Bought some lovely romanesco at Whole Foods yesterday. We were going to cook it, but the kids decided they’d rather take it in to school for show-and-tell. (From Wikipedia: “The broccoli’s shape approximates a natural fractal; each bud is composed of a series of smaller buds, all arranged in yet another logarithmic spiral.”) Isn’t nature amazing?
Posts Tagged ‘broccoli’
Romanesco
Thursday, February 17th, 2011Fun Food Saturday: Potato Bar
Saturday, January 15th, 2011Today’s fun food requires only two words without much of an explanation: Potato bar. We like having our own potato bar every now and then, and we think of it as a challenge each time to come up with yummy stuff to decorate a baked potato. It’s great fun for winter football-watching days. Even better, everyone can get involved.
To start, heat the oven to 375 and get your kids to help with scrubbing the potatoes. They can also help prick some holes in each potato (with a fork) before wrapping them up with foil. Bake the potatoes for about an hour, more or less depending on the size of the potato, until they are soft when poked with a knife.
While the potatoes are baking, you can get the toppings ready. For this potato bar, we offered (clockwise from upper left): grated cheddar cheese, cooked and crumbled bacon, chopped red onions, sauteed chopped yellow onions, diced ham, chopped green onions, steamed tri-color cauliflower (yellow, purple, and white)and broccoli, diced red and orange bell peppers, and in the center, a yogurt-sour cream mixture. The goal? To see who could build the most colorful potato.
We’ve found that presenting vegetables like this can get kids to open their minds a little more. If they have the sense that they don’t have to commit to a giant serving of any given vegetable, they might be more likely to try just a little bit. And if the vegetables are chopped in very small pieces, they seem somehow more approachable to finicky eaters.
Bonus tip: Once everyone’s had their fill of toppings from the potato bar, don’t throw away the leftover chopped toppings. Instead, combine them all in a single bowl and put them back in the refrigerator. The next night, saute them with some olive oil and then toss with cooked pasta for a little confetti-colored pasta dish. Easy – and nutritious.
Fun Food Saturday: Because food should be fun.
Friday Food News Feed: Nov. 5
Friday, November 5th, 2010
Wouldn’t you know, just after we got finished with Halloween and all of the associated issues with treats, Happy Meals are back in the news again this week. Contrary to early reports, San Francisco’s Board of Supervisors didn’t ban Happy Meals entirely, but it did put severe limitations on what kind of fast-food meals can include free toys. From the Wall Street Journal’s health blog: “There’s a 600-calorie cap on such meals, with no single item containing more than 200 calories. The meal must include fruits and veggies, and there are limits on sodium and fat. The sugar content of the accompanying beverage is also restricted.” The bill passed with a veto-proof majority. So in other words, it’ll be tough to get that Power Ranger unless you’re eating a bun-less burger, some apple slices, and a few carrot sticks. The question is, will it have any effect on childhood obesity?
Next, now that the election frenzy has died down, it’s time to remember that there’s still a lame duck session of Congress that has some work to do. This session will give lawmakers a brief window of opportunity to take one more stab at reauthorizing the Child Nutrition Act. Can they do it? The Healthy Schools Campaign gives you a few different (easy) ways to take action.
Also in the news this week (and it seems like it’s almost always in the news): childhood obesity. This time we want you to follow this link to an important editorial in the Philadelphia Inquirer noting the connection between child hunger, poverty, and obesity. This editorial follows a moving series on hunger that profiles residents of one of the poorest congressional districts in the country. Powerful stuff and well worth a read.
OK, let’s close out with something nice (and tasty) to think about for a change. Thanksgiving is only 20 days away – what will you cook? The New York Times’ Well blog (Tara Parker-Pope on Health) is going to give us new vegetarian recipes every day from now until Thanksgiving. With Orange-Scented Sweet Potato and Fruit Gratin, it seems like they’re off to a pretty good start. And for a very sweet and wise account of getting kids to eat vegetables (for real), check out the “Spread Vegetable Love” story on EatDinner.org. Now if only they’d serve Grace’s “Broccoli with the Flavor” in a Happy Meal, we’d be on to something.
Happy Friday to all.
