Homemade Pita Chips with Flax Seed Oil

04 February 2010 Filed In: Appetizers, chips, cooking class, Dairy-free, Fall, lunchbox, Snacks, Soy-free, Spring, Summer, Vegan, Vegetarian, Winter





A few weeks ago, Michael Pollan’s new(ish) book, Food Rules, caught my eye. When I grabbed it off the shelf and opened to a random page in a book filled with suggestions on how to eat better and healthier, it suggested to only eat the snacks and sweets that you make yourself. This has been a semi-rule in our home for a while now. We do indulge in store bought snacks every once in a while, but in general, we try to make what we can at home so that we know exactly what is going into our snacks and so that what we eat is not, well, too convenient. (Someone around here might, cough cough, have a bit of a Kettle Korn issue, but I will not say her name.)

Within those parameters, we try and keep it easy when we do make our snacks. A little effort is great, but let’s not work ourselves silly here.
Enter the pita chip. We’ve made these pita chips in the past to go with everything from soups to dips. These Yummies snacked on their homemade chips and homemade dip, crunching away at them happily. Try making these the next time you need a snack to bring to school, pack in a lunchbox, or party with.
Homemade Pita Chips with Flax Seed Oil

*4 large pitas, cut into 8 wedges each
*1/2 c. olive oil
*1/4 c. flax seed oil
*salt, to taste
*optional seasoning ideas:
-nutritional yeast
-sesame seeds
-dried herbs: finely chopped rosemary, oregano, thyme
-cinnamon or cinnamon sugar
-parmesan cheese (sprinkle over the chips after cooking on one side)

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees F.

Together: Prepare 2-3 rimmed baking sheets by lining them with parchment paper.

In a very large bowl, whisk together the olive oil, salt, pepper, and any optional seasonings. Add the pita wedges and swirl them around with your hands till they are more or less full coated.

Arrange the wedges in a single layer in your prepared pans.

Big Person: Place the chips in the oven and bake for 6-8 minutes on each side, flipping them over with tongs after one side is done. They should be crisp and golden brown.

Once they’re done, remove them from the oven and brush the top of each chips with the flax seed oil. Let them cool for a few minutes before serving.

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Corner View Triptych

03 February 2010 Filed In: corner view



Style. I once hiked the Italian Alps in high heels.
Favorite Hang-out. Home Sweet Home.
Sweets. Our favorite whole wheat chocolate chip cookies… here today, but all gone tomorrow.
Check out these Sweeties:

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Soba Noodles in a Sesame-Ginger Sauce with Steamed Veggies

01 February 2010 Filed In: beans, cooking class, Dairy-free, Fall, ginger, lunchbox, Main Dish, pasta, soba noodles, Spring, Summer, Vegan, Vegetarian, Winter





A couple of years back at the birthday party of my daughter’s friend, a special soba noodle dish graced the table. A huge platter was piled high with the beautiful, glistening noodles and studded with carrots. Alongside the chicken fingers and pizzas, it was the obvious stunner on the table, and when I tasted it, the flavor was complex.
It was one of those large New York affairs with a whole slew of pre-schoolers running around, most of them hopping around in the bouncy castle that had been hired for the occasion or angling to get their parents to allow just one more cookie from the sweets table.
When I quickly asked the (Big Person) hostess about the recipe in passing, she said something about maple syrup and sesame and a personal chef. Ahhh. The personal chef. Of course.
Luckily, I went back and had a little second serving for good measure, just to really taste what was there. Back in the laboratory, the recipe came together. I added tons of steamed veggies that Yummies routinely claim as favorites: broccoli, sugar snap peas, edamame, and the carrots that were in the original dish.
Along came my three-year old mini-chefs to test the recipe for us for real. We threw together the sesame-ginger sauce first, added all the veggies while the soba noodles were cooking, and then took turns tossing the whole thing together. Delicious.
**A few notes on this dish: Since there are gluten-intolerant children in two of my classes, we have experimented with ways to make all the dishes gluten-free. From now on, I will try and give a gluten-free option with my recipes. In this case, we used rice noodles for one class, and in an older class, we simply used the sesame-ginger sauce as a marinade for a skinless, boneless free range organic chicken breast and skipped the noodles altogether. Let the chicken breasts marinate for at least 4 hours before searing the breast on both sides and placing in the oven at 400 degrees F for a few minutes, or until the internal temperature registers 165-170 degrees F.
This dish is wonderful warm, served right away, or cooled to room temperature, or tucked into a lunchbox and served the next day. Suit yourself with your veggie selection. Red peppers, zucchini, winter squash, greens, etc. can also be steamed and added in another veggie’s stead.
Soba Noodles in a Sesame-Ginger Sauce with Steamed Veggies

