Home Grown Montessori: cooking

Showing posts with label cooking. Show all posts

Sunday, August 24, 2014

Wholesome Waffles- It's about the Grain.

I've been on a quest lately to try out different flours. Whole wheat might as well be like white flour, but we use both. Also in the cupboard and rotation are spelt, buckwheat, sorghum, rye, barley, millet, whole wheat pastry, and oat. Oat is added either as rolled, or ground, but mostly whole or bran.

So, with this we have been mixing up various breads and batters. I've also added barley malt when making bread which gives it a really nice sourdough like smell when added to yeast.

These amazing gingerbread waffles are from Chow, but as always I improvise. Only 1 cup was Bob's unbleached flour, the rest was a combo of buckwheat, whole wheat pastry, spelt, and a cup of millet. Spices and stuff were also changed, and only 1 stick of butter. I also omitted the orange butter.

Below no need bread with barley malt, spelt, flax and sesame seeds.

Sunday, March 30, 2014

Lunch Box Ideas: Healthy Meals for Schools

Since the kids and I have gone back to school, planning and sending in healthy lunches and snacks are quite a challenge. I first started back in Sept trying to give myself a 30 day challenge. I soon realized that was not about to happen with time to take and post photos. So, now many months later, I have enough photos to put together a post and hopefully to inspire some of you to send in healthy lunches. Much of this stemmed from what I have seen in lunch boxes in the past and present, and wanting to have children eat real food for lunch instead of bars, squeeze pouch foods, goldfish, hot dogs, lunchables, or just same old mac and cheese, day after day.
I post some photos on Facebook when I can rather than waiting for a full post.

Enjoy and Bon Appetit!

Fried rice with fruit for snack and an orange.

Home-made pizza with broccoli and pears.

Breakfast for lunch with cinnamon swirl break, chicken sausage and half a banana.

Don't remember, smoked salmon, fresh mango with salad, and yogurt with strawberries, honey and cinnamon for snack.

Lunch of rice and beans with chicken and veggies with side of fruit. Snack of grapes, crackers and black olives.

Snacks of home-made yogurt cups with fruit on the bottom and cinnamon.

Half hard boiled egg, parsley potatoes, toast and watermelon. Snack of yogurt cups.

Snack of home-made hummus, pita and olives. Lunch of pasta with smoked salmon, herbs, and side of broccoli and grapes.

Fresh tomato salad with olive oil and balsamic vinegar.

Grilled cheese with grapes, peach, and tomato salad.

Home-made spring rolls with chicken and mango, watermelon. Snack of yogurt cups with fruit on bottom.

Home-made hummus with zataar, veggies and quinoa bean crackers. Don't recall what's in the thermos for lunch.

Pasta with almond cream sauce and chicken with steamed romanesco. Snack of fig bar and strawberries.

Korean dumplings with dipping sauce and edamame.

Snack of bean and rice crackers and green apples. Lunch of sandwiches and steamed broccoli.

Lunch of bean and rice crackers, celery, store bought chicken and macaroni salad.

Lunch of smoked salmon, olives, crackers, tomatoes, and pears. Snack of yogurt cups with honey, pears and cinnamon.

Lunch of home-made bacon and broccoli quiche with strawberries. Snack of labne, cucumbers and fig bar.

Lunch: home-made quiche with cucumbers and pears. Snack yogurt cups with fruit on bottom.

Kids lunch: grilled cheese with sauted zucchini. My lunch: salad with haloumi cheese, squash and tomatoes with pomegranate dressing.

Beet cream cheese sandwiches with ham slices. Fruit salad with raisins.

Lunch: spring rolls with chicken and mango, tomatoes and apples. Snack: guacamole and chips.

Beet cream cheese is made with roasted beets, cream cheese and a dash of salt whirled in the food processor.

Home-made chicken "nuggets" or fingers. Thinly sliced breast meat marinaded in buttermilk, salt, paprika, and herbs overnight. Drain and dredge in panko and herbs. Pan fry or oven bake.

Containers and details:

Lunchbots divided containers (bento)- note on that do NOT put them in the dishwasher as the directions say. Our lids are almost fully peeled of color. There are many newer styles.
Kids Konserve round containers- great seal and do not leak- for now. Great canvas lunch bags!
Glass container are from Crate and Barrel but the lids are now loose, and they do leak. CB lets you buy them individually but Libby brand is available for 8 pack at Target.
Plastic ones from Container store and Marshalls.
Thermos brand thermoses available at Target. I found these the easiest for them to open and kept the food hot. The newer (cooler ones) are really wide and too hard for the kids.
Target spring/summer collection has cute and small plastic containers that are perfect for snacks and small lunches.
World Market is another great place for tiffins and other small containers.
Planetbox is great if your kid eats out of the container, but for us, this is really inconvenient since the kids take out and plate their food at school.

