Most of the recipes on this webpage have been on our lunch menu this year or offered as a Friday snack. Some of the favorite lunch offerings have been the chicken and dumplings (see recipe below) and spaghetti and meatballs. Grilled ham and cheese on whole wheat bread and fettuccine alfredo with veggies has also been a big hit.
Please try some of these recipes and let us know what you (and your kids) think! Drop us a line with your comments/questions at cymbre@traversechildrenshouse.org or Trish@traversechildrenshouse.org.
CREAM OF BROCCOLI SOUP
Culinary Institute of America, Vegetables!
2 lb broccoli
¼ cup olive oil
1 ¼ cups chopped onions
½ cup chopped celery
1 ¼ cups chopped leeks, white & light green parts
¼ cup all-purpose flour
6 cups vegetable or chicken broth
½ cup heavy cream, heated
fresh lemon juice, to taste
salt & pepper as needed
Shredded white cheddar or parmesan cheese(optional)
- Separate the broccoli into stems and florets. Trim away the tougher outer parts of the stems. Set aside 1 cup of the nicest-looking small florets. Coarsely chop the remainingbroccoli florets and stems.
- Heat oil in a soup pot over medium heat. Add the onions, celery, leeks, and chopped broccoli. Sauté, stirring frequently, until the onions are softened and translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the flour and stir well to combine. Cook, stirring frequently, for 4 minutes.Gradually add the broth to the pot, whisking to work out any lumps in the flour. Bring the soup to a simmer and cook for 45 minutes. Stir frequently and skim as needed.
- Remove the pot from the heat and let cool for at least 10 minutes before pureeing with a blender. Add more broth if the puree is too thick. Transfer the pureed soup back to a clean pot. Return soup to a simmer. Add the heated cream, stirring constantly.
- Meanwhile, steam or boil the remaining florets until just tender.
- Season to taste with the lemon juice, salt & pepper. Add cheese if desired.
- Garnish with the florets.
Makes 8 servings
Kohlrabi Vegetable Stew
serves 6
2-3 medium kohlrabi, bulbs & greens
1 tbsp. olive oil
1 large onion, cut in slivers
3 medium carrots, cut in 3/4" chunks
2 medium potatoes, cut in 3/4" chunks
1 C peeled chopped tomatoes
4 C vegetable broth
1 bay leaf
1/2 tsp. dried oregano
1 tsp. salt
freshly ground black pepper to taste
1 tbsp. Dijon mustard
1/2 tbsp. molasses
Separate leaves from kohlrabi bulbs. Peel bulbs & cut into large chunks. Derib leaves & cut into thin strips. Set aside. Heat oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add onions & saute for several minutes. Add kohlrabi bulb chunks, carrots, potatoes, tomatoes, broth, bay leaf, oregano, salt, pepper, molasses & mustard. Turn up heat to medium-high and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover & simmer for about 15 minutes, or until veggies are not quite tender. Add kohlrabi leaves & simmer, uncovered, for another 10 minutes, or until veggies are just cooked.
Mashed Kohlrabi
Just like mashed potatoes. Trim the leaves off the bulb, slice it into two or four pieces and steam or boil until tender (about 15 min.) Mash kohlrabi into a puree, add a little milk, or butter, some salt and dip your finger into puree to taste. Yum!
Most people I have asked how they prefer kohlrabi, answered, they liked it raw, sliced or grated.
Kohlrabi Gratin
Preparation Time: 20 minutes
Cooking Time: 60 minutes
Serves: 4
2 lbs. kohlrabi
3 tbsp. fresh parsley
1 lemon
2 oz. butter
1 C cream
4 oz. Cheddar cheese
Salt and pepper
1. Peel the kohlrabi, cut in half and slice thinly. Place half in a gratin dish and sprinkle with half the parsley.
2. Finely grate the lemon rind and sprinkle half on top of the kohlrabi. Dot over half of the butter. Season with salt and pepper.
3. Put the remaining kohlrabi, parsley and lemon rind on top. Dot with the remaining butter and pour over the cream.
4. Top with the grated cheese and bake at 375 degrees for 60 minutes, until tender.
Butternut Squash Soup
w/ Gorgonzola & walnuts
2 tbl butter
1 ½ cups chopped onion
2 ½ cups squash, peeled, cubed
1 tsp dried sage
1 tsp dried thyme
4 cups unsalted chicken broth
pinch cayenne pepper
2 oz gorgonzola cheese, crumbled
½ cup roasted walnuts
Melt butter in heavy, large saucepan over medium heat. Add onion and sauté until tender, about 10 minutes. Add squash and sauté until beginning to color, about 10 minutes. Add sage & thyme.
