Acorn Squash Cups Filled with Pomegranate Rice Pilaf

09 October 2009 Filed In: Christmas, cooking class, Dairy-free, Fall, Gluten-free, lunchbox, Main Dish, orange, pomegranate, rice, Side Dish, Soy-free, squash, Thanksgiving, Vegan, Vegetarian, Winter





This past week, the clitter clatter of lots of little feet returned to the Tribeca Yummy Mummy kitchen. For our first official cooking class of the school year, we broke out the seasonal foods, including some acorn squash that the kids picked out on their field trip to the greenmarket.

We scooped out the seeds, sprinkled on cinnamon, and roasted our squashes until they were tender. Then, the kids mixed up a pomegranate pilaf in their own personal bowl so that they start to really taste and season things to their liking.
Will you forgive us for using pomegranate seeds for a second time this week? It is just that they are so very beautiful and so very delicious. The mini-chefs kept sneaking just one more seed from their pilaf, so you might want to have some extras for tasting and snacking on during the cooking process.
You can multiply this recipe however you like with big success. One of our focuses in class this time of year is working on things that could gracefully make it to the Thanksgiving table. These squash cups definitely fit the bill. Just think of how proud your mini-chef would be when he got to tell Great Aunt Edith that the stuffed squash was made by his own little hands.
Acorn Squash Cups Filled with Pomegranate Rice Pilaf

For the Squash Cups:
*4 medium acorn squash, washed and cut in half lengthwise
*4 T. butter or olive oil
*1 T. cinnamon

Preheat your oven to 375 degrees F.

Together: Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment.

Using an ice cream scooper or a spoon, scoop out the seeds of the squash and discard. Place the halves onto the prepared baking sheet. Divide the butter among the squash halves, and sprinkle a bit of the cinnamon onto each halve.

Big Person: Bake the squash for 35-45 minutes, or until soft and beginning to brown slightly. When they are cooked, pull them out of the oven and let them cool at least 10 minutes before filling them with the pilaf.

For the Pilaf:
*3 cups cooked basmati rice
*the seeds of a pomegranate
*2 T. chopped parsley
*3 medium shallots, finely chopped
*1 red, orange or yellow bell pepper, finely chopped
*an orange, cut in half
*a pinch or two of cinnamon
*salt and pepper, to taste

In a large bowl, combine all of the ingredients, letting your mini-chef squeeze the orange’s juice right into the bowl (naval oranges work so well for this). Encourage your Yummy to taste the mixture and decide whether it needs a little more salt, pepper, or cinnamon.

To assemble, fill the little cups of the acorn squash with the pomegranate rice pilaf. You can warm the whole dish in an oven preheated to 200 degrees F or serve room temperature.

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A Typical NY Souvenir and the I HEART NY Shirt Giveaway

07 October 2009 Filed In: all the rest, corner view, giveaway



Come with me, if you would, to the corner of Broadway and Canal Street. New Yorkers typically avoid this corner at all costs because of the tourists who stand stock still in the middle of the sidewalk and the crush of merchants whisper-yelling, “Handbags. Handbags. Louis Vuitton.” Today, though, I take a deep breath and pull out my camera. Almost immediately, the merchants see me, smell me.

“Handbags! Good price!”
I laugh. Um, no thank you.
I stroll down a few paces to one of the many stores selling my all time favorite and iconic tee, the “I heart NY”. Inside, playing the part of the tourist, I even let the guy selling me the shirts cheat me a little bit. It’s hard times, and he has let me take a picture.
Before I leave, we chat, and I tell him I live a few blocks away in Tribeca. He looks surprised. He knows that I know I’ve payed too much. I wink at him because, well, I heart NY and even its less savory venues.
Would you like to win one of these shirts? There are 3 tees up for grabs. Just leave a comment here by October 13th, telling me about your thoughts on the Big Apple (NYC), and you will be eligible. Winners announced on the 14th. I’ll even tripsy back up to Chinatown and pick out your size, special.
Now, go check out some of the other souvenirs from around the country and around the world:

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Vanilla Panna Cotta with Pomegranate Seeds (and a belated Corner View: White)

05 October 2009 Filed In: Christmas, corner view, Desserts, Fall, Gluten-free, panna cotta, pomegranate, Soy-free, Thanksgiving, Vegetarian, Winter, yogurt






Fall in New York City brings the visitors and the dinner guests, the students and the indoor play dates. We all begin to turn more to indoor activities, and our home comes alive with even more activity than in the warmer months. With this healthy parade of guests, we find special dishes that our family can all make together in advance so that we really enjoy ourselves while our friends are around.