Shared on: Tuesdays with a Twist , Kid Friendly Food Ideas, Food Renegade,Sunday FUNday, ....

Tuesday, July 2, 2013

Summer Love

There's something about Summer that brings out the child in all of us (OK, so I grew up in the tropics where it's summer all year round). No matter how old you are, we all look forward to it. The anticipation for the holidays, the longer daylight hours, the relax in schedules, etc, etc. As a parent, I think we re-live a bit of that magic too.

No matter what it is, there are some things about the Summer that are quintessential.

What is it about the Summer that you love or remember? Here's our list and what we enjoy doing and hope to do:

sunset/ dusk walks
moonlight walks and flashlights
picnics
summer fruit and juice running down little arms and fruit mustaches
little tan legs with tan lines around the bum.
late night bed times and story hours
popsicles in fruit and crazy flavors
nighttime zoo
full moon and grunion runs (we have yet to get out to see them)
hot weather, cool treats.
watermelon jello
ice cream
running in undies and hoses spraying
listening to birds
camping and tents
watching stars
music concerts and summer park events
trolley rides and fireworks
sand, sand, sand!
swim lessons and dance classes
drive in movies
BBQ's and shandys
family visits and holiday travel
national and state parks
little sweaty bodies sleeping in undies.
giggles and laughter
spontaneous dance performances (ok this one is all year round)
pies and tarts
tomatoes, tomatoes... and LOTS more tomatoes.
Sunflowers
ceiling fans and cold showers
fireflies and mosquitoes (I'm sad we don't have the first and happy we don't have the second).
thunderstorms and lightning (ok yeah, I really miss this, my children have no idea what rain is)
pressing flowers and leaves
ice tea and falooda
bread and butter (and honey)
hugs, love and family fun

We hope you have a wonderful and safe summer. Please leave a comment and let us know how you enjoy your summer with or without kids.

Shared on: More the Merrier Mondays, Eco-Kids Tuesday, Tuesdays with a Twist, wildcrafting wednesday, Wildlife Wednesday, simple lives thursdays, HomeAcre Hop, small footprint family, Friday Nature Table, fresh eggs daily, Transformation Thursday, Thrifty Home, Fresh Bites Friday, Wednesday Fresh Food, Sunday Parenting Party, hip homeschool moms, No Time for Flash Cards, Living Green Tuesday, Montessori Monday, Farm Girl Blog Fest, Food Renegade, Eat Make Grow, Saturday Show and Tell, Kids in the Kitchen, Learning for Life, Mums Make Lists, It's Playtime, All Year Round Blog Carnival

Monday, June 17, 2013

Pumpkin Sauce - 3 tips

I know it's not pumpkin season yet but it is the time to grow them if you want them for later. We love squash of all kinds from zucchini and crooked yellow neck to butternut, acorn, and spaghetti squash. From pattypan to delicata and long of Naples.

We eat it sautéed, roasted, in pancakes and breads, and any way I can figure out. I also buy it canned from Trader Joe's. we like to put half a can or so when we make pancakes or French toast. Sometimes i use the leftover milk and egg batter to make pumpkin pots de creme or baked custards.

Last year we loaded up on some organic heirloom varieties from a nearby farm. I roasted a few and made homemade pasta sauce. It made a huge batch which I froze and we've been enjoying it ever since.

Here are 3 ways in which you could attempt it.

1- Buy a jar of ready made good quality Marinara or basic pasta sauce and add a can of pumpkin purée to it. Combine and cook for 15-20 min. Simple, easy, and quick.

2- Make homemade pasta sauce with canned tomatoes, onions, carrots, and celery, and add canned or roasted pumpkin purée and cook for 2-3 hours. You will want to look up a recipe for a pasta sauce. This is somewhat simple but lengthy.

3- Use fresh tomatoes and make your own pasta sauce similar to above and use roasted pumpkin and purée it. This is a solid 2 day process but well with it.

I did not have fresh tomatoes at the time I made my pumpkin sauce so I made it as step 2. I may attempt step 3 this year if I have enough tomatoes from my garden.

This was a few years ago when making homemade pasta sauce from the garden tomatoes.

I've used it as pasta sauce with sausage or ground beef which the kids loved. I've also used that sauce to make "sloppy joe's". It wasn't well received by the kids this way. I hope to try it in risotto and on pizza as well. I'm happy with this sauce because its easy once you have 5-7 jars sitting in your freezer, and it's loaded with veggies and fiber. It's a bit of work but well with it on those hurried days.

The "sloppy Joe's" we made with the pumpkin pasta sauce. Didn't look good but tasted amazing. A little on the wet side for the bread but perfect for pasta.

Hope you get to try it and experiment with any of the above steps and with all the varieties of pumpkin and squash out there!

Next venture- try all this with roasted sweet potatoes instead! I do wish I had space to grow them.

I tried to make my own homemade pumpkin latte, too gritty.

Pumpkin french toast stuffed with marscapone and berry compote.

