JoyFoodly

Joyful 12

enter here

Dreaming of Italy–Orange Basil Strawberries with Yogurt

by Leave a Comment

Facebooktwittergoogle_pluspinterestmail

strawberry-medium1 (1)

About this time every year, I start daydreaming. There’s something about springtime that makes me yearn for new ideas. How can I work peas, artichokes, spinach, and strawberries into my everyday meals in new and exciting ways! This generally means I also reminisce about flavors I’ve discovered through travel.

strawberry-medium6

I can still smell the fragrance those macerated orange basil and mint strawberries gave off. We were traveling in Rome. It was the very end of spring, and we kept seeing strawberries on every menu. One of the things I most admire about Italians is that they are purists in their approach to cuisine. I adore the way they elevate everyday produce in the most simple ways.

strawberry-medium2

Imagine an American restaurant featuring macerated strawberries–by themselves–on their dessert menu. I’m talking no whipped cream, no ice cream! Our Italian waiter insisted we try them. He couldn’t leave it up to us to make a bad choice. This light and refreshing dessert was in our future. Out came a small bowl of sliced strawberries swimming in a simple syrup decorated by curled orange peels speckled with bits of mint and hints of fresh basil. With our spoons, we tried to slowly savor every last bite.

strawberry-medium7
I’ve never been able to replicate that exact experience, but I’ll promise you this interpretation is as close as you can come to a starlit night under Italian stars, sharing a meal with someone you love. I hope you’ll enjoy them as is, with yogurt, and whatever other way you find to be exciting and fresh this spring!

Dreaming of Italy--Orange Basil Strawberries with Yogurt
Serves 4
Save Recipe
Print
Prep Time
20 min
Cook Time
5 min
Total Time
25 min
Prep Time
20 min
Cook Time
5 min
Total Time
25 min
Ingredients
  1. Strawberries (fresh), 16 oz container
  2. Orange, 1
  3. Basil (fresh), 1 small bunch
  4. Mint, 1 small bunch
  5. Sugar (organic turbinado), 1/2 cup
  6. Water, 1/2 cup
  7. Yogurt (plain full fat organic), 2 cups
Get Organized
  1. Take 5 minutes to get out all your ingredients, measuring and cooking equipment needed, and place them on a cookie sheet within easy reach.
  2. Cut off 2-3 big pieces of the orange peel by using a sharp pairing knife and running it closely along the orange’s skin. This will be used in the simple syrup.
  3. With the remaining skin of the orange, zest it and place zest into a bowl. Juice the orange and add it to the bowl. Set aside.
  4. Make the simple syrup by heating the water and sugar together at a simmer until the sugar melts. Add the orange peels to add flavor. Let cool before using.
  5. Wash strawberries, remove green tops, and cut into any shape you like (slice, quarters, etc.).
  6. Wash herbs and dry with a paper towel. To cut into thin ribbons, stack the leaves on top of each other, roll up like a cigar, and cut across the roll in thin strips.
To Cook
  1. Combine cut strawberries, simple syrup, orange juice and herbs in a bowl. You can use immediately or let sit 30 minutes to an hour before serving.
  2. We love to serve these over yogurt. They are also delicious over ice cream, with a rich chocolate dessert, or in your morning oatmeal!
JoyFoodly http://www.joyfoodly.com/

Yellow Watermelon Feta Skewers with a Sweet Balsamic Drizzle

by Leave a Comment

Facebooktwittergoogle_pluspinterestmail

watermelon-skewers

Does cooking and eating well have to be hard? I’m a firm believer that we can all throw together simple snacks, meals, and sweet treats that are not just beautiful to look at but also seriously nourishing. That’s what this watermelon feta skewer recipe is all about.

