little LADIES WHO LUNCH

Baked whole wheat penne pasta with local cheeses (ricotta by Salvatore Brooklyn; fresh mozzarella by Russo’s) and organic baby spinach in a tomato sauce surrounded by butternut squash puree; haricot verts; Bing cherries; half a peach (our first of the season!) garnished with organic strawberries

The sun is back after a couple of days of heavy rains.  The peaches and cherries are back after along haul without them, too.  I think today is going to be a great day! 

All day long, guests have been dropping by our Facebook page on behalf of Jamie Oliver’s Food Revolution Day, from our friend Kristina (who we wrote about yesterday) to Applegate Farms.  It’s been a fun show of support, although I think this just may be the first “dry event” I’ve ever hosted.  We may have to fix that and end the day with a champagne toast or a boozy cocktail for good measure. 

When I first wrote about the Revolution last month, I committed to hosting a dinner party at home.  That idea changed when I found out from our friends at the Children and Nature Network that today is also National Kids to Park Day.  After a quick check of the weather forecast a picnic started to make a lot more sense, so we turned to our trusty tiffins to make life easier.

Here is what we packed:

pastured baby back ribs with homemade bbq sauce

red & golden quinoa salad (with crushed chickpeas, garlic, cumin, carrots, scallion, olive oil, lemon juice and parsley)

lemon-scented sugar snap peas (recipe here)

whole wheat pita bread triangles

hummus

toasted walnut lentil pate, aka Faux Gras (made locally by The Regal Vegan)

Bing cherries (welcome back — we’ve missed you!)

watermelon balls

homemade tapioca pudding

The Little Ladies love a good picnic, and relished in the opportunity to climb trees and hula hoop in the fresh air and sunshine at 500+ acre Prospect Park. 

The day has been filled with an avalanche of amazing advice on healthy eating, the summary of which is to eat “real” food and know its source.  For a recap of events all around the world, check out the Food Revolution Community page. 

In addition to fueling your body with good food, don’t forget to work in exercise, spend time in nature and take a moment to reflect on your inner self.  Be well, and remember that Food Revolution Day is really every day.

Today’s recipe for Fresh-Baked Honey Whole Wheat Soft Pretzels comes from my friend Kristina Wiedenhoeft of Mineral Point, Wisconsin.

Kristina has been a source of inspiration for me over the years with the meals she lovingly prepares for her family of 7.  In addition to choosing local organic produce and pastured meats, she has been making her own bread, muffins, cakes, and crackers for years now.

Like everyone, I was intimidated by yeast and kneading and rising and timing, but I jumped in anyway and started practicing.  I’ve gotten a lot better over time, and can now whip up something gorgeous in no time.

As an extension of her love of feeding her family, Kristina takes pride in providing the classroom with healthy and yummy fare when it’s her turn for snack duty.   She admits:

It’s a little intimidating trying to think of something to send that is healthy, but that the kids won’t chant for my kid’s head on a spike for subjecting them to.  Beren, my 1st grader who I made the pretzels for, has a very wide range of snacks he loves that the majority probably wouldn’t be quite as enthusiastic about, like a bowl of black olives, lentil “meatballs”, or spicy Habanero almonds.

I think we need the recipe for those lentil “meatballs” Beren loves when Kristina has a chance, no?

I went with soft pretzels because I wanted to present the kids with something that had visual appeal and novelty, and that would be a one-piece, no-mess-for-the-teacher kind of snack.  They’ve been part of my baking repertoire for years, but after recently making bagels for the first time I realized that the boiling adds a really nice chewiness.   I made two batches of these, because I needed 20 (there are 18 kids, but I send a couple extra in case one gets dropped, or a teacher or assistant teacher want one).

I want to be that teacher!  I’ll take mine with German mustard, please!

Kristina plans to tweak the pretzel recipe to cut out the refined white flour entirely (and to add in cottage cheese and flax), but the recipe below is what yielded the pretzels in our photograph. 

