Green Pea Pasta with Feta

Last spring I introduced the KC kids to the idea of green pasta with Nut-Free Kale Pesto. Here's another healthy, veggie-packed green pasta sauce that comes together quickly for an easy week night supper. This time we're pairing fresh sweet peas, dill, and briny feta because, well, feta with spring vegetables is freaking delicious, that's why. 

Green Pea Pasta with Feta
adapted from Fine Cooking

1 pound green peas (fresh or frozen)
3 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
2 tbsp fresh dill, chopped
1 tsp kosher salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
2 tbsp fresh lemon juice
1 cup sugar snap peas, trimmed, strings removed, and sliced on the diagonal
12 ounces short pasta, any shape
4-6 ounces feta cheese

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the green peas and cook 2-4 minutes until crisp tender. Use a slotted spoon to remove the peas from the water and set aside.

Return the pot to a boil and cook pasta according to package instructions. Reserve the cooking water.

Meanwhile, transfer all but 1 cup of the green peas to a blender. Add the olive oil, almost all of the dill (reserve a little for garnish), salt, pepper, and lemon juice and puree until smooth, adding the reserved cooking water from the pasta until you reach your desired consistency.

Drain the pasta and toss with the green pea sauce. Add the remaining whole green peas, sliced snap peas and feta, toss again. Garnish with lemon wedges and remaining dill. Dinner is served!

Grampy's Magic Bars

Recognize these guys?

They were a welcome and familiar site on my grandmother's kitchen table back in the early 80's. Magic Bars. Could there be a more enticing treat for a gaggle of sweets-loving granddaughters? I think not. Grammyarta, as she was known, tended to agree.

Last week my dad, known as Grampy by many these days, celebrated his 76th birthday. Sadly, hundreds of miles away, we didn't get to spend the day with him, but we did whip him up a batch of Magic Bars. Happy birthday, Dad!

That's a good-looking 76, don't you think?!

Of course, the Magic Bars of yore were topped with chopped walnuts and sometimes, if we were really lucky, pecans. These days we avoid tree nuts here at Casa Kid Cultivation but guess what we don't avoid?

Pretzels. And pepitas. The two work together to deliver all the crunchy, salty, meaty flavor of nuts...without the nuts! So gather the troops and let the kids take the lead. This is the ultimate easy-peasy kid-friendly, grampy-approved recipe.

Grampy's Magic Bars
adapted from Eagle Brand

1/2 cup butter, melted
1 & 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs
14 ounces sweetened condensed milk
2 cups chocolate chips
1 & 1/3 cups flaked coconut
1/2 cup chopped pretzels
1/2 cup pepitas

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease or spray a 9"x13" pan with cooking spray.

Put your graham crackers (I used about 7 ounces, or 1/2 a regular-sized 14.4 ounce box) in a large zip-top bag and let the kids bang the heck out of it with a rolling pin or baseball bat until you have crumbs.

Once you have crumbs, pour the melted butter directly into the zip-top bag, reseal, and mash the butter around into the crumbs until it's all combined.

Press the butter-crumb mixture into the bottom of the prepared pan. Here's a trick. If you're careful, you can dump the crumbs into the pan, turn the plastic bag inside out and, placing your hand into what used to be the outside, use the messy, buttery inside of the bag to press down the crumbs like so. 

There. I just saved you a hand washing. You're welcome.

Pour the sweetened condensed milk in an even layer over the graham crackers.

Scatter the chocolate chips over the milk.

Add the pretzels and pepitas...

Then the coconut. Did I mention this is the perfect kid-driven recipe?

Pop them in the oven for 22-25 minutes until lightly browned. 

 Let them cool then cut into bars. Send them to your dad or grampy for his birthday.

 But make sure you save a few for yourselves.

Thai Turkey Lettuce Wraps (Larb)

I have a house full of Giada wannabees. I don't know if it's the colorful spotless designer dresses that never show oil splatters, the snappy Italian pronunciations (prosciutto! bruschetta!) or the sunny carefree California parties she's constantly hosting. Whatever the case, my kids love Giada. I mean they love Giada.

