52 New Foods: Week 11, Whole Wheat Banana Pancakes

Posted by Jennifer Lee on March 21, 2012 6 Comments

Health up your hot cakes! Banana pancakes get a whole lot healthier with the addition of whole-wheat flour. Thanks to Jamie Oliver, they’re deliciously tasty too!

Brunch. Like Ramona Quimby, the sound of the word makes me smile. The perfect combination of half breakfast and half lunch, it’s my most favorite meal. Brunch brings together family, friends, delicious comfort foods, and great conversation. Banana pancakes are a must on my brunch menu, but could I make them healthier?   

Feature Recipe: Whole Wheat Banana Pancakes from Jamie Oliver

Turned up noses are typical when I introduce whole-wheat versions of our favorite dishes. But the simple blend of flours in Jamie Oliver’s All-American Pancakes, combined with bananas and walnuts, made this recipe a brunch time winner at our house. Here’s how I made them.

Whole Wheat Banana Pancakes

Ingredients:

½ cup whole wheat flour
½ cup unbleached all-purpose flour
1 ½ tsp baking powder
¼ tsp salt
1 cup fat-free milk
1 egg, beaten
1 TBSP butter
1 banana, sliced
1 handful of walnuts (optional)

Directions:

1)   Whisk flours, baking powder, and salt together in a bowl.

2)   Add the milk, egg, and butter. Stir until just blended (a few lumps are okay).

3)   Heat a non-stick griddle or large frying pan. Lightly grease with butter.

4)   Pour ¼ cup of batter onto the griddle for each pancake. Place a few slices of banana on each pancake as it is cooking.

5)   Cook until large bubbles begin to appear. Flip and cook until golden brown on the second side.

6)   Serve immediately with warm maple syrup, a sprinkle of walnuts, and seasonal fresh fruit.

Crunch a Color Kids Vote: Pass the pancakes, please!

What we liked: This recipe is easy, tasty and the perfect weekend brunch companion. Let your kids play with the flour blend and toppings to find the right mix for your family.    

What is your favorite brunch recipe? Share your comments.

Next up: Asparagus

A perennial springtime favorite, bushels of asparagus are crowding the tables at our local farmers’ markets. Next week, a simple recipe that will make these splendid green spears a welcome addition to your family table.

Craving more new recipes to try? Catch up on last week’s recipe: Gluten-Free Fruit and Berry Crisp.

About the author: Jennifer Tyler Lee is a mom of two children and the creator of Crunch a Color™ -- the award-winning game that makes healthy eating fun. Like most parents, she struggled to get her kids to eat healthy, balanced meals, so she decided to make it into a healthy eating game and she’s giving back to support non-profit children’s nutrition programs including Jamie Oliver’s Food Revolution and FoodCorps. Watch her picky eaters tell the story of how they turned into healthy eaters playing the game. Follow @crunchacolor on Facebook and Twitter to tune into Crunch a Color's healthy eating adventure and Jennifer’s tips and kid-friendly, easy recipes.

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52 New Foods: Week 10, Gluten-Free Fruit and Berry Crisp

Posted by Jennifer Lee on March 14, 2012 0 Comments

Can gluten-free be tasty? Oh yes! This delectable gluten-free fruit and berry crisp will have your kids licking the bowl and screaming for seconds!

The recent popularity of gluten-free recipes is hard to ignore. At every turn, I seem to find a new gluten-free product – gluten-free pastas, gluten-free pizza dough, gluten-free bakeries, even gluten-free options on our school lunch menu. But my first meeting with these gluten-free goodies was less than stellar. I certainly wasn’t going back for more! Without a driving dietary need to be gluten-free why would I make the switch?

Then I met Amy, The Family Chef. She’s taken on gluten-free with gusto and created a tasty lineup of simple to cook recipes that make it hard to tell the difference. I found my kids singing, “Beat’s me – is it really gluten-free?”

Feature Recipe: Gluten-Free Fruit and Berry Crisp from The Family Chef

Bubbling over with peaches and blueberries and topped with a deliciously crunchy cinnamon oat topping, it was hard to wait for dessert to try our recipe of the week: Gluten-Free Fruit and Berry Crisp from The Family Chef. It was delicious and nearly impossible to tell that it was gluten-free. Here’s how we made our version:

Topping:
1/2 cup gluten-free flour mix*
1/3 cup gluten-free oats*
1/3 cup sugar
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon
6 Tbsp melted butter
*You can use regular oats and flour if you’re not making the gluten-free version.

Filling:
2 cups sliced peaches*
2 cups blueberries*
½ cup sugar
2 Tbsp cornstarch
*You can use whatever fruit you’ve got in your kitchen. We used frozen peaches and blueberries.

Directions:

1)   Preheat the oven to 375°.

2)   Lightly grease a deep pie dish.

3)   Make the topping and set aside.

4)   Mix the fruit, sugar and flour. Transfer to the pie dish and cover evenly with the topping.

5)   Bake about 25 minutes, or until the top is well browned and the fruit is bubbling.

6)   Serve with or without vanilla ice cream. Enjoy!
 
Crunch a Color Kids Vote: Can we make another?

