Parmesan Crisps

Parmesan Crisps are so delicious but seem more like a splurge rather than a staple when at the grocery store. They are usually found near the olive bar or cheese section and have a hefty price tag for what seems like a cracker. They are made from 1 ingredient, cheese, and are a great alternative to packing a wheel of cheese or cheesy crackers in the snack box this summer. Don't just limit yourself to parmesan, try this recipea with any hard cheese!

Parmesan Crisps
-grated parmesan cheese
-pan spray

Lightly spray a pan with pan spray and heat on medium until pan is hot. Measure 1/8 cup of grated cheese and pour in the middle of the pan. Spread the cheese into a circle. Fry for 1 minute and 10 seconds. Flip and fry for an additional 10-12 seconds. If it smells like your Crisp is burning, lower the temperature.
 
 

Did You Know?

I made some hard boiled eggs the other day to snack on at work. When I went to peel one for lunch half of the egg white peeled off too and stuck to the shell. How many times has this happened to you? How annoying!

After some research, I found out that this happens when you hard boil fresh eggs, there is a ton of science behind it (see this link) so we will just leave it at: fresh eggs are not as porous as older eggs. As the egg ages, air is absorbed through the shell which helps to release the egg white from the shell.

So most importantly, here is how to avoid egg whites from sticking to their shell:
-hard boil eggs that are 7-10 days old
-run eggs under cold water immediately after hard boiled
-peel under cold water

Stress Free Dessert... Literally!

Chamomile is often referred to as the most soothing herb because of it's relaxation properties. It's used to help insomnia, anxiety and stress. We thought it would be a great addition to an after-dinner sweet treat to help the family unwind at the end of the day!

Chamomile-Lemon Bread:
• 1 2/3 cups of flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 2 TBL of chamomile (break open tea bags)
• 1 cup sugar
• 1/2 stick or 1/4 cup butter, room temperature
• 1/4 cup applesauce
• 2 eggs
• 2 TBL grated lemon rind
• 1/2 cup of fat free milk

Glaze:
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup of lemon juice

Preheat the oven to 350 F

Spray 1 glass loaf pan with pan spray. In a medium bowl mix together the flour, baking powder, salt and chamomile.

Cream the butter and 1 cup of sugar with an electric mixer until fluffy. Add the applesauce and mix. Beat in the eggs one at a time and mix just until combined. Add the lemon rid and mix.

Pour half of the flour mixture into the batter and mix just until combined. Mix in the milk. Mix in the second half of the flour mixture. Pour into the baking pan and bake for 50-60 minutes. The loaf should be golden and a toothpick will come out clean when inserted into the middle of the bread.

To make glaze: combine the sugar and lemon juice in a small saucepan. Stir over low heat until sugar dissolves and liquid thickens, approximately 5 minutes.
Pour glaze over the hot bread.

Take A Seat

We recently checked in with one of our biggest supporters, Melanie R. Silverman, a Registered Dietitian who specializes in pediatric nutritional care. We asked her what was on her mind these days. Her answer: "meal time" and here is what she had to say about it:

Meal time behavior and manners is probably something you hope your child develops, but let’s be face it, on the big list of what you want for your child, health, happiness and a college education certainly beat good manners at the table.  What if we considered moving the importance of meal time behavior and manners up the list because I am beginning to believe that the health, happiness and college education you want for your child starts at the kitchen table.  Here is how it works…

1) Watch your snacks.  If dinner is at 6:30pm and you gave a few handfuls of cheesy crispy kiddie crackers at 5:00pm to “hold them off”, you are in for it; they are not going to eat and those cheesy crispy kiddie crackers just displaced your dinner.  Spread out your meals and snacks by at least two to three hours so the kids come to the table hungry and do a decent job eating the nutritious food you prepared.

2) Sit together.  Make sure that everyone in the family is seated together at the table. While kid tables are adorable, don’t separate the kids from the adults during meal time.  Gather around the table as a family.  Eat.  Talk.  Laugh.  Meal time should be fun.