*24 oz. soba noodles
*3/4 c. olive oil, or more if you’d like
*1/4 c. maple syrup (1/8 c. light honey + 1/2 c. buckwheat honey can be substituted)
*1 t. toasted sesame oil
*1 T. soy sauce
*2 T. rice vinegar
*3 scallions, chopped, the white, the light green and a tiny bit of the bright green parts
*2-3 cloves garlic, minced
*2 T. ginger juice*
*1 T. minced ginger
*2 clementines or a small navel orange, juiced
*a handful or two of black sesame seeds
*at least 4 cups of steamed veggies. Ideas:
-broccoli
-sugar snap peas
-edamame
-carrots
-parnips
-cubed sweet potatoes or winter squash
-chopped greens
-zucchini
*black pepper, to taste
*optional: chili oil to spice it all up

Big Person: Bring a very large pot of salted water to a boil while you are making the sauce. The noodles absorb a lot of water, so cook them in two batches or two pots if need be. Prep all of your other ingredients ahead so that you will have time to add the noodles and cook them according to the instructions on the package.

Together: Make the sauce. In the biggest bowl you have pour in the oils, maple syrup, soy sauce, scallions, garlic, ginger, ginger juice, orange juice, rice vinegar, and the sesame seeds and whisk till completely combined. Talk about the way things look, the way they smell, and the way the sauce comes together.

Now add the veggies and have your mini-chef toss these with the sauce.

Big Person: When the noodles are ready, drain the water and add the noodles to your vegetables and sauce. Since the noodles will be very hot at this point, toss them for your mini-chef, let cool a bit, and then allow your mini-chef to do some serious tossing.

Sprinkle with more black sesame seeds and some chopped scallion for a garnish.

*To make the ginger juice peel a large piece of ginger, about 4 inches long. Finely grate the garlic. Then, using a tea strainer or a fine mesh sieve over a bowl, press the grated ginger with your finger. The juice should fall into the bowl below. Squeeze out every bit of the juice that you can. Mini-chefs will most likely love to help with the squeezing part.

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Chocolate Banana Peanut Butter Tea Cakes

25 January 2010 Filed In: banana, Birthday, Breads, chocolate, cooking class, cupcakes, Desserts, Halloween, peanut butter, Soy-free, Vegetarian





Cover these babies with a marshmallow frosting and they’d be Elvis’s favorite cupcake. As they are- as they were, I should say, as we ate every bit of these up- my morning cooking class whipped up a rich and comforting treat.
Nothing much needs to be said about these. The name speaks for itself. There are, I hear, people who do not enjoy peanut butter. These people, apparently, do not attend any of my classes! My people, these lovely mini-chefs with their coordinating pink and purple outfits ate. Every. Last. Crumb.
Chocolate Banana Peanut Butter Tea Cakes

*1/2 c. spelt flour
*1/2 c. unbleached all-purpose flour
*2 t. baking powder
*1 t. baking soda
*large pinch of salt
*2 T. cocoa powder (best, darkest you can find)
*1/2 c. brown sugar, packed
*1 egg
*2 t. vanilla
*4 medium bananas or 5 small bananas, very very ripe
*3 T. unsalted butter, melted and cooled
*1/2 c. honey-roasted, freshly ground peanut butter
*2/3 c. bittersweet or semi-sweet chocolate chips
*1 nice looking ripe banana

Preheat your oven to 325 degrees F.

Together: Prepare muffins pans with muffin cups or by greasing 24 cups.

In a large bowl, whisk together the flours, baking powder, baking soda, salt, brown sugar, and cocoa powder. Scoop 1/2 cup of the flour mixture into another medium bowl. Pour the chocolate chips in with the 1/2 cup of mixture and stir. Set both bowls aside.

