I think it is hilarious that we use all the fall vegetables as an excuse to make desert. I mean, I follow other blogs who are making pumpkin chili and butternut squash risotto, and they sound delicious, they really do... but only (dedicated) bloggers are that motivated. All the rest of us are like "I'll make 8 batches of pumpkin cookies and eat them all because they are practically a health food..."
Because, you know, 1 cup of pumpkin between 3 dozen cookies makes them healthy...
Well, we can't make cookies for no reason because we are all trying to eat healthier, and if we make cookies, then we will eat them (maybe all of them in one night, but who's counting?).
Oh, but if there is a pumpkin on the counter... now we can not only make one batch of cookies, but we can make 3 more and freeze them for later! (If it's a big pumpkin we can also make pumpkin cupcakes, pumpkin coffee cake and a pumpkin spice white Russian...)
Actually, for me, all cookies are really just a chocolate chip delivery device. Eating them out of the bag is just so... so... so much like my mother! But I can't complain, I am also passing along the love of chocolate chips to my kiddos... my nearly three year old will "help me" make cookies by eating the chocolate chips out of the dough. That's why I have to add an extra cup of chocolate chips... I swear!
Note from the author: if some one was going to make cookies for say, a party, and decided to put pumpkin in them, now that would actually be more like a hidden vegetable, and everyone would be healthier for it. What I am describing in this blog is actually the opposite.
Here is the recipe adapted from two peas & their pod:
Ingredients:
3 cups whole wheat flour
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon ginger
1/2 teaspoon cloves
1 cup butter, room temp
1 cup brown sugar
3/4 cup maple syrup, room temp
1 large egg, room temp
2 teaspoons vanilla
1 cup pumpkin puree, room temp
2 cups chocolate chips
Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 and line baking sheet with parchment paper. (I do my large one and freeze the dough balls, so they are ready for future baking, and my small one for baking 6 or so right then. Best thing I have ever done... regarding cookies, anyway!)
Whisk flour, salt, baking soda, baking powder, and spices. Set aside.
Cream butter and sugar. Add egg, vanilla, pumpkin, and maple syrup. (If it's cold, it wont mix together well, but no worries, it all works out in the end!)
Stir in flour mixture until just combined.
Stir in chocolate chips.
Bake for 10 mins, cool on baking sheet for a few minutes.
The research team actually likes these better the next day, but they don't usually last that long!
Happy Pumpkin season!
Friday, November 1, 2013
Thursday, October 10, 2013
Zucchini Chocolate Chip Cookies
Zucchini!
We got a few of those HUGE zucchini's from one of my research team's coworkers... you know, the size that puts my biggest cutting board to shame? I have made a bunch of zucchini bread, and also these cookies!
I made the dough and then froze it in balls, so we just pull 6 (or 12) out of the freezer and bake them when we want! It's great!
I got the recipe from Karen over at Kitchen Treaty. I changed some of the ingredients, as I usually do, so I will post what I did and if you are curious, you can check out her blog.
So the zucchini is not visually hidden, see the final result:
But you can't taste it at all. They are so good! We eat way too many... in fact, I am way too full from dinner, but now looking at the picture, I want to go bake some!
Ingredients:
We got a few of those HUGE zucchini's from one of my research team's coworkers... you know, the size that puts my biggest cutting board to shame? I have made a bunch of zucchini bread, and also these cookies!
I made the dough and then froze it in balls, so we just pull 6 (or 12) out of the freezer and bake them when we want! It's great!
I got the recipe from Karen over at Kitchen Treaty. I changed some of the ingredients, as I usually do, so I will post what I did and if you are curious, you can check out her blog.
So the zucchini is not visually hidden, see the final result:
But you can't taste it at all. They are so good! We eat way too many... in fact, I am way too full from dinner, but now looking at the picture, I want to go bake some!
Ingredients:
1 cup unsalted butter, softened
1 cup brown sugar
2 eggs
1 cup maple syrup
2 teaspoons vanilla
4 cups whole wheat flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon salt
2 cups grated zucchini
1½ cups semi-sweet chocolate chips
Directions:
Heat oven to 375 degrees.
