Muesli

My husband and I have a division of labor approach to managing our home, kids and life. For example, he is in charge of sports, car issues, and electronics, and I handle meal preparation, communication with teachers and writing the checks (with mostly his money.)  But the last few months I have been much busier than normal for me and I have begged asked my husband for help in the mornings with breakfast and lunch-making.  On days I need to leave by 7:00am, we have worked out an arrangement where we split meal preparation duties.  He’s does lunch and I’m on breakfast.  You won’t tell him that I got the easier job, right?

Since I love prepping in advance, most of our breakfasts are done the night before, at least in part.  Typical morning meals in our house are oatmeal (soaked the night before), pancakes (batter made the night before and kids taught how to cook them), yogurt and granola, egg and vegetable stratas (prepared the night before and baked in the morning), and muesli, the ultimate do-ahead, meal-in-a-bowl breakfast.  I first discovered muesli eons ago while on vacation in Hawaii.  The hotel breakfast buffet is always a little tough for me with the choices being either sugar (sweet pastries) or hi-fat, low-quality animal protein (sausages, ham.)  But once, right there with the platters of inflammation, was this curious bowl of creamy raw oats and fruit.  One bite and I was hooked on muesli’s subtle, natural sweetness and the long-lasting energy it gave me.   Everytime I traveled, I searched for muesli on every breakfast buffet and never considered making it at home.  Little did I know how easy it was to make.

Muesli is essentially raw oats soaked overnight in yogurt, fresh juice and grated apple.  The soaking process actually helps make the oats more digestible and the minerals more absorbable.  I love it because it tastes creamy and delicious and makes me feel satisfied all morning long.  Muesli tends to replace hot oatmeal in our house when the weather turns warmer.  I usually make a batch once per week and it becomes an instant, but nourishing breakfast-to-go if I’m running late or for the kids if I need to leave before they come down for breakfast.  It is a must-try if you are hosting house guests this summer!  What you will also love about this recipe is that it is easily adaptable to the various palates in the house.  Mr. Picky tops his muesli with strawberries, bananas and pecans and the girls have taken to raw cacao nibs, chopped almonds and blueberries.  But really the sky’s the limit!

Muesli

Pamela
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Servings 4 -6

Ingredients
  

  • 3 cups old-fashioned rolled oats use gluten-free oats to make a gluten-free muesli
  • zest of 1 lemon
  • 1 1/2 cups freshly squeezed orange juice or apple juice
  • 1/2 cup water or use all juice for more sweetness
  • 2 cups unsweetened whole yogurt (use almond milk to make a dairy-free or vegan muesli)
  • 2 apples unpeeled and grated (I use my food processor with the grater attachment, but grating them by hand is fine, too)
  • Toppings: fresh berries or sliced bananas dried fruit, chopped nuts, flaked coconut, raw cacao nibs, raw honey or maple syrup

Instructions
 

  • The night before: In a large bowl, mix all the ingredients, except toppings, in a large bowl. Cover and refrigerate overnight.
  • The next morning: add sweetener to taste, if necessary. Divide the muesli among four bowls and top with favorite nuts or fruits.

Notes

Notes: keeps for several days covered in the refrigerator.
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Kale chips


My favorite line from “Modern Family” this season was when Mitchell returns from the farmer’s market and declares, “Did you hear?  Kale is the new spinach?!”  Damn right, it is.  Even though kale seems to be the new “it” vegetable, I meet lots of people in my classes who are still intimidated by this highly nutrient-dense leafy green.  I don’t know where to begin.  I can say, “don’t judge a book by its cover” or “don’t knock it ’til you try it.”  Or maybe you have tried it and it just didn’t float your boat.  If that’s the case, then you haven’t tried my kale salad with citrus dressing, because that will knock your socks off.

