This recipe did not originally contain fresh tomatoes and cucumbers, but as this was obviously a mistake, Ethan added them anyway.  Seriously, who makes a “Greek-style” salad without tomatoes and cucumbers?  Anyhoo..

• 2 cups rice, cooked and cooled to room temperature
• 1/4 cup sun-dried tomatoes (optional), reconstituted and chopped
• 2 tbsp olive oil, divided
• 10 oz bagged spinach
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 8 oz Greek feta cheese, crumbled (about 2 cups)
• 1/3 cup chopped kalamata olives
• 3 plum tomatoes, chopped
• 1 cucumber, peeled and diced
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• salt and pepper
• 1 15-oz can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
• 3 tbsp toasted pine nuts
• lemon wedges

Combine everything except lemons in a big bowl.  Serve with lemon wedges.

Dylan Report: Still not a big fan of feta cheese, but he did eat a good amount of the rice.  All through dinner tonight he was reciting the end of Green Eggs and Ham, saying “Try them and you may, I say!” and true to his word he did try at least one bite of everything on his plate.  Anticipating that he would not eat the feta cheese, we also gave him some leftover “fajita” chicken chili, which he adores, and is a really good way of getting him to eat some vegetables (peppers and tomatoes).

The fish is tilapia, though almost any fish would do.  You could even use salmon or tuna if your toddler will eat fish that’s not white.

The crust is a combination of crushed potato chips (and while I wouldn’t waste money on a super high-end fish for this, I do recommend shelling out for some gourmet chips because they tend to have a higher ratio of potato to salt), panko, black pepper, and dried or fresh parsley.  You could also add any other herbs your child happens to like.

Cut the fish into bite-sized cubes.  Dredge in flour, then egg, then crust, and fry in veg or olive oil until nicely golden browned.  These freeze well, so go ahead and make a big batch.  You can defrost them in the toaster oven three at a time for your two-year old at mealtime.  (You don’t have a toaster oven??  How do you LIVE????)

Oh, the couscous!  Dylan loves Israeli couscous, and so do I. It’s delicious and cooks faster than rice or pasta, and is just a little bit sticky which is nice if you happen to not be very good with a fork just yet.  I like to make mine with homemade chicken stock and a little curry powder.  YUM.

Tonight I made the fabulous fresh salmon burgers from America’s Test Kitchen: Best Classic American Recipes.  I’ve made these several times before and they are always delicious. 

• 1 lb fresh salmon fillet, skin & pinbones removed (have your fish guy do this part) and chopped into 1/4″ dice
• 1 slice hearty white sandwich bread, crusts removed, finely chopped (or use the food processor)
• 1/4 cup grated onion
• 2 tbsp chopped fresh parsley
• 1 tbsp salt
• 2 tbsp lemon juice
• 2 tbsp mayonnaise

Mix everything together in a big bowl.  Shape into 6-8 patties, depending on how big you like your salmon burgers.  Put the patties on a jelly roll pan lined with parchment paper and stick in the freezer for 15 minutes.  This allows the patties to firm up and the surface moisture to evaporate for easier breading.

Meanwhile, make tartar sauce!  Combine 4-6 cornichons, 1 scallion, 2 tbsp capers, and 3 tbsp red onion in a food processor - chop finely.  Mix with 3/4 cup mayo.  Chill.

Back to the burgers!  Heat 1/8″ veg oil in a large skillet.  Dredge the salmon in flour, then beaten egg (mixed with 2 tsp each water and veg oil), then panko, and pan fry 2-3 minutes per side or until golden brown.  Drain on paper towels before serving.

YUMMY.

Dylan was happy to eat a single bite of salmon in exchange for more tater tots, but otherwise this meal was not to his taste.  He did enjoy the tater tots and the burger buns.

• 1 cucumber, seeded peeled chopped
• 3 plum tomatoes, chopped & drained well
• 1 can quartered artichoke hearts, drained well
• 1 small red onion, chopped
• 1/2 cup halved Kalamata olives
• 1/3 cup crumbled feta cheese
• 3 tbsp each chopped fresh mint and oregano*
• salt & pepper to taste - easy on the salt, the olives and the feta may be enough

Mix everything together.

Serve in pita bread w/ hummus.

*Not in the original recipe, but obviously needed!