Seriously, has your 4-year-old wistfully pined for Giada De Laurentiis to be her mother? Have you, after explaining back to said 4-year-old that Giada seems nice but how sad that would be since then you couldn't be her mother, experienced your 4-year-old reassuring that 'we could still be friends'? Given the opportunity my kids would dump me for Giada in an instant.

Well, in case you haven't heard, Giada spent some time in Thailand recently and this month she's sharing a few Thai-inspired recipes in Food Network Magazine, including one for this yummy Turkey Larb. Since we can't hit the Thai restaurant scene much due to Roo's nut allergies, I'm all for making Thai food at home. Larb is right up our alley, low carb for Mufasa, ground turkey for Roo, limes for the ladies, and most importantly, Giada made it!

But here's the thing. My kids are weird about cooked onion. Basically it makes them gag if they figure out it's in whatever they're eating. So, my strategy here is rather than mince, I slice the onion and shallot. That way, the larb gets infused with lots of flavor, but I can pick out slippery onion bits from the kids' servings before any retching occurs. Win win!

Thai Turkey Lettuce Wraps (Larb)
adapted from Food Network Magazine

For the Dressing

1/3 cup fresh lime juice
juice of 1 large lemon
2 tbsp fish sauce
2 tbsp honey

For the Larb

3 tbsp canola oil
1/2 red onion, thinly sliced
3 shallots, thinly sliced
1/2 tsp kosher salt plus more to taste
Zest of 1 large lemon
1 & 1/2 pounds ground turkey
ground black pepper
1/2 cup chopped mint leaves
1 head butter lettuce, separated into leaves
1 or 2 Thai chiles (or serranos), stemmed, seeded, and thinly sliced (leave the chiles out until you've served the kids if they can't take the heat) 

Zest the lemon and reserve the zest. Set aside. You're going to need it in a minute for the larb.

To make the dressing, combine the lime and lemon juices, fish sauce, and honey in a little bowl. Whisk it all together and set aside.

Heat the oil in large skillet over medium heat. Add the onion, shallots, salt, and lemon zest. Cook about 5 minutes until the onion starts to get soft. Add the turkey, season with more salt and black pepper, and cook, stirring frequently, until the meat is cooked through (about 5-7 minutes). Add the dressing to the pan and cook a few minutes more. Remove from the heat, stir in the mint leaves and check seasoning. Add more salt and/or pepper to taste.

Spoon the turkey mixture onto lettuce leaves and serve. If you like a little (or a lot) of heat, sprinkle a few raw chile slices on top. Serve with sticky rice and lime wedges.

Sesame Sweet Potato Miso Dip

I owe many a luxurious and enlightening Sunday afternoon to one fine group of ladies. How else would I justify needing to spend a cozy hour curled up in an armchair furiously finishing a novel? And more importantly, when would I get to chomp pecan cookies, start drinking at one in the afternoon or have the excuse to make egg-filled cakes and other contraband delights? Give it up for book club.

Sure, sometimes we overdo it on the wine, but typically not until after we discuss the book. Briefly.

Not only do my book club ladies read, they cook. And they eat (with enthusiasm I might add) all the stuff I don't normally get to make at home. And I love them all the more for it.

Every time book club rolls around I'm faced with the impossible decision: sweet or savory? Clearly the answer is both. This time around blueberry-lemon yogurt cake with lemon cream was an easy sell and will be coming in a later post. I have promised Roo an egg-free version. Wish me luck.

The real dark horse though, is this crazy good sweet, silky, salty dip.

Sesame is such a rock star - all that toasty deep earthy flavor of nuts, without the nuts. Add the creamy sweetness of the potatoes, salty bite of miso and my friends, you have one heck of a dip on your hands. 

I actually had no intention of sharing with the kids but when Bean came by asking what that yummy smell was (toasting sesame seeds) I couldn't pass up the opportunity. The kiddos dipped snap peas and carrots and somewhat shockingly, no one snorted, choked, or exhibited odd facial contortions. A couple of kids even came back for a second round. That's a winner in my book.

