Cooking with Kids: Chocolate Smoothies

I recently was a workshop presenter for Wellness Day at a local grade school. The topic was "Nutritious After School Snacks." With the help of eager fifth grade students, this is one of two recipes we made in a 25 minute span of time.

5th-graders take a healthy snack break—sampling Chocolate Smoothies

To read about the Wellness Day event, including student comments and  

reactions, go to the Abilene App blog: Garfield Wellness Day - "Kids Cooking" Healthy Snacks

Chocolate Smoothie    2 servings

Prep: 10 min. or less

Tools/Equipment: Blender or NutriBullet, set of dry measuring spoons & cups, measuring cup for liquids

Ingredients

   3 to 4 tablespoons quick-cook or old-fashioned oats (not cooked)

   2 cups+ milk (almond or soy milk can also be used)

   About ¼ to ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon

   1 teaspoon cocoa powder (unsweetened)

   About ¼ cup sweetened yogurt

   1 banana

   A heaping handful of ice

   Honey, agave syrup or sugar to taste

Step-by-Step Preparation

1. Add the oats to the bottom of a blender or NutriBullet. Pour in enough milk to cover and let oats soak as you assemble the rest of the smoothie. (If you don’t have a blender that will grind and pulverize, you may need to let the oats soak a little longer.)

   

   This 5th-grader is adding milk to the oat mixture.

2. Add the remaining ingredients, except the sweetner, and then add the remaining milk (add to the Max line on the NutriBullet).

   

   A 5th grader adds smoothie ingredients to the blender.

3. Taste and add honey, agave or sugar if needed. Note – as bananas age (and develop black spots) they become sweeter . . . so less sweetener is needed with older bananas.

   

   Mixing up another batch of smoothies for sampling.

In addition to Chocolate Smoothies, we also made Fast & Easy English Muffin Pizzas.

Recipe without photos . . .

Chocolate Smoothie    2 servings

Prep: 10 min. or less

Tools/Equipment: Blender or NutriBullet, set of dry measuring spoons & cups, measuring cup for liquids

Ingredients

   3 to 4 tablespoons quick-cook or old-fashioned oats (not cooked)

   2 cups+ milk (almond or soy milk can also be used)

   About ¼ to ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon

   1 teaspoon cocoa powder (unsweetened)

   About ¼ cup sweetened yogurt

   1 banana

   A heaping handful of ice 

   Honey, agave syrup or sugar to taste

Step-by-Step Preparation

1. Add the oats to the bottom of a blender or NutriBullet. Pour in enough milk to cover and let oats soak as you assemble the rest of the smoothie. (If you don’t have a blender that will grind and pulverize, you may need to let the oats soak a little longer.)
2. Add the remaining ingredients, except the sweetner, and then add the remaining milk (add to the Max line on the NutriBullet).
3. Taste and add honey, agave or sugar if needed. Note – as bananas age (and develop black spots) they become sweeter . . . so less sweetener is needed with older bananas.

Asian Dressing

We used this dressing on our Simple Supper Salad Platter . . .

Asian Dressing

3 tablespoons soy sauce

3 tablespoons rice vinegar

Pinch of dry mustard

About ¼ teaspoon granulated sugar

¼ cup vegetable (canola) oil

¼ cup sesame oil*

1 tablespoon toasted sesame seeds**

1.  Mix soy sauce, rice vinegar, mustard and sugar in a mixing bowl.

2.  Drizzle in oils slowly and whisk to combine.

3.  Mix in toasted sesame seeds.

*Sesame oil, made from sesame seeds, has a distinctive taste often associated with Asian fare. It can become rancid at room temperature, so store in the refrigerator. The oil will partially harden when cold, but simply remove from the refrigerator prior to using and it will once again to back to a liquid state.

**Toast sesame seeds in a dry skillet over medium heat for 3-5 minutes or until lightly browned, stirring occasionally. Or bake on an ungreased baking sheet at 350° for 8-10 minutes or until lightly browned. Watch to avoid scorching.

