I'm always looking for a quick-vegetable-loaded-kid-friendly-weeknight meal. Vegetable Fried Rice has been a family (and fridge purging) favorite around here. But I think I've come across a dish that has taken its place.

Inspired by The Kitchn's Miso-Roasted Asparagus Soba Noodle Salad, this noodle bowl has it all. Amazing layers of flavors, textures and it only takes less than 30-minutes to whip up. I serve this warm, but this would be great as a cold salad too. I add hard-boiled eggs for extra protein, making them ahead of time in my new favorite kitchen appliance (hint: fell in love with it in an instant). This is a great clean-out-your-fridge recipe, roasting vegetables that are near their end. But feel free to substitute your favorite veggies.

Miso-Roasted Vegetable Soba Noodle Bowl
Adapted from The Kitchn

INGREDIENTS
1/4 roasted sunflower seeds
3 tablespoons toasted sesame seeds
8 oz package of soba noodles
2 tablespoons red miso
1 tablespoon hot water
1 tablespoon sesame oil
5 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce
1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger
1/2 pound fresh shiitake mushrooms, stemmed and thinly sliced
1/2 pound  green beans, trimmed
1/2 pound carrots, peeled and sliced into match sticks
2 cloves garlic, peeled and chopped
3 green onions, thinly sliced
Kosher salt, to season

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat over to 375 degrees F.
2. Bring a pot of water to boil and cook the noodles according to the package and drain.
3. In a small bowl, whisk together miso, water, sesame oil, 3 tablespoons of olive oil, soy sauce, brown sugar and ginger.
4. Heat remaining olive oil in skillet over medium-high heat and saute garlic and shiitakes until the mushrooms are just tender (about 5 minutes). Set aside. 
5. Place green beans and carrots on a baking sheet and toss with 3 tablespoons of miso mixture to coat. Roast for 8-12 minutes, or until vegetables are soft enough to pierce with a fork. 
6. When finished roasting remove from the oven. Toss with remaining miso sauce and soba noodles. Fold in green onions and cooked mushrooms. Season with salt and top with sesame seeds and sunflower seeds. Serve with hard or soft boiled eggs if you prefer. 

This dish comes together in 22 minutes! A perfect weeknight dish.

It's been a little quiet in this corner of the blogosphere as we get into the back-to-school routine. Now that the Fall is in full swing with after-school activities, soccer, homework, and general controlled chaos, I am fully committed to menu planning. Here's this week's menu plan and link to my go-to menu planning and shopping list worksheet from Real Simple.

MONDAY: Miso Sweet Potato and Broccoli Bowl
For Meatless Monday, I'm making this grain bowl from Smitten Kitchen. I love roasted broccoli and sweet potato. But it really is the miso dressing that takes this to the next level. And to really make this a meal, we add a fried egg on top. Click here for the recipe.

TUESDAY: One-Pot Pasta Primavera with Shrimp
After soccer practice, I need a meal that comes together quickly. This recipe is genius. Everything cooks in one pot, forming a silky and dreamy sauce. Plus clean-up is a snap. Check out Epicurious' recipe here.

WEDNESDAY: Butternut Squash Beef Stew
I'm fully embracing fall and our new Instant Pot with this recipe from Foodie Crush. This stick-to-your-ribs meal is just what we need to get through Hump Day. Plus, I get to test out my Instant Pot. 30+ minutes for a hearty stew? It's happening! Click here for the recipe.

THURSDAY: One-Pan Farro with Tomatoes & Sausages
This is a riff of the one-pot pasta dish from Tuesday. But mixing it up with Farro by Smitten Kitchen. We're big grain fans here as you can tell. I have a feeling this will be in regular rotation at our house. Click here for the recipe.

FRIDAY: Sheet Pan Pizza
To celebrate making it through another week, I'm going semi-homemade with sheet pan pizzas. I use store-bought pizza dough and roll it out onto an oiled sheet pan and top with our favorite toppings. We will make one classic cheese and basil and the second will be topped with whatever we have leftover in the fridge (sausage from Thursday, veggies from earlier in the week). Bake at 500 degrees for 15 minutes.

Have a great week!

We're in our first full week of hurried mornings, afternoon schlepping, and scrambling evening dinners. So I'm determined to get back to meal planning to keep my sanity and make sure the boys are getting a home cooked dinner at the end of a long day. One of the things I try to stick to is making a meatless dish one night a week. The kids have embraced #meatlessmondays (and they're always up for Taco Tuesday). Plus I always feel better when I can get more veggies in their diet.

