Indian Dinner Date!

I turned to the local library to find some inspiration for dinner date this week, and the first cookbooks my hand landed on were for Indian food! The very first time I tried Indian, I got terrible food poisoning. So it's been a cuisine that's taken me a while to love to learn, needless to say.

I thought this dinner turned out well, but the girls had little interest in eating it. Lately, dinner dates have been working against us, and the girls are having trouble transitioning from playtime to dinner time. Abby had a little fish and some rice, but ignored the vegetables (that whole Month of Veggies thing didn't really do its job!). I think Neko ate pretty well, but I wasn't paying much attention (too distracted by trying to get Abby to stay seated at the table!). Lizzy devoured her plate of food and ate half of Abby's fish, as well!

Fish Baked in Tomato Sauce with Coconut Vegetables

Fish Baked in Tomato Sauce

4-6 Tilapia filets
14 oz can diced tomatoes
8 oz plain non-fat yogurt
12 oz water
4 cloves garlic
1 Tbsp ground coriander
1 Tbsp ground cumin
1 tsp turmeric
1 tsp paprika
1/4 tsp ground ginger
salt & pepper

In a large pot, combine the tomatoes, yogurt, water, and all spices (with salt & pepper to taste). Bring to a boil and simmer for about 30 minutes, or until the sauce has reduced by almost half. Puree the sauce (either in a blender or with an immersion blender).

Preheat oven to 400F. Lay Tilapia filets in a 9x13 baking pan. Pour the sauce over the filets and bake until fish is cooked through and flaky (I was using frozen filets, and it was about 35-40 minutes baking time).

Coconut Vegetables
(This dish is like baby steps towards getting your child to like spicy curries!)

6 cups chopped mixed vegetables (we used sweet peppers, zucchini, carrots, and onion)
2 Tbsp olive oil
2 cloves garlic
1 13.5 oz can light coconut milk
1/2 tsp curry powder (add more depending on your child's heat tolerance)

Heat the olive oil and garlic over medium heat. Add the vegetables and cook for 1-2 minutes. Add the coconut milk and curry powder. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 20-30 minutes, until veggies are tender.

Saffron Yogurt

This "dessert" was a complete fail with the big girls, though Lizzy devoured hers. Celeste and I really liked it, so maybe this is more of an adult treat! The cardamom and saffron flavors were intense and different. Celeste thought it should be sweeter, so I will give the amounts I used - but sweeten it to taste!

1 1/2 cups plain non-fat yogurt
1/4 tsp saffron threads
1/2 Tbsp milk, warmed
2 Tbsp agave nectar or honey (no honey for kids under one!)
1/8 tsp ground cardamom

Line a fine mesh strainer with a coffee filter and set it up over a cup. Put the yogurt in the filter; let drain in the refrigerator for a few hours, until a lot of the water has come out and the yogurt is firmer. One of those gold coffee filter things works well for this, as you can see!:

Soak the saffron threads in the warm milk while the yogurt is straining. When the yogurt is ready, simply stir together the yogurt, saffron-milk mixture, agave or honey, and cardamom. Sweeten as desired. This is a great make-ahead snack, as the flavors are even more intense with time!

MEGA Omega Fish Nuggets

MEGA Omega Fish Nuggets

(makes 5 servings)

I've been really inspired lately to make foods that are nutrient dense...like, insanely nutrient dense. Jen's Smoothie is a very good example of this and is part of what is inspiring me. My other big source of inspiration is a book that Kara gave me called 101 Foods That Could Save Your Life by David Grotto. Its an A-Z book that lists 101 of the best foods for good health. While reading it I came up with the idea of making a nugget that contained 5 sources of either omega-3, 6 and 9 fatty acids. Here is a good article about why these fats are good for you and your family.

Ingredients
1 can (14oz) wild caught salmon (omega-3!)
1/2 tin (3.75oz) sardines packed in olive oil, drained (omega-3!)
1 Tbsp olive oil reserved from sardines (omega-9!)
1 egg (omega-6)
3 Tbsp. mayonnaise
2 Tbsp. flax meal (omega-3!)
1/2 c. seasoned or unseasoned bread crumbs (I used seasoned)
8-10 chives, minced (or cut into very small pieces using kitchen shears)
1 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice
1 Tbsp. lemon zest
1/2 Tsp. Old Bay seasoning
1/4 tsp. fresh ground pepper
Olive oil spray

1. Remove the skin and bones from the salmon.
2. In a medium bowl mash the salmon and sardines to a smooth consistency.
3. Add the remaining ingredients and stir until well combined and mixture is of a smooth and even consistency.
4. Spray a mini-muffin pan with olive oil spray. Fill with fish mixture.
5. Bake in a 375 degree oven for 15 minutes.
6. Remove from oven, cool and serve with fresh lemon and tarter sauce!
I also froze a bunch to reheat for future lunches/dinners. To do this I arranged the nuggets on a freezer safe dish lined with wax paper and froze for 1 hour. Then I divided the nuggets into individual serving containers and put back into the freezer.

Fish and Chips Dinner Date

This time of year I always find it refreshing to have a meal that isn't 'holiday' food. I figured the girls would appreciate it too...and they did! Start to finish, this was a winner with our toddler taste testers!