Beat together the butter and brown sugar until fluffy. Add eggs one at a time until incorporated, mix in the vanilla, then mix in the maple syrup.
In a medium bowl, mix together flour, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt.
Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients until ingredients are just combined.
Add the zucchini and chocolate chips and mix just until incorporated.
Scoop the cookies in approximately 2-tablespoon increments onto cookie sheet.
Bake for 10 – 12 minutes, until the cookies seem set and light golden brown around the edges. (Frozen dough cooks for closer to 20 minutes.)
Enjoy!
Friday, August 23, 2013
Kale chips
I love kale chips.
Or maybe I just love salt. But either way, we sure eat all the kale when I make these! (I have also made them with collard greens, and they were just as good.)
So I followed Karen's recipe from her blog Kitchen Treaty, and I totally agree with everything she said about kale chips. (If you are going to make these, just go to her site and follow her directions, she has a bunch of great pictures too!)
So here's how it goes:
Directions:
Wash the and dry the leaves really well.
Cut the middle out (the rib?) and cut them into 2 inch pieces. This is important. They are so crispy that they need to be bite sized or they just fall apart when you bite into them. (Why yes, I am so lazy that I made big pieces and learned this the hard way. The dog also ate a lot of kale that night!)
Toss with olive oil.
Lay kale in single layer on parchment paper covered cookie sheet(s).
Sprinkle with salt.
Bake for 8-12 minutes, or until just crispy looking. They burn quickly, so watch closely!
Remove from oven, sprinkle with more salt and we also love ours with nutritional yeast.
Devour before next batch is done.
That is my only complaint about these... I can't make them fast enough!
Here are some pictures:
Kale chips with frozen pizza. Because that's how we roll. (Actually, I didn't have enough time to make dinner, but I sure had time to make kale chips!! Bwahahaha.... see? These things are like crack!)
Crack that I serve to my children...
Or maybe I just love salt. But either way, we sure eat all the kale when I make these! (I have also made them with collard greens, and they were just as good.)
So I followed Karen's recipe from her blog Kitchen Treaty, and I totally agree with everything she said about kale chips. (If you are going to make these, just go to her site and follow her directions, she has a bunch of great pictures too!)
So here's how it goes:
Directions:
Wash the and dry the leaves really well.
Cut the middle out (the rib?) and cut them into 2 inch pieces. This is important. They are so crispy that they need to be bite sized or they just fall apart when you bite into them. (Why yes, I am so lazy that I made big pieces and learned this the hard way. The dog also ate a lot of kale that night!)
Toss with olive oil.
Lay kale in single layer on parchment paper covered cookie sheet(s).
Sprinkle with salt.
Bake for 8-12 minutes, or until just crispy looking. They burn quickly, so watch closely!
Remove from oven, sprinkle with more salt and we also love ours with nutritional yeast.
Devour before next batch is done.
That is my only complaint about these... I can't make them fast enough!
Here are some pictures:
Kale chips with frozen pizza. Because that's how we roll. (Actually, I didn't have enough time to make dinner, but I sure had time to make kale chips!! Bwahahaha.... see? These things are like crack!)
Crack that I serve to my children...
The Verdict:
"Hello. I am the research team, and I am an addict."
I guess being addicted to leafy greens isn't the worst possible thing... ;)
Friday, June 28, 2013
Homemade Pasta
No, no, I haven't made vegetable pasta, but hmmm, maybe I will try!
First things first. I need to become a master of regular non-vegetable infused pasta making!
I made pasta! In the past I would have been way too intimated to try something like this, buuuuut...
I've been hooked on a cooking competition show, MasterChef, and have been inspired by the chefs and the food they make on the show. (Turns out, I am a reality TV junkie. It's pathetic how much I look forward to the next episode of the Bachelorette, and don't get me started on the number of times I have rewatched auditions on So You Think You Can Dance, or the number of dinners we have eaten which were inspired by MasterChef... and those are only the current reality shows...)
One episode, they made pasta. So... guess what we had for dinner... homemade pasta!
(Unfortunately though, tonight we did not have lime meringue pie for dinner... )
I am still so amazed that the pasta was not only edible, but pretty tasty, and shockingly not that hard to make.