Other Asian salad recipes on this blog include:
Asian-inspired Salad & Dressing

Very little cooking involved . . . Simple Supper Salad Platter

After a Mother's Day feast, we were ready for something light for supper tonight. So, it's just a matter of assembling things from the fridge, with very little cooking involved. 
     The idea is simple — use what you have on hand, so feel free to vary ingredients and create your own simple supper platter!

Simple Supper Salad Platter
Hard-cooked eggs, peeled and diced
Cooked chicken, diced or shredded
Cooked beans, drained & seasoned  (our red beans came right out of the can; I seasoned them lightly with a chili, cumin & garlic blend)
Carrots, chopped, sliced or grated
Celery, chopped
Broccoli, chopped
Chunks of cheese
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Fresh herbs, chopped — such as thyme and parsley
Chinese cabbage, shredded

To assemble:

• Arrange various items (chicken through cheese) on a platter as desired. Sprinkle chopped herbs on top.
• To serve: Add shredded cabbage to dinner plates and let each person add their choice of ingredients from the salad platter.
• Offer dressings such as  Mom's Celery Seed Dressing or Asian Dressing, or dressing of your choice.
• Slices of toasted Almost No-Knead Walnut and Rosemary Bread add a grain component to the meal.
• For dessert: Berry-Delicious Fruit Salad.

Almost No-Knead Walnut and Rosemary Bread

Same bread as before (Almost No-Knead Bread) but with a slightly different twist:

Almost No-Knead Walnut and Rosemary Bread

2 1/2  cups all-purpose flour

1/2 cup whole wheat white flour

1½ teaspoons salt

¼  teaspoon instant or rapid-rise yeast

¾  cup + 2 tablespoons water, room temperature

6 tablespoons mild-flavored beer 

1 tablespoon distilled white vinegar

1/2 cup chopped walnuts

1 tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary

Vegetable oil spray

1. Mix the flour, salt, and yeast together in a large bowl.
   
2. Add the water, beer and the vinegar. Using a rubber spatula, fold the mixture, scraping up the dry flour from the bottom of the bowl, until a shaggy bowl forms.
   
3. Stir in the walnuts and rosemary.
   
4. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and allow it to sit at room temperature for at least 8 hours or up to 18 hours.
5. Lay an 18x12-inch sheet of parchment paper on the counter and spray it with the vegetable oil spray.
   
6. Transfer the dough to a lightly floured work surface and knead the dough 10 to 15 times. Shape the dough into a ball by pulling the edges of the dough into the middle.
7. Transfer the dough, seam side down, to the center of the oiled parchment paper and spray the surface of the dough with the vegetable oil spray. Pick up the dough by lifting the parchment paper overhang and lower it into a heavy-bottomed Dutch oven. Let any excess parchment paper hang out over the edge of the pot. Cover the pot loosely with plastic wrap and allow the dough to rise at room temperature until it has doubled in size and does not readily spring back when poked with a finger, about 2 hours.
8. Adjust an oven rack to the middle position. Remove the plastic wrap from the pot. Lightly flour the top of the dough and using a sharp knife or a razor blade, make one 6” long, ½” deep slit along the top of the dough.
   
9. Cover the pot and place it in the oven. Heat the oven to 425°. Bake the bread for 30 minutes. Note: Bread is placed into a cold oven; set the timer for 30 minutes at that point —do not wait until the oven preheats.
   

Other No-Knead Bread recipes:
Other Almost No-Knead breads include:
Almost No-Knead Bread (basic loaf)
Almost No-Knead Cranberry-Pecan Bread
Almost No-Knead Oat Bread

Recipe without photos . . .

