Kale and Kids

Can you believe kale is all the rage in Los Angeles?  Others may nosh on Pringles but the LA preschool set is devouring kale chips.  Our first introduction was years ago working for a celeb family whose raw chef magically dehydrated this oft-bitter veggie into pure deliciousness. But it's only recently this leafy green has risen to cult status.  So imagine our surprise while reading a favorite blog, Smitten Kitchen and we see kale chips!  Hooray! Healthy food really is on the nation's brain.  Here is their recipe for kale chips.  We're sure you'll stay at their site awhile and enjoy the recipes and gorgeous photos.  Or try the raw version at Foods for Long Life.

Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution

Have you all been watching this? If you haven't and have a moment you should try. We are huge fans of Mr. Oliver. We have his cookbooks, watch his shows, and have his iphone app. But we think we love him more now.

It is about time someone really spoke to the expansive problem that is the current school food service. It's hard to imagine that some schools feed children nachos (with fake cheese no less) for lunch and call it a meal. And we are all understandably horrified by pizza being served as breakfast. But the larger problem that is exposed by this show is the utter lack of connection children in these schools have with their food. Which in turns means their bodies. How can we expect children to be healthy when they don't even know what a potato is? (Actual scene from last Friday's show. A kindergarten class didn't know one of the vegetables Mr. Oliver showed them and he wasn't trying to get them to identify daikon or chard, just simple stuff like broccoli, cauliflower, tomatoes, eggplant)  And since the adults in their lives are lacking in passion about food how can anyone expect those poor children to care in the least bit about what goes into their little tummies.
So we figure we can help fight the good fight with brave Mr. Oliver. We are going to start our own Campaign for Food Reform! In the coming weeks, we will feature interviews with nutritionists, chefs, and the like to get more information so we can all make more informed choices. We will provide you with more information to help join the cause in your own hometown. We will post our own favorite healthy recipes (some of which are pretty cheap to make!) and ask you to let us know what your favorite healthy recipes are.
What you can all do today is sign Mr. Oliver's Petition to change the food in our schools! And stop on back in the coming weeks for more info!

Roasted Broccoli

This recipe is originally from The Barefoot Contessa, Ina Garten.
It really is so good you'll be going back for seconds and it's so easy anyone can make it.
For a super easy side dish, buy pre- cut broccoli
(that's what we did here) and join in on step 2.
Otherwise, for the purists,
1. Cut up broccoli leaving a good portion of the stem on. Take a vegetable peeler to the stock first for a more tender bite!
2. Place in bowl and drizzle with olive oil (maybe 2 tbsp.). Go easy at first. Sprinkle with salt, garlic powder, and onion powder.
3. Toss and at this point if you need more oil add it. We don't like ours too oily just barely covered.
4. Spread on roasting pan and roast in a preheated 375 degree oven for 10-15 minutes.
 Florets should be crispy but the stalks will still be firm.
 We hope you enjoy!

Cinco De Mayo!

Cinco de Mayo commemorates the victory of the Mexican Militia over the French Army at the Battle of Puebla in 1862. Mexico celebrates it’s independence on September 16, however.
While Cinco de Mayo is generally a regionally celebrated holiday in Mexico, it has become a holiday focused on celebrating Mexican culture within the United States.

Here are a couple of fun recipes for the day!
Enjoy!

Avocados are rich in fiber, folate, vitamin C, K, B6,
and those important brain building Omega 3 fatty acids.
Paired with some of the healthy high fiber tortilla chips on the market- getting wee ones to snack right has never been so easy. Some of the new tortilla chips on the market that are exciting to us are ones paired with flaxseed (another great source of Omega 3’s) and soy by RW Garcia. And Corazona’s makes a gluten free tortilla chip made with Oats!
www.rwgarcia.com
www.corazonas.com
















Chunky Guacamole Recipe
Serves 4-6

Ingredients:
3 large ripe avocados
1 small red onion, finely chopped
2 small tomatoes, finely diced
Juice and zest of 1 lime (lemon will do as a substitute)
1 small garlic clove through garlic press
Handful of chopped fresh cilantro leaves
Sea salt, to taste

Directions:
Scoop flesh of ripe avocados into a large bowl. Add all other ingredients and mash lightly with a fork. Mash just enough to evenly distribute ingredients and break down avocado into chunky portions. If you want good texture, don't mash too much; mash just enough to evenly distribute the ingredients and break down the avocados into chunky portions.

Add an ice cold Lime-ade and you have the makings for a great day!






Limeade Recipe
This is so fun when blended with ice!
4-5 Limes (Roll them around a bit for more juice)
4c. Water
3/4c. - 1c. Sugar depending on your personal sweet to tart ratio.

Combine all ingredients in a pitcher and stir! Or you can toss all ingredients in a blender and away you go!
Enjoy the day!

This cookbook (which has an AMAZING recipe for Corn Sweet Potato Bisque) has one of the richest back-stories one could find.  Among the devastating losses of Hurricane Katrina, families found themselves without their most cherished recipes. Family cookbooks, recipe tins, newspaper clippings, church cookbooks these were all lost in the flooding.
This cookbook strives to combine a region’s most cherished recipes to provide a way to return home.
For anyone who loves food or knows what it feels like to want to go home again!
www.chroniclebooks.com