I didn't take nearly enough pictures of the process, but here is the link to the blog I followed. She posted lots of pictures!
Ingredients:
Flour (I used whole wheat, and it worked!)
Eggs
2 eggs per cup of flour (this would serve two)
Directions:
Make well in flour.
Crack eggs in well.
Mix by hand with one hand until all combined.
Turn out onto floured surface.
Knead until smooth and no longer tacky.
Roll out as thin as you possibly can.
Slice into thin noodles.... bwhahahah, good luck with that! (when I figure out a secret time-saving trick, I will let you know!)
Add noodles to salted boiling water.
Cook for 2 minutes.
Eat!
Here is a picture:
I served these with a garlic-olive-oil-tomato-green-onion "sauce." Because those were the ingredients we had!
Also, how good am I....
C's first noodles? Homemade. Because I am that good. (Or maybe because I watch too much reality TV?)
After kneading the dough into a ball I sliced it in half and saved the other half for the next night, when we had ravioli!
See?!
This is a spinach and ricotta filling with green onions, salt, pepper, nutmeg, oh, and an egg. Delicious!
(ps. I think that close up picture might be the best picture I've taken for the blog! I am not a great picture-taker, that's for sure. Where's the photography reality TV show when I need it?!)
The judges may have sent me home for this meal (because I used whole wheat maybe, and the presentation is not even close, also, the vegetables are not seasoned at all... actually they are barely cooked... our two year old likes them better frozen... well, yes, I think they would have thrown me out of the kitchen!), but for our little family, it was just fine!
First things first. I need to become a master of regular non-vegetable infused pasta making!
I made pasta! In the past I would have been way too intimated to try something like this, buuuuut...
I've been hooked on a cooking competition show, MasterChef, and have been inspired by the chefs and the food they make on the show. (Turns out, I am a reality TV junkie. It's pathetic how much I look forward to the next episode of the Bachelorette, and don't get me started on the number of times I have rewatched auditions on So You Think You Can Dance, or the number of dinners we have eaten which were inspired by MasterChef... and those are only the current reality shows...)
One episode, they made pasta. So... guess what we had for dinner... homemade pasta!
(Unfortunately though, tonight we did not have lime meringue pie for dinner... )
I am still so amazed that the pasta was not only edible, but pretty tasty, and shockingly not that hard to make.
I didn't take nearly enough pictures of the process, but here is the link to the blog I followed. She posted lots of pictures!
Ingredients:
Flour (I used whole wheat, and it worked!)
Eggs
2 eggs per cup of flour (this would serve two)
Directions:
Make well in flour.
Crack eggs in well.
Mix by hand with one hand until all combined.
Turn out onto floured surface.
Knead until smooth and no longer tacky.
Roll out as thin as you possibly can.
Slice into thin noodles.... bwhahahah, good luck with that! (when I figure out a secret time-saving trick, I will let you know!)
Add noodles to salted boiling water.
Cook for 2 minutes.
Eat!
Here is a picture:
I served these with a garlic-olive-oil-tomato-green-onion "sauce." Because those were the ingredients we had!
Also, how good am I....
C's first noodles? Homemade. Because I am that good. (Or maybe because I watch too much reality TV?)
After kneading the dough into a ball I sliced it in half and saved the other half for the next night, when we had ravioli!
See?!
This is a spinach and ricotta filling with green onions, salt, pepper, nutmeg, oh, and an egg. Delicious!
(ps. I think that close up picture might be the best picture I've taken for the blog! I am not a great picture-taker, that's for sure. Where's the photography reality TV show when I need it?!)
The judges may have sent me home for this meal (because I used whole wheat maybe, and the presentation is not even close, also, the vegetables are not seasoned at all... actually they are barely cooked... our two year old likes them better frozen... well, yes, I think they would have thrown me out of the kitchen!), but for our little family, it was just fine!
Monday, May 27, 2013
My Birthday Cupcakes
Note from the author (in the voice of the Glee narrorator): Here's what you missed on The Hidden Vegetable... red velvet cake was promised, but the first attempt was a disaster of epic proportions, and a second attempt has not yet been made... the author was shocked to discover that her favorite cupcakes haven't yet been posted... and one more year has come and gone. And that's what you missed on The Hidden Vegetable.
