Utica Greens

These are hands down one of my favorite recipes! I hope you love the recipe too! - Molly Morgan

Utica Greens (Image Source: Molly Morgan)

Utica Greens

Serves 4 to 6

Ingredients - Topping:
1/2 cup extra- virgin olive oil
1 cup breadcrumbs (or gluten-free alternative)
1/2 cup Parmigiana-Reggiano, grated

Ingredients - For the Greens:
1 head escarole or baby kale (about 1 1/4 pound)*
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
4 slices prosciutto (about 2 ounces), sliced thin*
4 to 6 hot cherry peppers, tops and seeds removed, sliced thin
2 cloves garlic, minced
Sea salt and pepper, to taste
1/2 cup Parmigiana-Reggiano, grated

*Notes: Traditionally escarole is used in this dish, although, I really like kale! Instead of prosciutto use 2 oz of vegetarian sausage crumbles or skip all together.

Directions:

1. The greens: Trim the escarole and rinse the leaves. Bring a large pot of water to boil. Once the water is boiling, add the greens and blanch for about 2 minutes. Drain and then cover with ice to stop the greens from cooking. Set greens aside. Notes on types of greens: If using collard greens, simmer in vegetable broth on low for 45 minutes to soften. For kale, blanch for 2-3 minutes until the kale is bright green and tender.

2. Prepare the topping: mix the oil, whole wheat breadcrumbs, and cheese. Stir to mix. Set aside.

3. Preheat the broiler.

4. Coat a skillet with olive oil and over medium heat, sauté the cherry peppers, prosciutto, and garlic for about 5 minutes. Then add the greens to the pan and season with salt and pepper.

5. To the skillet add half of the prepared topping and 1/2 cup of the Parmigiana-Reggiano cheese. Stir continuously to keep from burning.

6. Transfer the mixture to a baking sheet. Top with the remaining topping. Broil for 2 - 3 minutes, or until the topping is lightly browned.

7. Serve immediately.

Check out our Facebook page for video tutorial of us making this recipe!

This recipe was adapted from: https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1018594-utica-greens

Q and A with author Sally Kuzemchak, MS, RD

I was so excited to check out this new Ebook, Let’s Try New Foods, from Sally Kuzemchak, MS, RD! It’s such a well put together resource to get you and your family to be a little more adventurous with trying new foods, from cauliflower to fish to tofu. It includes 22 family-friendly recipes along with printables to make it fun!

Check out this Q and A with Sally! And be sure to pick-up a copy of this great resource for you and your family via her website: https://www.realmomnutrition.com/lets-try-new-foods-book/

Let’s Try New Foods by Sally Kuzemchak, MS, RD

Q: What motivated you to put together this new Ebook?

When I wrote my book The 101 Healthiest Foods For Kids, I had my own kids count up how many of the foods they liked. One kid scored pretty high, another lower, but it made me realize that I had not been serving some of these foods nearly enough--and some not at all because they're foods that (even though they're quite healthy) I'm just not wild about. We all need an encouraging, gentle nudge to serve certain foods to our families, whether that's because those foods have crashed and burned before or because they're foods the whole family isn't as familiar with. I wanted to make that process easier for other parents.

Q: Have you used some of these strategies with your own family?

Yes, I'm a former picky eater and married to a former picky eater, so I definitely started with him when we first began dating. I'd make him these tiny salads of just a few lettuce leaves, a bunch of croutons, and a ton of dressing. We still laugh about those salads, but now he eats big salads almost every night. That's where my "starter salad" idea came from that I talk about in the book. Picky eaters especially need baby steps to start with, so I made sure to include a lot of those in the book that I use with my own kids, like dicing mushrooms very small to put into ground beef for burritos.

Q: What has been the most challenging food for your family (or you) to incorporate?

Cauliflower! I'm still the only one in the family who likes it. I understand because it does have a stronger flavor (and aroma when cooked). But I'm hoping that one day it will break through with the rest of them.

Q: What is the best tip you can share with frustrated parents?

Forget the advice of "kids need 10-15 exposures before they'll try something". Because some kids will need MUCH more, and counting on a magical 10-15 exposures can lead to frustration and disappointment. The key is to keep exposing your kids to all kinds of foods, even if that just means those foods are on the table but they're not trying them. Exposure leads to familiarity, which hopefully leads to eventually tasting those foods--but it may be months, years, or decades. And that's okay!

Q: What is your favorite recipe in the Ebook?

Chocolate Tofu Pudding. Yes, kids can like tofu and it truly works in this chocolate pudding. It's a fun way to make tofu a little less intimidating!

Quarantine Kitchen Recipe: Utica Greens

During this crazy time, we have been taking time and trying new recipes in our Quarantine Kitchen. Each week, one of our sons and me are filming a couple of different recipes! Here’s one of the latest, Utica Greens prepared by: Larry & Molly Morgan. Hope You enjoy!! :)

Utica Greens

Serves 4

Ingredients - Topping:
1/2 cup extra- virgin olive oil
1 cup bread crumbs
1/2 cup Parmaigiana-Reggiano, grated

Ingredients - For the Greens:
1 head escarole (about 1 1/4 pound)*
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
4 slices prosciutto (about 2 ounces), sliced thin*
4 to 6 hot cherry peepers, tops and seeds removed, sliced thin
2 cloves garlic, minced
Sea salt and pepper, to taste
1/2 cup Parmigiana-Reggiano, grated

*Notes: You can swap out escarole for other greens like kale or collard greens! And instead of prosciutto use 2 oz of vegetarian sausage crumbles or skip all together.

Directions:

1. The greens: Trim the escarole and rinse the leafs. Bring a large pot of water to boil. Once the water is boiling, add the greens and blanch for about 2 minutes. Drain and then cover with ice to stop the greens from cooking. Set greens aside. Notes on types of greens: If using collard greens, simmer in vegetable broth on low for 45 minutes to soften. For kale, blanch for 2-3 minutes until the kale is bright green and tender.

2. Prepare the topping: mix the oil, whole wheat bread crumbs, and cheese. Stir to mix. Set aside.

3. Preheat the broiler.

4. Coat a skillet with olive oil and over medium heat, saute the cherry peppers, prosciutto, and garlic for about 5 minutes. Then add the greens to the pan and season with salt and pepper.

5. To the skillet add half of the prepared topping and 1/2 cup of the Parmigiana-Reggiano cheese. Stir continuously to keep from burning.

6. Transfer the mixture to a baking sheet. Top with the remaining topping. Broil for 2 - 3 minutes, or until the topping is lightly browned.

7. Serve immediately.

Check out our Facebook page for video tutorial of us making this recipe!

This recipe was adapted from: https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1018594-utica-greens

Lunch Box Quick Tips

With back to school comes packing lunches! Here are some quick tips for quick, easy, and tasty (healthy too!) lunches.

Tip 1: Simple Sides/Snacks

Stock up on simple sides and snacks that require minimal preparation like: grapes, baby carrots, whole grain pretzels, cheese sticks, trail mix, or popcorn.

Check out snack size reusable lunch bags from lunchskins, which are a perfect size for packing sides and snacks!

Tip 2: Sandwich Fun

If you have little ones that get tired of 'regular' sandwiches, try sandwich cutters (pictured right). Somehow this seems to turn the basic sandwich into something more fun! 

Check out sandwich cutters from pottery barn kids. 

Tip 3: Use leftovers

Making wraps out of leftovers is a great sandwich option. Pictured right are baked chicken fingers, simply slice them up and wrap them in a wheat tortilla. Finish the wrap with some sliced veggies, cheese, and a drizzle of dressing.