recipe Tag

Family Recipe: Coconut Curry Mussels

This may sound shocking, but I believe that mussels are the ultimate kid-friendly food. How fun is it to scoop your dinner out of seashells? Parents also like them because they’re high in protein and iron and almost shockingly inexpensive. They're also a sustainable seafood, so it's...

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Pumpkin muffins

The Pumpkin Muffins That Made Me a Liar

As parents when we want to convince our kids to eat new foods it seems natural to extol their health benefits. "Jicama is soooo fun to eat--and full of fiber!" "Milk will help fill your tummy and build strong bones!" "Plain yogurt is the best--none of those nasty added sugars!" Sounds enticing to me, but it turns out that kids are not impressed. A 2014 study found that children are actually less likely to eat a food if they have been told how healthy it is. Just like a kid, right? I witnessed this very phenomenon with my own eyes a few days ago. Saturday morning I baked pumpkin chocolate chip muffins adapted from a quick bread recipe in The King Arthur Flour Baker's Companion. I switched up the method a bit, subbed in some whole wheat flour, cut the sugar, and trimmed the amount of chocolate chips. The result was delicious -- tender, still sweet, and very pumpkin-y.
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The Summer Recipe You Should Make ASAP

I admit that I am a fair weather Greenmarket shopper. Each year I sit out December-April, then head back in May for the promise of asparagus and, eventually strawberries. By summer I am a farmer's market fanatic. I love seeing how the market's offerings change week by week, with strawberries disappearing in late June (boo) about the same time peaches make their appearance (yay). Blueberries and zucchini arrive, then corn, and finally in August tomatoes and bell peppers. But for me peaches are queen. Ask me my favorite fruit, and I'll say a juicy, fragrant peach. The best peaches are only around for about six weeks, just a fraction of the year, so I buy many and eat them any which way I can. One of my favorite preparations is this gorgeous peach salsa. Fruit salsas are a staple at our house all year 'round. I love how they can add a punch of acid and sweet to a savory dish; I've found this sweet/savory combination especially appealing to kids. In fact, I included a recipe for Tropical Pork Tenderloin with a mango and red pepper salsa in Real Baby Food. But in the summer it's all about peaches. Last weekend I prepared this salsa at a book signing/demo at the Grand Army Plaza Greenmarket.   In action at the Grand Army Plaza Greenmarket
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Zucchini bread in a loaf pan

Summer Zucchini Bread Recipe

Updated July 26, 2020 Well, it's August, so that must mean it's time for this zucchini bread recipe. To me, it just wouldn't be summer without it. My mom made it when I was a kid, and every year I bake it to much acclaim from my family. (In fact, today my kid had a friend over while I was baking. She literally asked, "What is that wonderful smell?") We eat it warm out of the oven or spread with peanut butter for breakfast. I will probably make several batches throughout the month and will freeze some for later in the year when we desperately need a taste of summer. Nearly every time I make this zucchini bread recipe I tinker with it a bit. Sometimes I use canola oil, sometimes olive. I might play with different flours, and I almost always trim the amount of sugar. Like most quick breads this batter also bakes up beautifully as muffins. I even included a version in the breakfast chapter of Real Baby Food as Zucchini and Carrot Donuts. Related: Have extra bananas hanging around? Make One-Bowl Banana-Zucchini Bread. Did I mention this recipe is also really easy? There are no special tricks here, just measuring, stirring, and summoning your will power to wait until the bread is just warm before cutting a slice.
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