In a medium bowl, using a fork, show your mini-chef how to mash up the bananas. Work with them to really get those bananas completely mushed. Then, pour in the melted butter, the egg, the peanut butter, and the vanilla, and whisk till completely combined.

Pour the peanut butter mixture into the large bowl of dry ingredients. Stir just till combined. Then fold in the chocolate chip mixture.

Using an ice cream scoop, help your Yummy fill the muffin cups.

Big Person and/or Older Yummy: Using a dinner knife, slice the extra banana width-wise on the diagonal into thin pieces. Place a slice on top of each filled muffin cup.

Big Person: Put the pans in the oven and bake for about 20-25 minutes, or until a toothpick, stuck into the center of the teacake comes out clean. Cool for at least 10 minutes before serving.

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Basic Vegetable Stock

19 January 2010 Filed In: cooking class, Dairy-free, Fall, Gluten-free, Soups & Stews, Soy-free, Spring, stock, Summer, Vegan, Vegetarian, Winter




An old friend recently commented to me, “So you run a culinary academy for kids?” Well, yes, that is definitely part of it. Technique. What really makes this an exciting class, though, is getting them exposed to the idea of cooking real food, slow food, sitting down to family and community meals, teaching them about where our food comes from, and cooking with what is in season at such a young age.

Here now, of course, it is Soup Season. And, to help understand how to make good soups, you only need to do a little taste test of stocks that are sold in the grocery store to notice that they mostly taste kind of, well, funky. The under taste is somehow chemical, just slightly off. We absolutely will use it in a pinch, but when we’re making something where it will matter a lot, like a vegetarian soup for instance, we will make up a quick vegetable stock from a few basic ingredients.
Making stock is an extra step, and I know how dear your and your Yummy’s time is. But. We tried to make this the most simple stock that would still be delicious, a stock that you can sort of make as an aside to whatever soup or risotto or other dish you are making, and not feel overworked. Plus, your Yummy can help with and watch how it is all done.
Basic Vegetable Stock
yields about 5 cups, do not double in the same pot

*3 medium carrots
*2 stocks celery
*one yellow onion and one red onion••
*7-12 garlic cloves (you can use those small ones at the middle of the head, just use more)
*2 large handfuls of fresh parsley branches and leaves
*a bay leaf
*2 qts. water
*large pinch of salt, optional
*1 t. dried thyme, optional
*2 T. olive oil or another favorite vegetable cooking oil

Big Person: Chop the carrots, celery, and onions into 1-inch pieces. Peel the garlic and use the back of a large knife to smash each garlic clove.

Together: In your largest pot with a wide bottom, add the oil, the carrots, celery, onion, garlic, bay leaf, and parsley. Talk to your Yummy about the colors and smells of each element. Also explain that we never crumble a bay leaf as it will stick in the back of your throat and is very dangerous.

Big Person: Place the big pot over a medium-low flame and saute, stirring often, for about 10 minutes. The idea is to get some browning on the veggies without burning them at all. If you need to, you could turn the heat down to low and not be quite as vigilant, but it will take longer, more like a half hour.

Together: Place the big pot on a trivet or kitchen towel so that your mini-chef has access to it without being near the stove. Explain that the pot is very hot to your Yummy and that we would get burned if we touch even the sides of it. (This is not something you will be doing with a two or three year old. Save it for a four year old or older mini-chef to help out with.) Then, pour in the water together. Have your Yummy throw in the salt as well and sprinkle in the thyme if you are using them.

Big Person: Take the pot back to the stovetop and bring the stock to a rolling boil. Then, turn the heat down to low, cover the pot partially, and simmer for a half hour or so.

When the stock is done cooking, get a big bowl ready, place a sieve on top, and pour the stock through the sieve into the bowl so that all of the veggies, etc. is left in the sieve, and the stock is just liquid.

**Sometimes the red onions will turn the stock a darker and purple-y color. Correct this in dishes where it matters by adding a bit of acid, such as lemon juice or vinegar. Red onions also make the stock tastier and impart a more textured flavor. You can always substitute another yellow onion or some other favorite from the onion family (leeks, shallots, white onion, etc.).

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