Pumpkin pots de creme with berry compote.

Tuesday, June 4, 2013

2 Year Old Makes Banana Bread

As it is evident from our Facebook page, we do a lot of cooking in this house. And whenever possible we try to involve the children. Sometimes, we cook specifically so that the children can make or have a chance at helping or cooking something they like. Most of these are filed under Kids in the kitchen.

Today, after days of promising the children that we'd make banana bread, I decided to let the 2 year old get to it while the other one was at school. I used a Better Homes recipe but did a lot of substituting.

For the most part, I have found that the children were drawn to real activities than specific toys. Even though we have a "Montessori" type toys, the simple daily activities of cleaning, cooking, sweeping, folding clothes, etc are the most rewarding to them and the ones that give them purpose. They enjoy stacking block and building puzzles but they would drop it in a moment if there was cooking involved.

Hope you're all enjoying the start of summer and find some time for more fun activities indoor and outdoor!

Started off by letting her peel and break up the bananas (3).

She used a potato masher but had trouble with it, so I got started and then let her finish up.

I measured the flour and she dumped it into the bowl. We substituted 1/2 cup walnut meal for flour. She measured the baking soda and powder.

She added the chocolate chips and got started mixing the wet and dry ingredients. We lost about 1/4 cup of it in the process. (see flour on right side of photo)

After, why not treat ourselves to a little sanding sugar that never seems to get used.

I realized it was a good pincer activity, but most of the sugar was in one spot- se la vie!

And to finish up, there is the always required washing of the hands before and after. They like to run to the bathroom for this.

And finally while the bread is cooking and mom is on the computer, why not get some baking done in the play kitchen.

The resulting loaf: a dense looking- amazing smelling, hopefully tasty banana bread. It didn't rise quite as high and I'm assuming it's due to the walnut meal.

Sunday, June 2, 2013

Lushous Lemons

Living in Southern California has it's perks. I miss the seasons, but it's an easy trade for fresh food all year round. Moving into this rental house and starting our own garden has been amazing. We keep wanting to do more and to have more land to grow more. Fruit, citrus, and avocado trees would be an amazing addition. However, we've managed to find friends and neighbors we can barter with or who are just so generous that they give it away. I've been fortunate with many who have lemon trees and seem to have a continuous supply.

So, recently with a big box full of lemons I went a bit crazy and made quite a few "lemony" things. I apologize for my terrible and improper way of sharing recipes, but I hope the main idea comes through.

I started with preserved lemons. I mostly went by memory of what my mom and friend did. There are lots of recipes out there and it seems like I mostly did what they all say too.

Cut lemons into quarters but not all the way. Pack in with coarse salt. I buy mine from the Asian stores and this one was particularly larger. I put some on the bottom and sprinkled some on the top as well. Within hours I noticed the juices come out.

I did "zest" some of them, and by zest I used a julianne cutter on some of them.

A week later it looked like this. I did end up adding another two into the jar.

I also used the zest to make two other items.

Candied lemons which I just cooked down in sugar and a tablespoon of water. Unfortunately, I cooked it too long and the sugar solidified after it cooled. So, it was perfect to use in recipes. I used it when I made bread pudding

Current and Candied Lemon bread pudding.
Left over baguette
handful of currents
candied lemon peel
honey or sugar (as you like)
milk
eggs (I used 3)

Mix the wet ingredients (you can warm the milk and temper the eggs if you'd like), then add the broken bits of bread and let soak 10 min. I added the lemon and currents and let soak another 20 min mixing occasionally.

Bake 350 till tops turn golden and liquid is mostly absorbed. (It will puff up so leave some space. I did mine in the toaster oven which is why the tops got a bit burned!)

The other thing I made with the zest was lemon salt.
I mixed the zest with a handful of salt and put in a shallow cookie sheet (toaster for me). I put in on the lowest setting for about 20 min and then left it out for 1-2 days to dry out. There is also a good recipe on Sunset

The left is my salt and on the right is Hawaiian pink salt.

I used this salt as a garnish when I made lemon risotto in the pressure cooker.

Lemon Risotto with Lemon Salt and Truffle Oil
2 cups Arborio rice
5 generous cups of chicken stock or water
salt (if your stock is homemade and has no salt)
Juice of a lemon or two (depending on the size) About 1/4 cup
Zest of a lemon

Add all in pressure cooker and heat and stir without lid till bubbling.

Mix well and close. Once the pressure cooker starts time it for 6 min. Turn off and let it sit till all the steam is gone (about 15 min for my old one). Wait a bit longer, and then mix it quickly a few times. This really helps the starch come out and thicken like risotto should be.

Mix in 1 tsp olive oil or butter and lemon salt. Taste and add salt (regular or lemon) as needed.

Serve with a drizzle of truffle oil on top and a garnish of salted lemon zest. I also served it with the two salts on the side.

Pages