3) Correct behavior.  Kids learn by observation.  How will they learn to use a fork, drink from an open cup, cut their food or place a napkin in their laps if you do not show them?  Meal time also gives you an opportunity to spend time with your kids which teaches them how to talk, listen and communicate effectively.

So how do these three tips get your child healthy, happy and into
college?  If your child is coming to the table hungry because you spread the snacking out, the probability goes way up that he or she will actually eat the nutritious food you took time to prepare.   Your child is now healthy!  Research has shown time and time again how valuable the family meal is for children because shared meals can provide a sense of community, love, and support.  Your child is now happy!  Colleges are looking for people with high cognitive abilities that can also relate well to people.  Eating as a family at the table gives your child exposure to both aspects of development.   Your child is going to college!

Pull up a chair to the kitchen table and have your child take a seat. The meals you provide are so much more than just calories.

photo credit: kitchen table from www.thekitchn.com  

Melanie R. Silverman MS, RD, IBCLC is pediatric registered dietitian and lactation consultant in Laguna Beach, California.  You can learn more about her private practice at www.feedingphilosophies.com and what her feeding philosophies are at blog.feedingphilosophies.com

Make Your Own Fry Carton!

When we first introduced Veggie Wedgies at an industry tradeshow, we served samples in mini fry cartons. The cute little cartons made the whole experience so much fun for everyone at the show and will do the same for you and your kids at home.

Here's how to make your own fry carton:

1. Print the fry carton: Click on the image and it will take you to a new tab/window. If on a Mac, hold the "control" key and click on the image. If using a PC, right click on the image. Select "copy image." In Microsoft Word, go to "edit" "paste special" and select "image." 
2. Cut out the fry carton.
3. Score the dashed lines with the back of an exacto knife.
4. Fold along the solid gray lines.
5. Put glue on the dotted sections. Bring the inside of the back flap to meet the folded gluey sections and press to secure. 
6. Holding the carton upright (open side pointing up), press the bottom of the carton upward and the carton will pop open, ready to hold some warm, crispy, baked veggie fries!

A Lemon and Five Senses

We thought it'd be fun to see how a single ingredient can affect each of the five senses; hearing, smell, sight, touch and taste. 

Let's look at the lemon. Here are some ways that we experience lemons, both directly (when we recognize the lemon's presence) and indirectly (when lemons can change the color or flavor of another food in a covert way that doesn't scream "lemon!")

Lemon and Five Senses

Hear

Using a vegetable peeler, remove a wide strip of peel the length of the lemon. Over a lit candle, twist the strip of peel with the yellow side facing the flame. Listen as the oils from the peel crackle and sparkle over the open flame and hear your child squeal with delight as though you just performed a magic trick in the kitchen!

Smell

As you peel and twist strips of lemon rind, it smells lemony, yes, but also piney and herbaceous. Meyer lemons have an especially savory aroma of thyme and spice. 

Here's a neat trick. Should you happen to bring home fish from the market that smells a little bit fishy, using lemon juice will cut the fishiness in two ways. First, it will encourage free (unpleasant) aromas to react with water in the fish and then, second, the acid in the lemon juice will work on a chemical level to keep those fishy aromas tied down to the surface of the fish so you won't have to smell them anymore!

See

Beyond the color of the lemon itself, lemons can dictate the color (or discolor) of many other foods. Squeeze lemon juice on cut pieces of apple and the apple will not brown. Squeeze lemon juice on sauteed asparagus, store the leftovers in the fridge overnight and you'll find that the lemon juice turned your asparagus brown. Make a smoothie with mixed berries and milk and it will be purple, but add lemon juice and watch the color of the smoothie shift from blue-purple to red-purple.

Touch

Here's a great trick for getting the most juice out of a lemon. Roll the lemon on the counter, really using your body weight to apply lots of pressure. Feel the juice pockets bursting inside as you liberate the juice within the lemon.

