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{Summer Sweets} Watermelon Slush

August 13th, 2010 · 75 Comments

Without a doubt the best purchase I’ve made this summer is our sno cone maker. I keep these great natural fruit concentrates in the fridge and we can just come home, pop a few ice cubes in and voila — an icy, refreshing sweet treat in seconds with no added sugar.

The best part of having the sno cone maker is that we’re not limited to pre-made flavors. A little fresh fruit and simple syrup is all it takes to make our own custom flavors. This watermelon version was fabulous, and oh so simple. I happened to have vanilla simple syrup on hand, you could use any flavored or even herb-infused simple syrup to up the sophistication factor. But if you’re just craving a simple fruity slushie, watermelon and a little sugar are all you need.

Recipe: Watermelon Slushie (or Sno Cone)

Ingredients:

  • 4 cups watermelon, cubed
  • 1/4 cup simple syrup*
  • shaved ice

Instructions: Load watermelon into your blender. Add simple syrup, cover and puree until smooth. Pour into a pitcher and refrigerate until ready to serve. Then, fill a glass or sno cone cup with shaved ice, pour watermelon syrup over and enjoy! Makes about a half quart of syrup.

* To make simple syrup: Combine 1 cup sugar and 1 cup water in a small saucepan. Bring to a gentle boil, whisking to dissolve the sugar. When it begins to boil, remove from heat and let cool. (You can add a vanilla bean half or a handful of basil or mint after removing from heat to add flavor.) Store leftover syrup in the fridge — and use for iced tea, coffee or cocktails.

→ 75 CommentsTags: at market · cooking with kids · dessert · drinks · fruit · recipe · sweets

Easy and Kid-Friendly Portobello Pizzas

August 10th, 2010 · Comments Off on Easy and Kid-Friendly Portobello Pizzas

As a featured contributor for The Mushroom Channel, I created these portobello pizzas on the grill — they’re fast, fresh and easy to make with the kids. Perfect for a quick weeknight dinner.

portobello pizzas

Recipe originally published on The Mushroom Channel.

Recipe: Grilled Portobello Pizzas (Smiley Face Optional)

Ingredients:

  • 4 large portobello mushrooms
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1/2 cup marinara sauce
  • 1/2 cup shredded mozzarella and/or 2 ounces crumbled feta
  • fresh basil leaves
  • sliced black olives
  • sea salt and black pepper

Directions

  1. Gently clean portobellos with a damp paper towel. Trim the stems with a paring knife and use a spoon to scrape the dark brown gills from the underside of the cap. (Tip: Save the stems and gills to make mushroom stock.)
  2. Arrange the sauce, cheeses and topping in small bowls and line them up on a work surface.
  3. Brush the underside of the caps with olive oil and grill, oiled side down, for 3 to 4 minutes over a medium-high flame.
  4. Place the caps on the work surface, cooked side facing up, and if desired season with salt and pepper. Spread 1 to 2 tablespoons of sauce around the cap. Go easy on the sauce as the mushrooms will give off liquid when they cook, and too much sauce can make them soggy. Sprinkle with cheese to cover, then add optional toppings if desired such as black olives, fresh basil leaves and green pepper.
  5. Gently place back on the grill (toppings facing up) and cook another 3 minutes, or until cheese is melted.

Comments Off on Easy and Kid-Friendly Portobello PizzasTags: cooking with kids · kids cook monday · meatless monday · mushrooms

Local Potluck Tuesday (and fresh picked Sweet Corn)

August 10th, 2010 · 2 Comments

My mom, brother and sister-in-law were in town this past weekend, so naturally I took advantage of the opportunity to have extra hands and dragged them out to an orchard for peach picking. (I have a little one to carry, after all.) We went to Hollin Farms this time in Fauquier County, a hilltop orchard and farm with views that can’t be beat.

And we were in for an extra treat with pick-your-own-corn. The boy and his aunt and uncle picked a dozen ears of Silver Queen sweet white corn, which we then took home and immediately grilled up for dinner, along with our Cibola Farms buffalo burgers. It doesn’t get any fresher than this!

picking corn

Now typically when we make corn-on-the-cob, I cut the kernels off for the boy. I know some kids love biting into a big ear of corn, but I guess it’s a little intimidating when the ear is bigger than your head. Yesterday, Jan from Family Bites shared a recipe on Twitter for “corn coins,” and a light bulb went off. These “coins” are simply short pieces of corn, cut into kid-sized lengths, wrapped in foil packets with butter and seasoning and cooked on the grill. It’s proof that sometimes the simplest ideas are the best. Sure enough, they boy devoured five of them with dinner. (Thanks, Jan!)

I could eat plain old grilled corn-on-the-cob all summer, but I’ve seen some other corn recipes lately that look pretty tempting, too. Like this corn-and-asiago-cheese bread pudding from the Tennessee Locavore. Yum!

