Simple Plates #24

This post shares micro-greens, royal purple sauerkraut, blueberry picking, Darwin's first ice cream, and lots of simple plates. Enjoy our week in kid cuisine!

green beans, nectarine, purple mayo-free coleslaw, cheesy toast, steamed sweet potato stars

I made this coleslaw from the leftover cabbage I bought for sauerkraut: a simple vinaigrette (2 parts olive oil to 1 part wine vinegar and 1 part dijon mustard) with a handful of raisins and fresh cilantro dressed it up.

green beans, fruit-sweetened breakfast cookies

easy dal with chickpeas, avocado, raspberries

whole wheat pita "pizzas" with fresh tomatoes, steamed spinach, blueberries

hard-boiled egg, orange-fennel soup with chickpeas, cucumber, avocado, fresh steamed carrots

The fennel soup recipe, one of our favorites, comes from Jack Bishop's Complete Italian Vegetarian cookbook.

raspberries, cucumber, pumpkin-almond cookie, air-popped popcorn with extra virgin olive oil and nutritional yeast, steamed sweet potato

blueberries, avocado, garlicky curly kale, whole wheat pita toast with butter, orange-fennel soup with chickpeas

garlicky curly kale, blueberries, cheddar cheese on whole wheat pita toast, steamed sweet potato

orange, fennel, and chickpea soup; avocado slices; blueberries and raspberries; cucumber with balsamic dressing

garlicky curly kale, avocado, raspberries, cheddar cheese

In the above picture, you can see how finely I mince Darwin's greens. It's a little bit of a fuss for me, but he eats so many more greens when they're easier to chew.

cherry tomatoes, green beans in chicken drippings, pan-roasted chicken, microgreens with sweet potato

kalamata olives, cherry tomatoes, pan-roasted chicken, garlicky collard greens

little microgreen harvest

These micro greens are a mesclun mix, harvested while tiny and tender.

inspecting the harvest

mango, black bean and vegetable soup with cheddar cheese, avocado, microgreen salad

fermenting sauerkraut with purple and green cabbages and onion

I shouldn't have snapped this photo with such a dirty backdrop (that's a lawn chair, if you're wondering), because it detracts from the seriously pristine condition of the sauerkraut itself. The salted cabbage is submerged in its own brine, covered with a cabbage leaf, and weighted with a clean glass (notice the brine buffer between the cabbage and air). Then I rubber-band a paper towel over the top of the jar to keep out dust or curious insects. In several years of fermenting, I've never had a problem with spoiling or mold. This is a super healthy, probiotic-rich food for kids and grownups!

garlicky collard greens, cherry tomatoes, kalamata olives, chicken

The olives are his favorite. He gobbles them up first and then tries to steal mine off my plate!

banana-mango-vanilla "soft serve"

This amazingly rich, sweet ice cream has no sugar. Really. It's Frozen bananas blended with whipping cream and vanilla extract. This batch had mango in it, but any frozen fruit along with the banana (think blueberries, cherries, strawberries) would be delicious. In true fruitarian style, Darwin cared for the nectarine slices on top more than the ice cream.

boys picking berries

We picked organic blueberries! Lots of horse manure. Lots of blueberries.

two and a half pounds of berries

Simple Plates #23

If you follow my facebook page, you'll recognize some of this week's farmers' market goodies on these plates. The little yellow cherry tomatoes are shockingly sweet and delicious, like juicy candy. 'Tis the season to quit buying supermarket tomatoes. Enjoy the pictures, and have a lovely weekend!

cherry tomatoes, hard-boiled egg, micro greens, cantaloupe pieces

strawberries, split pea soup, bell pepper salad with homemade vinaigrette, whole plain yogurt

I don't think it's possible to mess up a pea soup. They're always delicious! This one has carrots, celery, onions, parsley, basil, and thyme.

spinach, toasted cheese on sprouted grain toast, steamed sweet potato chunks, Bosc pear slices

broccoli, banana-berry quinoa with drizzled coconut butter

radish, scrambled eggs with spinach and gouda, Bosc pear slices

beautiful little harvest

We've been growing our own micro-greens recently. Have you heart about the amazing shot of vitamins in these tiny leaves? They're tender and perfect for toddlers, who aren't likely to eat salad greens in large quantities. Darwin calls them "baby salads" and gobbles them up!