Recently I taught a cooking class to twenty-eight of the most eager, engaged kids at Bay Leaf Kitchen Camp here in San Francisco. They built the most amazing summer veggie chicken curry, creating a dish that had layers of flavors. Their savory and creamy yogurt based curry started with blooming (or gently awakening) their spices in oil, then sweating the garlic, onion, and ginger to release these aromatics, and finally to simmering their rainbow of chopped veggies and seared chicken thighs in the creamy yogurt broth they had made. It was devoured not just because they liked the final plate, but because all along the way of cooking it, the sights, smells, and tastes of the raw ingredients convinced their senses it was going to be delicious!

What I love to teach kids is how chefs, just like artists, create food that’s as visually delicious as it is tasty. Colors, textures, and flavors are all tools I can play with. The key is to play, not strain, when you’re cooking, and remember that you’re smarter than the food! Watermelons can’t talk back.

watermelon

If I apply those same principles to simple summer cooking, here’s how I’d break it down:

  • Have an adventure the next time you’re in the supermarket. Yellow watermelon vs. red? Yes, why not! It has a slightly different taste than red and makes you smile.
  • Think about the five flavors when you cook: sweet, salty, sour, bitter, and umami (or meaty). In these skewers, I choose feta to give that salty flavor to offset the sweet watermelon, and cherry tomatoes to add a little touch of balanced acid.
  • Use different textures in your food! In these skewers, the watermelon is lush and juicy, the cherry tomatoes are crunchy, and the feta is creamy.

Let the kid in you relish in just how fun and easy summer cooking can be!

skewers

Yellow Watermelon Feta Skewers with a Sweet Balsamic Drizzle
Serves 4
Note on substitutions: we are using feta, but you could use your favorite salty cheese. For a vegan delight, use a firm avocado instead of cheese and just add a little salt on top. Pick out fun colors of cherry tomatoes at your local grocery store or farmers market to make the skewers even more colorful!
Save Recipe
Print
Prep Time
10 min
Cook Time
15 min
Prep Time
10 min
Cook Time
15 min
Ingredients
  1. yellow watermelon, small, 1
  2. cherry tomatoes, 1 pint
  3. feta cheese, 7 oz
  4. basil, 1 small bunch
  5. balsamic vinegar, ½ cup
Special equipment
  1. wooden skewers
Prep
  1. Take 5 minutes to get out all your ingredients, measuring and cooking equipment needed, and place them on a cookie sheet within easy reach.
  2. Wash all produce.
  3. Cut watermelon into medium sized cubes. You can also buy pre-cut watermelon, but I love getting a whole one. That way, I can blend up the leftovers with a lime for a refreshing drink.
  4. Cut feta into medium sized blocks. Note: if you cut feta too small, it will crumble when you try to put the skewer through it.
Cook
  1. In a small pot, reduce the balsamic vinegar by half, by letting it simmer and stirring every so often. Adjust the heat to maintain a steady simmer and allow the vinegar to reduce slowly. It should be the consistency of molasses, thick but still spreadable. If you accidently (like I often do) reduce it down too much to where it won’t drizzle, a quick fix is to stir in a few teaspoons of maple syrup or agave to loosen it up. Plus, it tastes great.
  2. Set up an assembly station with watermelon, feta, basil, and cherry tomatoes, and ask your kids to help you put these together!
  3. Vary the colors and texture as you build your skewer. Here’s an example: watermelon, feta, basil, then tomatoes, and repeat! Note: we leave our basil leaves whole and just fold them over as we put them on the skewer.
  4. Serve as a snack or appetizer with a little reduced balsamic drizzled on top!
JoyFoodly http://www.joyfoodly.com/

Build a Pantry Pesto

by Leave a Comment

Facebooktwittergoogle_pluspinterestmail

build-a-pesto

build-it-steps

Pesto is more than a sauce. It’s a simple method that can help you turn those extra herbs and greens that you hate to go to waste into silky, cheesy, green goodness. That’s how the Italians have been making pesto for centuries. Yes, there is absolutely a genuine pesto recipe that hails from Liguria, Italy. But if you ask any good home cook from the Mediterranean what they put in their pesto, I’ll guarantee you they’ll tell you its whatever grows in abundance in their region and tastes fantastic.

