Bon Appétit, Y’all

The next time you’re sitting in your doctor’s office, waiting for an appointment, don’t be surprised if you see Liz! For the past year, Liz has hosted the “Meal Makeover” TV segment for EverWell, a health and wellness video series now running in physician office waiting rooms nationwide. Last week while shooting a few of the segments in Atlanta – including our recipe for Caesar Salad with Feta and Dill which we talked about in this week’s Cooking with the Moms radio podcast -- Liz had the privilege of working with food stylist, Virginia Willis, author of Bon Appétit, Y’all: Recipes and Stories from Three Generations of Southern Cooking. Since Virginia spent the day making Liz’s food look great for the cameras, we thought we’d return the favor by sharing one of her delicious recipes with y'all.

Corn Spoon Bread
Serves 4 to 6

2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted, plus more for the pan
2 cups whole milk
1 cup very fine yellow cornmeal
Coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper
Scraped kernels from 2 ears fresh sweet corn (about 1 cup)
2 tablespoons chopped fresh chives
2 large eggs, separated

Preheat the oven to 375°F.

Butter an ovenproof casserole or round 2-quart soufflé mold. To prepare the batter, in a medium saucepan, combine the milk and cornmeal over medium-high heat. Bring to a boil, whisking rapidly and constantly, until very, very thick, about 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Transfer the mixture to a large bowl. Add the corn kernels, chives, and the 2 tablespoons melted butter. Season with salt and pepper and stir to combine. Add the egg yolks, one at a time, stirring after each addition. To beat the egg whites, in a separate bowl, using a handheld mixer, beat the egg whites with a pinch of salt on high speed until stiff peaks form. Gently fold the egg whites into the warm cornmeal mixture. Transfer the lightened cornmeal mixture to the prepared pan; smooth the surface with a spatula. Bake until puffed and risen and the inside is firm, but moist, and the top is golden brown, 35 to 40 minutes. Serve immediately while puffed and risen.

Reprinted with permission from Bon Appétit, Y’all: Recipes and Stories from Three Generations of Southern Cooking by Virginia Willis, copyright © 2008. Published by Ten Speed Press.
Photo credit: Ellen Silverman © 2008 http://www.tenspeed.com/

Chocolate + Zucchini = Delicious

When we hear the word, zucchini, we think "healthy," and when we hear the word, chocolate, we think "decadent." Lucky for us two of our favorite ingredients form the perfect partnership in cookies, cakes, cupcakes and quick breads. And apparently we're not the only ones who appreciate the culinary combination between the two; google zucchini + chocolate and you'll get nearly half a million results! If zucchini is growing in your garden or you happen to pick it up at the market, try our kid-friendly + nutritious recipe for Zucchini Squiggle Squares.

Zucchini Squiggle Squares

Makes 18 Squares

1 cup all-purpose flour

1 cup whole wheat flour

1/4 cup ground flaxseed or wheat germ

1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder, sifted

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 large eggs, beaten

3/4 cup sugar

1/2 cup canola oil

1/3 cup 1% lowfat milk

1 packed cup peeled (if desired) and shredded zucchini (from a 7 to 8-ounce zucchini)

1 ripe large banana, mashed (1/2 cup)

1/3 cup mini chocolate chips (or a bit more, if you love chocolate!)

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Lightly oil or coat a 13 x 9-inch baking pan with nonstick cooking spray and set aside.

2. Whisk together the all-purpose flour, whole wheat flour , flaxseed, cocoa powder, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl.

3. In a medium bowl, whisk together the eggs, sugar, canola oil, and milk until well blended. Stir in the zucchini and banana. Add the zucchini mixture to the flour mixture and stir until just moistened. Mix in the chocolate chips.

4. Spoon the batter into the prepared baking pan, using a rubber spatula to spread evenly. Bake about 25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool completely on a wire rack.

Nutrition Information per Serving: 170 calories, 9g fat (1g saturated, 0.9g omega-3), 120mg sodium, 21g carbohydrate, 2g fiber, 4g protein, 10% vitamin C

If you have a favorite zucchini + chocolate recipe you'd like to share, please post it to our blog.

Sweet Potatoes in a Flash

Our love for sweet potatoes is no secret, and we make the Sweet Potato Fries recipe in The Moms' Guide to Meal Makeovers frequently. There are days, however, when the thought of peeling, slicing, and baking those sweet potatoes is just too much, even for the Meal Makeover Moms. Our appetite for convenience recently led us to the supermarket where we cruised down the frozen food aisle in search of the best frozen sweet potato fries.

After a thorough review, we found a terrific and tasty product made with healthy oils, no trans fats, and less sodium than you typically find in a frozen potato product. If you have an opportunity to try McCain Sweet Potato Crinkle Cut Fries -- our "best of the bunch" winner -- be sure to let us know what you think! And while you're at it, to learn more about the nutritional benefits of sweet potatoes and clever ways to get kids to eat them (or other veggies for that matter), listen to the May 28, 2008 "Vegetables Kids Love" edition of Cooking with the Moms, our weekly radio podcast.

