Food of the Month - Cauliflower

Cauliflower is the ugly duckling of the vegetable world. To some, she is the bland white, knobby thing that ruins the frozen vegetable medley that we all keep stocked in our freezer. Or maybe she’s that horrible side dish that comes boiled and under-seasoned when you have dinner at Aunt Margaret’s house.  But to us, she’s SO much more.  All you have to do is take off her glasses and add a little lip-gloss and POW, she can be your new favorite vegetable. If you can’t already tell, this month we’re celebrating cauliflower, one of our favorite fall/winter vegetables.

First things first, why eat cauliflower? Not only is it totally de-lish, it’s a member of the cruciferous veggie family. Like it’s brothers and sisters (broccoli, brussel sprouts, cabbage and kale), it’s loaded with Vitamin C and K, folate, fiber and B6.  Cauliflower also helps the body naturally detoxify and has a strong anti-inflammatory effect on the body.

Now, how do we glam-ify this nutritionally packed veggie?  Here are our top three favorite way to make cauliflower kid/husband friendly.

When you turn a head of cauliflower into this famous junk food staple; you’ll totally turn heads. Check out our delicious recipea for BBQCauliflower wings. They look and taste just like your favorite finger food but they’re all veggie, have a perfectly crunchy outside and a deliciously “meaty” inside and are totally gluten-free.

When you turn cauliflower into this fancy Italian dish, you’ll leave your family singing, “when the moon hits your eye like a big dish of RISOTTO…that’s amore-eee.”  Simply dice up a half a head of cauliflower (dice into very small, rice like pieces) and add to your favorite risotto recipe. Most recipes call for you cook the onions and garlic then add your veggies (before you add the Arborio rice), this is when you’ll add the cauliflower. You want it to cook down and become creamy like the rice. Use a large pot because this will give you more servings of risotto. Most people won’t even know that you’ve replaced a good amount of the main ingredient with a veggie!

And our final cauliflower recommendation is something you don’t have to make yourself. Our FAVORITE way to eat this nutrient powerhouse is via our delicious AND fat-free cauliflower VEGGIE WEDGIES.  A serving of Peas of Mind’s cauliflower veggie fries contain 2 servings of veggies, are gluten-free, vegan and can be prepared in about 12 minutes.  If you want to spice up a bag of fries, check out our garlic fry recipe and get ready for your little ones to ask for seconds and thirds!

Sloppy Jills!

We all know Sloppy Joe, right? He’s filling, messy, perfectly sweet and tangy and tends to spend lots of time in cafeterias.  But have you heard of his healthy, vegetarian and more sophisticated sister, Sloppy Jill? Probably not…because we just invented her! The Sloppy Jill sandwich is a nutritious, low-fat and more upscale version of the classic meat sandwich we all grew up loving.  Our reinvented version features lentils, which are loaded with protein and easy to digest and of course, hidden veggies!  This one pot meal will leave your family asking for “more SLOPPY JILL’S PEA-LEASE!”

Ingredients:

1 ½ cup green or brown lentils

2 Tbsp olive oil

1 clove of garlic chopped

½ cup chopped onion

½ cup bell pepper

½ cup diced carrot

1/2 cup ketchup

2 Tbsp maple syrup

2 Tbsp chili powder

½ tsp smoked paprika

3 Tbsp tomato paste

1 Tbsp balsamic vinegar

1 Tbsp yellow mustard

½ tsp sea salt

½ tsp black pepper

1 cups water

- The morning you plan on making this meal, leave lentils to soak in a bowl of water.  This will shorten the cooking time of the lentils and make the beans more digestible.

- Rinse and drain soaked lentils and place in a large pot. Fill the pot with enough water to fully submerge the lentils and bring to a boil. Let the lentils simmer for about 20-25 minutes or until fully cooked but still somewhat firm.

- Drain lentils and set aside.

- In the same pot you made the lentils in pour in oil, onions and garlic and let cook for about five minutes over medium heat.

- Add bell pepper and carrot and cook for another 8 minutes.

- Add lentils, ketchup, maple sugar, chili powder, smoked paprika, tomato paste, balsamic vinegar, mustard and water.

- Mix all ingredients together and bring to a simmer for 20 minutes.  If you’d like the filling “sloppier” add a Tbsp of water at a time until you get your desired consistency. Add salt to taste.

- Remove from heat and allow to sit for another 10 minutes to thicken up.  

- Serve with your favorite sandwich bread or roll.