When a recipe is truly simple, it’s normal to be afraid of messing it up. Here’s the good news. Pesto is very forgiving. All you need is a good sense for the base of what makes a good pesto, and then you can start experimenting throughout the year to make fast and easy pesto any night of your busy week.

two-pestos

Taste:

Before we even get into the ingredients, let’s discuss taste.

Pesto is always delicate but with a slight bite. Thus, the majority of a pesto really is the herbs or greens. Just enough of the most young, juicy garlic will help add the bite. Coating the greens and herbs in olive oil will add that silky texture and keep the greens from oxidizing after being cut with a blade or pestle. Coarse sea salt helps those herbs break down and release their beautiful oils and flavors. Lastly, the cheese is the finishing touch, making the sauce creamy and savory. So often what ruins a good pesto for me is a heavy hand on the garlic. Remember, the garlic is for a slight bite, not a punch!

Ingredients:

Let’s talk ingredients. Traditional pesto is made with six ingredients:

classic

Method:

Traditionally, pesto is made with a mortar and pestle. The name pesto comes from the verb pestare. Italians all have their own idea about the order to put the ingredients in the mortar and pestle. This fantastic article in Saveur outlines one such way: garlic first, then pine nuts, then basil, then coarse sea salt (helps crush the leaves), a stream of olive oil, and lastly cheese to help the sauce turn silky—first Parmigiano-Reggiano, and then some aged pecorino at the end.

food-processor-steps

When I make pesto in a food processor, this is the order I suggest:

  1. Grind the nuts and cheese together.
  2. Add your cloves of garlic next. When I make pesto with just basil, I often leave the garlic out. That’s personal preference. I find that kids like the more delicate flavor better than the raw garlic taste.
  3. Slowly add the basil or other herbs and greens along with a generous coating of olive oil to coat them and a pinch of coarse sea salt.
  4. Pulse. Then gently push down the herbs into the sauce and add some more herbs and more olive oil and pulse some more.
  5. Taste. See what’s missing. Does it need more salt, more cheese, or more herbs?
  6. Finally, when I store my pesto in a mason jar, I always top it off with a nice generous coating of olive oil to keep the color a nice bright green and reduce the chance for oxidation.

What’s also really helpful to me is to observe the ratio of each ingredient in a batch I particularly like. Often, I go back to my standard pesto recipe from the Joyful 12 and keep the same ratios as I mix up the ingredients that go into the herbs, greens, and nuts categories.

Create Your Own:

The way to get creative with your pesto is to use whatever nuts you have on hand and a combo of herbs and greens, keeping all the other standard pesto ingredients the same.

step1
step2
step3
Here are a few combos we love playing with in our joyful kitchen:

  • Collard greens (blanched first), basil and cashews
  • Cilantro and pumpkin seeds
  • Basil, spinach and walnuts
  • Arugula, basil and walnuts

pestos-types

Storing Pesto:

When you make fresh pesto, plan to put it on everything before it goes bad. If the first night you have it on pasta, then try it on a baked sweet potato the next night. We also love to slather it on some delicious gluten free sourdough bread with fresh mozzarella. Pesto is a fantastic and healthy condiment for soups, pizzas, you name it! And if you don’t think you’ll use it right away, then put part of the batch in the freezer. Remember to seal it well, coat the surface with olive oil, and expect it to last no more than a month. We even love to put it into ice cube trays!

freezer-tray

Here’s to your family diving into a whole mess of summer pestos and having a blast while experimenting with your own crazy and wonderful flavor combinations.

pesto-pasta-link

Spinach Pesto Pasta with Chickpeas

by 1 Comment

Facebooktwittergoogle_pluspinterestmail

spinach-pesto-with-chickpeas

What makes us fall in love with pesto? This simple sauce, with only six ingredients, can be whipped up in under twenty minutes and can last for weeks when stored in your freezer. I find I can’t get enough of it, whether dolloped on top of a sweet potato, coating my gluten free pasta noodles, or mounded on top of a piping hot bowl of minestrone. It’s silky, cheesy, and oh so wonderfully green. But there’s more!

