables.

Nutrition Facts, 1 slice: 179 calories, 11.6g fat, 7.2g saturated fat, 10.7g carbohydrates, 2.1g fiber, 2.5g sugar, 8.8g protein