One of the phrases that I hear most often these days is, “Mama, can I help?” It usually comes from our four-year-old but has trickled into her two-year-old brother, as well, now. Especially when we cook with little Liev, I like to add an element of the scientific, of the magical into our recipe, as with panna cotta.
Panna cotta, translated “cooked cream” from the Italian, is a white, luscious dessert and a dinner party food, extraordinaire. It magically transforms before your eyes from pure liquid to semi-solid with a little sprinkling of gelatin, and you can make it up to 3 days ahead of time and top it any way you please. This week, since we began to see the pomegranates make their way into the stores, we choose the cheery, antioxidant rich seeds to bejewel our panna cotta.
P.S. Last week, Jane’s Corner View theme was “White”. This panna cotta, though you can garnish it with so many colors and flavors, is a bed of utter creamy whiteness. For me, it is like biting into white’s essence.
Vanilla Panna Cotta with Pomegranate Seeds and Drizzled Honey

*2 T. water
*1 1/2 t. gelatin
*2 c. heavy cream
*1 3/4 c. yogurt, whole milk preferably
*pinch of salt
*1/3 c. honey, or more to taste + more for drizzling
*2 t. vanilla
*1 t. orange flower water
*the seeds of one fresh pomegranate

Measure the water into a small liquid measuring cup. Have your mini-chef sprinkle the gelatin over the water and set it aside for the time being.

While the water sets, whisk together the yogurt, pinch of salt, honey, vanilla, and orange flower water together in a large bowl (a pouring lip is helpful for this recipe) is or very large liquid measure. Set this aside, too.

Pour the cream into a medium saucepan.

Big Person: Bring the cream to a boil over medium heat, whisking a bit. As soon as the cream comes to a boil, remove it from the heat. Have your mini-chef inspect the water-gelatin mixture. What happened? Is it watery any more? What does it feel like?

Now, Big Person, will pour the gelatin mixture into the cream and whisk them together well for a full minute to make certain that they are properly combined. Pour the cream mixture into the yogurt mixture.

Together Again: Whisk the two mixtures together.

Pour the panna cotta into little sake cups or ramekins. Let the cups cool to room temperature. Place the little cups onto a rimmed baking sheet or tray. Cover the whole business with plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator for at least 5 hours or overnight.

When you are ready to serve your panna cotta, take them out of the fridge, sprinkle them with the pomegranate seed and drizzle on a bit more honey.

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Breakfast Quinoa with Plum-Nectarine Compote

29 September 2009 Filed In: baby puree, cereal, Dairy-free, Fall, Gluten-free, Main Dish, nectarine, plum, quinoa, Soy-free, Spring, Summer, Vegan, Vegetarian, Winter



Fall is finally showing itself here in New York. This morning we all wanted to stay in bed, under the covers, just a little bit longer. While the days are still warm and wonderful, golden, in the mornings the chill is starting to seep in.

Snuggling weather is upon us, and when it is, we like to cook various warm cereals to make crawling out from under those covers easier. For our first warm breakfast of the season, we made quinoa, fluffy and filled with protein. Diced apples or pears, or both, get thrown in for sweetness and depth of flavor. Then, we ladle out the quinoa, swirl in our favorite milk, nuts, dried fruit, spoon on a topping of seasonal Italian plums and nectarines, and ease right into our day.
This cereal is a recipe you can make in bulk and in advance since it keeps in the refrigerator for up to five days. When you are ready, pull out the amount you will use and bring it to room temperature. Warm up your milk (almond, cow, or oat milk are tasty here) and the compote, pour them over the top, and you will have a very easy hot breakfast.
When my children were babies, this was one of their favorite foods. You can change out the fruits to fit each season and serve it pureed if your baby is still very small. In fact, it is a perfect first food.
Breakfast Quinoa with Plum-Nectarine Compote

For the Quinoa:
*2 c. quinoa
*4 c. water
*1 large apple, washed (or peeled) and finely diced
*large pinch of salt

Big Person: Bring the water to a boil.