Looking for some easy and satisfying Meatless Monday meals? Here are links to 3 of our favorites that are in regular rotation at our house.

Spaghetti with Broccoli Rabe, Toasted Garlic and Bread Crumbs (by Mark Bittman) - this dish whips up in less than 30 minutes from start to finish. I love the simplicity of this dish. And the kids don't even mind the bitterness of Broccoli Rabe. Sometimes I switch it up and use broccolini instead (call me crazy!).

Sweet Potato and Chickpea Curry (by ChopChop Magazine) - I'm slowly converting my kids to fans of Indian cuisine all thanks to this dish. I love it as it is mostly made from pantry staples. They love it because it's not too spicy. And it's served over rice.

Spaghetti Squash Pad Thai (by The Kitchn) - I've tried getting my kids on the zoodles train and anything spiralized, but no luck. They're on to me. But then I came across this recipe from The Kitchn marrying Spaghetti Squash and Pad Thai and it was a slam dunk.

Have a great week!

Harvesting Ground Cherries at the Lowell Elementary School Garden

I feel incredibly lucky that our elementary school has a fantastic learning garden. During the school year, students help prep, plant and maintain the garden. During the summer, families volunteer to take care of the garden, making sure the beds get plenty of water, weeding as needed and harvesting ripe vegetables. Last week was our week to tend to the garden and when we arrived, the boys and I were delighted to see their literal fruits of their labor from earlier in the school year. The garden was overflowing with big, fat juicy tomatoes, deep purple eggplant, humungous zucchini and vibrant peppers. Ratatouille anyone?

Well, not for my kids who are pretty much against eggplant and zucchini. But I recently came across this Grilled Ratatouille with Pasta recipe from Martha Stewart and I knew I had a chance to convert them.

It doesn't get any easier than this:



Cook a 1lb of pasta (we used farfalle) according to package instructions. Reserve a cup of pasta water and return cooked pasta to the pot. Heat grill. Brush the following with olive oil: 1 large zucchini (cut lengthwise into thick slices), 2 bell peppers (halved, stemmed and seeded), 2 red onions (halved), 1 large eggplant (cut lengthwise into thick slices), 4-6 large tomatoes (cut crosswise into thick slices). Season with salt and pepper and grill all the vegetables until browned and tender. Roughly chop the grilled vegetables then add to pasta. Add a couple of tablespoons of olive oil and balsamic vinegar and season with salt and pepper. Garnish with fresh parsley and serve.

The boys ate it all up. And asked for seconds. Just one of many reasons all schools should have a school garden!

Happy New Year! 2015 is off to a good start so far: kids got up and got to school on time! This is short of a miracle after a 2-week break of going to bed at 10pm and waking up at 9am. I'm also back to sticking to a weekly meal plan which includes lots of healthier recipes. Because you know, it's not the start of the new year without some resolutions to eat healthier and to exercise more. And wouldn't you know it - got in a workout and cooked up this delicious winter pasta dish. 2015, let's do this!

Monday: Pasta with Roasted Eggplant and Tomatoes - inspired by this Everday Food recipe, I make this dish by roasting chopped eggplant, red onions, garlic and tomatoes in the oven with oil, salt and pepper until they're golden and the vegetables are almost crisp around the edges. I toss this mixture with some cooked pasta, leftover pasta water and chopped basil.

Tuesday: Portuguese Kale and Potato Soup - okay, this dish from Gourmet may not be super healthy but there's kale! My family goes crazy for this and it's even better the next day.

Wednesday: Curried Shrimp and Cauliflower - need something that comes together quickly? Rice with this curried shrimp and cauliflower from Martha Stewart is our go-to recipe. Plus some Trader Joe's Naan hot from the oven.

Thursday: Chicken and Chickpea Tagine - I love making tagines in the winter. The wonderful smells while it cooks plus this hearty meal will warm you up on a particular cold day.

Friday: umdaddy special - I'm leaving Friday's dinner up to the big guy. I suggest delegating one meal to your partner too!

Have a good week!

(credit: Crudite Creations)

We're now in the throes of Summer which means 4th of July cookouts, year-end parties, birthdays, block parties, and picnics to name a few.  There are only so many pasta or potato salads I can really get excited for. Love me some watermelon, but unless they're super sweet and cold, I'll pass. So when I had the opportunity to try a Crudite Creation, I said "yes!" 