Making pesto for your family is an amazing way to introduce them to how simple and flavorful a meatless meal can be when you start with good ingredients. In Liguria, Italy, where pesto comes from, they take great pride in the sweet basil leaves that grow only in that region, which makes their pesto so unique. For me, the joy of making pesto is using what we have readily available in our own markets or kitchen pantries, and every season switching up this classic recipe with the greens we have on hand (and really need to use up before they go to waste!).

ingredients
making-pesto

This spring, we took seventy families on a culinary adventure through my Joyful 12 Online Kitchen Learning Lab. We explored twelve vegetables and fruits together, and kicked off spring with spinach. So I decided to break with pesto tradition and weave this nutritious green into a simple spring sauce. With no surprise, families wrote in about how much they loved the pesto, and not always for the reasons you may think:

“We loved the pesto. My children weren’t huge fans of pesto before but not adding the garlic was perfect. They loved the much milder flavor and so did I.”
“I took your advice and suggested my child smell the difference between the spinach and basil. He enjoyed this!”

We love pesto because it’s forgiving. To make a great pesto, you need to use your taste buds as your guide. Yes, you should start with a sound ratio of greens to cheese to garlic, nuts and olive oil, but once you have that basic recipe down, pesto will allow you to play. Don’t have spinach on hand? Why not try arugula! Are those collard greens going to waste in your produce drawer? Then blanch them and toss them into your mixer with some fresh sweet basil, and you’ve got a great condiment to top grilled chicken, potatoes, or pizzas.

When it comes to cooking and trying to get more fresh produce into our diets, we have to start with a recipe that’s fun. For me, pesto is a fun ambassador. So this summer, don’t miss the opportunity to get into the kitchen with your family and mix up some cheesy, green sauces and let your imagination go wild with all the ways you can green up your favorites with a sweet dollop of pesto.

More ideas on how to create your own pesto coming this Thursday!

spinach-pesto

Spinach Pesto Pasta with Chickpeas
Serves 4
Save Recipe
Print
Prep Time
10 min
Cook Time
20 min
Total Time
30 min
Prep Time
10 min
Cook Time
20 min
Total Time
30 min
Ingredients
  1. garbanzo beans (chickpeas), 1 15 oz can
  2. penne pasta (Barilla, gluten free), 1 12 oz box
Spinach Basil Pesto
  1. parmesan cheese (grated), 1/3 cup
  2. walnuts, 1/3 cup
  3. spinach (baby), 2 cups
  4. basil (fresh), 2 cups
  5. salt, 1 tsp
  6. olive oil, 2/3 cup
Instructions
  1. Culinary Note: in our family, we make pesto without garlic. If your children love garlic, add 1-2 garlic cloves when you are grinding the nuts and cheese. I find kids are not always as fond of pesto as adults and this recipe is mild, refreshing and springy! When tossing our pesto with the pasta, we also like to throw a can of chickpeas in to make it a full meal, loaded with protein!
Prep
  1. Take 5 minutes to get out all your ingredients, measuring and cooking equipment needed, and place them on a cookie sheet within easy reach.
  2. Grate parmesan cheese. Set aside a little extra to sprinkle on top of your final dish.
  3. Get a pot of water boiling and drain and rinse can of chickpeas.
Cook
  1. First grind cheese and walnuts together in a food processor.
  2. Add basil and spinach gradually, with olive oil, to combine.
  3. Add salt, blend and check for overall seasoning.
  4. Cook pasta according to the box instructions and drain (generally between 6-9 minutes).
  5. In a bowl, combine cooked pasta with pesto and chickpeas, stir, and serve with some extra Parmesan cheese sprinkled on top.
  6. Note: when storing leftover pesto, always add a little olive oil on top to coat the surface. This will prevent the beautiful green color from turning brown from oxidation.
JoyFoodly http://www.joyfoodly.com/
final-pesto

Learning Lab


Sign Up for the Joyful 12!

