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I came up with this recipe because I got some Napa cabbage in our CSA bin, we had mushrooms in our fridge and I remembered once having pork, mushrooms and cabbage sautéed together in an Asian dish. Marinated pork in … Continue reading
It was one of those days around here, which is pretty often, when dinner time was upon us already and nothing was on the stove, in the oven or on the grill. So, what’s fast? Pasta! I had remembered earlier that we had a half package each of frozen large shrimp (uncooked) and Langostinos (cooked) and we could make a pasta with them. Langostinos are a crustacean, like crayfish, just about 2 inches long. I got these ones from Trader Joe’s.
We took the frozen packages out and thawed them in 2 separate bowls of cold water. Put some water on to boil the pasta. Chopped a couple of cloves of garlic, one shallot and 1/4 red onion (because that’s what we had in the house). Sautéed them all in olive oil for a few minutes and added chopped organic white mushrooms (I tend to buy certain things organic and some conventional) a pat of butter, sea salt and fresh ground pepper. After a few minutes added some white wine (please use what you’d actually drink and don’t ever buy “cooking wine” it would leave the same awful flavor in your food as in a glass)— about 1/4-1/2 cup and some more olive oil. Added the drained shrimp that was cut into half (smaller bites) and took off the heat while the pasta is cooking. Once it’s finished and drained, added the pasta to the garlic, mushroom, shrimp mix, stirred in the Langostinos, package of baby organic spinach and 3/4 package of micro-greens and put back on heat stirring regularly for about a minute or two. No need to really “cook” the vegetables or Langostinos, just heat them. All done! It was less than half an hour in total.
The micro-greens I got from Trader Joe’s too (one of my favorite stores) and are the sprouts of Red Russian Kale, Red Cabbage, Purple Kohlrabi, Purple Radish and Beet Greens. They are intensely flavored and only about an inch long- root and all. Some of these ones are quite peppery too. Micro-greens are really rich in nutrients too. Because of their intensity, you don’t need other herbs with this dish, but you wouldn’t go wrong with some fresh chopped basil.
We hadn’t done this dish as such before, so I wasn’t sure how the kids would react except I knew that my middle son would whine, “I don’t want that” per most every dinner. Today he added, “I told you I wanted just plain pasta with butter. Didn’t you remember that?” Of course I did, I just ignored it. My kids get plain pasta with butter often when we go out to eat. It’s funny because we don’t usually have the things listed on the kids’ menu at home I let them order from it out. It’s a treat we’re out, so I let them have a treat of chicken nuggets or plain pasta with butter! The funny thing is as soon as the whine is out of the mouth, the fork is in. He ate it all and really enjoyed it. This was also one of the cases where he said he didn’t like mushrooms unless they were in a cream sauce, so I had him try it… he ate the rest without complaint. 
I’m sure some kids would love to eat cookies, candy and ice cream instead of all the good foods but as parents we know they wouldn’t survive on a diet like that. Well, they need the nutrients in vegetables and fruits and if they’re served regularly they will eat them. We got a taste for them at some point, so will they. Kids have to be introduced to them to understand they should be eating them every day. There won’t be the struggle some have over just a few veggies if they just have them in front of the kids every day. And when there are so many quick (and yummy) ways to do it, it becomes easier for all involved.
©2010 MyKidsReallyEatThis.com
Pizza! Not really a surprise. Butmy eldest had a piece of broccoli white pie and my youngest had me add some of the shiitakes that I’d sautéed for the appetizer I prepared. Funny thing was that other kids were saying “yuck”, “eeww” and such at my eldest eating his broccoli pizza, but he didn’t care. He just told them how ”yummy” it was. 
My middle son was just into the plain pizza and all three had huge ice cream sundaes with Swedish fish, sprinkles (jimmies) and chocolate sauce. They are very much like other kids with sweet tooths and love of junk food.
I went to Trader Joe’s today and knew I had some upcoming gatherings to which I’d have to bring something. The nan is so easy and delicious. I came up with the idea myself for my book club when I didn’t think I had much to serve. I sautéed the shiitakes and garlic with olive oil and butter, sea salt and pepper. I wilted the spinach and added a pinch of sea salt, pepper and pat of butter. When I arrived at the party, I used the oven there to heat the nan at 425F for 3 minutes, spread the goat cheese on it and then add the shiitakes or spinach or both. Put in oven for another 2 minutes, remove and cut into 2 bite pieces. Less than 10 minutes total. A sprinkle of nutmeg might be nice on the spinach too.