But if you been unsuccessful even getting your kids or picky spouse to try kale, you’ve got to take baby steps and that’s where kale chips come in.  Kale chips is something I mentioned in passing in the first cooking class I ever taught.   Years later, students still email me and ask me how to make them and I cannot believe I have never posted a kale chips recipe.   These light and crispy chips are akin in texture to those seaweed snacks that your kids devour at $1.59 per package (I will post how to make those another time because all that packaging getting thrown into landfills is keeping me up at night.)  If I had to describe what they taste like, I would say they’re like the lone brussels sprout leaves that got away from the head and roasted a little extra.  You know, the pieces that everyone fights over!  And they have the same slightly greasy, salty satisfaction as a potato chip, but it’s KALE.  My kids eat them right off the baking sheet, but if I manage to sneak a few away, I like to crumble them over popcorn or cooked grains, like quinoa or brown rice.  They even make a fun and delicious garnish on a soup, as shown in the final photo, topping a bowl of potato, white bean and escarole soup.

The three kinds of kale you are likely to find in your market are Red Russian, Curly Green, and Dinosaur, which also goes by Lacinato, black kale and Tuscan kale.  I use the Dinosaur kale most often since I like the leaves’ smoother edges better than the rough leaves on the others.  But the Curly Green works well for chips since it is a little thicker.  My Whole Foods has been touting the ANDI system for rating a food’s nutrient density relative to its calorie content and kale receives a perfect 1000 out of 1000.  Why?  Kale is incredibly high in calcium, Vitamin K, Vitamin C, magnesium, iron and antioxidants including including beta-carotene and lutein.  It is also high in fiber and low in calories.  All we are saying, is give kale a chance.

After making hundreds of pans of kale chips over the years, I have a few simple tips for you.  You can actually use whatever type of kale you want, but again I prefer the smoother edges of the Dino kale leaves.  It is very important that you dry your kale leaves very well before drizzling them with oil otherwise the oil won’t adhere well.  Arrange the leaves in one layer on the baking sheet so that they don’t overlap and they develop an even crispness.  Also, keep watch over the the chips while they’re in the oven and make sure they don’t burn.  If they do, they will look even scarier than when you first started and taste bitter.  And then, my friends, you’ll be back to square one with kids and kale.  But I have a hunch that the only sad part of kale chip-making will be that they disappear way too quickly!

Please feel free to post any questions you have about kale, whether it’s destined to be a chip or not.

Kale Chips

Pamela
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Ingredients
  

  • 1 bunch kale of your choice I used Dinosaur kale here because that's what I had.
  • unrefined olive oil
  • fine grain sea salt

Instructions
 

  • Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
  • Wash kale and strip leaves off of stems. Discard stems. Dry kale really well and tear into large pieces.
  • Place kale leaves in a large bowl and drizzle with just enough oil to coat the leaves lightly.
  • Arrange kale leaves in one layer on a baking sheet. Feel free to line the baking sheet with unbleached parchment paper if it's aluminum. Sprinkle leaves with sea salt.
  • Bake for 12 minutes, turning halfway. They should be dry and crispy. The leaves change to an olive-y green color, sometimes even a little yellow, but they should not be brown or burned.
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Grilled corn and black bean salsa

Grilled Corn and Black Bean Salsa | Pamela Salzman

Grilled Corn and Black Bean Salsa | Pamela Salzman

I live in Southern California, where the seasons are like salsas, mild or hot.  No one is complaining here.  I love living in a place where the weather doesn’t pose a challenge — isn’t life challenging enough?  But I grew up in New York, the land of can’t-catch-a-freakin’-break weather, where you must pray to the weather gods if you are brave enough to plan an outdoor event and where you learn to expect the unexpected, like snow in April.  This I do not miss.  BUT I love an East Coast summer.  When I was a kid, summer was party, a time to celebrate and take advantage of the brief window of enjoyable weather.  You could actually feel the change in people’s energy.  Not here.  Summer in So Cal?  Oh, it’s just more of the same old, same old.  72 and sunny today?  What a shocker!

