Avocado Goddess Dip

For some wonderful, miraculous reason, my girls have been all about trying new vegetables lately. In the last week, they have had grape tomatoes, broccoli, cucumber, romaine lettuce (new to Lizzy), and asparagus. They have done this without complaint and without me having to nudge them into trying them. What on earth?! Either all of my attempts to get them to try more things is finally paying off, or it's some fluke never to be repeated again. We will see!

Last night, Abby held up her broccoli and said "Look, Mommy, it's like a tree!"

Remembering Jenna's recent post about having her boys "eat like dinosaurs", I said "You can eat that tree like a dinosaur!"

"But Mommy," she said, "I'm not a dinosaur. I'm a little girl."

"I know, Abby, but the broccoli is like a tree, so -"

"But Mommy, it's not really a tree. It's just a broccoli."

"I know, Abby, but -"

"And I'm just a little girl, eating broccoli. Okay?"

"Okay, Abby."

So, the dinosaur thing is not quite working for my little girl - but hey, she's eating the broccoli, so woo!

I've been trying more dips and dressings as the girls have been willing to eat more vegetables. One of my first tries was a green goddess dressing, but based with avocado instead of mayo. It was delicious and had a lot more nutrients and good fats than our usual dips!

Avocado Goddess Dip

2 ripe avocados
1 bunch tarragon, chopped
1-2 Tbsp chopped chives (depends on how much you like chives!)
1 handful chopped parsley
salt & pepper
2 Tbsp lemon juice
1-2 cups milk (start with 1 cup, add more as needed to get to desired consistency)

De-seed and scoop out the avocado. Add everything to a blender or food processor and puree. Add more milk as needed, depending on how thick or thin you want your dip to be (I added more milk after I served the girls, to make a dressing for my salad).

I've submitted this post to the Big Words, Little Foodies recipe swap over at Food with Kid Appeal. See what other little foodies have to say about their dinners!

Polar Bear Cupcakes

I am just tickled pink that "Lost" is back tonight (even though, with my husband's schedule, we may not get to actually watch it until this weekend - sob!), so the girls and I made up some polar bear cupcakes today as a tribute!

When I bake cakes or cupcakes for birthdays or actual celebrations, I keep it basic with white sugar, all-purpose flour. But when I'm baking cupcakes on a Tuesday because my favorite show is back on, I like to go a little healthier. I find you can basically make a muffin, with flax and whole wheat and blah blah - because once the frosting is on, it's just as yummy as a true cupcake!

Polar Bear Cupcakes

1/2 cup whole wheat flour
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 tsp salt
1 1/4 tsp baking powder
2 Tbsp unsalted butter
3/4 cup milled flax seed
1/2 cup raw sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
3/4 tsp maple extract
1 egg
3/4 cup milk (I used 1%)

Preheat oven to 375F. Line 10 muffin cups with liners.

In a bowl, sift together the flours, baking powder, and salt.

With an electric mixer, cream together the butter, flax, sugar, vanilla extract, and maple extract. Beat in the egg. Alternate between adding the flour mixture and the milk, beating until combined.

Divide batter evenly between 10 muffin cups. Bake for 15-20 minutes (I started checking at 15 minutes; I took them out of the oven at 18 minutes). Let cool


Frosting - I use the Cook's Illustrated buttercream frosting, although it's been a while since I actually looked at it! Here are my rough proportions:

1 stick unsalted butter
2-3 Tbsp half and half (or cream)
1 tsp vanilla extract
pinch salt
2-3 cups confectioner's sugar

With an electric mixer, cream together the butter, half and half, vanilla, and salt. Add 2 cups of confectioner's sugar and beat on high speed for several minutes. Add more sugar as desired to reach frosting consistency, but be sure to beat on high speed for several minutes after additions - you want it to get really nice and fluffy!

We decorated with shredded coconut, chocolate chips... and animal cracker bits for the ears. That's what happens when you don't keep mini marshmallows on hand and decide to make cupcakes with no prior planning! ;-)

* * * * * * *

One of these already leaped into my mouth and forced it's way into my stomach... yummmmm. Abby hates cake and has already said that she won't be trying one after dinner, but we'll see if her tune changes. I feel fairly sure, based on her enthusiasm for licking the frosting beaters, that Lizzy will be more than happy to have dessert tonight! Perhaps these cupcakes will give me the sugar rush I need to stay up until 11 p.m...

