Leftover sardine, rice and spinach gratin (perfect for kids and tots)

I love a super healthy dish that is packed with flavor, easy to make and devoured by the children.  I was inspired by this NYT recipe!  My kids asked for seconds.  I used up 1 bunch of chard and a bag of spinach.

The NYT recipe didn’t have enough zip in flavor and used too many pots.  My version is more lemony and easier.

Packed with nutrition and flavor, yet so cheap for being organic!!  Why can’t this be served at school lunch (National School Lunch Program)?  I would totally opt into school lunch if lunches were made on site at the school and not delivered in plastic by a food service management company (FSMC).  I used to work for USDA many moons ago, specifically in the school lunch program!  School lunch and feeding children is my jam.

ingredients:

• 2 cans boneless, skinless and boneless sardines packed in olive oil (I used TJs wild caught sardines)
• 2 BIG bunches of greens chopped up(I used a leftover bunch of chard and bag of TJ’s organic spinach) — go hog wild and use 3 or 4 bunches of greens if you want!
• 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
• Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
• 1 medium onion, finely chopped
• 2 to 4 garlic cloves, minced or smashed
• 1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves, roughly chopped, or 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1 teaspoon all-purpose flour (optional)
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1-2 cups cooked rice (I used 2 cups of leftover basmati rice)
• 1/4 cup fresh or dry bread crumbs
• zest of 1 lemon
• 1/2 – 1 meyer lemon juiced
• 1/4 cup Parmesan, grated

method

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Saute onions in olive oil.  When onions are golden, add the garlic and stir for a minute.  Then add the chopped up greens and saute until greens are cooked.  Add rice, milk, flour and salt+pepper to taste.  Turn off the stove once the milk is incorporated into the rice mixture.  Stir in the lemon zest.

Grease up a 2 quart casserole dish with butter or olive oil.  Add half of the rice and greens mixture to the casserole dish.  Layer on top one can of sardines and the olive oil in the sardines (I chopped up the sardines to evenly add a layer).  Drizzle lemon juice.  Repeat with the remaining rice and greens mixture and the second can of sardines.  Finally, sprinkle with bread crumbs and parmesan.  Crispy onions would be a great addition!

Bake for 15 minutes.  This fed 4 children with zero leftovers for me.  They all had second helpings.

Vegan Chocolate Pudding (Nut & Seed Free)

This vegan chocolate pudding is perfectly suitable for breakfast.  It’s loaded with protein and has superfoods.  I will probably serve this to my little ones on Valentine’s Day for a special breakfast.

ingredients

• 1 box of organic silk tofu (mine was 13 ounces or so)
• pinch of salt
• 1 teaspoon cacao powder or cocoa powder
• 1/2-1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 tablespoons maple syrup (honey works great too but not vegan)
• 1/2 to 3/4 cups of melted chocolate chips (I used a full 3/4 cups)
• 1 teaspoon maca powder (optional — can probably increase to 1 tablespoon without sacrificing flavor)

method

Melt chocolate in microwave or stove-top.  Add everything to a high powered blender (I used a vitamix).  Chill the pudding in ramekins or a small bowls/glasses.  I prefer my pudding cold.  So silky smooth, perfectly sweet, super chocolatey and healthy!!!  I topped my pudding with pitted amarena cherries with stems in syrup.

Aam Doodth (mangoes & milk) for breakfast or snack

Aam dooth was my favorite dessert during the summer.  An incredibly simple dish with a perfect blend of flavors — creamy, yet healthy.  I often give the children a non-cereal breakfast after I discovered most cereals are not healthy as the high temperature needed to make cereals results in a less nutrient dense end product.  It makes sense, better to eat more real foods that are minimally processed.  But I also need fast recipes for breakfast as we are often in a time crunch.  This recipe fits the bill.  It’s also a great way to use up left over grains.

ingredients:

• 1/2 cup cooked room temperature grain (i.e., rice, quinoa, etc.)
• 1 ripe mango smashed up by hand or food processed
• 1/2 cup hot milk (full fat  milk or vegan alternative)
• pinch of salt

method:

Mix all ingredients and enjoy as breakfast or a snack!

Chicken Tikka Masala Recipe

I am not the biggest fan of chicken tikka masala because I prefer spicy curries rather than creamy ones.  But folks love their chicken tikka masala — it’s always perfect for guests.  My mom shared her tried and true chicken tikka masala recipe.  This was my first time making the dish and it came out fabulous!! My brother, a very harsh food critic, gave the dish rave reviews but stated, “this is a fabulous creamy chicken curry, but it’s not what I consider chicken tikka masala.”  Mom and little bro can duke it out.

This dish can be made in 2 parts:  1) prepare chicken tikka  (make tandoori chicken) and 2) make curry portion which takes less than 30 minutes.  This is definitely a good fast weeknight dinner recipe.

ingredients

Part 1:  Chicken Tikka

• 3 pounds of skinless boneless organic chicken (I used thighs and legs)
• 1 cup whole yogurt (homemade preferred)
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice (1/2 lemon juiced)
• 1.5 teaspoons garam masala (available at Indian grocery store or you can make your own)
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin powder
• 1 teaspoon ground coriander powder
• 1/4-1/2 cup olive oil
• 2 teaspoon garlic & ginger paste (you can easily make this by food processing or blending ginger and garlic in ratio of 2/3:1/3; add a bit of turmeric to act as a preservative and save in your fridge for 2-4 weeks)

Part 2:  Curry

• 2 tablespoons of grass fed butter or ghee
• 1 onion diced
• 4 cloves garlic minced
• 1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric powder
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic & ginger paste
• 28 ounce can of crushed tomatoes
• 1 tablespoon tomato paste
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 2 teaspoons ground cumin powder
• sugar, salt & pepper to taste

method

Part 1:  make chicken tikka

In a large zip lock bag combine all of the ingredients and marinate for 4-5 hours in the fridge.  Then place the chicken and marinade on a foil lined baking sheet and broil on high for 8 minutes, then flip over the chicken and broil for an additional 5 minutes.  Allow the chicken to rest.

Part 2:  make curry

While the chicken broils in the over, saute 1 diced onion in a large skillet with butter.  Once the onion has softened and is translucent, add the minced garlic.   Brown onion and garlic and then add turmeric and ginger & garlic paste.  Keep stirring ingredients and brown until fragrant.  Then add the crushed tomatoes and tomato paste.  Cook until the tomato sauce pulls away from the side of the pan (10-15 minutes).  Once the tomatoes have cooked down and the raw taste is gone, add heavy cream.  Reduce curry sauce until nice and thick.  Use hand blender to puree the curry sauce until smooth.  Cut the broiled chicken in large cubes and place the chicken with the leftover marinade into the skillet containing curry (get every last bit of that marinade because it has spices we need for our curry!!!) .  Simmer chicken in curry sauce for 10 minutes.  Add sugar (1-2 teaspoons) to cut the tartness of the tomatoes.  Finally season with salt, pepper and cumin powder.

Serve with basmati rice, roti or naan bread.