Taste

Sour and pallet cleansing, yes, but lemons can also enhance the flavor of other foods without making them taste lemony. Like salt, lemon juice is a natural flavor enhancer; adding lemon to nearly any food will intensify the other flavors in that food. Next time you make a dish that seems to be missing that certain 'something' that you just can't identify, try adding a little lemon juice. This tip is most impactful in dishes that are cooked for a long time, like soups and stews. The acidity brings brightness back to a dish where most of the freshness had boiled away.

What are some of your own clever uses for lemons?

Peas of Pie vs The Competition

After such a great response to last week's comparison post, we wanted an encore! 

Lets see how our pizza stacks up against the competition (store bought frozen pizza and fast food pizza).

Imagine us taking a bow.

A Little Help in the Kitchen Goes a Long Way

Having help from everyone in the family transforms cooking dinner from a chore into a bonding experience, memories of which will last a lifetime. Plus, lending a hand in the kitchen is a great way to introduce kids of all ages to new foods; even picky children will want to taste the dishes they help make. Get your kids involved in the kitchen with these age-appropriate kitchen tasks:

5 years and under
pick herbs
stem fresh herbs like thyme and rosemary
scrub potatoes
wipe mushrooms
shuck corn
sprinkle cheese
brush garlic butter onto bread
sort out bruised berries
work the salad spinner
taste everything
make butter (*see “Homemade Butter” below)

6-9 years
all of the above, plus:
measure ingredients
help choose recipes
knead dough
stir continuously
crack eggs
wash fruits and vegetables
thread skewers
whisk vigorously
crank pasta machine
assemble salads
layer lasagnas and casseroles
package up extras
set the table

10-12 years
all of the above, plus:
toast nuts
mash potatoes
grate cheese
begin learning knife skills
make croutons

13-18 years
all of the above, plus:
dice onion
mince garlic
make vinaigrette
wash pots and pans
work toward making the whole family dinner once a week

* Homemade Butter
Here’s a great way to not only keep little ones busy as you cook but also allow them to contribute to dinner in their own way. Fill a jar halfway with heavy cream and screw the lid on tightly. Have your child shake the jar and in less than 15 minutes, you’ll have homemade butter. When a ball of butter forms in the jar, pour off the liquid, add a little salt and contemplate additions to flavor the butter. Minced garlic and/or any minced herb work great, but suggest playful combinations like orange-honey butter (+ orange zest & honey) for cornbread muffins or strawberry butter (+ strawberry jam) for buttermilk biscuits and let your child decide!

Sources: - Dinner at Your Door by Alex Davis, Diana Ellis & Andy Remeis

Go Beyond the Compost with Us!

Here at Peas, we often brainstorm about even more ways to reduce our personal environmental footprint. We ride bikes to work (at least on days when its not raining), recycle and compost, and bring reusable bags to the market, but we know there are countless other ways to further decrease our impact.

We're collecting ideas and starting to see things come together into a holistic movement. Its beyond recycling and compost; it starts before leaving for the grocery store and ends at the dish rack. It's about creative solutions for getting closer to zero waste at home.

We know we're on to something here but need your help in naming it. Thoughts? Ideas?

(Photo from Zero Waste New Zealand Trust)

Fruit Remix on the Original Candy Necklace

We love all things edible here at Peas HQ! This is a fun crafty project you can do with your kids on a rainy afternoon or whenever their friends come over. Here is our healthy version of those edible Sweet Tart necklaces & bracelets. Instead of those sugar rounds why not string snacks you would rather your kids eat?!

Supplies:

* elastic craft string
* plastic craft needle
* stringable foods:

• cheerios
• dried fruits like
• mangoes, cut into 1/2 inch peices
  
• apples, cut into 1/2 inch pieces
• raisins
• cherries
• licorice, cut into 1/2 inch pieces
• mini marshmallows
• popcorn

For the younger kids you may want to make bracelets instead of necklaces for safety reasons.

Start with about an 8 inch length of elastic craft string for a bracelet and 14 inches for a necklace.

Thread one item on the string and double-knot the string to it.

Let your children continue threading the ingredients you have gathered onto the string.

