November 6th, 2013
{Family Cooking School} Vinaigrettes 101
Babies don’t come with a handbook, but motherhood certainly comes will a million competing ideas of how to “do it right,” especially when it comes to feeding. The good news is that you’re doing way better than you think, even if you think you’re doing an awesome job (because you are!). The even better news is that being a great family cook is simpler than you think, you just need to learn the ropes.
My “Family Cooking School” series is about helping you master a few basics across my 4′s P’s of family cooking—planning, pantry, prepping, and parenting—so that you can move from pre-baby cooking (or non-cooking!) to family cooking.
One of the most important family cooking skills is knowing how to make a good dressing. I know what you’re thinking: who needs dressing when my kid barely eats salad? The food nerd in me wants you know that your child can learn to love salad. By 7 or so (even earlier), lots of kids have reconciled with the leafy greens that freaked them out as toddlers, but exposure is key. That means you have to serve salad.
That aside, a good vinaigrette is so much more than salad dressing. It can dress pasta and grains, give flavor to steamed or roasted veggies, be mixed in with mayo to make a yummy sandwich spread, be used to to baste meats, served as a dipping sauce, and so much more.
A good dressing is worth its weight in gold. Now, how to make it.
The process is simple:
posted in:
appetizers | dairy free | dinner | family cooking school | fast & easy | gluten free | kitchen aids | salads | vegetables | vegetarianNovember 4th, 2013
Baked Apple Donuts with Cinnamon Sugar or Cider Glaze
I’ve been wanting to develop a recipe for baked donuts for a long time and, as it turns out, nothing will kick recipe development into high gear the way that going apple picking for the second time in a season will. Let’s just say that piles upon piles of apples provide motivation.
I’ve done a whole lot with apples. I’ve made a Salted Caramel Apple Pie and classic Apple Crisp. I’ve baked Apple Galettes with the kids and apple dumplings for the kids. I’ve hurriedly made a One Bowl Apple Cake and taken time to experiment with an Apple and Candied Bacon Upside Down Cake. We’ve enjoyed Apple Pie Pancakes for breakfast and Apple Puff Pancakes for dessert.
Let’s just say that piles and piles of apples also give good reason to dig deep. And when I dug deep, I pulled up donuts. Baked Apple Donuts. Done two ways, no less.
posted in:
10+ mos | 12+ mos | 24+ mos | breakfast & brunch | dairy free | dessert | entertaining | fruit | holiday cooking | sweet baked stuffNovember 1st, 2013
Easiest Chili-Rubbed Steak Tacos
Tired today? Out late or just a candy hangover?
Either way, I’ve got the antidote.
Here’s dinner tonight: Steak Tacos. The easiest ones ever. Serve with sliced avocado and dinner’s done.
What? Avocado is a serious vegetable! But, fine, if you have the energy, you can also whip up a side of sautéed spinach, which is also ridiculously easy. (Add a can of drained hominy, too. Yum.)
October 29th, 2013
{video} Three easy last-minute Halloween treats
Halloween’s right around the corner. You ready?
All-natural candy for trick-or-treaters?
Check!
An easy, make-ahead Halloween night dinner?
Check!
Two awesome Halloween lunchbox ideas—a mad scientist monster bento and witch fiesta bento—that you can (honestly!) whip up Halloween morning?
Check!
Festive special treats for Halloween day?
Wait. What?! More treats? For Halloween day? Seriously?!
Yes, seriously. And don’t worry because I have you covered.
Last minute Halloween treats.
Check!
posted in:
12+ mos | 24+ mos | dairy free | dessert | drinks | entertaining | fast & easy | fruit | halloween | snacks | videoOctober 28th, 2013
Pumpkin and Feta Risotto
Enjoy looking at all those pumpkins around your house because, after Thursday, it’s a take down. At least it will be on my little patch of Brooklyn.