Sesame Sweet Potato Miso Dip
adapted from Sunset Magazine December 2010

1 pound sweet potatoes
1 tbsp minced fresh ginger
2 tbsp white miso
2 tbsp tahini
2 tsp soy sauce
1 scallion, thinly sliced
toasted sesame seeds for garnish

Peel the sweet potatoes and cut into large chunks. Place the potatoes in a large pot and cover with water. Bring to a simmer over medium heat and cook until soft but not falling apart, about 15-20 minutes. Remove the sweet potatoes from the water and allow to cool slightly. Reserve the cooking liquid.

Combine the cooked potatoes, ginger, miso, tahini, and soy sauce in a food processor or powerful blender. Puree the mixture, adding cooking liquid from the potatoes as needed until the mixture is smooth and silky. Transfer the dip to a serving bowl. Sprinkle with scallions and toasted sesame seeds. Serve with fresh vegetables for dipping.

Churros with Chocolate Sauce

Somebody start building the ark.

Thunder. Lightning. Floods. School cancelled. Bombs, shooting, and lock down all over the television. Sometimes you just have to bury your head in cinnamon sugar and whip up the churros. File this one under #distractionbydeepfrying.

Churros with Chocolate Sauce
adapted from Yum Food and Fun for Kids

For the churros
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp kosher salt
1 & 1/3 cups granulated sugar, divided
4 tbsp canola oil plus 2 quarts for frying
2 tsp ground cinnamon

For the chocolate sauce
4 ounces high quality chocolate, chopped
1/3 cup heavy cream

Combine 2 cups of water, salt, 1/4 cup of sugar, and 4 tbsp oil in a large pot. Bring to a boil over medium heat. Once the mixture boils, pull it off the heat. Stir in the flour until the dough pulls together and cools slightly. 

Scoop the dough into a pastry bag. If you have a lovely star shaped tip, this is the time to use it. Your churros will be extra lovely and have that characteristic striated look. If you don't have a star tip, or like me, you do have a star tip but can't seem to find it amidst the kitchen drawer chaos, just go ahead and snip the tip off the bag. Round churros taste super too, trust me.

 Pour 2 quarts of canola oil into a deep pot and heat to 375 degrees.

Carefully pipe strips of dough into the hot oil. Turn and fry until golden brown, about one minute. Drain on paper towels.

In a bowl or zip top plastic bag, combine the remaining sugar and cinnamon. While the churros are still warm, add them to the cinnamon sugar mixture and toss or shake to coat.

 Serve with chocolate sauce (below).

To make the chocolate sauce, combine the chocolate and cream in a microwave-safe bowl. Heat in 30 second intervals until chocolate is melted and pliable. Whisk the chocolate into the cream until thick and delicious. Serve alongside hot churros.

What chocolate?

Egg-Free, Nut-Free Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Sunflower Seed Cookies

Almost 15 years ago (how did that happen?!) my sister introduced us to her famous oatmeal, chocolate chip, pecan cookies. We were never the same. Mufasa immediately proclaimed them to be the only cookies on earth worth eating. You might have noticed Mufasa makes a lot of proclamations.

Then came Roo. Sweet, clever, cuddly, hilarious, exuberant, sometimes exasperating Roo, complete with a slew food allergies and well, there went our pecan cookies. We've been trying to come to terms with it ever since.

More than the flawless toasty, nutty, chocolatey, brown sugary essence that is everything a cookie should be, it was the texture of those cookies that really got you. They literally burst with chewy oatmeal to satisfy the molars, gooey chocolate for the tongue, and lots and lots of crunchy, salty nuts.

Nuts are a no no here in the KC house these days, but seeds, we really like seeds. Sunflower seeds in particular are a house favorite. Here they work together with rolled oats and chocolate chips to really amp up the texture of my nut-free, egg-free version of the best cookies on earth. Just ask Mufasa.

These are substantial cookies and this, my friends, is no time for restraint. Do not, under any circumstances, skimp on the chocolate chips, oatmeal, or sunflower seeds.

Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Sunflower Seed Cookies

2 & 1/4 cups all purpose flour (do not sift!)
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup butter, softened
3/4 cup granulated sugar
3/4 cup brown sugar, packed
2 tsp real vanilla extract
3 tsp Ener-G Egg Replacer whisked and well mixed with 4 tbsp water
1 tbsp softened cream cheese
1 & 1/2 cup rolled oats
2 cups chocolate chips (we like big, dark ones like these)
3/4 cup hulled sunflower seeds

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Combine the flour, baking soda, and salt. Whisk to combine.