With tomorrow being Jamie Oliver’s Food Revolution Day (a “global day of action to inspire, educate, and empower people everywhere to stand up for real food”), Kristina points out that a shift toward making one’s own food is one of the Revolution’s primary messages.

To that end, perfection is the enemy of progress.   I feel that people should start by getting comfortable with making food at home, and then work their recipes toward healthier versions.  If you know what the ingredients are, and where they come from, that’s a huge step away from processed food.   

Best of all, Kristina isn’t the only “revolutionary” at her children’s school.  There is a growing movement at Mineral Point Elementary of parents who strive to eliminate overly processed snacks for the students.  Check out this book project on Kickstarter by moms Dr. Sarah Fox and Julie Stephenson.  Once fully funded, all proceeds from Super Snacks for Super Kids will be donated to the district’s Wellness Committee.

Honey Whole Wheat Soft Pretzels

Ingredients (makes 16 pretzels):

1.5 cups very warm water
2 t dry active yeast (or one packet)
3 cups organic whole wheat flour
1-2 cups bread flour OR 2 T wheat gluten plus 1-2 cups all purpose flour
4 T honey
1 T salt

¼ cup baking soda
water for boiling

1 egg white + 1 T water
coarse sea salt for sprinkling

Method:

In the bowl of a stand mixer, sprinkle the yeast over the 1.5 cups of
warm water and let sit for about five minutes, until foamy.

Add whole wheat flour, 1 T salt, and honey.  With dough hook
attachment, mix until dough forms.  Add bread flour (or wheat gluten
and all purpose flour) ¼ cup at a time until a very stiff dough is
formed; it should not be sticky.  Let the kitchenaid knead the dough
for about 5 minutes on a medium-low setting.  Place dough in a lightly
greased bowl, turn to coat, and cover with a damp cloth.  Let rise in
a warm place until the dough is very puffy and it springs back when
you touch it (45-60 minutes).

Preheat oven to 425 F.  Lightly grease 2 baking sheets.  Beat egg
white with 1T water and set aside.

Fill a large pot with 4-6 inches of water and add the baking soda.
Heat to a boil on high heat, and then reduce heat to medium to
maintain a simmer.

While the water is heating, divide the dough into 16 equal pieces
(approximately ¼ cup of dough per pretzel).  Roll each into a 15 inch
rope and shape into pretzels, pressing firmly where dough overlaps.

Place 2-3 pretzels at a time into the simmering water (adjust heat to
maintain simmer).  Leave each pretzel in for about 30 seconds, gently
flipping halfway through.  After all the pretzels have been boiled,
place them on greased baking sheets,  brush with egg white and
sprinkle lightly with coarse sea salt.

Bake 7-9 minutes and then rotate baking sheets as needed for even
baking, and continue baking 5-8 minutes more.

Nitrate and antibiotic-free humanely raised shredded ham slices; grilled asparagus; Gruyere cheese; organic Granny Smith apples; Persian cucumbers and organic mini sweet tomatoes; mini farmhouse cheddar roll from a local bakery as a special treat; organic strawberries

With just one month left of school, it’s no wonder I feel like I’ve hit a wall when it comes to making creative bento boxes.  It happens from time to time, and luckily the feeling is always short-lived. 

Usually the solution is simple, and proved to be a success in this case as well:  take a standard lunch item (in the case a ham and cheese sandwich) and change it up a bit by either deconstructing it or adding additional ingredients just to disguise the “same old, same old” as a fresh idea.  

The kids gave an excited stamp of approval when they saw it, though they did warn me ahead of the time that the asparagus will likely be coming home untouched.

That’s OK.  It’s only a matter of time before they like asparagus, too.  I’ve been at this long enough now to know the drill.  *evil laughter*

Chunks of leftover fresh wild-caught local flounder (breaded and baked), shredded organic raw baby spinach and diced organic tomatoes with a squeeze of lime in a whole wheat tortilla; red seedless grapes, farro salad (recipe forthcoming) and anjou pear balls. 