I always leave a few pumpkins uncarved so that I can roast them without having to cut around jagged, shriveled edges or smoky bits blackened by flame. Cooking pumpkin from your jack-o-lantern is not good, but cooking from what I like to call my decorative pumpkins—which, like my decorative pillows, are not to be touched unless I say so—is a good thing.
The pumpkin hack begins right after Halloween and continues until they are all gone. This year, I plan on making this Pumpkin and Feta Risotto right away.
posted in:
10+ mos | 12+ mos | 24+ mos | 6+ mos | 8+ mos | dinner | fast & easy | rice & grains | vegetables | vegetarianOctober 24th, 2013
Chocolate Covered S’mores
Dangerous.
That’s what these are.
Very, very dangerous.
Too delicious. Too easy to make.
I whipped them up as a birthday treat. (I know: cake, cupcakes, s’mores. I spoil him.)
I think that you should make these this weekend for Halloween. If you’re thinking, “That’s a good plan, One Hungry Mama,” then I suggest you either get Halloween-themed sprinkles or grab orange candy melts and black sanding sugar.
If you’re thinking, forget Halloween, then you can consider skipping sprinkles all together. You know, to get them down the hatch faster. Because that’s where you want these: in your belly.
October 22nd, 2013
{Family Cooking School} How to stock your pantry: Fridge & Freezer
Babies don’t come with a handbook, but motherhood certainly comes will a million competing ideas of how to “do it right,” especially when it comes to feeding. The good news is that you’re doing way better than you think you are. (That goes even if you think you’re doing an awesome job—because you are!) The even better news is that being a great family cook is simpler than you think, you just need to learn the ropes.
My “Family Cooking School” series is about helping you master a few basics across my 4′s P’s of family cooking—planning, pantry, prepping, and parenting—so that you can move from pre-baby cooking to family cooking. The difference between the two? Family cooking is big on flavor, but made short on time; meals are efficiently planned; and ingredients are healthy enough for everyone to share.
This is the third and final post in the “Family Cooking School” series on how to stock your pantry. Together with my pantry posts on rice, grains, and pasta and canned and jarred staples, this will help you get your pantry in tip top shape.
Check out my list of must-have fridge and freezer staples below, then chime in: What are your favorite family cooking pantry staples?
And if you’re looking for more help getting your pantry in order and making healthy mealtimes possible, email me at realfamilyfood@onehungrymama.com to schedule a free “No-Stress Family Kitchen Breakthrough” session. I’d love to give you personalized pantry tips and answers to your burning questions about how to make life as the family cook easier.
October 21st, 2013
{giveaway closed} Miso & Sweet Chili Glazed Pork Loin, plus a Cook for the Cure GIVEAWAY
One in eight women in the U.S. will be diagnosed with breast cancer.
While I know (and welcome!) that men read One Hungry Mama, I also know that most of you are women. Many in the U.S.
This is our statistic.
And the research shows: breast cancer doesn’t discriminate. This statistic belongs to all of us, moms and soon-to-be moms, aunts and grandmothers, regardless of race, social or economic status.
I usually reserve this space for talk about food and the family kitchen—I’m pretty adamant about it—but, through the Cook for the Cure program, my friends at KitchenAid have given me the opportunity to talk about breast cancer awareness and I couldn’t pass it up. Because as long as breast cancer is the second-leading cause of death among women, it’s something that we need to talk about.
Find out more about how you can cook for the cure and also WIN a limited edition platter designed by Jaques Pepin after the jump.
posted in:
12+ mos | 24+ mos | dairy free | dinner | entertaining | fast & easy | main entree | porkOctober 18th, 2013
Classic yellow birthday cake, plus a gluten- and dairy-free version
The hungry baby just turned 4. Not 4 months. 4 years. And, yes, I still call him the baby.
For his 4th birthday, my little guy made one request: cake and cupcakes. I kept asking if he wanted a theme. “You know, do you want your birthday to be about fun monsters or trucks? Race cars or super heroes?” Each time he’d proudly reply that, yes, he would like his birthday to be about something: cake and cupcakes.