(credit: Crudite Creations)

Crudite Creation at the neighborhood block party. Everything else pales in comparison!

Winter Minestrone Soup

I have one amazingly adventurous eater (8 year old) and one extremely stubborn one (5 year old). My oldest will gladly try tripe or a raw oyster (but probably will never again). My youngest will avoid any protein (except for nut butter, eggs, or bacon) or most veggies (except for carrots, celery, or tomatoes in tomato sauce). He is the epitome of a picky eater. Or as he puts it, "just scared."

Maybe veggies and other non-carb foods are truly scary to him. Or maybe it's his sneaky way of getting out of something. But I've found a way to get him to try - and even like - veggies. I get him to help me make Ina Garten's Winter Minestrone Soup.

Experts suggest (and my own experience has proven) when you get your kids involved in cooking a meal, they will most likely taste it, then proclaim they are the greatest chef the world has ever seen (as my kids have done). Another way to get kids to try something new is to mix new ingredients with something tried and true. In my case, pasta + bacon + cheese. The kid was scarfing up the stuff so fast, he forgot he's throwing down spinach, carrots, celery, tomatoes and other veggies he proclaimed to be so scary in the past.

Plus this soup is so good. Especially during a polar vortex. Make this. You won't be sorry.

Click here for the recipe.

It's a new year, which usually means recycling the same New Year's Resolutions for me. And as always, one of my resolutions is to be a better cook. And like all resolutions, I have good intentions to make them, but often end up ignoring them. Oops - there goes my "Don't Procrastinate" resolution.

Until I saw that Jenny from Dinner: A Love Story had threw the gauntlet. She was challenging herself and her readers to make seven new meals in seven days. And to make it a little easier, she suggested doing this challenge over 14 days. Seven new meals in two weeks?  Not only would it challenge me to be a better cook, but get my kids to try new things and be adventurous. Actually, that goes for all of us.  Yeah, I'm game.

So how is it going so far?

Monday, January 7th:

DALS Tuscan Minestrone

Wednesday, January 9th:

DALS Greek-Style Shrimp with Feta

Friday, January 11th:

Bon Appetit Orange Beef w/Broccoli & Mushrooms

Sunday, January 13th:

Jamie Oliver's One-Tray Bake

Tuesday, January 15th:

DALS Weeknight Bolognese

We made a Wild-Rice Stuffed Acorn Squash for dinner tonight (but forgot to snap a picture). So that leaves one more new recipe before Sunday. What to make, what to make...

• 1 lb boneless chicken thighs, thinly sliced
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 1 small onion, halved and thinly sliced
• ½ lb sugar snaps, strings removed
• 2 carrots, peeled and sliced on a diagonal
• 1 jar WORLDFOODS Indochina Cambodian Pineapple Lemon Grass Stir Fry Sauce

1. Season chicken with salt and pepper. In a large nonstick skillet or wok, heat 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil over high heat. Add half the chicken; cook and stirring constantly, until opaque throughout (2-4 minutes). Transfer to a plate. Repeat with the remaining chicken.
2. Add the remaining tablespoon of oil to the pan, along with the onion, sugar snaps and carrots. Cook, stirring constantly until onion is tender and golden.
3. Add the jar of stir fry sauce and chicken (and any accumulated juices) back into pan and heat for 3-4 minutes, stirring occasionally until sauce is heated through and slightly thickened.
4. Serve over rice or noodels and enjoy!

I was given WORLDFOOD Sauces to try as part of the Massachusetts WORLDFOODS Fusion Taste Team. As always, all opinions are my own. 

Dear Son,

Now that you have a family of your own, you no doubt have some challenges with your picky eater. You're wondering, "How can this be? I'm a foodie. My wife is a foodie. We get the best produce teleported to us from our virtual CSA!" I know this will come to a surprise, but you too were a picky eater. Especially when it came to eating your vegetables. We tried serving it raw, baked, sautéed, grilled - you name it. You were just like that silly girl Lola from the classic tale of "I Will Never, Not Ever, Eat a Tomato" by Lauren Childs.

So here's a tip I want to share with you that worked for me and your father. Introduce new ingredients with something you know your kids like to eat. So for you, we added veggies to rice. We also found if we got you to help grow veggies in our garden, you were more open to trying it. I've never seen you gobble up tomatoes faster then when we picked them off the vine from the garden in our backyard.

So put away your cookscreens (or whatever you call those fancy cookbooks of the future) and try this one-pot chicken and rice favorite. You loved it as a kid. I think your kids will like it too.

