Kids in the Kitchen Recipe: Mexican Pizza

My toddler loves to help in the kitchen. She loves to pour and stir and of course lick the utensils when we're done. She's been helping since she turned two years old and is getting more and more comfortable in the kitchen. She really takes pride in the tasks I give her now. So I am always trying to think of meals she can help me with. This is an easy one that she found fun to assemble.

Ingredients (Makes 4 servings):

• Corn tortillas (8)
• 1 can of refried beans, black beans OR I used Glory brand red beans & rice which you should be able to find in the International food aisle with Caribbean canned goods
• grilled chicken (about 1 1/2 chicken breasts)
• shredded cheddar cheese or blend (about 1 cup)
• 2 chopped green onions (scallions)
• (optional) sour cream and salsa

Directions: 

1.  Heat oven to 425 degrees
2. Grill your chicken and chop into small pieces
3. Spray non-stick spray on a cookie sheet
4. Place 4 of the tortillas on sheet (good job for the toddler)
5. Spoon a large spoonful of your canned beans of choice and spread out evenly (good job for the toddler) 
6. Top with another tortilla (good job for the toddler) 
7. Place chicken on top 
8. Sprinkle scallions and cheese (good job for the toddler)
9. Cook in oven for 10 min top with your favorite condiments

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RECIPE: Everybody in the Pool! Easy 15 min recipe.

This is another "clean out the fridge before the veggies go bad" dish. And by using a steam-in-the-bag shortcut I was able to complete in less than 15 min!

The point is to use fresh veggies like broccoli, roasted red peppers and squash to make a colorful and healthy dish. I try to think of my dishes as vegetarian with meat (lol) meaning chocked full of fresh veggies but an addition of meat for flavor and because I married a carnivore and I was raised on meat and starch so its hard for me to feel full if there isn't meat. Does that make me weird? If not, there are a laundry list of other things that do so I've got that covered.

What you need:

• A large pot with cover
• (Optional) Turkey Kielbasa sliced small or chopped
• Med white onion chopped
• 1 fresh bunch of broccoli cut into florets and pieces of stalk
• 1 jar of roasted red pepper cut into smaller pieces (I used Table Joy brand)
• 2 yellow squash or zucchini sliced or chopped
• 1/3 cup low sodium chicken broth (replace with oil from red pepper jar for vegan version)
• Cooked rice or my shortcut Steam-in-Bag white rice with peas, corn, and carrots

Directions:
1. Cook rice and put side
2. (Skip to #3 if doing vegan version) Slice kielbasa then cut slices in half and begin browning in med-high pot
3. Add chopped onion and chicken broth (or oil from jar of roasted red pepper) and cover
4. Add chopped squash and roasted red pepper, stir well
5 Add broccoli, stir well
6. Incorporate your cooked rice, stir well, recover for about 5 min then Serve!

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A Tasty and Healthy 10 min meal!

I remember how hard it was to shop/cook for one person when I lived alone after college. I was on a tight post college budget. I ended up splitting up my groceries and freezing smaller portions because I couldn't stand eating leftovers more than 3 days in a row no matter how tasty they were. This meal idea can be prepared and cooked in less than 10 minutes! Portions can easily be scaled up for a family. I made this for dinner last Friday because my daughter was staying at my in-laws and hubby was at work. He has a seafood allergy so I rarely cook seafood at home.

So I bought a bag of individually wrapped talapia fillets (such a mild fish, yum) and San Francisco style frozen vegetables. That's the first I've heard of this blend. It contains: broccoli, french cut green beans, mushrooms and red bell pepper. I set the oven to broil. I put about a third of the bag of frozen veggies in a small pot that had a lid and boiled on high with about 1/4 inch of water in the pot. With a few shakes of Badia brand complete seasoning. This seasoning is great on EVERYTHING. I use it on eggs, meat, vegetables.