Tomorrow I am going out so I got Bool Kogi, a marinated Korean beef dish traditionally served in lettuce leaves, at Trader Joe’s for my babysitter to make for the kids. It takes just a couple of minutes in a really hot pan or on a grill. They’ll have string beans and broccoli with it. I know those are the babysitter’s favorite vegetables. I’ve known her since I was born and I’ve learned a lot of cooking techniques from her— besides many other wonderful things, including how to feed your kids the right way.
©2010 MyKidsReallyEatThis.com
My youngest, 3, loves mushrooms and even asked me to sauté him some the other day for lunch. Just mushrooms, nothing else. But my middle child would often say, “I don’t like mushrooms unless they’re in your cream sauce.“ The last few times I’ve served mushrooms in anything besides the cream sauce, he exclaims that he “does like them!“
Actually most dinners are accompanied by a whine (from him) of “I don’t want this” and/or “I don’t like …” but every dinner he sits down with the rest of us and eats. And tonight was no exception, “But I don’t want mushrooms, I don’t want chicken, I just want plain pasta.” He ate everything on his plate. He did try to sneak a piece of broccoli onto his brother’s plate so he could have dessert faster, but I caught him before it could happen.
So my tip here is don’t pay any attention to those whines. I’m not saying don’t ever feed your kids what they want, just that it has to fit in with what is good for them as well. I am not going to stop what I’m making and cook them something they’d rather eat instead. And I am not going to cook 2 separate meals, one for me and my husband and one for them. (Exception is when we’re having something extremely spicy and it is just too hot for their palates.) My children get to make recommendations for what they’d like, just not after the meal is made. My eldest is craving sushi lately and it even got into a story he wrote today about a raccoon trying to steal his picnic dinner. After the sword fight he tossed some sushi to the raccoon who had a great meal. So, I’ll be making or buying some sushi soon. Oh, and some seaweed salad too because he loves it and likes to bring the leftovers to school as a snack.
A friend asked me recently what chicken nuggets I’d suggest because she wasn’t sure the brand she was buying was “real” chicken or at least good cuts. I didn’t know one because as I stated before I don’t really buy them. I have bought some from Trader Joe’s and I have purchased some from the supermarket, but it’s so rarely and not at all in the past 6 months so I just can’t tell anyone what/who to buy. Instead I told her about my homemade ones and how delicious they are and how she and her husband would enjoy them as well. Then she went on to tell me she doesn’t have time to do that. After I told her how quick they were, and pointed out that she’d save time by not making 2 different meals (which is what she does daily), she agreed but said she won’t change. Oh well.
I digress. Often. So, chicken with mushrooms in a white wine cream sauce.
I got d’Artagnan organic chicken thighs with the bones and skins. You can buy boneless and skinless or remove either, but I didn’t. You’ll need one container of mushrooms, sliced. (I prefer baby criminis and/or shiitakes for this dish.) Fresh thyme, 1/4-1/2 cup heavy cream, 1/2 cup white wine, 1/2 cup chicken stock or base, 2 cloves garlic, shallots (optional), salt and pepper. Sauté garlic and shallots in tsp olive oil, then add chicken (if it’s skin is on) until browned, add white wine and chicken stock, reduce heat to med-low and cover (stirring occasionally). (If it’s boneless/skinless you can add the chicken after the liquids.) In a separate pan sauté the mushrooms with tsp olive oil and butter. Add some fresh thyme leaves (strip at least 2 stalks and crush in fingers or chop to release aromatic), salt and pepper to taste. Remove from heat when cooked through. Cook chicken for 25-30 minutes in liquids, add mushrooms, black pepper to taste and heavy cream, stirring well. Cook an additional 5 minutes. Check for doneness especially with thigh bones. Taste it before adding more salt as stock or base can be salty.
I served mine tonight over fusilli pasta, but you can use rice, other pastas, noodles, or grains. And my kids loved it! I served a side of fresh broccoli, which I steam and shock (run cold water over it to stop it from cooking) then reheat with pat of butter and tiny bit of sea salt and fresh ground pepper (Trader Joe’s organic butter is my favorite— and there is NO margarine in this house, ever).
I do recommend everyone watch Food Inc and Jamie Oliver’s Food Revolution and sign the petition for healthful school lunchesI want to get people to pay attention to what they’re feeding their kids and see that it’s doable to feed them well.
©2010 MyKidsReallyEatThis.com