Happy Birthday to me!
Happy Birthday to me!
These are my most favorite cupcakes. Not because they are good for me, not because they have a hidden vegetable, but because they are simply the BEST CUPCAKES EVER!
I apologize for the yelling. In those caps, I am Dash from Disney/Pixar's the Incredibles, when he says "BEST DAY EVERRRR!" and proceeds to spin around and fall down in happiness. Because Dash, I know how you feel buddy, I know how you feel.
These are Ina Garten's pumpkin cupcakes.
I have never made her maple frosting. It looks delicious, I am just partial to chocolate frosting. Specifically, my chocolate frosting. My secret-recipe-best-ever-can-be-eaten-with-a-spoon chocolate frosting. (Otherwise known as the one bowl chocolate frosting from the unsweetened baking chocolate package... here is the link.)
Cupcake Ingredients
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon plus a little extra!
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger plus a little extra!
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg plus a little extra!
2 extra-large eggs, at room temperature
1 cup canned pumpkin purée (8 ounces), not pie filling plus a little extra!
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup light brown sugar, lightly packed
1/2 cup vegetable oil I use walnut oil
Directions
Preheat oven to 350, line 12 muffin cups with liners (note: she says 10, but I have always made 12, maybe it's my extra spices...).
It's the usual, combine dry ingredients, combine wet ingredients, mix both together just until moist. Spoon into cups, bake 20-25 minutes.
Frosting Ingredients
4 oz. BAKER'S Unsweetened Chocolate
1 pkg.
(16 oz.) powdered sugar
1/2 cup butter, softened
2 tsp. vanilla (oops, I only used one...)
1/3 cup milk
1/2 cup butter, softened
2 tsp. vanilla (oops, I only used one...)
1/3 cup milk
Sunday, April 14, 2013
Beets
Beets!
They have been staring at me recently at the grocery store... whispering... "I'd be so beautiful as a puree..." and "look at how dark and pretty I am..." and "you know you want me..."
But the mom in me is whispering back... "oh but it'll take so long..." and "I have a headache..."
I have been thinking lately about making food fun colors, and beets are perfect for that. They were on sale, so I gave in to the seductive whispering, and bought some.
Fun colors aren't exactly hidden veggies... well, okay, they are not at all hidden veggies, but they are a fun and different way to incorporate more veggies, so we'll count it! Plus the whole point of this vegetable blog is really to eat more and different veggies, and we are doing just that.
So, I chopped them, boiled them (saved that beautiful water), pureed them, and you know what? They were right. They might not be the most humble vegetable, but look how beautiful the color is:
I went right to work, and within minutes I had thin beet puree, thick beet puree, beet juice, beet popsicles, and plans for lots of pink food. Liiiiiike, pink mashed potatoes! (I swear this is not play-doh!)
We had these for dinner tonight. They are just regular 'ole mashed potatoes with enough beet puree to barely taste it if you thought about it really hard. The research team loved them!
The verdict:
"These mashed potatoes can't be beet!"
My research team thinks we should name these potatoes "hard to beet potatoes" but I like "play-doh 'tatoes," what do you guys think?
Here is a picture of the beet juice, which is made from the water the beets were boiled in. I added a little maple syrup to sweeten it, and also a little lemon juice. In the plastic cup on the left is the beet juice, and my research team added orange juice to his, it's on the right.
The juice is okay. I know this is going to come as a shock but.... it tastes like beets. :) I'm going to give it a couple days and see if it grows on me or if I can tweak it. My two year old drank all of his, so that wasn't an issue! Now I know what to give him when he requests juice! Bwaaahahahah, now that's hidden veggies!
ps. Do you see red velvet cake in the future? I do!
They have been staring at me recently at the grocery store... whispering... "I'd be so beautiful as a puree..." and "look at how dark and pretty I am..." and "you know you want me..."
But the mom in me is whispering back... "oh but it'll take so long..." and "I have a headache..."
