Toddler Cafe - Jennifer Carden [14]
top-o-the mushroom to ya
makes 4 servings
ingredients
1 tablespoon olive oil
8 ounces button mushrooms (about 12), cleaned and stems removed
1 tablespoon water
½ cup chicken or vegetable broth
12 rich butter crackers, broken in pieces
1 teaspoon dehydrated onion
¼ teaspoon dried oregano
2 ounces soft cheese, such as Brie (string cheese can be substituted in a pinch)
preparation * Preheat the oven to 350°F.
Heat a small nonstick skillet with the oil on medium-high heat. Place the mushroom caps top-side down in the pan and add the water. Cook, covered, for about 3 minutes. Uncover and cook another 5 minutes, until the caps look wilted. The caps should be full of water; drain each one into the pan using tongs, and set the caps top-side down onto a small rimmed baking sheet; set aside.
Over medium-low heat, add the broth, crackers, onion, and oregano to the pan. Cook, mashing with a fork, until all the liquid has been absorbed. Remove from the heat.
Put a small amount of cheese in the bottom of each mushroom cap. Using 2 spoons, drop a heaping amount of stuffing onto each cap, covering the cheese.
Place the baking sheet in the oven on the middle rack for 15 minutes. Raise the oven rack and broil on high another 3 to 4 minutes, until the stuffing starts to brown.
recipe note
To clean mushrooms, dampen a paper towel and wipe the caps free of dirt. If you submerge them in water, they become soggy and flavorless.
spinach, along with lima beans, is a vegetable that even some grownups wince at. many people have had bad experiences with these veggies. but they can be fantastic; it is the preparation that was probably all wrong. in spain, spinach is tossed with dried fruit and nuts to give it delicious flavor, and here is a version of that. teach your kids to like spinach by adding some dried fruit, soy sauce, or slivered almonds. it is a great vegetable; we all know what it did for popeye!
keep a bag of good-quality frozen spinach in your freezer for a back-up vegetable. toss it in anything from eggs to pasta. thaw it, put it in a bowl, and use scissors to chop it into small pieces. don’t throw out those frozen stems—give them to the kids to munch on, and they may surprise you!
tiny spinach mountains
makes 2 servings
ingredients
½ cup frozen spinach, thawed and drained
3 tablespoons currants or golden raisins
Chunk of Parmesan cheese
preparation * Mix the spinach with the currants. Heat in the microwave for 30 seconds to 1 minute, until warm.
Make very small bite-size mounds on a plate. Using a carrot peeler, make thin curls of Parmesan and place 1 over each mound.
variation
Add 3 tablespoons toasted pine nuts after heating.
toddler tip
Unwrap 1 string cheese and pull down small sections of cheese, leaving a core. It should look just like a banana. Use your imagination; you can make bunnies, airplanes, and more.
this warm and satisfying spread has a chunky texture with a sweet and sour taste. this may remind you of thanksgiving, and you can use it as a stuffing inside chicken breasts or as a chunky dip. give your child a small spoon and tell them to “paint” the bread, letting them spread it on toasted bread all by themselves.
fruit and veggie spread
makes about 2 cups
ingredients
1 tablespoon butter
1 crisp apple, peeled and diced
1 cup frozen sweet potato pieces, thawed
3 pitted dates, chopped (about cup)
to ¼ teaspoon ground ginger
cup apple juice
¼ cup chicken broth
teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
Sliced whole-wheat bread, for serving
preparation * Melt the butter in a saucepan over medium heat, add the apple pieces, and cook until they start to brown, stirring only a few times. When the apples are golden brown, add the sweet potato, dates, and ginger; cook, stirring occasionally, for 5 to 7 minutes, or until the sweet potato is softened. Add the juice, broth, and salt, and simmer, stirring