Grilled Corn and Black Bean Salsa | Pamela Salzman

Well you know what they say — you can take the girl out of New York…….  With Memorial Day around the corner, I still get excited for the start of “the season.”  I am ready for the unofficial start of summer, which begins Memorial Day weekend and ends on Labor Day.  So this weekend I am ready to party! (in my own way, of course.)  No same old, same old here.  It’s funny that I mentioned salsa earlier, because that’s just what I’m going to change up a bit.  Instead of the expected pico de gallo, which is just a fresh tomato salsa, I’m making my favorite grilled corn and black bean salsa with baked tortilla chips.  I take smoky grilled corn mixed with creamy black beans and avocado to take salsa to the next level.

What I love about this good-for-you nosh is that it’s not just for chips.  You’re better off with big sticks of jicama to scoop up the dip.  Or we had it last night over some grilled wild salmon that I had bathed at room temperature with equal parts lime juice and olive oil and sprinkled with sea salt and pepper.  It’s one of my favorite light, but super flavorful meals.  You’re not much for chopping?  No problem.  Go buy a high quality pico de gallo (made from fresh tomatoes and not containing garlic powder, citric acid and other things that have no business being in salsa), and mix in some black beans, grilled corn and diced avocado.  It’s like Semi-Homemade with Pamela and not a boxed cake mix in sight!

No fresh corn yet where you live?  Awww, too bad.  You must not live in Southern California.

Have a terrific weekend and safe grilling!

Grilled Corn and Black Bean Salsa

Pamela
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Ingredients
  

  • 1 ear of corn
  • 2 large ripe tomatoes diced
  • ½ cup cooked black beans
  • ¼ cup diced red onion or 2 scallions white and light green parts thinly sliced
  • 1 jalapeno pepper seeded and minced or a few dashes of hot sauce to taste
  • 1 clove garlic minced
  • 2 Tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
  • 2 Tablespoons fresh lime juice
  • 1 teaspoon sea salt plus more to taste
  • 1 ripe avocado diced
  • accompaniments: baked tortilla chips

Instructions
 

  • Heat the grill to medium heat. Pull the husks back from the ear of corn and remove the silks. Replace one layer of the husks and soak the corn in cold water until the grill is ready. Place the corn directly on the grill and cook, turning every 5 minutes. Remove from the grill and cool until easy to handle.
  • Pull all the husks back and cut the kernels off the cob. Place the corn in a serving bowl.
  • Add the diced tomatoes, black beans, onion, jalapeno or hot sauce, garlic, cilantro, 1 Tablespoon lime juice and salt. Toss to combine.
  • In a small bowl, mix the diced avocado and remaining Tablespoon of lime juice. Add to the salsa and combine gently. Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve. If you are preparing this several hours in advance, place in the smallest container that will fit the salsa.
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Grilled lemon-herb chicken with mint drizzle

I’m so glad you came back.  I was afraid I might have scared you off with that black cloud of grilling hanging over my website, so to speak.  But the important message in yesterday’s blog is that even though grilling animal protein is not the most healthful way to cook, there are many things you can do to reduce the amount of carcinogens that form when you grill.  That, and you may want to think twice about grilling every night and just do it occasionally.  As promised, I have a great recipe for grilled chicken that satisfies more than one of the criteria for safer grilling.

I have been making this chicken since I had dinner at my friend Joaquin’s house many years ago.  Joaquin is one of those people who always responds with a “it was so easy” when you eat something delicious at his home and ask him how he made it.  One of the reasons I adore him is that he is always right.  Take for instance the time he made me “chocolate oatmeal,” which was nothing more than regular rolled oats cooked with water and then finished with chocolate soymilk.  I have since changed it up with chocolate hemp milk and I am thinking I should do a post on it because it is so good and “so easy.”  But then again, I just gave you the recipe in one sentence!  Regardless, I was having dinner one night on his lovely patio many summers ago and he served me the best grilled shrimp ever.  It was simply marinated in lemon juice, olive oil, garlic, herbs and salt and threaded on bamboo skewers.  I’m sure it helped that he grilled them perfectly.  That shrimp dish just reinforced in my mind that when you start with good, fresh ingredients, you don’t have to do much to make something delicious.