What’s your favorite way to enjoy summer’s sweet corn?

If you’ve got a favorite corn recipe, please share it below — or anything else you’ve cooked up lately from the farmers market, CSA or your garden!

Local Potluck Tuesday — a few guidelines:
1. Share a relevant post — a recipe, menu or pictures of a meal featuring local foods, from the farmers market, CSA, farm stand or your own garden — using the MckLinky widget below. In the link title field, enter both your post title and your name &/or blog name, e.g., “Lemon Cucumber Salad — Colleen @ FoodieTots.”

2. Bonus points if you included your kids in picking, growing, purchasing or cooking the ingredients for the meal! (And by bonus points, I mean increased likelihood of seeing your post featured in a future post.)

3. In your post, please link back to this post here at FoodieTots, so your readers can find the potluck and be encouraged to join in as well.  Of course if you don’t have a blog, you’re welcome to share in the comments.

That’s it! I hope you’ll join in and share what you’re cooking up that’s fresh & local to you!

→ 2 CommentsTags: at market · fresh from the... · local farms · local potluck tuesday · NoVA Locavore · recipes · vegetables

Meatless Monday — and FoodieTots — on NPR

August 9th, 2010 · 4 Comments

Y’all know that the FoodieTots family participates in Meatless Mondays. Today on NPR, you can hear more about the movement and hear an interview with yours truly, cooking my quinoa-stuffed zucchini boats.

foodie tots on npr

And if you’re looking for more family-friendly Meatless Monday recipes, visit our new Meatless Monday resource page.

What are you cooking for Meatless Monday? And if you’re new here, welcome! Click here to receive new recipes by email as soon as they’re posted, or “like” us on Facebook.

→ 4 CommentsTags: food news · foodietots in the news · healthy eating · meatless monday · vegetarian

Quinoa-Stuffed Zucchini Boats (for Meatless Monday)

August 6th, 2010 · 17 Comments

If you garden or belong to a CSA, you’re likely searching for new ways to use up all that zucchini and summer squash right about now. These meatless stuffed zucchini, or “zucchini boats,” are a simple and tasty recipe that’s fast enough for a weeknight supper.

I use quinoa, a quick-cooking grain similar to cous cous, because of its high protein content. This recipe also includes some chopped mushrooms for added texture, in place of the meat. It’s also a good way to use up any stray half onions or peppers you may have in the fridge — I like to use red onion and pepper to make it more colorful, but you can use whatever you have on hand and of course mix up the vegetables according to your family’s tastes. If you have a child who objects to certain colors or vegetables, you can set aside some of the quinoa for his or her squash.

And, this recipe is great to make with older kids, ages 4 and up, who might enjoy hollowing out and filling the zucchini boats.

Recipe: Quinoa-Stuffed Zucchini Boats

Ingredients:

  • 4 medium-sized zucchini
  • 1 cup uncooked quinoa
  • 1 1/2 cups vegetable broth
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1/2 red pepper, chopped
  • 1/2 red onion, chopped
  • 1/2 cup chopped baby bella (or button) mushrooms
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1 tablespoon sherry or red wine vinegar
  • fresh parsley
  • sea salt and pepper
  • 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

Instructions: Rinse and drain the quinoa. Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a saucepan over medium high heat. Add the quinoa and cook, stirring occasionally, for 2 minutes. Add the vegetable broth and bring to a boil. Then reduce heat to low and cook for 15 minutes, or until broth is fully absorbed. Remove from heat and fluff with a fork.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Slice the zucchini in half lengthwise. Use a spoon to scrape out the soft centers, leaving a hollow boat-shaped shell.

In a mixing bowl, gently toss the quinoa with the the chopped pepper, onion and mushrooms. Season with parsley, salt and pepper. Drizzle oil and vinegar over and stir to combine.

Arrange zucchini in a shallow baking dish. Scoop quinoa filling into the zucchini. Sprinkle mozzarella on top. Pour water into the pan to cover the bottom by 1/4 inch (this helps keep the zucchini moist while cooking). Bake for 35 minutes, until zucchini is tender when pricked with a fork. Turn on the broiler for about 2 minutes, just to brown the cheese. Serve 1 half as a side dish or 2 halves for a main course. Enjoy!

The FoodieTots family participates in Meatless Mondays, cutting out meat one day a week for our health and for the environment. (When we do eat meat, we choose local and grassfed whenever possible.) Visit the Meatless Monday pledge page to learn more, and sign up for weekly tips and recipes you can use to go meatless, too! And click here for more of our favorite family- friendly Meatless Monday recipes.

→ 17 CommentsTags: at market · cooking with kids · grains · kids cook monday · meatless monday · weeknight meals