Serves 8

Late Summer Rainbow Noodle Salad

School is officially in session and your weeknights are becoming a whirlwind of carpooling, homework and early bedtimes. But it's still summertime and evening temperatures are still scorching  so when it comes to dinnertime, you'd like to whip up a quick to prepare and refreshing salad. But your family doth protest; they need something much more filling and exciting than a bowl of lettuce - that’s where our Rainbow Noodle Salad comes in.  This month we're making noodle ribbons out of our favorite summer veggies and topping it with protein rich peanut sauce. This gluten-free noodle salad will cool off your family and ensure they eat their daily dose of veggies!

Rainbow Noodle Salad

-2 carrots 

-1 zucchini

-1 yellow squash

-1 cucumber

-1 8oz package of soba noodles

-1 tsp of sesame oil

-1 tbsp of sesame seeds to garnish

Peanut Sauce

-1/2 cup smooth peanut butter

-2 tbsp  soy sauce

-1 inch fresh ginger, minced 

-1 clove garlic, minced

-1 tsp ground coriander

-1 tbsp agave nectar, or sugar

-juice of 1 lime

Follow the cooking instructions on the soba noodle packaging.  Pour

drained noodles into a large bowl and toss with the sesame oil. Next,

peel off the skins of the carrots, zucchini, squash and cucumber.  Once

the veggies are skinless, continue to use the peeler to make vegetable

ribbons by simply peeling the flesh of the vegetables. Add the ribbons

to your bowl of soba noodles and mix.  Put the bowl in the refrigerator

to chill for 25 minutes.

In a small bowl combine, peanut butter, soy sauce, ginger, garlic,

coriander, agave and lime. Mix all the ingredients together until the

peanut sauce is creamy.  If the texture is too thick, add a small amount

of water and mix in until desired consistency.

Pour sauce over noodles and toss well. Sprinkle each serving with

sesame seeds. Serves 4

Get Our Perspective!

Here at Peas of Mind we love figuring out ways to make parent's lives easier and more fulfilling. We make all natural frozen food that's loaded with veggies and quick to prepare so that Moms and Dads don't have to worry about their picky eaters not getting enough veggies. This week Get Our Perspective is back a monthly blog post where we answer your questions about health, nutrition and overall wellness. 

This month Alison from Omaha, Nebraska wrote in and asked, "What are some easy ways to make sure that my children have a healthy summer? I'm doing my best to avoid marathon tv binges and too many trips to the ice-cream shop but what else can I do?"

Thanks for writing in Alison! The good news is the Peas Perspective is loaded with simple ways to make sure that your children stay active, healthy and happy during their summer break. Here is our "best of" list:

1) Bring your little ones into the kitchen.  With all the free time summer break has to offer, encouraging your kids to prepare healthy snacks and meals for themselves (with your help of course) is an easy way to spark interest in food and health that will last a lifetime.  With the right foods, time in the kitchen can feel as fun as craft time!  Here is a list of our best recipeas that encourage kids to play with their food (and then eat it!)
-Sandwich Sushi
-Breakfast Split
-Veggie Wedgies garlic fries
-Natural food coloring to decorate your favorite cookie recipe
-Healthy Fudgesicles
-Bug Juice

2) Stay Hydrated! During the warm summer months when kids are running around outside, it's so important to keep them hydrated with WATER.  If your children turn their noses up to good ol' H2O, check out our list of easy ways to get your little ones to guzzle water.

3) Take extra care of their skin! What's the largest organ in the body? That's right, your SKIN. So during these hot and humid months, your family's skin needs extra care.  Click here to find out three simple ways to take special care of your Epidermis this summer.

4) One of the best things about summer is having the time to devour a page-turning book. Encourage your little ones to fall in love with books this summer by following our post on summer reading.

5) We've said it before and we'll say it again, EAT SEASONALLY! Summertime is far and away the best time for produce; take a field trip to your local farmers market and let your family help pick out your weekly supply of fruits and vegetables.  Our number one produce choice this summer is the sweet and juicy peach, find out why here.

We'd love to feature your question next month! Simply email feedback@peasofmind.com with your question, name and the city you're from and we'll give you our Peas Perspective!

BBQ Cauliflower Wings

This month’s reci-pea we are taking an all American classic and transforming it into a meatless, low-fat, gluten-free dish that packs in the protein as well as servings of veggies.  Time to cut up some carrots, celery and grab your favorite creamy dressing because we’re making BBQ Cauliflower Wings!