I have been thinking lately about making food fun colors, and beets are perfect for that. They were on sale, so I gave in to the seductive whispering, and bought some.
Fun colors aren't exactly hidden veggies... well, okay, they are not at all hidden veggies, but they are a fun and different way to incorporate more veggies, so we'll count it! Plus the whole point of this vegetable blog is really to eat more and different veggies, and we are doing just that.
So, I chopped them, boiled them (saved that beautiful water), pureed them, and you know what? They were right. They might not be the most humble vegetable, but look how beautiful the color is:
I went right to work, and within minutes I had thin beet puree, thick beet puree, beet juice, beet popsicles, and plans for lots of pink food. Liiiiiike, pink mashed potatoes! (I swear this is not play-doh!)
We had these for dinner tonight. They are just regular 'ole mashed potatoes with enough beet puree to barely taste it if you thought about it really hard. The research team loved them!
The verdict:
"These mashed potatoes can't be beet!"
My research team thinks we should name these potatoes "hard to beet potatoes" but I like "play-doh 'tatoes," what do you guys think?
Here is a picture of the beet juice, which is made from the water the beets were boiled in. I added a little maple syrup to sweeten it, and also a little lemon juice. In the plastic cup on the left is the beet juice, and my research team added orange juice to his, it's on the right.
The juice is okay. I know this is going to come as a shock but.... it tastes like beets. :) I'm going to give it a couple days and see if it grows on me or if I can tweak it. My two year old drank all of his, so that wasn't an issue! Now I know what to give him when he requests juice! Bwaaahahahah, now that's hidden veggies!
ps. Do you see red velvet cake in the future? I do!
Wednesday, March 6, 2013
Chocolate Truffle Pie
After my last disaster with not at all hidden avocados, a friend of mine recommended a recipe for Chocolate truffle pie, made with avocados. I am a sucker for desserts with hidden veggies (well, really I am just a sucker for desserts, and the hidden veggies mean I can have two slices right?), so I figured I'd try the whole hidden-avocados-in-chocolate-thing again.
Here is the link from Free Coconut Recipes, if you want to check it out.
This recipe is great for a lot of different reasons. Healthy fat. No white sugar. No dairy. No gluten if you wish. Hidden veggies. (I know what you are thinking. There is no way it is going to be any good. I know the feeling, I am skeptical of any dessert that doesn't contain large amounts of butter. What? I learned it from Paula Dean.)
Here we go.
Ingredients:
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup honey
1/2 cup cocoa (1/3-1/2 cup cocoa (to taste))
1/8 teaspoon salt (1/8 -1/4 teaspoon salt (to taste))
1/2 cup expeller pressed coconut oil
2 avocados
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
One 8" graham, crumb, or nut crust
The Verdict(s):
First...
"Mmmm... this is really smooth."
Then...
"But something is weird. It's not the right kind of sweet."
Next was...
"The second bite is better than the first."
And finally...
"This is good, once you get your expectations straightened out."
It is good. I'd really like to try it out on some poor unsuspecting soul... my research team is suspicious of everything I make. (Gee, I wonder why?!? :))
It's rich and smooth, it's texture is not like a chocolate cream pie, but more like... well, a truffle!
My research team says he can taste the avocado. I'm not sure if we just think we can taste it because we know it is in there, or if we can actually taste it. I do think it tastes more like avocado if it warms up a little bit, so I'd advise to keep it refrigerated until eating.
I will definitely be making this pie again. I'd like to try it with peanut butter also. Maybe peanut butter instead of the coconut oil? I'll let you know how it goes!
UPDATE
I substituted peanut butter for the coconut oil and here is the new verdict:
"I can't taste the avocado, even when I try!"
It was chocolate-peanut butter deliciousness, but it was a little soft, so next time I might add a little coconut oil back in to see if I can firm it up a little bit. Look for update number 2!
Here is the link from Free Coconut Recipes, if you want to check it out.
This recipe is great for a lot of different reasons. Healthy fat. No white sugar. No dairy. No gluten if you wish. Hidden veggies. (I know what you are thinking. There is no way it is going to be any good. I know the feeling, I am skeptical of any dessert that doesn't contain large amounts of butter. What? I learned it from Paula Dean.)