So what does this have to do with chicken?  I’m getting to it.  After I overdosed that summer on grilled lemon-herb shrimp, I decided it was too good a recipe to retire so why not just put it on something that wasn’t shrimp.  Chicken!  And it has been my stand-by grilled chicken dish ever since.  My favorite way to make it is the way the recipe is written here with mint, parsley and thyme, but you can vary the herbs based on what you have available.  On Saturdays in the summer, we’ll have friends come down for the day and I will very often grill up a bunch of lemon-herb chicken cutlets and put them out for a make-your-own-sandwich buffet before we head out to the beach.  Even without the herbs, sometimes I’ll grill the chicken to use for sandwiches in the kids’ lunch boxes instead of deli turkey, which I think is a little scary. I don’t know when I came up with the mint drizzle, but it was probably when I had lots more time on my hands.  I will make the drizzle if we have people over, but not usually on a weeknight since the chicken is perfectly tasty without it.  Yeah, yeah.  I know what you’re thinking — but it looks so easy!

 

Grilled Lemon-Herb Chicken with Mint Drizzle

Pamela
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Servings 6

Ingredients
  

  • 4 boneless skinless chicken breast halves cut in half to make cutlets, about 2 pounds
  • ½ cup fresh lemon juice
  • ½ cup cold-pressed extra-virgin olive oil
  • 4 cloves garlic thinly sliced
  • ½ cup chopped mixed fresh herbs mint, parsley, thyme is a good combo
  • 2 teaspoons sea salt or additive-free kosher salt
  • 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
  • Mint Drizzle:
  • 1 cup fresh mint leaves
  • pinch of red chili flakes
  • 3 Tablespoons cold-pressed extra-virgin olive oil
  • pinch sea salt
  • a teaspoon or so of raw honey
  • 1 Tablespoon fresh lemon juice
  • 1-2 Tablespoons plain whole or low-fat yogurt I like Straus Family, optional

Instructions
 

  • Mix all the marinade ingredients in a shallow, nonreactive container. Add chicken cutlets and toss to coat well.
  • Cover and refrigerate for 6 hours and up to overnight. If you are doing this at the last minute, marinate the chicken at room temperature for an hour and it will still be delicious.
  • Preheat the grill to medium heat. Remove chicken from refrigerator 30 minutes before grilling.
  • To make mint drizzle: Combine everything except yogurt in a blender or mini food processor and blend until smooth. You may need to scrape the sides halfway through. Pour mint mixture into a small serving bowl and stir in yogurt to desired consistency.
  • Grill chicken 3-4 minutes on each side or until cooked through. Serve with mint drizzle, if desired.

Notes

Many herb combinations are great with lemon chicken. Other herbs to consider are dill, oregano, basil, cilantro, tarragon or rosemary. Although the mint drizzle works best if there is mint in the marinade, too.
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Pantry pasta recipe

My father called me the other day.  My father never calls.  He always jumps on the phone when I’m speaking with my mother, but he is not in a habit of actually dialing my number unless there is something that is nagging him.  “I have looked at your website, and I want to ask you a question.”  Here it comes.  “I think you do not have enough Italian food represented.  You are Italian!”   That’s not a question, but a partially true statement nonetheless.  I am definitely Italian (and proud of it), but I wouldn’t say the majority of the recipes on my website are Italian.  I have, however, eaten and cooked more than my share of Italian food in my life.  Growing up, we probably ate pasta four times per week with crusty bread on the side.  It’s a wonder we aren’t all gluten-intolerant!  Or are we?  Hmmm…