What we liked: This recipe is beautifully flexible. You can make it gluten-free or not – either way it’s a colorful, tasty treat. You can use whatever fresh or frozen fruits you have in your fridge. You can dial up or down on the sugar and butter to suit your needs. The recipe is easy enough for your kids to make and it’s tasty enough for the whole family to enjoy. Bonus points all around!   

Do you have a favorite gluten-free recipe? Share ‘em!

Next up: Whole Wheat Pancakes

Who doesn’t love pancakes? The ultimate comfort food, pancakes are a regular on our weekend menu. Is there a healthier version of these hot cakes? Join us next week when we test-drive Jamie Oliver’s Whole Wheat Pancakes. Who’s coming to our house for breakfast?

Craving more new recipes to try? Catch up on last week’s recipe: Wild Salmon with Basil Aioli and Quinoa.

About the author: Jennifer Tyler Lee is a mom of two children and the creator of Crunch a Color™ -- the award-winning game that makes healthy eating fun. Like most parents, she struggled to get her kids to eat healthy, balanced meals, so she decided to make it into a healthy eating game and she’s giving back to support Jamie Oliver’s Food Revolution, FoodCorps, and Alice Water’s Edible Schoolyard. Watch her picky eaters tell the story of how they turned into healthy eaters playing the game. Follow @crunchacolor on Facebook or Twitter to tune into Crunch a Color's healthy eating adventure and Jennifer’s tips and kid-friendly, easy recipes.

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52 New Foods: Week 9, Wild Salmon with Quinoa

Posted by Jennifer Lee on March 07, 2012 2 Comments

A pot of gold at the end of the rainbow! This jewel of a recipe for quinoa with wild salmon is simple and delicious. A tasty treasure for busy families.  

With St. Patrick’s Day on the sunny California horizon, our conversations have turned to leprechauns and lucky charms (the whole food kind!). My kids are fascinated by stories of finding a pot of gold at the end of a rainbow. Where does that rainbow end? It could be our kitchen table! Hailed as the “gold of the Incas”, quinoa has been treasured for generations as a power grain. If my kids will try it, this easy quinoa recipe may prove to be a treasured jewel in our weekly dinner lineup.

Feature Recipe: Wild Salmon with Basil Aioli and Quinoa from Family Fresh Cooking

Easy quinoa recipes are in abundant supply with the resurgence of this ancient South American grain. The trick is how to pick one that won’t result in a tasteless mountain of mush. Thanks to Marla Meridith, we’re in good hands! Cruising Marla’s site is a joyful adventure for your eyes and tummy. Her tasty recipes are beautifully presented and make it easy for amateur chefs (like me) to make designer dinners, effortlessly.

I used Marla’s recipe for Wild Salmon with Basil Aioli and Quinoa as my starting point. It’s a little early in the season to grill, so I opted to bake the salmon and it was equally tasty.

Ingredients:

1 cup quinoa
16 ounces wild salmon
2 cups water or chicken broth
1 Tbsp olive oil
Paprika
Garlic salt
Pepper
Marla’s Basil Aioli

Directions:

For the quinoa

1)   Rinse the quinoa in cold water.

2)   Place in a medium saucepan with 2 cups water (or broth). Bring to a boil.

3)   Reduce to a simmer, cover.

4)   Cook about 20 minutes.

*Tip: For more flavor, sauté the quinoa in a splash of olive oil until lightly toasted, then add to your saucepan.

For the salmon (modified for baking from Marla’s original recipe)

1)   Heat oven to 350°

2)   Wash the salmon and pat dry.

3)   Brush with olive oil. Sprinkle with paprika, garlic salt and pepper.

4)   Bake for 15-20 minutes in a lightly greased heatproof dish.

Divide the quinoa between four dishes. Place a piece of salmon over each bed of quinoa. Drizzle with basil aioli. Enjoy!

Crunch a Color Kids Vote: Jackpot! 

What we liked: I used rainbow quinoa instead of black quinoa for our recipe, thinking it would be easier for my kids to try. They were hesitant at first, but I encouraged them to try this new kind of “mini pasta” as a way to earn their bonus points. Sautéing the quinoa in a splash of olive oil, and adding chicken broth instead of water, definitely helped create a more flavorful dish. Serve the basil aioli on the side so the kids can have fun drizzling!   

Do you have a favorite, easy quinoa recipe? Share your comments!

Next up: Gluten Free Fruit and Berry Crisp

Can gluten free be tasty? According to Amy The Family Chef, the answer is yes! Next week we’ll take her Gluten Free Fruit and Berry Crisp for a test drive. Loaded with peaches and blueberries and topped with a tasty cinnamon oat crunch, it may be tough to wait for dessert!

Craving more new recipes to try? Catch up on last week’s recipe: Cinnamon Beef Noodle Soup.

About the author: Jennifer Tyler Lee is a mom of two children and the creator of Crunch a Color™ -- the award-winning game that makes healthy eating fun. Like most parents, she struggled to get her kids to eat healthy, balanced meals, so she decided to make it into a healthy eating game and she’s giving back to support Jamie Oliver’s Food Revolution, FoodCorps, and Alice Water’s Edible Schoolyard. Watch her picky eaters tell the story of how they turned into healthy eaters playing the game. Follow @crunchacolor and #52NewFoods to tune into Crunch a Color's healthy eating adventure and Jennifer’s tips and kid-friendly, easy recipes.

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