Here we go.
Ingredients:
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup honey
1/2 cup cocoa (1/3-1/2 cup cocoa (to taste))
1/8 teaspoon salt (1/8 -1/4 teaspoon salt (to taste))
1/2 cup expeller pressed coconut oil
2 avocados
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
One 8" graham, crumb, or nut crust
Directions:
Bring water and honey to a boil; add cocoa and salt. Stir until smooth. Pour into a blender. Add the
avocado pulp, coconut oil and vanilla. Blend until smooth.
Pour into the pie crust. Chill in the refrigerator 4 hours or until firm.
This recipe was super easy to make, oh also, I used a store-bought graham cracker crust, so that helped.
I tasted the filling as I was pouring it into the crust, and I could taste the avocado, but I wasn't concerned. It is not uncommon to taste the hidden veggie in the batter of other desserts.
Here are pics of the finished product.
This recipe was super easy to make, oh also, I used a store-bought graham cracker crust, so that helped.
I tasted the filling as I was pouring it into the crust, and I could taste the avocado, but I wasn't concerned. It is not uncommon to taste the hidden veggie in the batter of other desserts.
Here are pics of the finished product.
The Verdict(s):
First...
"Mmmm... this is really smooth."
Then...
"But something is weird. It's not the right kind of sweet."
Next was...
"The second bite is better than the first."
And finally...
"This is good, once you get your expectations straightened out."
It is good. I'd really like to try it out on some poor unsuspecting soul... my research team is suspicious of everything I make. (Gee, I wonder why?!? :))
It's rich and smooth, it's texture is not like a chocolate cream pie, but more like... well, a truffle!
My research team says he can taste the avocado. I'm not sure if we just think we can taste it because we know it is in there, or if we can actually taste it. I do think it tastes more like avocado if it warms up a little bit, so I'd advise to keep it refrigerated until eating.
I will definitely be making this pie again. I'd like to try it with peanut butter also. Maybe peanut butter instead of the coconut oil? I'll let you know how it goes!
UPDATE
I substituted peanut butter for the coconut oil and here is the new verdict:
"I can't taste the avocado, even when I try!"
It was chocolate-peanut butter deliciousness, but it was a little soft, so next time I might add a little coconut oil back in to see if I can firm it up a little bit. Look for update number 2!
Tuesday, February 5, 2013
Choco-cado Mousse
So excited, I got my new Parenting magazine this week! I know I know, I'm old school, but I just love getting fun stuff in the mail. And I like Parenting because it has ideas about 'how to tame your toddler' and 'dress like the stars.' (Since that is the most important parenting subject... I didn't realize parents or kids had to get dressed? Unless of course we go to the fancy grocery store.)
Anyway, I found an article with many different (kid friendly) uses of avocado. Hmmm, that is right up my alley. And then I came across "Choco-cado mousse." WHaaaaaaa??? I like avocados, but avocados that taste like chocolate? Sounds even better. Sounds like a perfect hidden vegetable. Sounds like "Hey kids, here, dip your pretzels in this chocolate dip!" Sounds like "I found a chocolate spread for my graham crackers!" Sounds like "I think I'll have chocolate mousse for snack!"
I got right to work.
Here are the instructions from the article:
Combine:
1 avocado
1 tsp cocoa powder
1/2 tsp agave nectar (or honey for kids 12 months and up)
1/4 cup skim milk
Puree until smooth.
Here we go:
Ummm?:
This does not look like mousse (and anyone who has kids knows exactly what it does look like!). It does not taste like chocolate. It tastes like avocado. In fact, in a blind test I think I may have believed it was just pureed avocado. Which is not a problem, except it is supposed to taste like chocolate mousse.
We ate it anyway, as a dip:
But it leaves me to wonder... do they test their recipes? What is the purpose of adding chocolate and honey if you can't taste it at all? Was there a typo? Was my avocado twice as big as theirs?
Well, not to worry, I tried again. I added an additional tablespoon cocoa powder, an additional tablespoon of honey, plus a splash of vanilla.