Love,
Mom



Chicken Sofrito 
Adapted from Food and Wine 

INGREDIENTS
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
4-8 bone-in, skinless chicken thighs
1/2 teaspoon chili powder
1 medium onion, diced
3 garlic cloves, minced
2 large thyme sprigs
1 red bell pepper, cut into 1/2 inch thick strips
1/4 teaspoon fennel seeds
1 cup chopped tomatoes
3 cups chicken stock or low-sodium broth
1 cup white rice
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
1/2 cup roasted almonds

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. In a large ovenproof skillet, heat the vegetable oil. Season the chicken with salt and pepper and dust lightly with chili powder. Add the chicken to the skillet and cook over moderate heat until well browned, about 4 minutes per side. Transfer to a plate. 
2. Add the onion, garlic, and thyme sprigs to the skillet and cook over moderate heat until onion is softened (about 8 minutes). Add the bell pepper, fennel seeds, and 1/2 teaspoon of chili powder and cook, stirring until fragrant (about 30 seconds). Add the chopped tomatoes, raise the heat to high and cook until bubbling. Add the chicken stock and bring to a boil. Stir in the rice and 1/2 teaspoon of salt and bring to a simmer. Arrange chicken pieces on the rice. Bake in the oven for about 30-35 minutes until chicken is cooked through and rice is tender.
3. Transfer chicken to a plate. Discard thyme sprigs, stir in lemon juice and sprinkle almonds on top. Spoon the rice onto plates, add the chicken and serve. 

Turkey Trots/Thanksgiving Day road races are almost as popular as pumpkin pie on Thanksgiving. I've often thought about running in one, but decided I'd rather be running around in the kitchen than on the pavement. I will definitely need some running shoes in the kitchen this Thanksgiving seeing how I am way behind in all matters of Thanksgiving.

So for anyone hosting this year's feast and looking for some last-minute tips, look no further than this known-procrastinator and time-starved (and just plain starved) mom.

1. Plan menu and make shopping list. Here's our menu this year with design help from my kids.
2. Ask guests to bring something. We like asking folks to bring a dessert or appetizers - one less thing to stress out about!
3. If you are of the brave sort, shop for non-perishables. I avoid grocery stores the weekend before Thanksgiving at all costs. I'd like to keep my sanity before the holidays... before I lose it again a month from now.
4. Make sure there's room in the fridge.

1. Shop like the wind. I will go first thing in the AM after I drop-off the kids at school. Everything will be fully stocked and crowds will be less ornery. 
2. Prep linens, platters, centerpiece, place cards, etc. 

1. Make cranberry sauce. The sauce will benefit from being in the fridge for a couple of days where the flavors can develop.
2. Cut and cube bread for stuffing and leave out in a single layer on baking sheets.
3. Caramelize onions for green beans dish.

1. Make stuffing.
2. Peel carrots and parsnips and store in zip-lock bag wrapped in moist paper towels.
3. Peel potatoes and refrigerate in a pot of cold water.
4. Wash and trim green beans.
5. Pick up turkey and brine turkey if you plan on using a brine. 

11am: Set table

12pm: Remove turkey and allow it to sit at room temperature for up to 2 hours

1pm: Preheat oven, prep and stuff turkey

2pm: Put turkey in the oven and cook at 500 degrees for 30 minutes

2:30pm: Reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees and roast for 2-2.5 hours for a 14-16lb turkey. Roast carrots and parsnips at the same time.

3pm: Take cranberry sauce out of fridge and bring to room temperature. Remove parsnips and carrots.

**More than half way there - pour yourself a drink.

3:30pm: Make mashed potatoes and keep warm when finished.

4pm: Make green beans and keep warm when finished. Bake stuffing.

4:30pm: Take out turkey and let it rest (thickest part of the breast should be 161 degrees F). Remove stuffing from oven. Reheat carrots and other sides as necessary.

5pm: Chow time!

Last bit of advice: Make sure you delegate as much as you feel comfortable doing. And the most important piece of advice (next to enjoying this time with family) - make sure your dishwasher is empty Thursday morning!

Have a Happy Thanksgiving!

As much as I hate to see Summer come to an end, it is hard to deny the pleasures of Fall: school (if you're a parent to school-aged kids), apple cider, pumpkin picking, fall foliage to name a few. My oldest son associates Fall with Halloween (naturally), his younger brother's birthday and Stone Soup.