The food I teach in my classes is very representative of the food I make for my family and those recipes are making their way to my website.  I love Italian food and I love pasta, and a satisfying pasta dish is one I can whip up even if I have nothing more than salt, olive oil and garlic.  However I don’t consider pasta a “health food” that I want to be eating regularly.  So I have come to rely on it as a weekly lunch box staple with pesto for the girls and something to make when I need to clean out the fridge.  Very often at the end of the week and before a farmer’s market shop, I have a few stray vegetables lingering in the crisper.  Last night I found a few mushrooms, 1 1/2 zucchini, a couple of carrots, a red bell pepper and a handful of kale or chard.  When I pair these with a few pantry staples such as canned chick peas, jarred tomatoes, onion and garlic, I’ve got the makings of “Pantry Pasta!”

As you can imagine, I’ve never made Pantry Pasta the same way twice because it’s really just a way of using up what I’ve got.  But it always manages to be tasty and a more healthful way to eat pasta since the dish ends up being half veggies & beans and half pasta.  Even better is that everyone loves it, even Mr. Picky who will just pick out any color that is out of favor at the moment.  I love Pantry Pasta because I feel good that I am using my food efficiently and I can pull together an easy dinner in very little time.  Chop your vegetables first, put the pot of water on for pasta and then start sauteing the vegetables.  The key to this recipe is saving a good cup or two of the pasta cooking water just before you drain the pasta.  This is a valuable ingredient in many pasta dishes since the starchy liquid can add a nice richness for the foundation of a good sauce without having to add extra oil or cream.  When I had more time to exercise, I used to add a pat of butter to the pasta just before serving and before I had Mr. Picky, I would stir grated cheese into the pasta at the same time as the pasta water.  He claims he doesn’t like parmesan cheese.  Would it do any good if his grandfather reminded him that Mr. Picky himself is half Italian?  Of course, you can make these delicious vegetables and serve them atop cooked millet or quinoa instead of pasta.  Just don’t tell my dad.

Buon appetito!

Pantry Pasta

Pamela
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Servings 6

Ingredients
  

  • 1 pound whole wheat or other pasta of your choice
  • Kosher salt
  • 2 Tablespoons unrefined cold-pressed extra-virgin olive oil
  • 1 onion chopped
  • 3-4 garlic cloves thinly sliced
  • Vegetables in the fridge such as last night's lot:
  • 2 carrots julienned or roughly chopped
  • a handful of mushrooms roughly chopped
  • 1 1/2 zucchini roughly chopped
  • 1 sweet bell pepper sliced
  • 6 leaves of black kale stems removed and discarded, leaves coarsely chopped
  • Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
  • 1 jar or half a jar chopped tomatoes or whole tomatoes chopped
  • 1 ½ cups cooked beans such as chickpeas or Great Northern
  • A couple tablespoons chopped fresh herbs such as basil, parsley, thyme, mint or a combination
  • Grated Pecorino-Romano or Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese

Instructions
 

  • Bring a large pot of water to a boil.
  • In the meantime, heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add onion and garlic and sauté until tender and translucent. Stir in remaining prepared vegetables, except the leafy greens. Season with two pinches of sea salt and a few grinds of black pepper and sauté until just tender, about 5 minutes.
  • To the pot of boiling water, add kosher salt and pasta. Cook pasta according to package instructions.
  • Into the skillet pour in the chopped tomatoes and beans and simmer ten minutes. Sprinkle with another pinch of sea salt. Stir in chopped greens and fresh herbs and cook until wilted.
  • When pasta is cooked until al dente, remove two cups of pasta cooking water and reserve. Drain the pasta and add it to the skillet with the vegetables and toss. Add enough pasta water to coat the vegetables and the pasta. Taste for seasoning and serve with grated cheese if desired.