Together: Measure the quinoa out and place into a fine mesh sieve. Let your mini-chef gently swish the quinoa around as you wash it under cold water.

If your mini-chef is old enough (about 4 years or older), you can hand them a plastic knife with which to dice the apple. Make sure and supervise the entire process and help them if they are having some trouble. It’s nice to have a very ripe apple when practicing cutting skills.

Big Person: Once the water is boiling add the quinoa and apples prepared and the pinch of salt. Wait until the whole thing comes back up to a boil, then reduce the heat to a low simmer. Simmer for 20-25 minutes, stirring once or twice. Prepare the compote while quinoa cooks.

For the compote:
*1 c. plums, diced
*1 c. nectarines, diced
*1 cinnamon stick
*1 star anise (optional)
*1/4 c. water
*1 T. honey (or to taste)

Together: Place all of the ingredients into a medium saucepan. Give it a good stir.

Big Person: Bring the mixture to a boil, stirring. Turn the heat down to medium and reduce till desired thickness. Remove the cinnamon stick and the star anise. Puree the compote if you like.

Serve the quinoa with a heaping helping of warm compote on top. We love to mix in milk or almond milk, nuts, wheat germ, flax seed meal, and dried fruits.

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Zucchini Pancakes and a Field Trip to the Greenmarket

25 September 2009 Filed In: greenmarket, lunchbox, zucchini





In educating our mini-chefs how to cook, taste, and eat good food, we also need to teach them how and where to shop for good food. Let’s get them going on street level. One of my most favorite places to shop and to get inspired by what is fresh and healthy is the green market, where you can talk to the farmers and choose fruits, vegetables, meat, and dairy that is super fresh and flavorful.

This Wednesday, as a sort of pre-class, my friend Avery, manager of our local market, took a group of the Yummies under her wing.
“My Grandpa grows cantaloupes and watermelons in his garden, ” one of the kids piped in when Avery asked them what kinds of things grew on farms.
“Eggs!”
“Cows! MOOOOOO!” (giggles)
Then, Avery showed them a whole row of different kinds of peppers and squash. Ohhhh. Ahhh.
She introduced them to some of the farmers and had the farmers talk about what they, in particular, grow on their farms. Despite the heat and the looming humidity, the kids managed to stay focused.
When we gave them each $5 to spend on anything they pleased, they really started to wake up and get excited. Asian pears, Italian plums, Jersey tomatoes, ripe and heavy, and of course a pain au chocolat (that would be my daughter) were some of the things that they added to their market bags. And, of course, after tasting the zucchini pancakes Avery had prepared for them, they had to pick up a few zucchini as well.
Avery has shared her wonderful recipe for the pancakes with us here. They are bright green and very tasty. A little side of yogurt-lemon dipping sauce would be my family’s way of adding onto the deliciousness: just squeeze the juice of half a lemon into 1/2 cup of plain yogurt.
Avery’s Light Zucchini Pancakes
Adapted from Jack Bishop’s Vegetables Every Day

*1 lb. zucchini (about two 6″ zucchini), grated
*1 clove garlic, minced
*salt and pepper, to taste
*1 egg
*2 T. fresh minced herbs, chives, mint, basil, parsley, or any favorite
*1/2 c. flour
*olive oil for cooking

Dry the grated zucchini by wringing it in a clean towel or draining it, salted, in a colander for half an hour.

Combine the zucchini, garlic, salt and pepper, herbs and egg, and stir in the flour.

Heat a little oil in the bottom of a frying pan, and cook the pancakes (little ones for appetizers, or larger ones to be served whole or in wedges) for about 3 minutes on each side. Drain on paper towels and serve with lemon wedges.

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