My son's preschool would serve Stone Soup once a week for snack. Based on the old tale of hungry soldiers tricking a village into donating ingredients to make soup, each child is encouraged to bring a vegetable to be added to the school's version of Stone Soup (vegetable soup). Cute, huh? Even the pickiest preschooler enjoyed Stone Soup.


As soon as the temperatures dip below 60 degrees and the leaves show a tinge of red, soup is often a meal during the week at our house. I recently came across a Blue Ribbon Recipe (top-ranked recipe of all time) on epicurious for Pasta, Sausage, and Bean Soup (click here for the recipe). I adapted this recipe a bit using more veggies and white kidney beans. Staying true to our preschool's tradition, I had my son help prep and add the vegetables into the soup pot.

The result?


The Good: Easy to make, hearty, tastes better the next day. Both boys enjoyed it (and asked for seconds).

The Bad: If you don't drain the grease from the sausage, it can be very greasy.

Grade: A. Fall favorite!

I admit it. I've experienced that twinge of jealousy when I hear about someone's kid cheering over carrots and hummus, popping grape tomatoes into his mouth as if they were M&M's, or happily chowing down a salad. My boys will eat their share of veggies, but usually if its in a sauce or masked by other ingredients in a dish (check out the recipe for stuffed shells).

A big tip I see all the time on getting kids to expand their culinary palettes is to get them to help you cook. My oldest son will happily help in the kitchen, especially if it involves using a fun kitchen tool or mixing ingredients together. One of our favorite kitchen gadgets is the PalmPeeler by Chef'n. It tucks right into little hands and makes peeling veggies easy and fun.

Fig 1: Boy peeling carrot

Except my boy is not easily fooled. Just because he helped prepare a dish doesn't mean he *has* to eat it. Sigh.

So when I came across "The Gastrokid All-Purpose Get Your Kids to Eat Their Vegetables Dressing" recipe, I had to give it a try. It's the first recipe in The Gastrokid Cookbook by Hugh Garvey and Matthew Yeomans. It features the "three most powerful tools in a cook's repertoire" (fat, salt and acid). You know the saying, "It's all in the sauce." 


The Gastrokid All-Purpose Get Your Kids to Eat Their Veggies Dressing
Adapted from "The Gastrokid Cookbook"

INGREDIENTS:
2 Tablespoons red wine vinegar
Kosher salt
Ground black pepper
4-5 Tablespoons of Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1 Tablespoon Dijon mustard
1 small shallot, minced
1 Tablespoon Honey (optional)

DIRECTIONS:
1. In a bowl, combine the vinegar, pinch of salt and 1/8 teaspoon of ground black pepper and whisk until the salt is dissolved.

2. Whisk in the oil, mustard, shallots and honey (if using)

3. Drizzle on salad, raw cut-up veggies or steamed vegetables

The Good: Easy to whip up and keep a big jar in the fridge. 

The Bad: My kids hated it.

Grade: B. Honey did help cut the tartness. I will make this again, at least for myself, but will try using another acid (lemon juice) or different brand of red wine vinegar.

I'm always looking for new and delicious recipes loaded with veggies that my kids will devour. So when I came across this recipe from the kitchens of Martha, I had to give it a try. My boys love baby bok choy and will sometimes eat a carrot or two. And who doesn't love apples? This makes a great summer side dish to a BBQ or picnic. And much lighter than your traditional mayo-laden cole slaw.

Baby Bok Choy, Carrot and Apple Slaw
Inspired by Everyday Food, Great Food Fast

INGREDIENTS:

1 pound baby bok choy (4 to 6 heads)
1 teaspoon coarse salt
1 peeled apple, cut into matchsticks
2 large shredded carrots
3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon sesame oil
1 teaspoon finely grated peeled fresh ginger
Coarse salt and ground pepper

DIRECTIONS:

1. Cut the baby bok choy in half lengthwise; rinse under cold water to remove grit. Cut crosswise into thin strips; place in a large colander, and sprinkle with coarse salt. Toss to coat. Top with a plate that fits inside colander; weight with a heavy object (such as a skillet or canned goods). Set aside in sink to drain. 

2. In a large bowl, mix apple, carrots, lemon juice, sesame oil, and peeled fresh ginger. Add bok choy; season with coarse salt and ground pepper. Toss.  

The Good: My oldest ate all of his. The youngest had no interest in it. Quick and easy to prepare.

The Bad: If you don't drain the bok choy completely, the dressing can get watered down.


Grade: B+. This will be a regular side dish in our house since we often will have these ingredients on hand.