Notes

Other additions: chopped celery, cauliflower florets, peas, chopped Swiss chard, beet greens or baby spinach leaves instead of kale
Notes: You can also add a splash of white wine to the vegetables as you are sauteing.
Do ahead: chop your vegetables in the morning and store in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
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Grated Carrot Salad with Avocado Recipe

Carrot Salad with Avocado | Pamela Salzman

 

Carrot Salad with Avocado | Pamela Salzman
Photos by Erica Hampton

 

I really do love vegetables and I try to eat as many as possible, as often as possible.  Besides being incredibly nutrient-dense, what I most love about vegetables is how versatile they are.  You can steam, braise, roast, saute, stir-fry and grill them.  Or you can eat most vegetables raw.  But not only does a vegetable take on a different flavor with each preparation, but how you cut them makes a difference, too.  Let’s use carrots as an example.  I adore carrots both raw and cooked and I prepare them using all the methods mentioned above.  But I have a favorite.  There is something highly addictive and so satisfying about a simple salad of freshly grated carrots.  It is hands-down my preferred way of eating this common, underappreciated vegetable.  Grated carrot salad has just the right amount of crunch, sweetness and juiciness.  My husband, who is not the biggest fan of carrots, calls this the “I Can’t Believe It’s Carrots” Salad and inhales it.

Grated carrot salad is a classic and traditional dish in France where you’ll find it on many a cafe or bistro menu.  In my house, it appears very often as a side dish in the spring and summer months when fresh carrots are gloriously abundant at the farmer’s market.  I always say that the best salads are the simplest and it doesn’t get any simpler than this one, especially if you can find the grater attachment to your food processor.  I think the grater attachment is one of the most underutilized and helpful tools in the kitchen.  It may take you 5-8 minutes to peel  1 1/2 pounds of carrots, but it will take your food processor 5 seconds to grate them all.  I can throw this simple lemon and olive oil dressing together in a few minutes and a surprisingly delicious salad is mine to savour.

Although this salad is perfection with just carrots and dressing, I am crazy for avocados and I usually add a large one to the salad.  The contrast of creamy and crunchy gets me every time.  Daughter #1 loves it for a school lunch with feta and sunflower seeds.  “What did you say, Mr. Picky?  You prefer your grated carrots without dressing?  Sure, no problem.”  That’s me being flexible.  We pack this for picnics at the beach, serve it alongside sandwiches on Saturdays or at barbecues in the summer. It is also a staple Rosh Hashana luncheon salad with roast chicken.  This salad is even amazing the next day, but it never lasts that long.  I know what you’re thinking — Really?  Carrots?  I’m telling you — addictive!

Carrot Salad with Avocado | Pamela Salzman

Carrot Salad with Avocado

Pamela
5 from 1 vote
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Servings 4 -6

Ingredients
  

  • 1 ½ pounds of carrots peeled if desired and grated
  • 1/3 cup parsley leaves chopped
  • ¼ cup raw sunflower seeds toasted then drizzled with a drop of olive oil and a sprinkle of sea salt
  • 3 Tablespoons lemon juice
  • 1 teaspoon minced shallot
  • ½ teaspoon sea salt
  • A grind of black pepper
  • ½ teaspoon Dijon mustard
  • 1 teaspoon raw honey or pure maple syrup optional
  • ¼ cup cold-pressed extra-virgin olive oil
  • 1 ripe avocado cubed

Instructions
 

  • Combine carrots, parsley, and sunflower seeds in a serving bowl.
  • In a jar with a screw-top lid, combine lemon juice, shallot, sea salt, pepper, mustard, honey, if using. and olive oil. Add dressing to salad to taste and combine. Add avocado and gently combine.