Jerk marinade / sauce:

• 1 habanero, Scotch bonnet or jalapeno pepper (remove seeds & ribs if using habanero or Scotch bonnet)
• 2 scallions
• 3 cloves garlic
• 4 sprigs fresh thyme
• 1 tbsp allspice, freshly ground if possible
• juice of 2 limes
• 1/2 cup ketchup
• 1/2 cup pineapple juice (or 1/2 cup pineapple - it’s all going in the blender anyway)

Combine everything in a food processor, puree until smooth.  Reserve 1/2 a cup for dipping.

Combine the rest with 1 whole chicken (cut up) and marinade overnight.

Preheat the oven to 400F.  Cook chicken for about an hour.

Serve w/ beans and rice (those recipes have already appeared in this blog).  Make sure you have extra limes for squeezing on top.

Dylan Report: He loved the beans but wasn’t interested in the chicken.  He generally doesn’t like rice, so we haven’t tried this version on him yet.  (Maybe I’ll make a rice cake and tell him it’s a spinach pancake…)

• 2 cans good-quality tuna
• 1 can quartered artichoke hearts, drained well & coarsely chopped
• 1 red bell pepper, chopped
• 1/2 cup Kalamata olives, chopped
• 1/2 small red onion, chopped
• 1/4 cup each chopped fresh basil & parsley
• 1 tbsp chopped fresh oregano
• 1/2 cup mayonnaise
• 2 tbsp lemon juice (from 1/2 lemon)
• salt & pepper to taste

Mix everything together in a bowl.  Eat.

The dough:

• 4 cups bread flour
• 1/2 cup warm water
• 1 1/4 cups room temperature water
• 1 package dry active yeast (you could also use instant, but a slow rise is nice for pizza dough because it really develops that yeasty flavor)
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 2-4 cloves garlic
• 2-4 tbsp assorted fresh herbs (basil, thyme, rosemary, oregano, etc)

In a 2-cup measuring cup, bloom yeast in the 1/2 cup warm water about 5 minutes or until yeast has dissolved and is slightly foamy.

Puree garlic, herbs, and olive oil together until you have a smooth paste.  Fry in a small nonstick skillet 3-5 minutes or until fragrant.

Add remaining 1 1/4 cup water (you’ll want 1 3/4 cup total) and oil/herb mixture to bloomed yeast in measuring cup.  Stir gently to combine.

In the meantime, combine flour and salt in a food processor fitted with a metal blade.  Pulse a few times to combine.  Continue pulsing as you add the liquid, and process until dough forms a smooth ball.  You may not need all the liquid depending on elevation and humidity.  (But if you add too much, that’s fine too - pizza dough works best when it’s fairly wet.)

Turn dough onto a floured surface and work into a ball with your hands.  Transfer to a greased bowl and cover with plastic wrap.  Let rise in warm place (oven with the light on is perfect) for 2 hours or until doubled in size.  If you want to do this a day ahead, let the dough rise in the fridge overnight.

Remove dough from bowl, cut into 8 equal portions.  Roll each into a ball and let rest 5 minutes.  Then flatten each ball into a pizza round and let those rest about 5 minutes.  (You can let them rest longer, but cover them with a tea towel or they will dry out.)

Prepare the grill (I like a chimmney starter) and build a 2-level fire with coals over approximately 3/4 of the grill.  For each pizza, brush the top of the dough round with olive oil then lay it over the hot coals oil-side down.  As soon as it’s down, brush the other side with more olive oil.  When you see the surface covered in bubbles and have good grill marks on the bottom, flip the dough over to the cool side of the grill and apply toppings to the cooked side.  Cover the grill to help the cheese melt faster.  Once you’ve got the timing down, it’s best to do 2 at a time so they’ll all still be warm when you’re ready to eat.

Toppings:

Grilled pizza can get weighed down by toppings pretty easily, so it’s best to keep things light.  I forewent sauce in favor of chopped fresh tomatoes, as well as a chiffonade of basil, some cooked sweet Italian sausage, chopped kalamata olives, and a combination of parmesan and mozarella cheeses.  Sadly, no pictures were taken.

Dylan was not nearly as impressed by the grilled pizza as the adults were.  His loss!