In this main course (or side dish) we replace the chicken with cauliflower, the batter with gluten-free chickpea flour and we bake it up instead of deep-frying.  Not only is this reci-pea easy and quick to make, the preparation methods are very kid friendly.  So grab your little ones, apron up and get ready to enjoy a healthy version of this American classic.

Ingredients:

1 head of cauliflower

2 cups garbanzo bean flower (also known as Chickpea flour)

1 1/3 cup water

1/2 tsp salt

1 Tbsp garlic powder 

1 Tbsp onion powder

2 tsp paprika

1 cup of your favorite barbecue sauce

Method:

Pre-heat oven to 425 degrees. Cut cauliflower into large bite sized pieces (about the size of BBQ wings). Combine garbanzo bean flower, water, salt, garlic powder, onion powder and paprika in a large bowl and mix together until smooth (you want it to be the consistency of pancake batter).  Cover a large baking tray with parchment paper.  Dip cauliflower pieces into batter so that it’s fully covered and lay flat on tray.  Bake for 20-25 minutes or until golden brown.  Pull out of the oven and check the texture of the cauliflower piece; it should be crispy, if it’s still gooey put back in the oven for another 5-10 minutes.

Once out of the oven, let cool for 5 minutes then place the cooked cauliflower wings into a large bowl. Pour the BBQ sauce over the wings and mix gently with your hands. Serve with cut up carrots, celery and your favorite creamy dressing! Serves 4.

This Valentine's Day: Green is the New Red

Nothing says “Happy Valentine’s Day” like chocolate and strawberries. But do you know what says both “I love you and happy Valentine’s Day?” Peas of Mind’s Reinvented heart shaped strawberries and chocolate mousse. 

This month’s recipea is fun and quick to prepare, healthy, decadently delicious and totally adorable. Our secret in this recipea is to replace the heavy cream usually used in chocolate mousse with our favorite seasonal fruit: avocados. This Valentine’s Day show your family how much you love them by serving up this classic v-day dessert with a healthy and delicious twist.

Ingredients

2 perfectly rip avocados (we recommend using Haas avocados as they’re extra creamy)

¼ cup agave

2 tablespoons cocoa powder

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

a pinch of salt

16 oz container of Strawberries (cut into hearts)

Method

Combine all ingredients into the blender and blend. You may need to add a bit of water to get the ingredients moving in the blender; if this is the case, only add water a tablespoon at a time so that you don’t add too much. The consistency should be that of a light whipped mousse.  For some extra fun, cut strawberries into heart shapes by cutting the tops off the tops then cutting the strawberry down the middle - length wise and finally cutting a small v-shape into the tops of each strawberry. 

Makes 6 Servings

Food of the Month - Almonds

Peas of Mind declares this month, the month of the ALMOND! Oh sweet Almond, how we love thee, let us count the ways:

1. Almonds are high in monounsaturated fat aka the good fat, which has been proven to reduce the risk of heart disease and lower cholesterol.

2. Almonds are high in protein, vitamin E, potassium and magnesium.

3. Almonds are ALWAYS seasonal. Every season is almond season.

4. Almonds are low glycemic and help maintain blood sugar levels.

5. Almonds are chalked full of protein but low in calories

Almonds are great just as they are, sprinkled in a salad, chopped on your favorite dessert and in the form of milk.  You heard that right, we LOVE home made almond milk! It’s easy, quick, super healthy so tasty! 

Almond Milk Ingredients:

1 cup raw almonds

4 cups of water
1 TBL of vanilla extract or agave

You will also need a blender, bowl strainer and cheesecloth.

Method:

Place almonds in a bowl with 2 cups of water and soak for 2 days in the fridge.

Strain almonds and discard the soaking water. Place soaked almonds in your blender with 2 cups of fresh water. Blend for about 2-4 minutes or until the almond milk has no small almond pieces or chunks.

Place strainer and cheesecloth in a bowl and pour mixture over the cheesecloth. Squeeze the cheesecloth until there is not more liquid.

Depending on your taste, you can drink the almond milk as is or sweeten it with a little agave or vanilla extract. This is the perfect beverage to enjoy with your holiday desserts. Enjoy!

Sugar and Spice Nuts

The holidays are just around the corner!   As this busy time fast approaches, we’re here to give you tips and tricks to make this time of year a little calmer, a little merrier and most importantly a little healthier.  For November’s recipe we decided to reinvent something that screams winter festivities so this month we're making spiced nuts!  This treat can be served for special holiday parties as well as everyday snacks; it's a simple recipea that will make any guest ohh and ahh the moment they enter your house and smell the sweet and spicy aroma.  Packed with protein, low in sugar and containing a medley of warming and detoxifying spices, Peas of Mind’s Sugar and Spice Nuts are a healthy, filling and a delicious crowd pleaser.