Today is the day for all leftovers to move out of the fridge to make room for a Fresh Direct delivery.  The kids and husband seemed pleased with their bentos, so… win!

I was bad* on Mother’s Day…and it was good!

Brunch:  overnight baked whole wheat Challah French toast with candied pecans, organic strawberries and banana slices made and plated by my husband with styling assistance by the Little Ladies. It was a lot more sugar than I’d typically eat in one day, but honestly — the food was made with so much love that it could have been an asparagus egg white omelet and it would have been just as sweet.  :0)

Late afternoon snack:  a lobster roll on the Brooklyn waterfront. 

Early dessert modeled by our youngest:  a frozen dark chocolate covered key lime tart on a stick by Steve’s Key Lime Pies in Red Hook, Brooklyn.

Full frontal shot of one of my favorite desserts on earth. 

Dinner was a light and tasty salad with tons of greens and legumes.  It was a pretty good eating and exercise week otherwise (not to mention that I spent 2 hours on Mother’s Day Eve with a girlfriend practicing restorative yoga and meditation) , so I relaxed and enjoyed the day immensely.

My gift, other than the time spent enjoying food and time spent with my family, was a nod to my obsessive love of cows.  I received an e-card from Heifer International saying that a share of a cow was bought in my honor. 

Heifer International provides livestock and training so that families can improve nutrition and earn income for health care, shelter and education for children. Each gift multiplies because every family that receives a Heifer animal promises to “pass on the gift” by giving one or more of their animal’s offspring and knowledge to another family in need.

I feel loved and appreciated, and I couldn’t help thinking that my late mother was there in spirit to help celebrate.  I miss you, mom. 

* Not that I think it’s bad to indulge oneself  — I stay focused on the big picture.

Roasted humanely-raised chicken drumsticks with herbs over a bed of raw spinach; organic strawberries; Asian pear “fries”; Minneola tangelo slices; cornbread as a special treat

It’s a rainy, cool day today in Brooklyn.  I wanted to send the kids to school with a little warmth and sunshine from home. 

Light sides are the perfect match for pizza:

Instructions:

Heat your grill until it’s nice and hot, around 400 degrees.  In order to cook the pizza evenly you’ll want somewhat indirect heat, which you can achieve by spreading the coals more heavily around the edges of the grill, or if you have a gas grill, by turning the burners directly under the pizza a little lower than the ones on the sides.

(Tip: if you like a more charred crust, you can raise the temperature of the grill even higher - traditional coal burning ovens can get as hot as 800 degrees - but you’ll need to top it with the cheese first, before the sauce, in order to give it a chance to melt.)

Important:  Prep your toppings while the grill is heating, so they’ll be ready to go since the dough will cook quickly once it hits the grill (the whole process takes about 6 minutes from start to finish).  Heat the sauce, grate your cheese (we used fresh mozzarella and a little bit of shredded Parmesan), and lay out any other toppings you’d like to use.

Once the grill is hot, take the pizza dough and roll it out on a lightly oiled or floured surface to desired thickness.  We prefer a thinner crust on the grill, as it cooks thoroughly without burning the bottom.

Take the flattened pizza dough and drop it directly onto the grill (we do not grease the grill, as long as the grill is hot and clean the pizza will not stick).  It should only take a couple of minutes before it starts bubbling and the bottom side of the crust firms up.

As soon as that happens, flip it and let the top cook for a couple of minutes (you can use a metal spatula to lift an edge to check on it).  Once the top looks good, flip it one final time (right-side up again) and top it with the sauce, the cheese, and your other toppings.

The ‘double flip’ helps cook the crust through, and gives you a nice hot surface to lay your ingredients on while you apply the final char to the bottom.  Give it another 2 or 3 minutes, enough for the cheese to melt and for the bottom to develop a nice bit of crunch and char, and then take it off.