Almost No-Knead Walnut and Rosemary Bread

2 1/2  cups all-purpose flour

1/2 cup whole wheat white flour

1½ teaspoons salt

¼  teaspoon instant or rapid-rise yeast

¾  cup + 2 tablespoons water, room temperature

6 tablespoons mild-flavored beer 

1 tablespoon distilled white vinegar

1/2 cup chopped walnuts

1 tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary

Vegetable oil spray

1. Mix the flour, salt, and yeast together in a large bowl.
2. Add the water, beer and the vinegar. Using a rubber spatula, fold the mixture, scraping up the dry flour from the bottom of the bowl, until a shaggy bowl forms.
3. Stir in the walnuts and rosemary.
4. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and allow it to sit at room temperature for at least 8 hours or up to 18 hours.
5. Lay an 18x12-inch sheet of parchment paper on the counter and spray it with the vegetable oil spray.
6. Transfer the dough to a lightly floured work surface and knead the dough 10 to 15 times. Shape the dough into a ball by pulling the edges of the dough into the middle.
7. Transfer the dough, seam side down, to the center of the oiled parchment paper and spray the surface of the dough with the vegetable oil spray. Pick up the dough by lifting the parchment paper overhang and lower it into a heavy-bottomed Dutch oven. Let any excess parchment paper hang out over the edge of the pot. Cover the pot loosely with plastic wrap and allow the dough to rise at room temperature until it has doubled in size and does not readily spring back when poked with a finger, about 2 hours.
8. Adjust an oven rack to the middle position. Remove the plastic wrap from the pot. Lightly flour the top of the dough and using a sharp knife or a razor blade, make one 6” long, ½” deep slit along the top of the dough.
9. Cover the pot and place it in the oven. Heat the oven to 425°. Bake the bread for 30 minutes. Note: Bread is placed into a cold oven; set the timer for 30 minutes at that point —do not wait until the oven preheats.

Cheeseburger Gravy . . . on toast

It's simple fare but utterly delicious. Comfort food that heralds back to our childhoods. Besides, it's a quick fix when you're in a hurry. And, I even made it faster by using pre-prepared (and frozen) Ground Beef Mix made with lots of onions, red peppers (but no celery as mentioned in the ground beef mix link). 
     If you don't have ground beef mix on hand, simply brown ground beef, chopped onions and red peppers, adding salt and pepper to taste, and use that as your base.
     Or, use sausage for sausage gravy, with or without the cheese.

Cheeseburger Gravy   3 to 4 servings
2 to 3 tablespoons olive oil
About 1 1/2 to 2 cups Ground Beef Mix
2 heaping tablespoons all-purpose flour
About 1/4 teaspoon salt and pepper if needed
1 1/2 to 2 cups milk, or more to achieve a gravy-like consistency (we use whole milk)
1 cup grated Cheddar -- we used a combination of extra-sharp Cheddar & white Cheddar)
Chopped chives for garnish, if desired

1. Heat the oil over medium heat in a pot or skillet.
2. Add Ground Beef Mix and heat through.
   
3. Stir in the flour and about 1/4 teaspoon of salt and pepper. Cook a couple of minutes to avoid a raw flour taste.
   
4. Slowly stir in milk and allow gravy to thicken, adding more milk as needed to achieve a gravy-like consistency.
5. Stir in cheese and continue to cook just until cheese melts.
   
6. Serve gravy over toast, biscuits, mashed potatoes or use as a topping for baked potatoes; garnish with chives if desired.

Recipe without photos . . .
Cheeseburger Gravy    3 to 4 servings
2 to 3 tablespoons olive oil
About 1 1/2 to 2 cups Ground Beef Mix
2 heaping tablespoons all-purpose flour
About 1/4 teaspoon salt and pepper if needed
1 1/2 to 2 cups milk, or more to achieve a gravy-like consistency (we use whole milk)
1 cup grated Cheddar -- we used a combination of extra-sharp Cheddar & white Cheddar)
Chopped chives for garnish, if desired

1. Heat the oil over medium heat in a pot or skillet.
2. Add Ground Beef Mix and heat through.
3. Stir in the flour and about 1/4 teaspoon of salt and pepper. Cook a couple of minutes to avoid a raw flour taste.
4. Slowly stir in milk and allow gravy to thicken, adding more milk as needed to achieve a gravy-like consistency.
5. Stir in cheese and continue to cook just until cheese melts.
6. Serve gravy over toast, biscuits, mashed potatoes or use as a topping for baked potatoes; garnish with chives if desired.

Stuffed Baby Bellas — Creminis filled with sausage & spinach

Normally I serve sausage-and-cheese-stuffed (button) mushrooms for an appetizer, but today Zey’s Market had a special on creminis (baby portabella mushrooms) so I decided to turn them into a dinner entrée. Since I had fresh spinach on hand, I threw it in the mix and this in what I came up with . . .