Attention all Tofu Lovers

A few weeks back, Liz ran into Kathlene, a mother of two, who asked for advice on giving her recipe for tofu spinach pie a flavorful and kid-friendly makeover. After taking a look, Liz quickly concluded that the recipe was a bit on the bland side and had more spinach than most young kids would be willing to eat. Let’s face it, sometimes recipes can go overboard on the healthy stuff, and while we love veggies, we recognize that too much of a good thing can be overwhelming. Anyway, after some makeover magic, here’s what we came up with.

Vegetable Garden Tofu Pie
Makes 6 Servings

1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
3 cloves garlic, minced
One 5 or 6-ounce bag baby spinach
1 small carrot, peeled and grated (about ½ cup)
1 pound tofu, drained, cut into six slices, and patted dry with paper towels (any kind of tofu -- firm, silken or soft -- is fine)
2 large eggs
1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1 cup preshredded reduced-fat Cheddar cheese

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Lightly oil or coat a 9-inch pie plate with nonstick cooking spray and set aside.
2. Heat the oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add the garlic and cook until golden, 30 seconds to 1 minute. Raise the heat to medium-high, add the spinach and carrot, and cook, stirring frequently, until the spinach wilts and the carrot is tender, about 5 minutes. Place on a cutting board and coarsely chop.
3. Meanwhile, blend the tofu, eggs, Parmesan cheese, salt, and pepper in a food processor until creamy. Transfer to a large bowl and stir in the Cheddar cheese and the cooked veggies.
4. Pour the mixture into the prepared pie plate and cook until golden brown, about 35 minutes.

Nutrition Information per Serving: 170 calories, 10g fat (4g saturated, 0.1g omega-3), 500mg sodium, 7g carbohydrate, 2g fiber, 16g protein, 50% vitamin A, 25% calcium, 15% iron

This weekend, Liz’s son, Simon, and his friend, Aram tried the pie and unanimously agreed it was “awesome.” Though we haven’t even sent the new-and-improved recipe to Kathlene and her family yet, we’ll be sure to report back once we get their reaction.

Snack Food Makeover

Over the past few weeks, we’ve crunched and munched our way through a bunch of new snack food products. The first was the new lineup of 100% natural nibbles from TrueNorth, made by Frito-Lay. TrueNorth snacks start with nutritious nuts including almonds, peanuts, pistachios, pecans or walnuts which are then used to create four varieties – nut clusters, nut crisps, nut crunchies, and whole nuts. We and our kids liked everything we tried, especially the Pecan-Almond-Peanut Clusters (Carolyn's favorite), the Pistachio Crisps and the Toasted Sesame Peanut Crunchies (Simon's favorite). It’s worth noting that all contain 5 grams of protein per serving and mostly heart-healthy mono and polyunsaturated fats.

Another snack line (also from Frito-Lay) that pleasantly surprised us was Pinch of Salt, a low-sodium version of Lay’s potato chips, Tostitos, Ruffles and Fritos. Instead of the usual 180 milligrams of sodium, each has 75 milligrams per serving. To us, they still satisfied our salt craving … but with a lot less sodium. Today, when Liz packed Simon's camp lunch, she gave him a handful of Fritos in a zip-top bag to eat with his sandwich. Janice, who is obsessed with guacamole, served it along with the Pinch of Salt Tostitos at her Fourth of July cookout.

Let us know if you or your kids have recently discovered any better-for-you snack products.

An Extraordinary Kid’s Menu

This past weekend, Liz, Tim, and 9-year-old Simon traveled to Kennebunkport, Maine for a quick getaway. On Saturday, after a morning of bike riding (yes, they rode by George & Barbara Bush’s gargantuan seaside estate) and an afternoon of window shopping, they ate a truly memorable meal at Bandaloop, a restaurant featuring organic and local foods – everything from free-range chickens to field greens. One of the coolest things about Bandaloop was their kid’s menu (which Simon, an adventurous eater, promised to order from after his previous night’s uber-expensive meal of lobster).

Unlike most kid menus devoid of vegetables and loaded with chicken nuggets, hot dogs, and mac & cheese, Bandaloop’s menu was outstanding. Chef W. Scott Lee (who, by the way, has two kids of his own), created a kid’s menu brimming with great nutrition: Homemade-to-order Macaroni and Cheese, a Snack Plate of assorted cheeses, vegetables, fruits, and dip (add tofu or chicken for an extra dollar), Grilled Chicken Plate with broccoli and mashed potatoes, and the Fish of the Day (haddock or salmon) with veggies and rice. Kudos to Chef Lee for essentially serving smaller portions of adult foods (AKA real foods) to kids!

Let us know if you have seen any innovative kid’s menus in your travels.