Peas of Mind’s reinvented Sugar and Spice Nuts

¼ tsp ground ginger

¼ tsp cinnamon

¼ tsp ground clove

¼ tsp sea salt

½ tsp vanilla extract

3 cups of your favorite nuts (we choose walnuts, almonds and cashews)

1 tbsp melted coconut oil

2 tbsp pure maple syrup

Method

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.

In a small bowl mix together all the dry spices and salt. On a large baking tray combine nuts, drizzle on melted coconut oil, maple syrup vanilla extract and spice blend.  Mix all of the ingredients together. This is a fun job for the little ones as the best way to get everything thoroughly mixed is by hand.  So roll up your sleeves and toss away. Don’t forget to lick your fingers as the mixture is extra tasty. 

Place nuts in the oven for 15-20 minutes; you’ll know they’re finished when they’re golden brown and your house smells of warm sugar, spices and vanilla. Let the nuts cool for about five minutes then serve. 

Makes about 9 servings

Reinvented Fried Rice

Reinventing kid food is what we do best! We take pride in providing busy parents like you the Peas of Mind that comes with feeding your little ones all natural, veggie infused meals that take minutes to prepare.  This month we’re reinventing your family’s favorite take-out dinner: fried rice! 

 As usual we’re shaking things up by packing this dish with whole veggies while slashing the fat.  We’ve even replaced rice with quinoa (pronounced keen-wah), which wows with 7 grams of COMPLETE protein per serving! Not only is this meal quick and easy to prepare, if the quinoa is cooked a head of time, it’s a one pot meal which makes clean up a cinch!

INGREDIENTS:

About 4 cups cooked quinoa, al dente

1/2 onion, small dice

1 large carrot, small dice

4 florets cauliflower, chopped

4 leaves kale (or cabbage or other leafy green), stems removed and shredded

1/2 cup frozen peas

about 1 tsp chopped ginger

1 tablespoon sesame oil

juice of 1 lemon

2 tablespoons tamari or soy sauce, to taste (or substitute salt)

sesame seeds, for garnish 

METHOD

Cook quinoa according to directions. Bring to boil, then turn off heat and let sit covered while you begin stir-fry. It should be fully cooked but not soft or mushy.

Heat sesame oil over high heat. Add onion, carrot, cauliflower and ginger. Stir-fry about five minutes, until onion are translucent and cauliflower begins to turn golden brown. Add kale and cooked quinoa and stir-fry for two minutes to combine. Add frozen peas, lemon juice and tamari and stir to combine. Cover to steam about three to four minutes over low heat. Once peas are defrosted and bright green, taste for seasoning. Serve in bowls and garnish with sesame seeds (which are this month's food of the MONTH, find out why here).

Makes 4 servings

This recipea is not only packed with veggies and protein, it is unbelievably quick to make. In the time that you would call a take out restaurant and pick up the food, this reinvented fried rice will be ready to eat. So throw out those take out menus and breath a sigh of relief knowing that your kiddos are being nourished with this month's Recipea!

Garden Grown Nuggets

Did you hear the good news?  Peas of Mind is now offering a NEW product! We have added Garden Grown Nuggets to our delicious and nutritious line of frozen food for kids.  Here at Peas of Mind, we reinvent the classics! We take those unhealthy dishes kids love and make a nutritious version the whole family will enjoy. 

This time last year we thought to ourselves: what are we missing in our line of frozen snacks and meals for kids? We have our Peas of Pie pizza which is loaded with veggies (that are unseen to the veggie-phobic eye.)  We turned nutrient rich vegetables (like carrots, broccoli and cauliflower) into guilt-free French fries. And we have even infused fresh baked pull-a-part bread with a full dose of veggies.  What classic kid food are we missing?  

Then it hit us like a ton of broccoli florets: NUGGETS!  I’m sure you can attest that your kids LOVE nuggets and we have realized that those darn things just aren’t going away.  So we started the process of reinventing this fried, saturated fat-filled chicken nugget by turning it into a garden-grown nugget that both moms AND kids will love.