In a separate large bowl, beat the butter and sugars until creamy. Add the vanilla, egg replacer mixture, and cream cheese and continue to beat until well combined.

Add the flour mixture to the wet ingredients, 1/3 at a time, mixing well between additions. Add the oatmeal and mix again. Stir in the chocolate chips and sunflower seeds. Drop by tablespoon onto parchement-lined cookie sheets (or line them with Silpat mats) and bake 9-11 minutes until lovely, fragrant, and golden brown.

Makes about 4 dozen cookies.

Don't forget the milk!

Chocolate Sunbutter Rice Krispies Treats

How do you cheer up a grumpy 6-year-old whose first grade concert got rescheduled because of this:

With these!

While Looly pouted off the cancelled concert, Bean and I got to work. 

Halfway through, Roo jumped in for a little chocolate therapy. 

Chocolate Sunbutter Rice Krispies Treats

2 tbsp butter

10 ounces marshmallows

3 tbsp Sunbutter

6 cups Rice Krispies or other puffed rice cereal

8 ounces chocolate (chopped, or use chocolate chips)

Spray a 9 x 13-inch (or similar size) pan with cooking spray. Set aside.

Melt the butter in a large pot over low heat. Stir in the marshmallows until melted. Remove the pot from heat and stir in the Sunbutter until it's runny and well integrated with the marshmallow. Finally, stir in the cereal until coated with sticky Sunbuttery marshmallow. Turn the mixture out into the prepared pan. Using a buttered spatula or a sheet of wax paper, press the the mixture into the pan. Let cool.

Microwave the chocolate in a microwave safe bowl in 30 second intervals, stirring between heating until it's melted. Pour the chocolate over the Rice Krispie treats and spread into an even layer. Allow the chocolate to cool and set. If you're in a hurry and need to garner a smile from an unhappy child sooner rather than later, pop them in the freezer for 10 minutes to set the chocolate.

Use a sharp knife to cut into squares and serve with plenty of cold milk.

And sure enough, look who's smiling again. 

Chocolate Chip Shortbread Bars

Next stop on the holiday baking train: Chocolate. Chip. Shortbread.

 No nuts, no eggs, extra chocolate drizzled on top, this is Roo's kind of cookie. His mother's too.

You'll need a steady hand to cut the shortbread so it doesn't crumble, but once that part's done, you can enlist a slew of young chocolatiers to drizzle and dollop melted chocolate over the top.

Chocolate Chip Shortbread

adapted from Food Network Magazine, December 2012

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature

1 tsp vanilla extract

1/4 tsp salt

3/4 cup confectioners sugar

2 cups all purpose flour

1 & 1/2 cups bittersweet chocolate chips

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line a 9x9-inch baking pan with foil. Leave a bit of an overhang on all sides. 

2. Use a mixer on medium speed to cream the butter, vanilla, and salt. Turn the mixer to low speed and beat in the confectioners' sugar until just incorporated. Add the flour in two parts, beating until smooth between and after each addition. Stir in half (3/4 cup) of the chocolate chips with a sturdy spoon. 

3. Using your hands, press the dough into the prepared pan. If necessary, you can dust your hands lightly with flour so the dough doesn't stick to them. Score the top of the dough with a knife to make 9 strips. Then score the strips into thirds to make 27 pieces. Bake about 40-45 minutes or until the edges are firm and the dough appears dry. 

4. Remove from oven and score over your knife marks once again. Cool 20 minutes in the pan. Gently lift the shortbread out of the pan using the edges of the foil to pull it out and cool completely on a wire rack. 

5. When completely cool, cut the shortbread into pieces using your score marks as a guide. Put the remaining 3/4 cups of chocolate chips into a microwave safe bowl and warm in 30 second intervals, stirring in between until melted. Use a spoon to drizzle melted chocolate over the top of the shortbread cookies and let stand until the chocolate is set, about 1 hour. 

Make sure to save some for Santa!