Fish Nuggets with Salt and Vinegar Potatoes and Apple Slaw


(Serves 4)

Fish Nuggets

1 pound fish fillets, I used tilapia and I have to say, this is the best use for tilapia that I have found
2 c. Kashi 7 Grain Flakes Cereal (or something similar), crushed (can do in food processor...I put the cereal in a ziploc bag and used a meat tenderizer to crush it)
1/4 c. almonds, chopped
1 Tbsp. parsley, chopped
1/4 c. whole wheat flour
2 egg whites
3 Tbsp. lemon juice
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. ground ginger
1 tsp. pepper

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
2. In a shallow dish combine the cereal, almonds and parsley.
3. Put flour in a second shallow dish.
4. In a third dish, combine the egg whites, lemon juice, salt, ginger and pepper.
5. Cut fish into nugget sized chunks.
6. Dredge fish through the flour and shake off the excess.
7. Dip in egg mixture and then coat with cereal mixture.
8. Put a cookie sheet sized cooling rack on top of a cookie sheet.
9. Arrange nuggets in a single layer on rack.
10. Bake about 15 minutes (or until fattest piece flakes when tested with a fork).

Salt and Vinegar Potatoes

2 large russet potatoes
salt
vinegar
olive oil

1. Wash and peel potatoes and cut into large chunks
2. Put potatoes in medium saucepan and cover with cold water
3. Bring water to a boil and cook for 10 minutes (just long enough to par boil not completely cook)
4. Remove from heat and drain
5. Cut larger chunks into small bite sized chunks
6. Put enough oil in a large saute pan to cover the bottom. Heat on medium-high heat.
7. Add the potatoes and fry until cooked through and golden brown.
8. In a medium sized mixing bowl toss the potatoes with salt and vinegar to taste. I didn't specify an amount of vinegar because some (toddlers) will like just a touch and others (adults) will like much more.
9. Serve with ketchup.

Apple Slaw

1/2 package broccoli slaw
1 apple, shredded (I used a Fuji)
2 Tbsp. plain yogurt
1 tsp. honey
2 tsp. cider vinegar
salt to taste

1. Combine the broccoli slaw and shredded apple in a bowl.
2. Combine the rest of the ingredients in a separate, small bowl to make the dressing
3. Pour the dressing over the slaw/apple mixture and toss to coat. Serve!

Lemon Pudding

(serves 4)

3/4 c. agave nectar (or sugar)
1/4 c. corn starch
2c. milk
1.2 c. buttermilk
3 egg yolks, beaten lightly
zest from 2 large lemons
1/4 tsp. salt
juice from 2 large lemons
2 tbsp butter

1. In a medium sauce pan combine the sugar, corn starch, milk, buttermilk, eggs, zest and salt. Cook on medium heat, stirring constantly with a whisk. Cook until pudding is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon.
2. Remove from heat and stir in the lemon juice and butter.
3. Push the pudding through a mesh strainer using a rubber spatula. Strain into 4 individual serving bowls.
4. Cover lightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least an hour before serving. Serve chilled with a dollop of whipped cream.

Dijon Salmon Casserole

This was my "reheat-and-eat" meal of the week for the girls. I love to make single-serving casseroles to have on hand for those times when what I'm having dinner is inappropriate for Abby. Abby ate this one right up! (and yes, I'm fully aware that it did not photograph pretty. It tasted better than it looked!)

Dijon Salmon Casserole

Prep time: 10 minutes
Bake time: ?

1 cup cooked brown rice
1 can salmon
3 Tbsp mayonnaise
3 tsp Dijon mustard
salt, pepper, garlic powder, onion powder
Grated Parmesan cheese

Divide the cooked brown rice between three 6-oz ramekins. Flake the salmon and divide it between the three ramekins. In a small bowl, mix together the mayonnaise and mustard and season to taste with salt, pepper, garlic powder and onion powder. Pour the sauce over the three ramekins. Chill until ready to bake and serve.

The bake time is iffy - because I currently have no oven (dratted kitchen renovation!). So, I just "cooked" the casserole in the microwave for a minute or so, which worked great! But in the oven, I would assume 350F for about 15 minutes should be fine. Top with grated Parmesan cheese before serving.

Pasta with Salmon and Peas

As you can probably tell by now, Abby is a pasta kind of kid. Because I know I can call something "noodles" and she is likely to eat it, I use pasta as a bridge to get her to eat different things or try different flavors. So whereas on the face, it looks like a lot of pasta lunches and dinners, she's really trying a whole variety of tastes and flavors... or at least, that's what I tell myself!

Pasta with Salmon and Peas

Total time: 15 minutes

2 cups dry whole wheat pasta
1 cup frozen peas
1 6-oz can of pink salmon, drained
2-3 Tbsp mayonnaise
1 tsp mustard (yellow or Dijon)
1 tsp lemon juice
1 Tbsp nonfat milk
salt and pepper to taste

Prepare pasta according to package directions. When the pasta has about 5 minutes left to boil, add in the frozen peas. Drain the peas and pasta.

While the pasta is boiling, combine the salmon, 2 Tbsp mayonnaise, mustard, lemon juice, and milk in a food processor and puree until smooth. Add additional mayonnaise if desired and season to taste with salt and pepper. Toss the sauce with the pasta and the peas until well combined.

This is a play on tuna noodle casserole - I pureed the salmon because I thought Abby might be suspicious of the little chunks otherwise, and it made for a very creamy sauce without having to use much mayonnaise. Abby thought it was delicious! Hooray for pasta!