We spent hours in the test kitchens whipping up different versions of our all-natural nugget until we had a version that truly gave us Peas of Mind.  This perfectly peas-full nugget is loaded with broccoli, carrots, tofu and brown rice, making it both vegetarian and gluten-free.  We then decided to give our customers more choices and came up with three flavors: Original, BBQ (which are both VEGAN) and Cheesy!  One serving of our Garden Grown Nuggets is:

• packed with vitamins and minerals
• has less sodium then the leading brands
• contains one FULL serving of veggies 
• includes 7 grams of complete protein 
• gluten free
• lower in fat than the leading brands

So get ready to devour the first gluten-free and vegan nugget! They will be on shelves of Super Target in May, in Sprouts Farmers Market in June and on their way to a shelf near you soon! (Find them in the freezer section)

Peas of Mind's complete product line

Chick of the sea sandwich sushi!

Here at Peas of Mind, our mission is to get kids to eat their veggies.  We always say that we reinvent the classics! We take those unhealthy dishes kids love to eat, like pizza and fries, and infuse them with veggies for a nutritious meal the entire family will enjoy. Studies show that kids are more likely to eat foods that they had a hand in making; so instead of the regular ole sandwich format, we’re making Sandwich Sushi for the lunchbox. Not only is this a healthy reci-pea but a fun project your kids will enjoy preparing with you!

We reinvented the classic tuna fish sandwich using chickpeas instead of tuna. Did you know that chickpeas have almost as much calcium as a glass of milk plus loads of fiber and protein? So grab your kids, a rolling pin and enjoy some quality kitchen time together making chick of the sea sandwich sushi!

Ingredients:

-2-3 slices of whole wheat bread

-1 ½ cups of drained chickpeas

-1 small apple, diced

-½ medium onion, diced

-1 celery stalk, diced

-3 kosher dill spears, diced

-6 sheets of seaweed, torn up into small pieces

-1/4 cup reduced fat mayonnaise

-Squeeze of lemon

Pour chickpeas into a food processor and pulse until lightly ground.  Add mayonnaise, a squeeze of lemon and seaweed and pulse a few more times until the texture resembles tuna. Spoon mixture into a mixing bowl and add remaining ingredients, stirring until thoroughly mixed.

Cut the crust off the sandwich bread and flatten each slice with a rolling pin. Top with filling. Cut into 1” slices and eat like sushi!

Other sushi sandwich options:

For breakfast: top flattened bread with bananas and peanut butter.

For a snack: top flattened bread with hummus, avocado and julienned veggies.

Valentine's Day Reci-pea

Valentine’s day is a day overflowing with love, hearts, flowers, all things pink and CANDY, CANDY, CANDY! So on a day when candy, chocolate and cookies are supposed to be consumed for every meal how do you make sure that your family is eating healthy but still enjoying the holiday? Simple, you make this month’s reci-pea: St. Valentine’s Vegan Cornbread Muffins!  These sweet treats can be consumed as a healthy dessert or a yummy breakfast because they are low in fat and contain applesauce instead of butter and eggs.  We’ve also added beets, which not only turns the muffins a festive shade of pink, they add vitamin A and C.  Vitamin A is important for healthy bone development and vitamin C helps the body heal. Have a happy and healthy Valentine’s Day and enjoy!

St Valentine’s Vegan Cornbread Muffins:

• ½ cup white cornmeal

• ½ cup whole-wheat pastry flour

• ½ teaspoon baking soda

• ½ teaspoon salt

• ¼ cup applesauce

• 2 medium beets (should be about ¼ cup when puréed)

• ½ cup soymilk or other milk of your choice

• ¼ cup agave nectar

• 2 tablespoons canola oil

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.

Cut and wash beets (do not peel). Place beets in a pot and cover them with water.  Boil over medium heat for 20 minutes or until beets pierce easily with a fork.

Once the beets are cool enough to handle, gently rub the skins with your fingers until the skin peels off.

Roughly chop beets and place them in a food processor.  Add enough water to pulse into a smooth puree.  Continue to pulse until beets are very smooth.  I opted for the easier option of buying precooked and peeled beets from Trader Joes (this speeds up the recipe quite a bit).

Lightly grease a muffin tin with pan spray.

Combine white cornmeal, wheat flour, baking soda and salt in a large bowl; stir in the beet purée and applesauce, soymilk and agave.

Pour mixture into a muffin tin.

Bake for about 15 minutes. (To make sure they are fully cooked check by inserting a toothpick to see if it comes out clean). 

Makes 6 Muffins.

Veggie Wedgies By Peas of Mind!

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