When they've filled it, knot the ends together. Now they have a necklace to wear and a snack to nibble!

For more kids' food crafts, check out this site.

Culinary Adventure for Kids, Part 2

Earlier in 2010, we started a series on kid-friendly recipes with regional flare. (Culinary Adenture for Kids, Part 1) Each recipe in this series will have its own unique inspiration from a different region of the world, but will all have one thing in common: the sweet potato!

Our second installment in this series is inspired by the Caribbean. The first ingredients which come to mind when thinking about the tropics are: orange and pineapple! Try our version of the twice baked-potato with this reci-pea!

Tropical, Twice-Baked Sweet Potatoes
-4 small sweet potatoes, whole, unpeeled (about 1 3/4 lbs)
-1/3 cup golden raisins
-2 Tbs. brown sugar
-1/4 tsp. ground cinnamon
-1/4 tsp. nutmeg -1/4 tsp. salt (optional)
-1 tsp orange zest
-2 Tbs orange juice 8 oz. can unsweetened crushed pineapple, drained
-1/4 cup chopped pecans (optional)

Prick each sweet potato a few times with a fork, then bake them at 400 F until tender, about an hour. Let cool 15 minutes.

Cut each sweet potato in half lengthwise. Carefully scoop out the flesh while keeping the skins intact. Mash sweet potatoes. Stir in raisins, brown sugar, spices, salt (optional), orange zest & juice and pineapple. Mix well.

Spoon the mixture back into the skins. Sprinkle with chopped nuts (if using). Place potatoes in a baking dish (or on a baking sheet) and bake at 400 F until heated through, about 15 minutes. Serve.

More destinations for the sweet potato to come in the months ahead!

When You Look at an Egg, What Comes to Mind?

"Mmm, tasty."

"Egg drop contest!"

"Foams, emulsions... endless culinary possibilities."

"What happens if I don't cook it all the way?"

We want to focus this blog entry on eggs! Here are a few facts (and theories) about eggs that we find noteworthy.

Nutritional Overview of 1 Large Egg:

Calories: 75 (60 calories from the yolk, 15 calories from the white)
Calories from fat: 45 (% Daily Value)
Fat: 5 grams 8%
Cholesterol: 425 mg 70%
Protein: 6 grams 12%
Vitamin A: 8%
Vitamin B12: 25%
Folacin: 13%
Phosphorus: 11%
Iron: 5%
Riboflavin: 19%

Eggs are highly nutritious!

Safety

The main safety concern with chicken eggs is contamination by the bacteria, Salmonella (the same bacteria of concern when cooking the meat of a chicken).

The shell of an egg provides excellent protection against bacteria entering from outside of the egg. As long as the egg shell is intact, the risk of contamination is very low. To minimize the chance even further, commercial eggs are quickly washed with a sanitizing solution right after they are laid.

A study by the USDA (Risk Analysis April 2002 22(2):203-18) showed that of the 69 billion eggs produced annually only 2.3 million are likely contaminated with salmonella, equivalent to just one in every 30,000 eggs. That means that if four people each eat 2 eggs a week over the course of their entire lifetimes, one of those four people would have a single run in with a contaminated egg, and if that egg was cooked properly, no illness would occur. That's a fairly low risk. (Note that this is not the same in other countries where salmonella cases from eggs are a major concern.)

Storage and Handling at Home
The most prudent approach is to refrigerate eggs, use them within two weeks, cook them thoroughly, and to never consume raw eggs. Although eggs can be kept safely in a home fridge for 4-5 weeks, over time the whites become runnier and the yolks flatter. Thus, fresh eggs are much easier to poach and to separate (white from yolk).

Store eggs in their original container in the coldest part of your fridge. Using the molded rack in the refrigerator door exposes eggs to warm air every time the fridge is opened. The carton also protects the eggs from absorbing any strong odors from other items in the fridge. (Their shells are strong but porous. In addition to gaining odors, eggs lose moisture through their shell. Every egg has a small air pocket inside against the large end of the shell. This airspace grows over time as the egg loses water. The air pocket in a very old egg will be so large that it will cause the egg to float in water. Floating eggs should be tossed.)