Black Bean and Millet Burgers

I mentioned a little while ago that I'd like to find a good go-to vegetarian/vegan burger recipe before this summer. Beth, of C. Beth Blog, nominated a burger from her sister's blog, The Vegan(ish) Experiment.

One factor decided me in making this the first one I'd try: the millet. A few months ago, I read a book extolling the virtues of whole grains, and went on an absolute shopping binge in the bulk bun aisle at Whole Foods. Some of the grains have become staples in our house (like quinoa), and others have languished in my pantry. Millet is among them. So few recipes call for millet, so I was psyched to have a recipe that actually used millet!

Black Bean and Millet Burgers

(go check out the recipe!)

Folks, these were good. Like, goooood. I had frozen some of the black beans that were cooked up with cilantro and scallions from the Beans and Quinoa with Beets recipe, so I used those in place of plain black beans. I also didn't have a bell pepper on hand, nor did I have the motivation to go out and procure one, so I used a small amount of carrot and celery instead.

The Pros:

Excellent flavor!
Easy to put together!


The Con:

Fell apart - I tried to cut them up for the kids, and they were not thrilled to be presented with a pile of mush. They did, however, eat them when I smooshed them in a flatbread.

I ended up eating these in a flatbread wrap, and they were like a really yummy sandwich that way. I don't know if these will become my go-to for vegetarians attending barbeques at my house, but they will certainly stay in rotation for a yummy lunch/dinner!

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Got a vegetarian/vegan burger recipe you think I should try, either your own or some funky thing you saw on-line? I love being a guinea pig! Email me at kara at ittybittybistro dot com!

Stages of Acceptance: Cold Chinese Pasta Salad, revisited

This post is to participate in Food with Kid Appeal's new "Big Words, Little Foodies" recipe swap. I know we've had more than a few moments with Abby like Big Boo's "Long Avocado," though rarely have they been about food!

Last night, I trotted out an old favorite for the kids - Cold Chinese Pasta Salad. I make this a lot in the summer and fall, but we hadn't had it in a while. Not wanting to go out and buy red pepper, I finally tried swapping in ribbons of carrot - with great success! I vastly preferred the thin ribbons of carrot (achieved with a simple vegetable peeler) to the bulky strips of red pepper. Even better - the kids preferred it, too!



Though she has had this dish a bunch of times, we still had to go through Abby's stages of dinner acceptance:

1. Initial rejection for imaginary, petty reasons

Abby: Mommy, what are you doing?

Me: Boiling the pasta for dinner.

Abby: Oh. I don't like boiling.

2. Visual inspection

Abby: Oh! These orange ribbons (the carrots) are so pretty! Like a present!

3. Continued petty rejections

Abby (who hates anything that is warmer than room temperature): This pasta is pretty cold.

4. Continued petty rejections, again and some more

Abby: This pasta is not getting on my fork! Mommy, it won't get on my fork!.... Oh. There it goes.

5. Acceptance:

(finally eats a piece) Abby: Oh! This is so yummy! I love it, Mommy!

Pizza Pancakes

This was another "pantry clean-out" cooking night - and this week's vegetarian dish! I made pancakes for breakfast over the weekend, and in the course of naming silly kinds of pancakes I should make, Abby said "pizza pancakes!" As it turned out, that didn't sound half bad to me! These were a fun dinner to make with the kids, and they went over pretty well - Lizzy and I gobbled ours down, Abby picked out and ate the olives, told me the sauce was yucky, and ended up eating only about 1/4 of her pancake. So, a pretty normal night for her!

Pizza Pancakes

2 cups all-purpose flour (I was out of whole wheat flour, shockingly. I assume these would work well with a half AP, half WW blend)
4 tsp baking powder
3/4 tsp salt
3/4 tsp dried oregano
1 cup water
1 cup spaghetti sauce, plus extra for dipping
2 eggs, beaten
your favorite toppings, diced, about 3-4 handfuls worth (we did one handful of diced mushrooms, one handful of sliced olives, and 2 big handfuls of shredded Italian blend cheese)

Preheat your griddle / griddle pan / pancake cooking method of choice.

