Inspiring Nutrition in the Next Generation

{student} "Cauliflower comes in yellow?!"

{me}...Yes it does!

{student} "What's that giant vegetable?"

...It's a leek... it's like a giant green onion!

{student} "That looks like celery!"

Well, it's actually a fennel bulb!

Oh the curiosity of students in the kitchen! This summer at Marian Hope Academy, we are exploring fun and healthy ways to prepare an array of foods- from yellow cauliflower to leeks to gluten free blueberry donuts!

Our menu this week conisted of 5 fun Farmer's Market featured dishes listed here below that are from my Cook 2 Flourish Cookbook. We hope you love them as much as we did!

Cauliflower Flat Bread

4-6 servings

4 cups cauliflower, bite size florets (14 ounces)

4 large organic eggs

1/4 cup coconut flour

½ teaspoon REAL® sea salt

1 teaspoon garlic powder

Directions:

1) Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

2) Process the cauliflower florets in a food processor until fine granules that look like snow. Pour the cauliflower granules into the cheese cloth. Gather the four corners of the cheese cloth and gently twist and continue twisting the cauliflower granules to release excess water. Twist and squeeze as much water out as possible! You may drain as much as a ½ cup of water out of the cauliflower. This is important, otherwise the dough will not be able to be picked up and eaten.

3) Place the cauliflower granules back into the blender along with the eggs, coconut flour, sea salt, and garlic. Process 40 seconds or until well combined.

4) Line a stainless steel or stoneware baking sheet with unbleached parchment paper and pour the batter onto the parchment paper. The batter should be creamy and cohesive. If grainy and crumbly, it needs one more egg. Smooth out with a spatula to about 1/8 of an inch thickness evenly across the parchment paper.

5) Bake in 375 degree oven for 15-20 minutes until golden brown. Some thin areas may brown first or burn a little.

6) Remove from oven and test to see if the dough is able to hold together when lifted up off edge of parchment paper. Immediately slide the dough off of the parchment paper and onto a cooling rack. Do not let it sweat! Otherwise it will get soggy. Looks hard, but it’s not!

Roasted Rosemary Potatoes

4-5 cups assorted potatoes, chopped into cubes

1-2 Tablespoons avocado oil

1 Tablespoon fresh rosemary or ½ Tablespoon dried

½ cup leek, sliced

½ to 1 cup mushrooms, chopped (optional)

½ teaspoon REAL® sea salt

1 teaspoon garlic powder

½ teaspoon black pepper

Directions: Pre-heat the oven to 375 degrees. Chop the potatoes and toss them with the other ingredients. Roast until tender and slightly golden- about 18-25 minutes.

Emerald Pesto

Makes 1 cup

4 cups total: fresh parsley, basil and spinach

¼ cup filtered water

2 Tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil or avocado oil

½ teaspoon garlic powder

½ teaspoon REAL® sea salt

¼ cup feta OR goat cheese (or avocado for dairy free)

¼ cup walnuts

½ teaspoon ground black pepper

Directions:

1) Place all ingredients into a food processor and blend until smooth.

Enjoy on top of soup for extra zing; on crackers, pizza, pasta, zoodles or on spaghetti squash.

Spiralized Zucchini

Simply use a spiralizer to create “zoodles” out of the zucchini. Use raw as a salad base and toss with salad dressing or pesto. Alternatively, saute with butter, coconut oil, or avocado oil with sea salt, pepper, and garlic powder until tender.

Confetti Cauliflower Rice

Serves 3-4

1 lb. cauliflower rice bag

1 Tablespoon coconut oil or avocado oil

1 cup carrot, shredded or minced

1 shallot or small red onion, minced

½ teaspoon black pepper

½ teaspoon REAL® sea salt

2 Tablespoons parsley, chopped

¼ cup pumpkin seeds, optional

Directions:

1) Heat the coconut oil in a stainless steel pan on medium heat and add the shallot and carrot. Season with salt and pepper, and saute for 1-2 minutes.

2) Add the cauliflower rice and stir well. Cook for 5-8 minutes until the cauliflower is tender. Garnish with fresh parsley and pumpkin seeds.

Happy cooking!

~Robin