Notes

The grated carrots and the dressing alone make a tasty and light salad. Don’t be concerned if you don’t have one or more of the other components.
Dill or chives would be a great sub for the parsley.
Walnuts or pistachios would be a great sub for the sunflower seeds.
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Cinnamon “nachos” with fresh fruit salsa recipe

It was tense around here on Super Bowl Sunday as my husband’s Steelers were getting walloped by the Packers.  Nevermind that I had just laid out a fresh batch of baked chips and guacamole, no one was really hungry…except me, of course.  As everyone watched in agony as the Packers’ Nick Collins returned an interception for a touchdown, all I could think of was, “I wonder if I can make sweet chips with whole grain flour tortillas in the same way I make traditional chips out of corn tortillas?”  You know what they say, “when the going gets tough, the tough get making sweet chips!”  You never heard that before?  I quickly got to work on what would become my kids’ new favorite snack.

These chips are as tasty as they are easy.  By the time the oven is preheated, you will have the chips assembled on baking sheets ready to go.  The best part is that you can improvise, veganize, de-gluten and really make these your own.  I like both Rudy’s 7-Grain Tortillas with Flax, as well as Food For Life’s Brown Rice Flour Tortillas, if you want to make them gluten-free.  Believe me that no one will have any idea these chips are made with whole grain tortillas.  Just brush both sides with either melted butter or coconut oil, sprinkle with cinnamon-sugar, cut and bake.  That’s the recipe!  But the fun doesn’t stop there.  You can drizzle the baked chips with melted chocolate or if you have a little extra time, dip each one in melted chocolate.   I usually serve them with a fresh fruit “salsa” which is basically nothing more than diced mixed fruit.  Sometimes I’ll add some finely chopped mint and a squeeze of fresh lime to the fruit if I’m feeling fancy or if serving these to adults.  Strawberries and mangos are in season now, but diced bananas, ripe peaches, nectarines and apricots all work beautifully, too.

This is also a fun project to do with your kids.  I love cooking with my children, especially with just one of them at a time.  There’s something about cooking together that makes them chatty.  I always learn something new about what’s happening in their lives, which is not an easy thing with teenage girls!  Daughter #2 helped me with this batch and she had the clever idea of using a heart cookie cutter to make some heart-shaped chips.  I wish I had thought of that for Valentine’s Day.  Well, you know what they say in football — “there’s always next year!”

Cinnamon "Nachos" with Fresh Fruit Salsa

Pamela
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Servings 4 ? 3? you and me? just me?

Ingredients
  

  • 1 ½ Tablespoons granulated sugar
  • 1 ½ teaspoons ground cinnamon
  • 4 organic whole grain or brown rice tortillas I like Rudy's 7-grain with Flax or Food For Life Brown Rice tortillas
  • 3 Tablespoons melted unsalted butter or unrefined coconut oil
  • 1 mango peeled and diced
  • 1 pint strawberries hulled and diced*
  • A few leaves of fresh mint finely chopped and a few wedges of lime, squeezed (optional)

Instructions
 

  • Preheat oven to 375 degrees. If your oven tends to run hotter than average, preheat to 350 degrees. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.
  • Combine sugar and cinnamon. If you have a shaker, that's helpful to use for distributing the cinnamon-sugar. Otherwise a spoon is fine.
  • Place tortillas on a cutting board. Brush both sides of each tortilla with melted butter and sprinkle one side with cinnamon-sugar to cover lightly. Spread with fingertips if needed. Stack tortillas and cut into wedges or strips or use cookie cutters to cut in decorative shapes.
  • Transfer to baking sheets cinnamon-side up in one layer and bake for 10** minutes or until lightly browned. Tortillas will crisp further out of the oven. Allow to cool on pan.
  • Combine mango and strawberries in a bowl. Mix in mint and lime juice, if desired. Place fruit salsa in center of platter and surround with tortilla chips.