I defrosted 2 talapia fillets and placed on a piece of aluminum foil lined cookie sheet that I greased with some butter. I seasoned liberally with Old Bay seasoning on both sides and put a half a pat of salted butter on top of each fillet. I broiled on each side about 4 min (flipping the fillets once). The fillets are delicate so I used a spatula. It was so simple and tasted better than dishes I've eaten in restaurants. I just had to share! I can't wait to have another night at home alone so I can make this meal again.

Curry Lamb Burgers with Cucumber Dressing

I get tired of the same old meals. This is a relatively easy recipe for an experienced cook. I say that because I am estimating the measurements and you will need to use your judgment on some things. Not to keen on trying lamb? Or can't find it in your local grocery? Substitute ground hamburger or turkey. You can serve on a roll or hamburger bun but we eat it without the bread.




INGREDIENTS:

• about 1.25-1.5 lbs ground lamb (not offered at some stores) I used to buy this at Shaws but they have moved out of the area. If you live in upper Fairfield County, CT this can be purchased at Food Basics on Park Ave and North Ave in Bridgeport. You can ask a local butcher if you cant find it. Stop & Shop butcher said they don't sell ground lamb.
• brown mustard (about 2 tbsp)
• about 1/4 cup curry powder (remember curry powder is not hot, add red pepper flakes for heat)
• 2 large eggs
• about 1 cup breadcrumbs (I used Italian breadcrumbs)
• about 2 tbsp minced garlic (I use the jar of minced garlic) 
• Optional: black pepper, finely chopped white onion or scallion, 1 tbsp celery powder, red pepper flakes

 For Cucumber dressing

• cheese grater
• 1 large cucumber
• 1 container of plain Greek yogurt 
• lemon juice 1 tea spoon
• salt & white pepper (optional) to taste 1 pinch at a time

INSTRUCTIONS:

1.  Make cucumber dressing first by grating the cucumber into a bowl, pour off excess juice from cucumber, mix in Greek yogurt, lemon juice and salt. Store in refrigerator while you prepare and cook burgers.
2. Heat grill or skillet or hot plate to med high. 
3. In a large bowl mix all ingredients for burgers.
4. Form into burger shape no more than 1 inch thick
5. lightly oil the cooking surface I use olive oil or non-stick spray
6. cook on each side about 4-5min, remove from heat and let rest for another 5 min
7. If you are serving on buns, prepare your buns and add lettuce and sliced tomato if you want
8. Stir your cucumber dressing before adding a dollop to burgers. You'll probably have some dressing left over.

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I want to MARRY this salad dressing

This is NOT a paid endorsement. But I try to share every good find I come across. A local sandwich shop serves this as their Greek dressing (I order the antipasto salad from them). And I was blown away by this salad dressing. I was turned off by the appearance because I'm used to a cloudy Greek dressing with feta cheese and flecks of pepper or bits of olive maybe. But this was mostly olive oil and some herbs and spices. Looked bland but boy was I wrong! It was the perfect compliment to the veggies in my salad. My taste buds danced for joy! I order this salad at least once a week. So I finally inquired what was the brand of this dressing. Thankfully they didn't refuse to tell me. It is called "Yasou Greek" and the deli owner even showed me the bottle (I'm a visual person so at least if I forgot the name I would recognize the label). So, my next question was, where did she buy it, assuming she ordered it by the case. I was planning to buy some bottles from her. But surprisingly, she found it at a local grocery store and admitted that its sells quickly and not always there when she needs it. I went to this store looking for it and was sooooo disappointed that it wasn't in stock. Even my best googling skills brought meager results but I finally found it on Ken's Foods website. But my research showed the dressing is made by Ulysses Foods in MA. I'm not sure if that is a subsidiary of Ken's but I confirmed through their customer service that it is the same dressing before ordering a case of 12 bottles. Yes, 12 size 8oz bottles. Affordable priced under $18 for a case but the shipping was over $11 so I will be selling a few bottles to interested friends and family after I get them hooked for $4 a bottle to cover my expenses. If you see this in your local grocery, I highly recommend that you try it!

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