• 1.5 cups heavy cream (NOT “whipping” cream or anything with preservatives or stabilizers.  Ingredients on label should read “milk”)
• 2 giant spoonfuls strawberry preserves (about 1/2 cup total) preferably something made out of strawberries, sugar, and not much else.  You could also use a pint of really fresh strawberries if you have access to a farmer’s market and they are in season.
• 4 oz block cream cheese
• 1/2 cup sugar
• Whole milk (opt) to correct consistency if needed

Put everything in the food processor.  Spin until cream cheese and jelly are evenly distributed.  If the mixture seems too thick, add whole milk and process until you like the way it looks.  Freeze according to your machine’s directions, then transfer to freezer for a couple of hours to harden.

No pics yet as this is still in the freezer, but the early Dylan Report based on a spoon-licking sample was “more.”  I think we have a winner here.

The original recipe claimed to serve 6-8 as a first course, so I reduced it to serve 2 hungry adults.  This will make enough for 4 bowlfuls.

• 3 cups vegetable broth
• 1 tbsp each minced ginger & garlic, plus extra ginger for serving
• 3 stalks lemongrass, cut into 1-inch lengths.  Tie w/ cooking twine or place in muslin tea bag for easy removal.
• 1 jalapeno or 2 serrano peppers, sliced
• 1 tsp yellow miso for each serving
• 5 cups chopped vegetables and/or tofu (this can be almost any combination you want, I used napa cabbage, snow peas, turnips, and tofu)
• salted toasted sesame seeds (the original recipe calls for gomaiso, which Google tells me is a salty toasted sesame thing.  So I just toasted some sesame seeds with a bit of salt)

Bring the vegetable broth, ginger, garlic, chiles, and lemongrass to a boil in a wok or stock pot.  Simmer 10 minutes.  Add vegetables, cover and simmer until veggies are crisp-tender, 3-10 minutes more.

Place 1 tsp miso in the bottom of each bowl (along with reserved ginger, if desired).  Add a little broth and stir to dissolve the miso before serving each bowl of soup.  Top with toasted salted sesame seeds.  YUM.

• 3 yukon gold potatoes (1 lb), peeled and cut into chunks
• 1 box frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry
• 1 tbsp chopped fresh rosemary
• 1 med onion, chopped fine
• 2 cloves minced garlic (1 tbsp)
• 1 cup crumbled feta
• 2 tsp dry oregano
• 1/2 cup grated parmesan
• 1/2 cup breadcrumbs
• 1 egg, beaten

Preheat oven to 375.  Cover the potatoes with cold water in a small saucepan, cover, and bring to a boil.  Uncover and continue to boil for 12-15 minutes or until just done.  Drain and mash lightly.

In a small skillet, heat some EVOO and saute onions, rosemary, oregano, and garlic.  (Season with salt and pepper.)  When onions are soft, remove to a mixing bowl with spinach.  Add all other ingredients including potatoe, mix well to combine.  (Cool slightly before adding the egg or you will wind up with a bowl of potatoes and scrambled eggs.)

Heat more oil in a large skillet or griddle.  Scoop approximately 1/3 cup at a time (or use an 8-oz ice cream scoop) into the skillet, flatten with the back of the spoon.  Fry until browned on both sides (2-4 minutes), then transfer to a well-oiled baking sheet.  Bake in oven 10-15 minutes longer.

DYLAN VARIATION:  If you are cooking for a toddler who treats feta cheese as if it were DEADLY POISON, you may substitute cream cheese or soft goat cheese for the feta, or omit it entirely.

Serve with bottled marinara sauce.

Roast Lima Beans

These are yummy.  Even Dylan thought so.  The title in the book is “skillet-roasted” but since the recipe fails to ever mention the use of a skillet again, I have corrected it.

• 1 box frozen lima beans (Fordhook)
• 2 minced garlic cloves
• 1/4 cup chopped pitted green olives
• 1 tbsp Italian herb blend
• 1/2 cup chopped roasted red peppers

Cook the lima beans in boiling salted water 6-8 minutes or until crisp-tender.  Toss with all other ingredients except red peppers, season with salt and pepper.  Bake at 400 (or 375, if you are also making the griddlecakes) for 10-15 minutes.  Add red peppers.  Serve.

Dylan Report: The biggest hit of the night was the jarred marinara sauce, but he did eat all of his griddlecake and most of the lima beans.  It helps that “spinach pancake” is already a food he enjoys, so nothing on this plate was entirely foreign.  He was not a huge fan of the green olives.