FUN, DELICIOUS PRE AND PROBIOTIC FOOD!

Much to my dismay, Carla has not made a single quiche since the one we made together.  So I decided to try something different.  With summer approaching and knowing her younger daughter, Ashna, would be out of school, I decided to teach Carla a number of yummy,  easy healthy snacks that she could do with little effort.  I figured I would do this with her kid around so there would be more pressure for her to "whip" these up in the future.  So here are the recipes, with Ashna's reviews to follow.

FRUIT SALAD
Fruit salad is easy to make but it can be time consuming.  It is, however, used for the next recipe, so from a time point of view, it counts for more than one meal.
Anyone can make a fruit salad.  BUT, there are a few techniques that can make your fruit salad stand out next to your neighbors.  Although not necessary, having good tools does make it easier.

  Here are the tricks:
1.  I tend to only make it in the summer.  I think summer fruits elevate a fruit salad from nothing special to an incredible treat.
2.  Vary tastes, colors,  fruits and textures
3.  As as general rule, cut the fruit to follow how it looks like in nature; don't chop it up into little squares or pieces.  You want to be able to recognize the fruit.
4.  Put the fruit that is going to brown on the bottom.  That means bananas, peaches, nectarines, plums, apricots and pitted cherries go on the bottom.
5.  Use only ripe fruit in season locally.
6.  Always cut an orange and squeeze the juice over the top of the finished salad.  It minimizes browning and gives it a nice flavor.
7.  Make an artistic decoration on top.  Presentation is important.


My fruit salads always have the following put in in the order listed:
Banana at the bottom
Peach or nectarine cut in slices
Apricots or plums (or if you can get them, pluots or apriums) cut in slices
A variety of melons (whatever is available) that is sweet and ripe.  I like to get at least 2 that are different colors, but usually I will get 3.  You can cut these in square pieces but I like to use melon ballers and make them in 3 different sizes based on the size of the melon.
Mango and/or Hawaiian papaya (I live in California so these are almost always available)
A variety of berries
Kiwi
Oranges


FRULATTI
The first time I remember having a frulatto was when I was in Italy as a teenager.  I fell in love with them.  Although Americans know them as smoothies, for some reason, I think that the ones that I have had in Italy seem so much better.  As you can tell from the fruit salads I make, I usually have some leftover.  That enables me to make my beloved frulatti.  They are very easy.


Take equal amounts of fruit, ice and dairy.  Blend.  You can add sugar.  (1 1/2 tsp)
See Ashna's review to figure out which kind of dairy you think you might like.


BANANA FRAPPE
The original recipe is from my college roommate, Katherine Dorfman.  It's a great way to use up those really ripe bananas that you imagine that you are going to use to make banana bread, but never do.  (I've made banana bread once in my life.  I prefer to do this.)

Cut up 2 large bananas and freeze them
Blend frozen bananas with
1/2 c nonfat milk
1 t vanilla
1/8 t nutmeg
Optional:  stir in chopped walnuts after bananas are pureed.

Serve immediately.

The problem with making it with nonfat milk is that it melts really fast.  So I decided to tweak it a little to see what I could get Carla to make that would appeal to kids as a healthy alternative to ice cream.  Here are the different recipes, with Ashna's reviews to follow:

2 cut up large frozen banana pieces

1/2 cup whole milk
OR 1/2 cup whole milk with  1 tsp added sugar
OR 1/2 cup nonfat yogurt
OR 1/2 cup nonfat yogurt with 1-2 tsp added sugar
OR 1/2 cup low fat vanilla yogurt

And for those of you who have little ones, you can see the blog I wrote for EcoMom that uses baby food:  Babies and Toddler Recipes.

"B"                  "A"

                       

Fruity Summer Treats (Ashna's Review)

            Now that summer is approaching, fruity treats are becoming more desirable. I was given an interesting opportunity to evaluate different versions of multiple summer treats, including fruit salad, frulatti, and banana frappes.

            First, I was told to try two different bowls of fruit salad and give my opinion on which I liked better. Fruit Salad “A” tasted like it consisted of many fresh fruits. The fruit was firm, juicy, and sweet. Fruit Salad “B” was also quite delicious. However, it tasted a bit “mushier” than Fruit Salad A. I was later told that Fruit Salad A was just chopped up and Fruit Salad B used various fruit slicing devices, for example the melon baller. Fruit Salad B looked much more appealing, however, I liked Fruit Salad A better. I was surprised that I enjoyed Fruit Salad A more, since the same fruit was used.

            Next, I tried different recipes of a berry frulatto. (NB - Actually, I just took the fruit salad - it took on the color of berries because the purple is so overwhelming!   Dr. Vicki)  The first ones were made with nonfat milk and whole milk. I enjoyed the frulatto made with whole milk more so than the nonfat milk. The one made with nonfat milk seemed a bit more diluted than the one made with whole milk. Then, the milk was replaced by yogurt. I first tried the one with nonfat yogurt and I enjoyed it a bit more than the ones made with milk. It had a thicker consistency, however, the frulatti made with milk tasted a little sweeter. Next, I tried the frulatto with vanilla yogurt. Personally, I liked this version the best so far because it was thick, creamy, and sweet at the same time. After this one, I was given a frulatto made with nonfat yogurt and sugar. I enjoyed this frulatto the most because it was similar to the one made with vanilla yogurt but the sugar brought out the fruity flavors more so than the vanilla, which is what a frulatto is all about. This frulatto was the happy medium between the original frulatto made with milk and a berry smoothie.