Got it.
Like any good recipe developer, I found it impossible to make a cake and cupcakes without testing variations, so I served birthday cake two ways. The cupcakes were a classic yellow cake with chocolate frosting, and the cake was the same recipe adapted to be gluten- and milk dairy-free.*
posted in:
10+ mos | 12+ mos | 24+ mos | dairy free | dessert | entertaining | gluten free | sweet baked stuffOctober 15th, 2013
{video} Halloween Dinner Playdate Party Recipes!
Halloween is in full swing at chez One Hungry Mama. In fact, we’ve already done some celebrating! Check out this Halloween video to see my kids’ favorite Halloween dinner party playdate recipes in action.
I’m a SUCKER for Halloween. It’s one of my favorite holidays. I’m not into blood and gore, but I do love me a spooky vibe. With little ones, though, I’ve had to choose benevolent ghosts and smiling pumpkins over tombstones and skeletons. Bo-ring!
Now that my boys are getting older, it’s time to start introducing them to Halloween hungry mama style.
posted in:
12+ mos | 24+ mos | dessert | dinner | entertaining | halloween | main entree | pasta | pork | poultry | sides | snacks | sweet baked stuff | vegetables | videoOctober 14th, 2013
Everyday Pancakes
Do you know how many pancake recipes I’ve posted on One Hungry Mama?
A lot.
Allow me to demonstrate:
- Apple Pie Pancakes
- Lemon Buttermilk Pancakes (gluten-free adaptable)
- Coconut Quinoa Pancakes (gluten-free)
- Orange Scented Hazelnut Quinoa Pancakes (gluten-free)
- Cook’s Country Better Than The Box Pancake Mix
- Coconut-Banana Pancakes
- Orange Cranberry Spice Pancakes
- Corn Griddle Cakes with Strawberry Syrup (gluten- and dairy-free adaptable)
And this does not include crepes, savory pancakes, Japanese pancakes, potato pancakes, or waffles.
Yet for all of these recipes, over all of these years, I have never posted a recipe for perfect, simple, basic pancakes.
Until now.
posted in:
10+ mos | 12+ mos | 24+ mos | 8+ mos | breakfast & brunch | dairy free | fast & easy | finger foods | gluten free | quick 'n healthy recipe roundups | rice & grains | vegetarianOctober 11th, 2013
Beef and Lentil Sloppy Joes with Quickest Broccoli Slaw
I’m obsessed with these Beef and Lentil Sloppy Joes. So is the hungry papa. The kids, too. Though I cannot lie: I did get a deadpan, “This again?” the most recent time that I served these. What can I say? I have been making them a lot.
Like my famous classic fish sticks, these sloppy joes are a sophisticated update of a classic family dish without being fancy or fussy. The grown-up appeal doesn’t come at the cost of this dish’s essential kid-appeal. Instead, it comes from layering in healthy ingredients and balancing earthy, tart and tangy flavors.
Plus, who doesn’t want a sloppy, filling, delicious sandwich for dinner? Watch your buns, hamburgers.
posted in:
10+ mos | 12+ mos | 24+ mos | 6+ mos | 8+ mos | beans | beef | dairy free | dinner | fast & easy | main entree | salads | vegetablesOctober 9th, 2013
Family cooking school: Stir Fry 101
One of the most common questions about my client practice is how I’m able to work with clients from all around the country. Most people assume that any practice that helps parents fit healthy family eating into their busy lives must include in-person cooking instruction. But the truth is that I don’t need to give you cooking lessons to help you become a better home cook.
Yes, knife skills help. And, of course, knowing a few proper techniques can ease things along in the kitchen. More importantly, though, anyone at any level of cooking skill can be a confident, healthy home cook.