cherry tomatoes, turkey-veggie burger, microgreens, steamed sweet potatoes, curried lentils and brown rice

snap peas, deviled egg, cherry tomatoes

microgreens, pumpkin-almond cookies, watermelon, radish, snap peas, whole grain crackers, sweet potato stars

I set out these snacks for a play date with a gluten-free friend. The cookies are made from almond flour with dates and banana as sweeteners, and the crackers are store-bought, Mary's Gone Crackers brand.

ooo, microgreens

whole plain yogurt, easy dal with garbanzo beans and carrots, garlicky curly kale, cantaloupe 

curried lentils and brown rice, sweet potato chunks, whole plain yogurt, fresh green beans, apple slices

farmer's market haul

Simple Plates #22

Here are this week's simple plates. Our oven broke this week! Yikes! Stewed, steamed and sauteed things dominate our plates for now. Maybe the kitchen gods are trying to remind me it's nearly summer and I should turn the thing off already. Enjoy!

kiwi, radishes, real food macaroni and cheese, garlicky rappini, steamed sweet potato

mango, curried de puy lentils, garlicky curly kale

strawberries, mayo-free coleslaw with cranberries and herbs, turkey-veggie burger, steamed sweet potatoes

So, as I mentioned, our oven broke. *Beats chest in primal grief* Darwin's daddy had to turn a batch of turkey-veggie meatballs into turkey burger patties fried in a skillet. They turned out great! Mental note made.

"I'm gonna wear Daddy's shoes to go to work."

avocado, steamed sweet potato, whole wheat pasta, apple slice, Swiss cheese

A little plate of finger foods.

garlicky rappini, strawberries, lentil-vegetable stew, roasted potatoes in spicy tomato sauce 

These spicy potatoes were a tasty, tasty treat. I looked at this recipe for inspiration, but I really just wung it. I simmered a cup of tomato sauce with some sauteed onions, grated garlic, dried basil, and Tabasco sauce, then tossed the mixture with three cut-roasted Yukon Gold potatoes (our oven's last hoorah.)

Gouda omelet, steamed carrots and green beans

garlicky curly kale, whole wheat Asian peanut noodles with chopped raw veggies, orange pieces

I'll post the peanut noodle recipe as soon as I get the sauce's texture exactly right.

veggies prepped for peanut noodles... so lovely

pea and mushroom saute, cucumber chunks, banana pieces, cheese on sprouted grain toast

Simple Plates #21

baked sweet potato fries, mayo-free coleslaw with cranberries and herbs, hard boiled egg with dijon mustard

Every time I make this coleslaw, Darwin likes it a little better. He even asked for it for dinner, days after we finished the batch from this photo.

steamed spinach, avocado, baked chicken, fresh mango and pineapple

avocado, colby-jack cheese, cucumber slices, steamed carrot coins

rajma with whole plan yogurt over brown rice

Rajma, a red kidney bean curry, is one of our top two or three favorite Indian meals. I make slight modifications to this nearly-perfect recipe from the Smitten Kitchen.

roasted cabbage, chicken, carrot coins, avocado, kidney beans

radish and pea pods, mushroom/spinach quiche, pear slices 

chicken, pea pods with yogurt dip, mango, kidney beans

lentil stew, whole plain yogurt, soaked raisins, avocado

When I decided I needed a lentil stew in my recipe collection, this was the first one I loved. I got it out of a strange little cookbook/diet book based on the lifestyle of Seventh Day Adventists (which I sold at a yard sale last year, but not before photocopying the recipe.)  I make some modifications: I soak the lentils first, and cook them together with the rice (for a total of about 40 minutes, veggies added halfway through); I use fresh garlic instead of powdered; and I use homemade chicken stock instead of water, when I have it.

radish, pea pods, carrot sticks, mushroom/spinach quiche, pear slices

on the big-kid swing

crispy broiled kale, strawberries, avocado, lentil stew

blueberry-banana oats, broccoli with butter

avocado, steamed sweet potato chunks, strawberries

lentil stew, cucumber/radish salad, orange pieces, whole plain yogurt

See the radish "mushroom"? ;)

garlicky curly kale, real food macaroni and cheese, baked sweet potato