            Now it was time to taste the banana frappe. The first ones, like the frulatti, were made with nonfat and whole milk. The nonfat frappe tasted a bit too thin and runny. However, the whole milk frappe tasted frothy and sweet and I noticed the flavor of the banana more so than in the nonfat frappe. Next, we tried the frappes with nonfat yogurt, then vanilla yogurt. The frappe made with nonfat yogurt lost the sweetness and had more of a tart flavor. It was also much thicker than the ones made with milk. The one made with vanilla yogurt, however, was thick and sweet, and the banana flavor came through. It tasted kind of like melted frozen yogurt.  Now I was torn between the whole milk banana frappe and the vanilla yogurt banana frappe. I eventually decided on the one made with whole milk because the consistency came across as that of a frappe more so than the one with vanilla yogurt. They were both strong contenders, but eventually my taste buds chose the whole milk banana frappe.

            Later, I was told that all three of these recipes were easy to make. I love knowing that I can just whip up a delicious frulatto every now and then without doing too much work.



Dr.  Vicki again!  So here you have it.  Even if Carla never makes these again, I know that Ashna will.  So I've converted one person into spending some time in the kitchen.  How about you?

Quiche Review

I decided to have Carla's middle school-aged daughter, who is thinking about a career as a food critic, be the judge of our quiches.  She did not know whose was whose.  Since she does go to school and that is her first priority, the tasting and notes were done the day of the baking, but the actual writing was done later.  Here is her review.  (In both pictures the quiche on the left is A and the quiche on the right is B)

Top Quiche!
            Food—there are no words to describe how I feel about it. I lead a very busy life and always look forward to enjoying a nice meal at home. It’s common knowledge in my home that when I’m not doing homework I’m watching Food Network or the Cooking Channel. I was given an interesting opportunity to evaluate two slices of quiche, made using the same recipe, prepared in different ways. The main ingredients included spinach, onion, and mild cheddar cheese. I was asked to compare and contrast the two slices of quiche.  My real life opportunity to be a Top Chef judge!
I blindly tasted each slice, not knowing the differences between them. As I observed the two quiches, I was taken aback by their inviting and welcoming features. They were both beautifully baked and presented nicely on the plate. However, Quiche “A” appeared like it would be tastier than Quiche “B” because it looked more moist and creamier. I watched as the cheese slowly melted out and I was eager to try it. Quiche B looked a bit crispier and didn’t have as much of an inviting appearance. I sunk my fork into Quiche A first. It had a comforting, fresh aroma. As I tasted the quiche it was quite delicious, I must say; however, I felt that it was a bit too mushy. It left a creamy residue in my mouth that was a little too much for my liking. Immediately after I ate the bite of Quiche A, I was excited to try Quiche B because the creaminess of Quiche A made me want to try something crisper. This slice had a bit more crunch when I cut into it than Quiche A did, and although I don’t think of “crunchy” when I think of a quiche, I was intrigued by this characteristic. I sniffed the bite of quiche on my fork, and the ingredients smelled quite fresh -- more so than Quiche A. I took a bite and I sensed an uncharted combination of flavors I hadn’t ever tried before. The ingredients tasted fresher than the other one. Although, it tasted a little crunchier, I found it refreshing and it did not leave my mouth with a creamy residue. It was love at first bite! I slowly enjoyed Quiche B, thinking of nothing other than the delightful flavors and texture. Before I knew it, the crumbs of the perfectly cooked crust were the only remnants of the quiche on my plate.
Although Quiche A was a mighty contender to Quiche B, I felt the flavors in Quiche B were more prominent and resonated freshness. Overall, I felt that both quiches were lovely, but it all came down to the texture and the distinction between flavors. Since I enjoyed both of the slices, I feel lucky to have been asked to participate in this momentous test!  I was later told that Quiche B was made with frozen spinach and ordinary onions (not the special ones from the Farmer’s Market). I was surprised that I chose it over the one with fresh spinach and sweet onions. But I was happy to know that it’s a recipe that I could easily follow myself.

There were some differences in technique as the reviewer alluded to which I will now elaborate on. Since Carla and I were making dinner for our families I changed my quiche to cater to my family's tastes.  I used fresh, spring onions which have a sweeter, milder taste.  I also used fresh, baby spinach which also is less bitter.  As you can see by the slices, quiche A (my quiche) has less spinach and the onion is more finely chopped.  I also took greater care to mix in the cheddar cheese.  Carla has hers layered on top, giving it the less creamy, more crunch to it.  Clearly, technique changes the outcome.

This whole "project" brings up some interesting, and important points for all parents.

1.  Children prefer what they are used to.

This is extremely interesting and shows what an important influence you have on what your children eat.  You can tell from the review that the flavors in our quiches were different.  And in a previous post (Nana's Vegetable Soup), the kids again preferred what they were used to, not what would be considered the more sophisticated, gourmet-type cooking.  Luckily, I have a thick skin, or about now I would be questioning my cooking skills.
2.  The sooner you introduce your child to varied and healthy foods, the better and more nutritious their diet will be. (When my daughter was 3 we ordered her an appetizer of mussels for her dinner.  The waiter was amazed as she worked her way through the whole thing.  But she had been eating them since she was little and it was (and is) one of her favorite foods.)
3.  Get the kids in the kitchen.
4.  Cooking is more fun when done with others.  Carla said she enjoyed our afternoon together and would like to do it again.  As she reads this she will now find out I have decided to make this an on-going project of the blog entitled "COOKING WITH CARLA".

We'll try to do this once a month, Julia Child style.  For those of you who remember her PBS cooking show, she had a REAL reality TV show and would record everything; including mistakes. We will describe what happens to real people who don't cook, so that you can see what happens and see that everything can (usually) still be edible.  Maybe we can even get our judge back.  (Although at the rate I'm going, I may get kicked off the blog!)