Stuffed Baby Bellas — Creminis filled with sausage & spinach

8 baby portabella mushrooms (creminis)

½ to ¾ lb. ground pork sausage (we use Zey’s fresh ground sausage)

1 small onion, finely chopped

2 garlic cloves, finely chopped

⅛ to ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes 

3 to 4 handfuls fresh spinach, coarsely chopped

Kosher salt and fresh ground black pepper

2 to 3 tablespoons bread crumbs

About ¼ to cup shredded Cheddar cheese – divided use

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Cooked rice—I used brown basmati (about ¾ cup to 1 ½ cups of water) and cooked it according to package directions

1 to 2 carrots, finely chopped

Chopped chives for garnish if desired

1. Preheat the oven to 400°.
2. Wipe the mushrooms clean with a damp cloth. Remove the stems and finely chop them.
   
3. Arrange the mushroom caps (hollow side facing up) on a foil-lined rimmed baking sheet or dish. Leave some room around each mushroom to prevent caps from steaming.
4. Add ground sausage to a hot skillet or pot, stirring to break up as it browns.
   
5. Once it is broken up and nicely browned, add the onion, garlic, red pepper flakes, and chopped mushroom stems. Cook over medium heat until onions are tender.
   
6. Add the spinach and salt and pepper to taste.
   
   Note: the moisture in the spinach will help deglaze the pan at this point.
7. Remove  most of the meat filling from the pot and place in in a bowl (any that remains will be used to flavor the rice). To the bowl of meat filling—stir in enough bread crumbs to make a firm mixture + most of the cheese.
   
8. Divide stuffing among mushrooms, packing it to fill the cap in addition to creating a mound; top with any remaining cheese.
   
9. Bake until the mushrooms are tender and the filling is cooked through, about 20 to 25 minutes.
10. As mushrooms bake, add chopped carrots to the filling that remains in the pot. Add lid and cook until carrots are tender, about 5 to 8 minutes.
11. Mix in cooked rice.
    
12. To serve, either arrange mushrooms on top of a mound of rice or arrange rice on the side; garnish with snipped chives if desired.
    
    
    
    

Recipe without photos . . .

Stuffed Baby Bellas — Creminis filled with sausage & spinach

8 baby portabella mushrooms (creminis)

½ to ¾ lb. ground pork sausage (we use Zey’s fresh ground sausage)

1 small onion, finely chopped

2 garlic cloves, finely chopped

⅛ to ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes

3 to 4 handfuls fresh spinach, coarsely chopped

Kosher salt and fresh ground black pepper

2 to 3 tablespoons bread crumbs

About ¼ to cup shredded Cheddar cheese – divided use

-----

Cooked rice—I used brown basmati (about ¾ cup to 1 ½ cups of water) and cooked it according to package directions

1 to 2 carrots, finely chopped

Chopped chives for garnish if desired

1. Preheat the oven to 400°.
2. Wipe the mushrooms clean with a damp cloth. Remove the stems and finely chop them.
3. Arrange the mushroom caps (hollow side facing up) on a foil-lined rimmed baking sheet or dish. Leave some room around each mushroom to prevent caps from steaming.
4. Add ground sausage to a hot skillet or pot, stirring to break up as it browns.
5. Once it is broken up and nicely browned, add the onion, garlic, red pepper flakes, and chopped mushroom stems. Cook over medium heat until onions are tender.
6. Add the spinach and salt and pepper to taste. Note: the moisture in the spinach will help deglaze the pan at this point.
7. Remove most of the meat filling from the pot and place in in a bowl (any that remains will be used to flavor the rice). To the bowl of meat filling—stir in enough bread crumbs to make a firm mixture + most of the cheese.
8. Divide stuffing among mushrooms, packing it to fill the cap in addition to creating a mound; top with any remaining cheese.
9. Bake until the mushrooms are tender and the filling is cooked through, about 20 to 25 minutes.
10. As mushrooms bake, add chopped carrots to the filling that remains in the pot. Add lid and cook until carrots are tender, about 5 to 8 minutes.
11. Mix in cooked rice.
12. To serve, either arrange mushrooms on top of a mound of rice or arrange rice on the side; garnish with snipped chives if desired.