Tomato Basil Quinoa Salad

by Leave a Comment

Facebooktwittergoogle_pluspinterestmail

quinoa-salad

Who says kids don’t like vegetables? Sometimes all it takes is a good dressing or a familiar flavor to introduce a new food.

Last month I got a great video from the mother of a 1 1/2 year old who was happily chowing down on some fennel. Her child was dipping the fennel in some Joyful 12 (super duper easy) ranch dressing and was thoroughly enjoying herself. Since my goal with the Joyful 12 is to give parents resources to help get their kids excited about fruits and veggies, this was the best endorsement I could ever receive. It makes me so happy to see people setting a great groundwork for their kids to grow up unafraid to try new foods!

I wanted to share another great dressing with you today. This basil lime vinaigrette tastes like summer, and goes great with tomatoes, corn, and quinoa in an easy to make salad. Just in time for Memorial Day, you can make this ahead of time and pack it to go. It also happens to be one of the recipes in my summer Joyful 12 Learning Lab, so stay tuned for more!

vinaigrette
corn-salad quinoa
salad

Corn and Tomato Quinoa Salad in a Lime Basil Vinaigrette
Serves 6
Save Recipe
Print
Prep Time
10 min
Cook Time
30 min
Prep Time
10 min
Cook Time
30 min
Ingredients
  1. quinoa, tri-color, 1 cup dry (yields 3 cups cooked)
  2. water, 2 cups
  3. red onion, ½
  4. salt, 1 teaspoon
  5. corn on the cob, 2
  6. tomatoes, cherry, 1 pint
Lime Basil Vinaigrette
  1. basil, 2 cups (lightly packed)
  2. limes, 2
  3. salt, ½ teaspoon
  4. dijon mustard, 2 teaspoons
  5. honey, 1 tablespoon
  6. olive oil, ½ cup
Prep
  1. Take 5 minutes to get out all your ingredients, measuring and cooking equipment needed, and place them on a cookie sheet within easy reach.
  2. Dice ½ the red onion.
  3. Shuck corn (peel off outer husks) and remove the corn silks by pulling off with your hands.
  4. In a large bowl, use a paring knife to carefully cut away from yourself and down the corn cob to remove the corn. It will fall into the bowl.
Cook
  1. Cook quinoa - bring 1 cup quinoa and 2 cups water up to a boil. Once you reach a boil, turn the heat to low, cover the pot, and cook for 15 minutes.
  2. After 15 minutes, lift the lid, use a fork or spoon and pull back the quinoa until you see the bottom of the pan. There should be no water remaining at the bottom of the pot. If there is, just leave the top off and cook for another 1 - 2 minutes to let that water evaporate. Use a fork and spread the cooked quinoa out on a parchment or tinfoil lined cookie sheet. This helps the quinoa air dry and not get mushy. If it stays in the hot pot, it will keep cooking and loose its nice texture.
  3. With the diced red onion, put a teaspoon of salt on top and crush the diced onion in your hand. This macerates the onion, releasing its beautiful flavors and taking some of the raw onion bite out of the taste. Place in the bowl with the cut corn.
  4. Add the pint of cherry tomatoes to the bowl. We leave them whole for ease, but you can cut them in half.
  5. Make your vinaigrette by placing all the ingredients into a blender and pulsing until smooth.
  6. Combine your cooked quinoa, the vinaigrette and chopped veggies in a large bowl.
JoyFoodly http://www.joyfoodly.com/

Learning Lab


Sign Up for the Joyful 12!