Add chicken broth to mixture and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer until squash is tender, about 20 minutes. Transfer soup to processor in batches and puree until smooth. Season with salt & pepper to taste. Ladle into bowls, sprinkle with cheese and roasted nuts.
Serves 4-6
Eggplant and Mozzarella Stacks
This Mediterranean dish brings sunshine flavors to your table at any time of year!
1 medium eggplant
2 tablespoons olive oil,
5 ounces fresh mozzarella cheese, drained
Handful of basil leaves, torn, to serve
For the sauce:
2 cups fresh tomato sauce or 1 (15 oz) can prepared sauce
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 garlic clove, chopped
- Preheat the oven to 400 F and preheat the broiler. Cut 12 eggplant slices about ½ inch thick.Arrange these in the broiler pan in one layer and brush with half the olive oil. Broil for 3 to 4 minutes until well colored. Turn over, brush, and broil again; leave to cool.
- Cut the mozzarella cheese into 12 slices. Place a slice of cheese on each piece of eggplant.Bake for 10-12 minutes, until cheese melts.
- While they are baking, make the sauce. Put all the ingredients in a pan and simmer briefly. Spoon a little sauce on each plate, put eggplant stacks on top, spoon more sauce over and sprinkle with chopped basil. Serve hot.
Serves 6
Pesto Sauce
2 cups loosely packed fresh basil leaves
1/3 cup pine nuts
2 medium cloves of garlic, peeled
½ cup grated parmesan cheese
Process the above ingredients to a rough paste in a food processor.
With machine running, slowly add through the feed tube;
-½ cup extra-virgin olive oil
-If the sauce seems dry (it should be a thick paste) you can add more olive oil.
-Season with salt & pepper.
Serve fresh or refrigerate for up to a week. Can also be put in air tight freezer container in freezer for later use.
Pumpkin Scones
Another Friday snack hit
2 cups flour
½ cup brown sugar
½ tsp ground ginger
½ tsp nutmeg
¼ tsp allspice
½ tsp Cinnamon
1 tsp baking powder
¼ tsp baking soda
¼ tsp salt
½ cup cold butter
1/3 cup milk
1 egg
½ cup plain canned pumpkin
1 tsp vanilla extract
Combine dry ingredients in a large bowl and cut in the cold butter. In a separate bowl combine the wet ingredients. Add the wet to the dry until just combined. Do not over mix. Form the sticky dough into a wheel and cut into wedges. Recipe makes 6 large or 8 medium scones. Bake at 375 degrees for 20-25 minutes
Sweet Potato Fries
These were made for the toddlers at the 2006 Fall Festival and they gobbled them up. Kids who typically turn their noses up at mashed sweet potatoes will love these - guaranteed.
6 medium sweet potatoes
2 tablespoons canola or olive oil
Salt and chili powder to taste
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Peel the sweet potatoes and cut them into French fry shapes. Place them in a bowl and toss with oil and seasonings. Spray a cookie sheet with nonstick spray and arrange fries on the pan. Bake until the inside is soft and the edges are crispy.
Garlic Bean Dip
This is a simple alternative to hummus.
1 can rinsed white beans
1-2 cloves garlic
2 tablespoons olive oil
¼ - ½ cup water
salt and pepper to taste
Add the ingredients to the food processor and puree. Add water until the dip reaches the desired consistency. Optional: sprinkle with chopped tomatoes or stir in a spoonful of pesto. This dip is great for dipping veggies or baked tortilla chips.
Rose’s Salad Dressing
This is your basic vinaigrette but we dubbed it Rose’s in honor of Rose Hollander who taught my children to make this in her cooking class at The Children’s House many years ago. It has been a staple in our house since then, replacing ranch dressing, a salad dressing typically containing lots of sugar, MSG and other additives. My children make a double or triple batch at a time.
Whisk together 2 tablespoons vinegar (we love balsamic), 1- 1 ½ teaspoons sugar, 1-2 cloves garlic, a pinch of coarse salt, a bit of ground pepper, one tablespoon of Dijon mustard. Slowly add ¼ to 1/3 olive oil. Whisk together and pour over salad.