Developing cooking skills is a wonderful way to elevate your home cooking if you’re interested in learning technique. But if you’re not into cooking, it’s just not necessary. I know how busy you are and refuse to tell you that you need to spend your time doing something you don’t like in order to feed your family well. Instead, I share a few basic approaches to food. I encourage you to select and practice a few easy techniques. I help you figure out how to select recipes that match your skill and schedule. I guide you towards healthy, whole ingredients that fit your family’s taste. And then you get the job done. Because you can.
Stir fry is one of my favorite things to teach because it’s an easy technique that works for every family. It’s fast, simple, and adaptable to nearly any palate. It’s a universal family cook lifesaver. And, in true form, though it would be fun to visit your kitchen, I don’t need to stand over your shoulder to teach this one. All you have to do is follow my Stir-Fry 101 tutorial.
posted in:
10+ mos | 12+ mos | beef | dairy free | dinner | family cooking school | fast & easy | gluten free | kitchen aids | main entree | pork | poultry | rice & grains | seafood | vegetablesOctober 7th, 2013
Crazy good Mexican Chocolate Pudding in 5 minutes—thanks to tofu!
Many of you have asked about how dairy-free life is going. The truth is that it’s pretty easy for me because, well, I’ve gone back to eating dairy. Not much, but milk in my cereal and coffee, cheese when I’m out—that kind of thing. The hungry boy, though, is still mostly milk-dairy free. Luckily, he can tolerate dairy in baked goods, so we don’t have to go crazy reading labels on crackers and snacks, but he does need to avoid cheese, cows milk, ice cream, and—gasp—hunks of butter.
Even though he’s not technically on a strict dairy-free diet, my guess is that avoiding milk, cheese and butter sounds hard to some of you. It was certainly hard for me, but the hungry boy has adjusted beautifully. We skip cheese, he likes rice milk and almond milk yogurt, Earth Balance satisfies, and so does tofu cream cheese.
When it comes to food, he’s impressively adaptable for a 6-year-old. (I’m shamelessly patting myself on the back right now.)
There’s more than that, though. (Get ready for even more self-cogratulatory blathering.) There’s also the fact that I’ve worked hard to make his mostly dairy-free life delicious. Most of my efforts have focused on savory food. (My favorite trick so far: whisk a hunk of tofu cream cheese into reserved pasta cooking water and add it to pasta sauce for a creamy, cheesy layer of flavor.) With baked goods of all kinds on the menu, there hasn’t been much reason to experiment with sweets. Except for ice cream and pudding.
October 4th, 2013
Carrot-Ginger Dressing
So, I’ve been tweaking a carrot-ginger dressing for you for a while. Like, a long while. It’s not that what I’ve come up with—any of the nearly 15 slight variations—is bad or unpostworthy. I think you’d really enjoy nearly all of them, but I’ve got a block.
See there’s this restaurant in NYC called Dojo. It’s kind of a big deal. At least it is when you’re 19-years-old and broke. They had (still do?) what I thought were the most amazing soy burgers before soy burgers were a thing. I was a vegetarian when I was 19 and it was a big deal to get tasty vegetarian food. And lots of it, cheap: a soy burger over brown rice and a side salad with their amazing carrot-ginger dressing only cost $7.50. Do you know how filling a tofu burger and brown rice are when eaten together? I do.
You could also get what I remember as a massive, very sharable plate of vegetable yakisoba for the same price. And that’s not all, folks! Dojo serves breakfast until 5 pm, is open til 1 am (2 am on the weekends), and also dishes out drunkard cravings like guacamole and chips, hummus, burgers, nachos, and so much more.
Dojo is a kind of NYC institution, at least it is in my mind. So, even though I haven’t been to Dojo in at least 12 years, none of my carrot-ginger dressing recipes quite measure up. That said, I’m ready to remove the block.
posted in:
10+ mos | 12+ mos | 24+ mos | 6+ mos | 8+ mos | dairy free | fast & easy | gluten free | salads | vegetables | vegetarian
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