Secret Veggie Cheese Crackers!

Homemade Cheddar Crackers!

When you’re on the go and trying to keep kids fed and occupied while running errands, waiting in line, or in a high chair, one of the go-to’s for moms everywhere are cheesey crackers. They might be shaped like fish, rabbits, or little squares, and boy do they do the trick! Downside is they aren’t cheap, and they often have loads of sodium, oil, preservatives, and dyes.

Well we decided to create our own and in classic Peas of Mind fashion, we added veggies! Just a little pumpkin puree we had on hand (though you could use carrot or sweet potato) gives the crackers an extra boost of vitamins that we can feel good about.

We created an easy, quick, cheddar cracker recipe with just a few whole ingredients. Instead of oil we used real butter; we shredded some sharp cheddar cheese and we used whole-wheat flour. The dough freezes beautifully, or you can cut them into your desired shapes and freeze them on a baking sheet. Once the little shapes are frozen, simple bag them up and they’re all ready to bake whenever you want them!

Equipment : Food processor, oven at 350^o F

Ingredients :

2.5 cups whole-wheat flour

1 cup pumpkin puree

8 oz grated cheddar cheese

4 tbsp unsalted butter

1 tsp salt

Add all ingredients to the food processor and pulse until it forms a dough. Chill the dough in a plastic wrapped disc for 1 hour. Roll out the dough as thin as possible (less than 1/8^th inch thick) between two lightly floured pieces of parchment. Take the top parchment off and leave the bottom parchment in place. Cut the dough into a grid using the tip of a pairing knife (to look like the classic cheese-it). Place the piece of parchment with your cut shapes on a sheet tray and put into the freezer for 5-7 minutes (this makes the crackers a breeze to simply flip over onto a fresh sheet of parchment). Line a sheet pan with parchment and flip dough onto the tray. Bake at 350^o F degrees for 10 minutes, then watch closely as they go from perfect to…well done and remove from the oven when slightly browned. Let cool to crisp up! Keep in the fridge for up to 7 days.

November's Recipea: Butternut Squash Quesadillas

Here at Peas of Mind, we make it our mission to practice stealth health.  Our number one priority is that your kiddos eat their daily dose of veggies...BUT we want them to also be passionate about food.  That’s why we make fries out of broccoli, pizza with hidden veggies in the crust and nuggets that contain a whole serving of vegetables!  This month we’re practicing stealth health by taking a universally kid loved classic and secretly adding in our favorite fall vegetable.  For November’s recipea we’re making butternut squash quesadillas! This quick and easy to prepare dinner is packed with protein, potassium, vitamin A, vitamin C and calcium and will leave your little ones asking for seconds and thirds!

Butternut Squash Quesadillas:

• 1 small-medium butternut squash peeled and cubed into small squares (if this seems too daunting, many grocery stores now carry pre-cut butternut squash both fresh and frozen varieties)
• 2 Tbsp olive oil
• ¼ cup water
• 1 medium yellow onion, diced
• ½ cup of grated cheddar cheese
• 1 tsp chili powder
• ½ tsp smoked paprika
• 1 tsp salt
• 8 small flour tortilla
• 1.5 Tbsp butter (use about 1 tsp to fry each quesadilla)
• ¼ cup chopped cilantro (optional)

Heat olive oil in a large skillet on medium-high.  Add onions and cook until translucent and almost caramelized.  Add butternut squash and sauté until somewhat golden. Add water, cover and let cook for about ten minutes on medium-low.  Uncover butternut squash (the butternut squash should be tender and fully cooked, if not, cook for another 5 minutes). Add salt, chili powder and smoked paprika.  Mash up butternut squash cubes until you get a lumpy mashed potato like quality. Place filling in a large bowl and set aside.  Clean skillet and also set aside.

Lay out 8 tortillas and start building quesadillas.  Add a thick layer of butternut squash filling, a light sprinkle of cheese (just enough to ensure that everything sticks together) and a small sprinkling of cilantro (optional) to one tortilla and use another tortilla to top (as you would a sandwich).  After you’ve built 4 quesadillas, melt 1 tsp of butter on medium-high heat in a skillet and brown each side of the quesadilla (this should take about 3-5 minutes on each side).  Cut quesadilla into triangles and serve with a light sprinkling of cilantro and salsa.

Low-fat Potato Salad Bites

The count down to the 4^th of July has begun.  Here at Peas of Mind, our favorite 4^th of July activity is eating. Yes, we love swimming, hanging with friends, lounging on the beach and watching fireworks as much as anyone, but it’s sharing our veggie infused dishes with our friends and family that really makes us the happiest.  To celebrate this wonderful holiday, we’ve decided to take a 4^th of July classic and reinvent it into something healthy, yummy and dare we say, elegant! We’re taking the picnic fav, Potato salad and turning it into a low-fat and totally delicious appetizer. 

Peas of Mind’s, potato salad bites contain all the flavor that you expect with potato salad without all of the added fat, sugar and salt.  As a substitute for mayonnaise, we’ve made a white bean aioli that not only contains NO mayonnaise; it’s low-fat and full of protein.  Wow your friends and family this Fourth with these taste bud pleasing and stealthily healthy apps!

Peas of Mind Potato Salad Bites

3 large Red Potatoes 

1/3 cup diced onion

¼ cup celery

1 cup white beans

1.5 TBS lemon juice

1 TBS of water

2 TBS of safflower oil

1 small can of sliced olives

2 TBS of finely chopped parsley

3 Cornischon (extra small pickles) quartered lengthwise

Bring three cups of water to a boil. Slice potatoes about half an inch thick (see photo for reference). When water is in a rapid boil add salt and drop in potatoes slices. Continue to boil for 8-10 or until potatoes feel firm but tender.  Gently strain potatoes and place in the refrigerator (most likely, a few will break but they should be firm enough that most do not).

Place white beans, lemon juice, salt and water in a blender and blend until completely smooth.  Continue blending while adding the oil. Blend for another minute after oil is added.  When you’re finished the texture should be that of mayonnaise.

Place 12 large and intact potato slices on a platter.  Top each slice with about one tablespoon of the white bean aioli.  Garnish every slice with a quarter of a conischon, olive slice and sprinkle with parsley.