Storing eggs large-end up (the way they come in the carton) keeps the yolk centered and away from the air pocket at the large end of the egg.

Just like handling raw meat, be sure to clean anything that makes contact with raw eggs (hands, utensils, surfaces) before preparing other foods, especially those that will not be cooked.

Allergies

Allergies to eggs, especially in infants, are not uncommon. Luckily, if exposure is limited, about 50% of kids with allergies to eggs will grow out of their allergy by age 6. Interestingly, allergic reactions to egg whites are more common than reactions to yolks.

Fun Fact

The difference between brown eggs and white eggs is simply the color of the hen's feathers. Hens with white feathers will lay eggs with white shells; hens with reddish-brown feathers will lay brown eggs. There are no differences in taste or nutrition between white and brown eggs.

Sources:

* Wikipedia
* The Wellness Encyclopedia of Food and Nutrition - UC Berkeley

Inspirational Gardens: Edible Landscaping

We love eating fresh and healthy and what better way to do that than to eat locally grown? How about as local as your backyard or even your living room? We love the idea of edible landscaping, planting fruit and vegetable trees and plants in any space where a purely decorative plant would typically be used. Here are a few favorites we've come across:

Living Apple Tree Fence
Kendall Jackson Winery in Sonoma County, CA has a fabulous English garden. Among the highlights is a remarkable fence composed of several dozen living apple trees. The trees were trained/trellised/manipulated so that their trunks grew perfectly straight up and their branches straight out (parellell to the ground) while in a single plane. Now, after at least a decade, this living, breathing fence is a bold and clever statement, amazingly and intriguingly functional, and makes for incredibly easy harvesting. (The apples grow in a tidy row along the straightened branches). What a conversation piece. And talk about sustainable!

(photo from University of Missouri: find directions on how to construct your own apple tree fence on their site: http://extension.missouri.edu/publications/DisplayPub.aspx?P=G6024)

Another memorable part of their garden was the wine sensory-themed gardens. Here, the aromas commonly found in specific wines are grouped together for an interactive wine tasting + garden tour experience. Gardens can be beautiful, and tasty!

(from Kendall Jackson's website: www.kj.com)

Four Cherry Trees in One

A professor of mine in college had a cherry tree in his backyard from the Pomology department (study of fruit trees). This was no ordinary cherry tree; it produced four completely different types of cherries all on one tree. The types of cherries were selected so that one made fruit early in the season, another made fruit late in the season, another type made cherries that were great for making pies and jam, etc. Instead of have an overabundance of one kind of cherry packed into 2 weeks time, his tree yielded various kinds of cherries spread over the course of more than 2 months!

How did the students create this special tree? They used a hundred-year old technique called grafting where a branch of one tree or vine is attached to (and becomes part of) another species of tree or vine. Think of it as an organ donation for plants. Like organ donation in humans, the donor and recipient must have a similar genetic make up for the procedure to be successful; grafting a branch from one cherry tree with another cherry tree would have a higher success rate than grafting a branch of a cherry tree onto a banana tree.

If you have room in your backyard for a single tree, why not plant one that makes not one but many varieties of fruit for you and your family to eat?

The White House Organic Garden

The White House Organic Garden is a prime example of edible landscaping that we love. What hasn't already been said about the fantastic example the First Lady is setting for families across the country.

(photo from the The Baltimore Sun)

Our Brand New Product: A Veggie Pizza That Looks Like Plain Cheese!

Meet Peas of Pie, a cheese pizza made with real carrots, broccoli and cauliflower kneaded right into the dough! See the specks of broccoli?
Although more traditional veggies used on pizza (like mushrooms, canned black olives and onions) are certainly delicious, we chose three of the most nutrient-rich vegetables and hid 1.5 servings of these vegetables inside our pizza crust. And yet, Peas of Pie appears to be just a cheese pizza!

Great for anyone who could stand to eat more veggies, growing kids and adults alike.