Slice and serve immediately.

Here is a shot of the underside:

Note:  We used fresh jersey tomato sauce, local multigrain dough and fresh local mozzarella cheese that we grated ourselves.  Feel free to pile on the vegetables!

Do try this at home!

The Little Ladies ran a 5k this morning and raised $200 for their local YMCA.  Both girls did an amazing job — the younger of the two choosing to run despite illness and injury. 

Donations such as theirs make programs available for kids and families who otherwise would not be able to afford them.  To read more about the YMCA, click here.

We’re very proud of the girls, and happy that the Y chose an “active” fundraising method that got the kids moving.

Feeling terrific and picking out a healthy post-race snack or two is always a bonus!

Traditional preparations of mapo tofu have a bright red oil floating over the surface of the dish that is intensely hot, followed by a cooling, numbing sensation - this is the “mala” feeling that you get from frying Szechuan peppercorns and then using the resulting oil in the dish (along with using a spicy bean paste).  This version of the recipe eliminates that to make it more palatable for children, and reduces the oil and frying dramatically in order to make it less greasy and fatty.  It’s still delicious, and much more approachable.

I grew up eating mapo tofu from a young age (my father is originally from Hong Kong, and my mother is from Brooklyn and is of western European descent).  It’s a great dish - moderately healthy, tasty, and an easy introduction to tofu.  Note:  in China tofu is not intended as a meat replacement, but as an ingredient in its own right.  Extra firm tofu, like I used, holds up well and absorbs and melds with the foods in the sauces it’s used in.  Tofu in this dish is nothing like the mystery tofu you get in “Asian salads” in most delis.

This recipe is a blend of my father’s, itself inspired by his mother and Pei Mei’s Chinese Cookbook (published in the 70’s) and the recipe by J. Kenji Lopez-Alt, one of my favorite food writers and experimenters, here.  If you have the tolerance for a spicier dish, I encourage you to try making it with the Szechuan peppercorns as he does, for a more traditional taste and impact.

Either way, I think you’ll enjoy it, and hopefully see a side of tofu that you may never have been exposed to.

Thanks for reading,

Nicholas, (proud husband & dad to 4 kids, 2 of whom are the Little Ladies Who Lunch)

Ingredients

1/4 organic expeller pressed canola oil
1 tsp. cornstarch
2 tsp. cold water
2 packs firm or extra-firm organic/non-GMO tofu (14 oz. each), cut into 1 to 1/2” cubes
1/2 pound ground humanely raised pork
1/2 pound ground humanely raised turkey
5 cloves of garlic, grated or finely chopped
2 tsp. fresh ginger, grated

Sauce:
3 tbsp. of fermented bean paste
3 tbsp. of xiaoxing wine (I used cooking sherry)
2 tbsp. of low-sodium soy sauce
1/2 cup of low-sodium chicken broth
1 tsp. of sriracha hot sauce

To Finish:
1/4 cup of finely sliced scallion greens
1 tbsp. of sesame oil

Note: measure and prepare all ingredients in advance - this goes quickly once you start cooking! 

1. Mix the corn starch and water in a small bowl.  Set aside.
2. Mix the bean paste, wine, soy sauce, chicken broth, and sriracha in a bowl, and set aside.
3. Boil the tofu in a medium saucepan for 1-2 minutes, and then strain it in a colander.
4. Add oil to wok on high heat.  Once the oil is hot, add the ground meat - stir constantly and break up the chunks.  The meat should be cooked in 1-2 minutes.
5. Add the ginger and the garlic and stir quickly for around 30 seconds to a minute.
6. Add the pre-mixed sauce, and bring to a boil.  Pour in the corn starch and stir it in thoroughly for around 1 minute.
7. Add in half of the scallions, and stir for another minute, mixing everything together.
8. Remove from heat and put into serving dish.  Top with remaining scallions and drizzle with sesame oil.  Serve over (brown) rice.