Well it looks better, but still has a very strong avocado after-taste. In a separate bowl I put about half of the avocado mixture and dumped chocolate and honey on it until it was way to much, and that bowl was very sweet and chocolatey, but somehow also still avocado.
Here is what I think: avocado and chocolate just don't go together. The flavors just don't suit each other. In all the amounts that I tried, it just isn't something I would want to eat by the spoonful. My 2 year old did though, so that's something. But he is also a kid who can be bribed with pureed peas, so he might not be the best example.
The Verdict:
"It's edible."
My research team felt that this was a waste of good avocados, and after doing the experiment, I have to say that I agree.
Guacamole, we're baaaack!
Anyway, I found an article with many different (kid friendly) uses of avocado. Hmmm, that is right up my alley. And then I came across "Choco-cado mousse." WHaaaaaaa??? I like avocados, but avocados that taste like chocolate? Sounds even better. Sounds like a perfect hidden vegetable. Sounds like "Hey kids, here, dip your pretzels in this chocolate dip!" Sounds like "I found a chocolate spread for my graham crackers!" Sounds like "I think I'll have chocolate mousse for snack!"
I got right to work.
Here are the instructions from the article:
Combine:
1 avocado
1 tsp cocoa powder
1/2 tsp agave nectar (or honey for kids 12 months and up)
1/4 cup skim milk
Puree until smooth.
Here we go:
Ummm?:
This does not look like mousse (and anyone who has kids knows exactly what it does look like!). It does not taste like chocolate. It tastes like avocado. In fact, in a blind test I think I may have believed it was just pureed avocado. Which is not a problem, except it is supposed to taste like chocolate mousse.
We ate it anyway, as a dip:
But it leaves me to wonder... do they test their recipes? What is the purpose of adding chocolate and honey if you can't taste it at all? Was there a typo? Was my avocado twice as big as theirs?
Well, not to worry, I tried again. I added an additional tablespoon cocoa powder, an additional tablespoon of honey, plus a splash of vanilla.
Well it looks better, but still has a very strong avocado after-taste. In a separate bowl I put about half of the avocado mixture and dumped chocolate and honey on it until it was way to much, and that bowl was very sweet and chocolatey, but somehow also still avocado.
Here is what I think: avocado and chocolate just don't go together. The flavors just don't suit each other. In all the amounts that I tried, it just isn't something I would want to eat by the spoonful. My 2 year old did though, so that's something. But he is also a kid who can be bribed with pureed peas, so he might not be the best example.
The Verdict:
"It's edible."
My research team felt that this was a waste of good avocados, and after doing the experiment, I have to say that I agree.
Guacamole, we're baaaack!
Thursday, January 10, 2013
G-Ma's winter salad
I have never been able to reproduce my mothers cooking. Never. Not her delicious biscuits, not her best in the world chocolate chip cookies, not her famous green chili...
To be fair, it's not her fault. She can't follow a recipe for the life of her, and I know this. (Hmm, sound familiar?) Let me tell you a little story about the time I found out why I cannot replicate her cooking...
Once upon a time, in a not so far away land, 3 months ago (wow, has it already been three months?) my mother came to visit after the birth of our baby girl. She made her best-ever-my-most-favorite-chocolate-chip cookies whilst she was here. I'm helping her (trying to figure out what I am doing wrong), and as I start to measure the baking soda I hear from behind me..."Oh, I always add a little less..." and so it went with the next ingredient, and the next, measuring, mixing, sigh. She is giving me the recipe she follows, only SHE'S NOT FOLLOWING THE RECIPE! Well, now I know. I will never be able to replicate her amazingness, because she doesn't measure anything, and she is magical.
Fast forward about 3 months and we visited my parents over the Holidays. My mom has been making this "winter salad" that she and my dad love, and as it turns out, my research team could not get enough of the stuff! One night the after dinner conversation went like this...
Dad: "Anyone want some ice cream?"
Me: "Yes please!"
Research Team: "Can I have more salad?"
No, seriously. And he wasn't joking.
Fast forward two more weeks to today, and guess what.
No, guess. I think you might get it!
Fine, I'll tell you.
