The first time I tried to make calzones at home, it was an epic failure. A tasty failure, but a failure nonetheless.* Since then, I haven’t been able to get calzones out of my head, as I can’t let a failed recipe lie. Many months later, I decided to tackle them once again. And this time, I’m proud to say, they were a delicious success. Before I share the recipe, I want to share some of the reasons I love calzones: 1. Like pasta, eggs, rice or other grains such as farro and quiona, you can custom make
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I live in Brooklyn, which means that the winters are long and cold and the local winter produce leaves something to be desired. My family and I do enjoy beets, carrots, parsnips and potatoes, which are all available during the cold months. But by early spring, I’m itching for something fresh and different. Recently, when I was at my local farmers market I saw that one of the farms I really love, Migliorelli Farm, was selling their frozen corn. Corn? Summer flavor? Aw, yeah! I was looking forward to making something new and different with the pound of corn that
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Corn Purée For First-Time Foodies, 6-9 months -1 cup corn kernels (thawed if using frozen) -Room temperature water as needed Add corn to a blender or mini-food processor and purée. Add a bit of water as needed. Variations: -Combine with Greek yogurt for added protein -Mix in cooked quinoa for even more texture Below are two videos from our YouTube Channel of Eliana enjoying the purée. And, you get a good sense of what a crazy “mess-a-phobic” Helicopter Mommy I was at the beginning of this whole solid foods eating adventure! Now that Eliana is
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Mango Sauce Ingredients: -1 very ripe mango, peeled and chopped -A few tablespoons hot water -Fresh lime juice -Fresh basil, to taste -2-3 red or white scallions, red or white parts only -Salt, pepper, chili powder, to taste Preparation: Put mango into a food processor and purée. Thin to desired consistency by adding hot water and/or lime juice by the teaspoonful. Add basil, scallions, salt, pepper and chili powder. Pulse again, taste and adjust for desired consistency and flavor. We’ve enjoyed this sauce alongside Grilled Swordfish, Baked Chicken Breasts, mixed vegetables and Quinoa & Black Bean
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Simple Grilled Swordfish Ingredients: -1½ pounds swordfish steaks, trimmed of skin -Salt, pepper, garlic powder to taste -Olive oil for brushing a grill pan or grill -Juice of ½ lime Preparation: In a small bowl, mix some salt, pepper and garlic powder together. Start with 2 parts pepper, 2 parts garlic powder and 1 part salt. Mix, taste and adjust as desired. Transfer the fish to a plate and sprinkle the spice mixture onto both sides of the fish. Allow fish to rest on counter for 10-15 minutes. While fish rests, lightly brush grill pan or
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Having a few cups of shredded, unsweetened coconut in my pantry has inspired me to experiment with it and mix-up some of my recipes to include shredded coconut. Around here, we’ve been going cuckoo for coconut the last few weeks. And below are the results. Enjoy! A few months ago, I shared my original recipe for whole wheat banana bread. Below is a variation on my recipe using shredded coconut and coconut oil. One bit of advice: unless you live somewhere warm, the coconut oil will likely be in solid form in the jar. You have to measure it
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Lately, I’ve been experimenting with the idea of using 1 or 2 main ingredients to prepare two very different types of recipes; one recipe for First-Time Foodies aged 6+ months and another recipe for more “grown-up” Foodies aged 12 months to 12 decades. Spinach just started showing up at the farmers markets again and that reminded me that Eliana loved the apple and spinach purée I used to make for her when she was a First-Time Foodie. For the last several months she has loved the apple muffins I’ve made for our family. So I began thinking about combining
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Mini Mac-n-Cheese Adapted from “Mini-Meals: Break Out the Muffin Pan for Perfectly Portioned Rifts on Family Favorites.” Parenting Magazine April 2013: 64. Print -A generous ½ cup cheddar cheese, shredded, 1 additional tablespoon set aside -1 tablespoon wheat panko breadcrumbs -1⅓ cups chopped broccoli florets, around 1 head of broccoli -1¼ cups milk (I used equal parts whole milk and 1%) -1 large egg, whisked -⅛ teaspoon pepper -⅛ teaspoon chili powder -1 teaspoon salt -½ teaspoon garlic powder -1¾ cups dry, small whole-wheat pasta (I used miniature shells) Heat oven to 350° 1. Mix
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This recipe is another recipe that is easy to customize to what you prefer to eat or to what you already have on hand. For that reason, I love it and find myself making variations of it every few weeks depending on what I have in the refrigerator and/or what is available at the market. Warm Quinoa and Vegetable Salad -1 bulb roasted butternut squash, thinly cubed -1 small head broccoli florets, chopped -1 stem broccoli, peeled and chopped -1 small yellow onion, chopped -3 stalks celery, chopped -Small handful parsley, chopped -2 cloves garlic, smashed and peeled
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A few months ago, I shared my original recipe for whole wheat banana bread. Below is a variation on my recipe using shredded coconut and coconut oil. One bit of advice: unless you live somewhere warm, the coconut oil will likely be in solid form in the jar. You have to measure it out and then heat it up in order to add it to the recipe*. I did this by heating it in a small dish in the microwave for around 20 seconds in order to melt it into liquid form. But then I made the mistake of adding
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I don’t usually make omelets for a couple of reasons. First, I’m lazy and don’t always have the patience to make them properly-hence why I default to frittatas. Second, I always, always, always mess up the flip and they become less of am omelet and more of a ugly mess of eggs, cheese and vegetables. But, now that I have the OXO Good Grips Flip & Fold Omelet Turner, I was inspired to try again. I used the vegetables and cheese I had on hand but you can obviously customize it to your preferences. And I see no reason
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Roasted Butternut Squash Pasta Sauce -½ roasted squash bulb, peeled and roughly chopped -1 cup part-skim ricotta cheese -1 small onion, diced -1½ cups organic arugula, washed and patted dry -1 clove garlic, peeled and smashed -¾ teaspoon rosemary, finely chopped -1 teaspoon salt, plus a couple pinches to sauté the onion and arugula -¼ teaspoon pepper, plus another pinch to sauté the arugula -1 lb small, whole-wheat pasta, cooked and drained (I used this gobetti shape by Bionature) -½ cup reserved cooking liquid from the pasta -Olive oil, shaved parmesan or romano cheese and red pepper flakes,
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