In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt, and oregano.

In a smaller bowl, whisk together the water, spaghetti sauce, and eggs.

Pour the wet ingredients into the dry and stir until almost blended. Stir in your toppings, and stir until blended.

Drop by 1/4 cupfuls onto the hot griddle and cook for about 3-4 minutes per side. Serve with extra sauce for dipping!

Shepherd's Pie

I'm having a "no shopping" week, as it is beyond time for me to clean out the stockpile in my freezer and pantry. I unearthed some lamb sausage, purchased from Drumlin Farm late in the fall and forgotten in my freezer. I wanted to do this lamb some justice, so I turned it into a shepherd's pie. Lizzy tucked right into the ground mixture but eschewed the mashed potato; Abby wouldn't try any (but then proved that she had a tummy bug later that night, which may have tainted her willingness to try new things!). My husband was in heaven with this dinner!

If you are in the area and ever visit Drumlin Farm with your kids, check their freezers in the fall - they sell their beef, goat, and lamb meat, and we've gotten some amazing meats from there.



Filling:
1 lb ground lamb (I used lamb sausage, but we couldn't detect much seasoning)
1 lb ground beef
1 cup diced onion
1 cup carrots, sliced into thin rounds
1 cup diced celery
1 Tbsp tomato paste
1 Tbsp flour
1 clove garlic, minced
1 tsp worcestershire sauce
1/4 cup red wine
1 cup chicken broth
1 cup water
1 cup frozen peas

In a large pot, brown the lamb and ground beef. When it is mostly cooked through, remove the ground meats and set aside in a bowl - keep the fat drippings in the pot. Add the onion, carrots, and celery. Cook, stirring occasionally, over medium heat for 10-15 minutes. They will start to get a little bubbly and very soft. Stir in the garlic and tomato paste, and then stir in the flour. Cook for about 1 minute, and then whisk in the worcestershire sauce, red wine, chicken broth, and water. Stir in the browned meats and bring the whole mixture to a boil. Lower heat and simmer for about 30 minutes, until the sauce has thickened a little. Remove from heat and stir in peas. Spread mixture into a 2-qt casserole dish. (I prepared my filling to this point early in the day and then stuck it in the fridge until I was closer to dinner time. I love dishes that I can prep ahead of time!).


Mashed Potato Topping: 1 - 1.5 lbs mashing potatoes, scrubbed well and chopped (and peeled if desired - I always leave my peels on)
1 clove garlic, peeled but whole
1/2 - 1 cup milk
2 Tbsp butter
1 egg
salt to taste

Put the potatoes and garlic clove into a big pot, filled with enough water to fully cover the potatoes. Bring to a boil, lower heat slightly, and cook for 20-25 minutes, until potatoes are tender and can be easily pierced with a fork.

Drain potatoes and return to pot. Mash with a masher. Stir in 1/2 cup of milk and the butter and some salt. Mash some more. Add more milk as desired. Check to see if you need additional salt, and then mash in egg.

Preheat oven to 400F.

Spread potatoes over the meat filling in the casserole dish, creating a few pretty peaks. Cook for about 25-30 minutes, until the peaks of the potatoes are browning and the mixture below is starting to bubble out.

Winter Night's Soup

Our vegan dinner last week came courtesy of a new blog, My Family Dish, started by a friend of mine from my old neighborhood. Her Winter Night's Soup (a minestrone) jumped right out at me; I was intrigued by the slow-cooking of the celery, carrots, and onion at the beginning and by the promise of big flavor without relying on stock. I also wasn't sure what to think about butternut squash cubes in a soup (I love butternut squash bisques, but haven't had many soups with the squash left in cubes). This soup was amazing!

Now, my kids hate soup, but I took a great tip from Jenna at Food with Kid Appeal and served some cheese toast alongside the soup. This dinner was vegan for me, not so much for the kidlets. But, it worked! They adored their cheese toast, dipped it in their soup broth a little, and even deigned to try a few bites of the soup (Lizzy picked out every bean, Abby said "I'm only eating the celery" and proceeded to eat every bit of kale. I certainly didn't correct her!)

