Minestrone Soup–a kids favorite.

We have made Minestrone Soup with all age kiddos so many times! It’s always a hit! Kids love to make it, and everyone loves to eat it.

Minestrone Soup with Farro

Serves 8

2 cups cannellini beans, cooked. You may use 1-15 ounce cans

3 cups carrots, chopped

1 1/2 cups celery, chopped

1 bunch kale, chopped

1 whole onion, chopped

3 cups tomatoes, chopped or 1-28 ounce can diced tomatoes

2 quarts vegetable stock

2 tablespoons olive oil

6 cloves garlic, chopped

1 tablespoon fresh sage, chopped

1 tablespoon fresh rosemary

1 tablespoon fresh oregano

1 cup Parmesan cheese, grated

3 cups cooked farro. Follow the directions on the package.

Sea salt and pepper, to taste

In a stockpot, sauté the onion, garlic, celery & carrots for 5 minutes. Add the kale and cook for an additional 5 minutes. Add tomatoes and herbs and cook 10 minutes longer. Next, add the cannellini beans and stock. Let simmer 30 minutes.

Optional: Puree 1/3 of soup with immersion blender or use food processor.

Add the farro & serve with drizzling of olive oil or basil oil or pesto and parmesan cheese.

Farro is an ancient form of wheat and is generally soaked before using. A hearty grain, it’s also wonderful in grain salads. Just add vinaigrette, seasonal raw veggies and you’re set!

Kids and Climate Change Class

The purpose of the Kids and Climate Change Class was to educate kids about aspects of climate change, and then empower them with information so that they know that what they do to help matters. This happened while they learned how to make Minestrone Soup with Farro. Kids always enjoy cooking, and love knife skills. They especially loved eating their delicious, nutritious soup at a communal table. Such a great class!

Homemade Pasta

It’s so much fun teaching a bunch of thirteen year-old girls at a birthday party! The request by the birthday girl was to learn to make homemade pasta, and ice cream sandwiches.

The birthday girl didn’t consume dairy as she was aware that dairy made her allergies worse. Pretty great that she was able to listen to her body and figure out this connection.

Fresh Pasta

By Patty James
Makes about 1 pound.

3 cups unbleached or whole-wheat pastry flour plus additional for dusting
4 large eggs, lightly beaten
1 teaspoon sea salt
2 to 3 tablespoons water

Special equipment: a pasta machine (or you may roll out by hand on a lightly floured board)

To make dough in a processor:
Blend flour, eggs, salt, and 2 tablespoons water in a food processor until mixture just begins to form a ball, adding more water, drop by drop, if dough is too dry (dough should be firm and not sticky). Process dough for 15 seconds more to knead it. Transfer to a floured surface and let stand, covered with an inverted bowl, 1 hour to let the gluten relax and make rolling easier.

To make dough by hand:
Mound flour on a work surface, preferably wooden, and make a well in center. Add eggs, salt, and 2 tablespoons water to well. With a fork, gently beat eggs and water until combined. Gradually stir in enough flour to form a paste, pulling in flour closest to egg mixture and being careful not to make an opening in outer wall of well. Knead remaining flour into mixture with your hands to form a dough, adding more water drop by drop if dough is too dry (dough should be firm and not sticky). Knead dough until smooth and elastic, 8 to 10 minutes. Cover with an inverted bowl and let stand 1 hour to let the gluten relax and make rolling easier.

Roll pasta:
Divide dough into 8 pieces, then flatten each piece into a rough rectangle and cover rectangles with an inverted large bowl. Set rollers of pasta machine on widest setting.

Lightly dust 1 rectangle with flour and feed through rollers. (Keep remaining rectangles under bowl.) Fold rectangle in half and feed it, folded end first, through rollers 7 or 8 more times, folding it in half each time and feeding folded end through. Dust with flour if necessary to prevent sticking. Turn dial to next (narrower) setting and feed dough through rollers without folding. Continue to feed dough through rollers once at each setting, without folding, until you reach narrowest setting. Dough will be a smooth sheet (about 36 inches long and 4 inches wide). Cut sheet crosswise in half. Lay sheets of dough on lightly floured baking sheets to dry until leathery but still pliable, about 15 minutes. (Alternatively, lightly dust pasta sheets with flour and hang over the backs of straight-backed chairs to dry.) Roll out remaining pieces of dough in same manner.

• Dough can be made (but not rolled out) 4 hours ahead and chilled, tightly wrapped in plastic wrap. • Fresh-cut pasta sheets can be chilled in large sealed plastic bags up to 12 hours.

Snickerdoodle Cookies

We made ice cream sandwiches using this recipe with the butter substitute since the birthday girl couldn’t have dairy. After the cookies were cooled, we used coconut milk ice cream. They were a big hit!

  • 1 1/2 cups non-refined sugar
  • 1 cup butter or butter substitute (non-hydrogenated)
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • 2 3/4 cups unbleached all-purpose or whole-wheat pastry flour
  • 2 teaspoons cream of tartar
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
  • 2 tablespoons non-refined sugar
  • 2 teaspoons cinnamon

Preheat oven to 375F.

Mix 1 1/2 c. sugar, butter, eggs and vanilla. Stir in flour, cream of tartar, and soda. Chill dough. Roll dough into balls the size of walnuts. Combine the remaining 2 tablespoons sugar and cinnamon. Roll cookies in this mixture and bake for 8-10 minutes. Cool completely on wire racks.

Note: If you use a butter substitute such as EarthBalance the cooking time is increased to about 15 minutes.

 

 

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Favorite Recipe from Camp: Turkey Meatloaf

Yes, Turkey Meatloaf beat out homemade ice cream!

Turkey Meatloaf
Serves 10

3 pounds ground turkey
3 large eggs
1 cup uncooked oatmeal
1 medium red pepper, chopped fine
1 medium yellow onion, chopped fine
1 small carrot, grated
1 stalk celery, chopped fine
1 1/2 teaspoons sea salt
1 1/2 teaspoons pepper
1 1/2 teaspoons dry mustard

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
Place the all ingredients in a large bowl and mix well. I find it easier to use my hands for the mixing. Place the mixture in the 9X9 pan and shape into a loaf. If you like top with BBQ sauce. Bake for 1 1/2 hours or until light brown.

Notes: If you are sensitive to oats you may substitute leftover brown rice or brown rice breadcrumbs. You can easily reduce this recipe by half-but then you might not have leftovers!

Serving Ideas: You may form the turkey into meatballs and place on a cookie sheet to bake. Cooking time for meatballs is about 30 minutes, depending on the size. You may also sauté them in a large frying pan in a little olive oil. When done, remove from pan and drizzle with Honey-Dijon Sauce.

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