Share your thoughts with us the Peas of Mind Facebook page!

Cure a Bruise with Foods!

Being the granola-lovin', tree-huggin' people that we are, here at Peas of Mind HQ, we love to take the holistic route whenever possible.

Next time your child gets a bruise on the playground, try one of these natural home remedies.

Edible Cures for Bruises - Nutrients in Food

• Vitamin C

• function: prevents bruising by supplying oxygen to injured cells and strengthening the walls of blood vessels.
• excellent food sources: citrus fruit, strawberries, tomatoes, broccoli, potatoes, sweet potatoes, cantaloupe and Baked Broccoli Veggie Wedgies.
  

• Vitamin K
• function: important for blood clotting and healing.
  
• excellent food sources: cabbage, cauliflower, alfalfa sprouts, soybeans, spinach and other leafy greens.

• Vitamin E
• function: improves circulation, extends the life of blood cells, acts as an antioxidant
• excellent food sources: wheat germ, nuts, seeds, asparagus, spinach and other leafy greens.
  

External Cures for Bruises - Natural Rubs/Salves

• fresh parsley leaves
• crushed and applied directly, parsley may reduce discoloration in just a few days instead of a whole week.

• cayenne pepper ointment
• mix 1 part cayenne pepper with 5 parts melted Vaseline. Let cool, then apply once a day to aid in circulation and reducing inflammation.
  

• oil of oregano
• blend a bunch of fresh oregano with olive oil (just enough to blend). Apply this oil directly on bruised skin for general healing of a bruise once or twice a day.

Preventative Tips

• Eat lots of fresh, raw foods particularly fruits and leafy green vegetables. These foods are rich in Vitamin C and Vitamin K which help prevent bruising.

• If possible, ice an injury as soon as possible to reduce swelling and later bruising.

• If you choose to use a mild over-the-counter pain-reliever, choose one containing acetaminophen (in Tylenol). Aspirin and Ibuprofen encourage blood thinning which worsens bruises.
  

Sources

• Prescription for Nutritional Healing by Phyllis A. Balch.

• The Wellness Encyclopedia of Food and Nutrition by Sheldon Margen, M.D. (UC Berkeley).

Culinary Adventure for Kids, Part 1

You've asked for kid-friendly recipes with an ethnic flare.

We've accepted the challenge and offer an Iron Chef-like response. This entry is the first in a series of recipes that showcase: SWEET POTATOES. Each recipe in this series will have its own unique inspiration from a different region of the world.

We'll begin our quest with a North African twist on the sweet potato. Familiar flavors of cinnamon and raisins are accented with a hint of ginger. The sweet potato's creamy texture is contrasted by the crunch of toasted walnuts. This new combination of common ingredients may be the dish that inspires your kids to eat more adventurously. This dish is great over rice or couscous.

Moroccan-Style Sweet Potatoes with Cinnamon, Raisins and Walnuts

2 Tablespoons olive oil
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 medium onion, ends trimmed, peeled, halved lengthwise, then sliced thinly (1/8-1/4 in) from pole to pole
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 medium sweet potatoes (about 1 lb), peeled and cut into 1 in cubes
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 cup raisins
1 to 2 teaspoons honey or brown sugar
1/4 walnuts, chopped and toasted

Heat a large non-stick frying pan or skillet over medium heat. Add the oil and cinnamon to the pan. 30 seconds later, add the onion and 1/4 teaspoon of the salt and saute until the onions become translucent, about 5 minutes. Increase the heat to medium-high and add the sweet potatoes.

Saute for 5-7 minutes until the onions and sweet potatoes are golden brown in places. Add 3/4 cup water, the remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt and the rest of the ingredients. Bring to a boil, then turn the heat down to low, cover and let simmer for 6-8 mins until the sweet potatoes are tender and all the liquid has been absorbed. If the sweet potatoes are done but some liquid remains, cook uncovered for a minute or two to reduce. Serve hot with toasted walnuts on top.

Enjoy! More twists on the sweet potato to come.