Notes

*Suggestions: Combine any seasonal fruit such as diced apricots, bananas, peaches, pineapple, and plums. Once I mixed shredded coconut with the fruit and I loved it. You can melt semi-sweet chocolate to dip or drizzle on top of the chips. Or serve with your favorite frozen dessert or use a lightly sweetened yogurt as a dip.
**If you overcrowd the pan, you may need an extra 2 minutes.
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NOT microwave popcorn recipe

I use my microwave oven for two things, as a back-up timer and to disinfect my sponges.  Killing anything alive is what a microwave does best, no?  When people find out I don’t put food in the microwave, they always ask, “how do you reheat leftovers and how in the world do you make popcorn?”  I have to laugh because I know that anyone who is my age grew up without this appliance and surely remembers a time when our parents perhaps reheated last night’s stew in a pot???  Yes, of course, it takes 5 minutes longer and then you actually have to wash the pot, but I am really not a fan of the microwave.  Even though I can find studies making a case against the microwave, I can also find literature which outlines that microwaves are not bad for you.  Welcome to the world of nutrition — where you can always find someone who will tell you what you want to hear!  So be it, but I still don’t trust them and I think it changes the texture of many different foods and not for the better.  And if memory serves me, I think it makes the food you are cooking less tasty.  That’s reason enough for me to not use one.

What I can argue with conviction is that most microwave popcorns aren’t worth feeding to a starving animal, let alone my kids.  Have you read the ingredient list of many of the microwave popcorns in your supermarket?  Here are just two examples:

Pop Corn, Partially Hydrogenated Soybean Oil (Adds A Dietary Insignificant Amount of Trans Fat Per Serving), Salt, Natural Flavors, Annatto For Coloring, Soy Lecithin

Popcorn, Partially Hydrogenated Soybean Oil and Cottonseed Oil, Salt, Modified Cornstarch, Maltodextrin, Monosodium Glutamate, Natural Flavor & Artificial Flavor, Color (Yellow 5 Lake & Yellow 6 Lake), Nonfat Milk, Freshness Preserved by Propyl Gallate.

Nice.  And that’s just the ingredients inside the package.  We’re not even discussing the chemicals lining the bag itself.  The good news is that you can still make popcorn the old fashioned way, the way my mom taught me — on the stove.  And you know what?  It’s sooooo much better than the microwaved junk if you follow a few key tips.

First, use good quality popcorn, preferably non-GMO, such as Eden Oragnic.  Next, use coconut oil to pop the corn.  It’s a more stable oil to heat than vegetable oils and it makes the popcorn taste like the kind you get at the movie theater.  Lastly, keep the lid on the pot open a half inch or so to let some of the steam escape so that your kernels stay nice and crisp.  Perfect for an after-school snack, sleepover party, to eat while watching your child or grandchild’s Little League game and of course, to sneak into your local movie theater.  Shhhhhhh!

NOT Microwave Popcorn

Pamela
5 from 4 votes
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Ingredients
  

  • 2 Tablespoons coconut oil
  • 1/2 cup good quality popcorn such as Eden Organic
  • sea salt to taste
  • melted butter to drizzle on top if that's your thing

Instructions
 

  • Heat the oil in a heavy bottomed 3-quart pot over medium heat. (I used one that was 8 inches in diameter and 5 inches deep.) Add 3 kernels of popcorn to the pot and cover with a lid. This is how my mom did it. Don't ask me why it was 3 kernels and not 2 or 4. When the kernels pop (this usually takes about 2 1/2 - 3 minutes), add the 1/2 cup of popcorn in an even layer and cover with the lid, but not all the way. Leave it open about 1/2 inch to allow steam to escape but not wide enough to let the popcorn pop right out.
  • Shake the pot every now and then. If you can't shake it with the lid ajar, cover the pot, shake and open the lid again when you return the pot to the heat.
  • Once the popping reduces to several seconds in between each pop, take the pot off the heat and remove the lid. Sprinkle with sea salt and transfer to a serving bowl. Taste for salt and add another sprinkle if necessary. If you like melted butter on top, now's the time to drizzle it.

Notes

I bought the paper popcorn containers at my local Smart & Final. Very fun for a party!
If you don't have a lid for your pot, you can cover the pot with aluminum foil and poke a bunch of holes in it with a toothpick to allow the steam to escape.
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!