Winter Night's Soup

How can you not love a soup with this many colorful ingredients?


I was out of cannellini beans, which the soup called for, and subbed in black beans and garbanzo. The garbanzo were not a good substitution, although at least Abby would eat them (she adores hummus, so I just told her they were un-smooshed hummus, and she delighted me by eating each one!). I adored the butternut squash in this soup - it was unexpectedly rich.

Definitely give this soup a try; it was fabulous, rich, chock-full of veggies, and the leftovers made for some great lunches!

Penne Alla Vodka with Sausage

My husband's birthday was this week, and he requested that I try to duplicate our favorite dish at Vinny T's - penne alla vodka with sausage. My attempt was yummy, though fell short of the restaurant's version... but I suspect that they use a lot more fat in their version than I was willing to use!

I did have some qualms about posting this, as the evidence on just how much alcohol is burned off in cooking is mixed, and I know some people would never serve this dish to their kids. I serve my children beef stews that have been simmered in beer and chicken that has been braised in wine - and one of our favorite breads is yeast bread made with a bottle of beer. Vodka gave me some pause, but it's a small amount spread over a dish that had a large yield of servings (for my family, at least - my girls will only ever eat about 1/2 cup cooked pasta at most, so we have leftovers coming out of our ears!), and it simmered for about 20 minutes.

Better yet, it was something both girls liked and ate without complaint, and the dish was a breeze to put together. So, woohoo!

Penne Alla Vodka with Sausage

1 lb whole wheat penne, cooked according to package directions
1/2 lb sweet italian sausage, removed from casing
1-2 cloves garlic
1 tsp dried basil
1 28oz can crushed tomatoes
1/4 cup vodka
1/2 cup light cream
1/2 cup grated parmesan, plus more for serving

Start making the sauce while you are bringing the pasta water to a boil. In a skillet over medium heat, cook sausage, breaking up into chunks.

When the sausage is cooked, add the garlic and basil and cook until garlic is softened. Add tomatoes and vodka. Bring sauce to a boil. Lower heat and simmer until the pasta is done cooking (it took forever for my water to come to its first boil, and then cook the pasta, so my sauce simmered for about 15 minutes).

Drain the pasta and return to pot. Stir the light cream and parmesan into the sauce. Pour the sauce over the pasta. Cook the pasta and sauce together, stirring constantly, for about 5 more minutes, until the pasta has absorbed some of the sauce.

Serve, covered with more parmesan if desired.

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Abby's birthday was the following night - her requested birthday dinner? PB&J, carrots, and tortilla chips. It could be worse! We used whole wheat bread, organic peanut butter and jelly, and multigrain tortilla chips... and it made for one happy 4-year-old!

The Great Veggie Burger Search!

As I begin another week of menu-planning (and thus another week of vegan and vegetarian recipe hunting), it occurs to me: What is missing from my life is a great veggie burger recipe.

I don't care if it's bean-based, grain-based, or vegetable-based, but I want a yummy burger that I can serve alongside hamburgers this summer. I'd love something that I can grill, but I understand the nature of the veggie burger often demands that it be pan-fried.

So... do you have a veggie burger recipe that you love that I should try? Please email me either the recipe or the link to your blogged recipe at kara at ittybittybistro dot com - I'd love to try out any and all recipes and give them a mention here!

Sausage, Lentil, and Kale Soup

Mm-MM! I just had a big bowl of this for dinner and thought it was delightful. Neither girl tried it, of course, being a combo of many dreaded things for them (greens... soup... lentils...), so they had something else for dinner. But hey, maybe your kids are more tolerant of new things than mine are! This is certainly something to please the adults in the house, at least!

Everyday Food Magazine Sausage, Lentil, and Kale Soup

(not my photo. my pix made the soup look awful!)

I added a bunch of spinach that was on the verge of getting too wilted for me to care to eat, and I threw in the beet stalks that were left over from dinner the other night. Perhaps because of all this, I had to add a few extra cups of water with the kale. This soup had so much more flavor than I expected it to (I know that sounds bad, but...) - I am normally not a fan of kale, but it was just right to stand up to the sausage in this.

Go check out the recipe!