I REPLICATED MY MOM'S WINTER SALAD!!! No, I really did. It turned out just like hers. I am so happy, maybe, just maybe, I am a little magical too. (Or, with this particular salad, the ingredients are so good that the measurements don't really matter... or I'm magical too, either one.)
Note: I realize that the vegetables in a salad aren't hidden, but I figure, the goal is to eat more veggies, and my research team is definitely doing that!
Ingredients:
The must haves:
Green cabbage
Green onions
Blue cheese
Extra virgin olive oil (my mom says it has to be the good one... but I can't remember which one that is!)
Balsamic vinegar
Black pepper
Also choose one or more of the following:
Red peppers (my mom's favorite)
I used strawberries
Any other fruit or veggie or dried fruit or nuts
Directions:
Chop half of a cabbage head. Put in large bowl. Save the other half for tomorrow's salad. Chop green onions, add to bowl, chop strawberries, add to bowl. Add EVOO to salad, "enough to cover everything" yes, that is a direct quote from mom. Add balsamic vinegar to taste, sprinkle with blue cheese and pepper, stir. Eat. Enjoy.
OH! I almost forgot, here are some pictures:
I am swelling with pride, just looking at the pictures. :)
I know, you are rolling your eyes... thinking, 'it's just a salad, it's just... salad!'
Yes, it is just a salad, but it also might be the beginning of something magical! (Maybe I should try to make her cookies while I'm on a roll... Nah, I don't want to ruin it.)
To be fair, it's not her fault. She can't follow a recipe for the life of her, and I know this. (Hmm, sound familiar?) Let me tell you a little story about the time I found out why I cannot replicate her cooking...
Once upon a time, in a not so far away land, 3 months ago (wow, has it already been three months?) my mother came to visit after the birth of our baby girl. She made her best-ever-my-most-favorite-chocolate-chip cookies whilst she was here. I'm helping her (trying to figure out what I am doing wrong), and as I start to measure the baking soda I hear from behind me..."Oh, I always add a little less..." and so it went with the next ingredient, and the next, measuring, mixing, sigh. She is giving me the recipe she follows, only SHE'S NOT FOLLOWING THE RECIPE! Well, now I know. I will never be able to replicate her amazingness, because she doesn't measure anything, and she is magical.
Fast forward about 3 months and we visited my parents over the Holidays. My mom has been making this "winter salad" that she and my dad love, and as it turns out, my research team could not get enough of the stuff! One night the after dinner conversation went like this...
Dad: "Anyone want some ice cream?"
Me: "Yes please!"
Research Team: "Can I have more salad?"
No, seriously. And he wasn't joking.
Fast forward two more weeks to today, and guess what.
No, guess. I think you might get it!
Fine, I'll tell you.
I REPLICATED MY MOM'S WINTER SALAD!!! No, I really did. It turned out just like hers. I am so happy, maybe, just maybe, I am a little magical too. (Or, with this particular salad, the ingredients are so good that the measurements don't really matter... or I'm magical too, either one.)
Note: I realize that the vegetables in a salad aren't hidden, but I figure, the goal is to eat more veggies, and my research team is definitely doing that!
Ingredients:
The must haves:
Green cabbage
Green onions
Blue cheese
Extra virgin olive oil (my mom says it has to be the good one... but I can't remember which one that is!)
Balsamic vinegar
Black pepper
Also choose one or more of the following:
Red peppers (my mom's favorite)
I used strawberries
Any other fruit or veggie or dried fruit or nuts
Directions:
Chop half of a cabbage head. Put in large bowl. Save the other half for tomorrow's salad. Chop green onions, add to bowl, chop strawberries, add to bowl. Add EVOO to salad, "enough to cover everything" yes, that is a direct quote from mom. Add balsamic vinegar to taste, sprinkle with blue cheese and pepper, stir. Eat. Enjoy.
OH! I almost forgot, here are some pictures:
I am swelling with pride, just looking at the pictures. :)
I know, you are rolling your eyes... thinking, 'it's just a salad, it's just... salad!'
Yes, it is just a salad, but it also might be the beginning of something magical! (Maybe I should try to make her cookies while I'm on a roll... Nah, I don't want to ruin it.)
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