Cooking for Monkeys

Causing a Ruckus - Appa (Last Air Bender) Bento

2010-03-06T10:15:00.002-05:00

I made this bento last October for Ruckus Magazine. Check out the article on-line or pick up a copy at various locations in Decatur (Little Shop of Stories, Java Monkey, etc).

top: strawberries, orange, blackberries, quail eggs with carrot flowers, gouda cheese, skewered snow peas, mushroom ravioli, mini cookie

bottom: yellow cauliflower, red pepper, blackberries, shredded carrot and swiss sandwich (appa cheese accent)

Typically I would not throw such a hodge podge of food together, but I wanted to show the versatility of food that could be put into a bento meal.

Yellow Plums

2010-02-26T11:00:00.000-05:00

I picked up some of these delicious pear shaped yellow plums at Whole Foods last week. They are spectacular.

husbands lunch- yellow pear, turkey wrap with cranberry chutney and cheddar, carrots, snap peas, blackberries, and a homemade chocolate chip cookie hidden underneath

monkey lunch- left: veggie straws, strawberry, blueberries, turkey, m&m surprise in case

right: cheddar and chutney sandwich, snow peas, Apple Carrot Crusher from Trader Joe's

A Week of Theatre

2010-02-22T09:42:00.006-05:00

Last week the Monkey's class walked to Agnes Scott College to see a production of "Puss in Boots". The play was fantastic and the kids really enjoyed it. After the show we took advantage of the sunshine and sat outside to have lunch before walking back to class. I love Decatur.

left: veggie straws, graham cracker sticks, snap peas, blueberries and strawberries, 2 rounds of salami. right: cheddar and chutney sandwich with puss in boots salami cheese accent.

The previous day we visited The Center for Puppetry Arts to see "Rainforest Adventures" with a friend. The boys put on a puppet show back at home with the Margay Cat Hand Puppets they made.

If that were not enough we made it to Dad's Garage TWICE to see Uncle Grandpa's Hoo-Dilly Show on Saturday morning and the much more adult "Griefers" on Friday night. Highly recommended! Whew, I feel so cultured.

Uncle Grampa's Hoo-Dilly Storytime at Dad's Garage

2010-01-24T07:48:00.002-05:00

One of our favorite Saturday morning activites is back after a holiday hiatus. If you have a chance, Uncle Grampa's Hoo-Dilly Storytime at Dad's Garage is GREAT FUN for kids and adults alike. Completely zany but not in an annoying way. Each week is a brand new inprov story that is interrupted by appearances of various characters - the Monkey's favorite is an invisible donkey.

This weeks story was about Elementary Watson and the Library Triangle. Stories are chosen and embellished through audience participation this one included an evil Egyptian pharaoh, a famous guitar player, a schwami, and of course Watson and his 'dumb' side kick.

After the show the kids can meet both the actors and puppets outside of the theatre and also receive a free balloon!

If you do go, I typically pack the Monkey a large snack since the show is right around lunch time.

Simple Vietnamese Steak Sandwich

2010-01-20T11:20:00.003-05:00

The weather has returned to above 60 degrees which makes me want to fire up the grill! Last night I did just that and made a wonderful grilled flank steak salad with grilled zucchini and roasted tomatoes. Yum.

Today I used the leftover steak to make this super easy and equally as yummy sandwich.

Simple Vietnamese Steak Sandwich
adapted from Martha Stewart Everyday Food

Dressing:

1 tsp minced garlic

1 tsp sugar

1/4 tsp sriracha sauce

1 TB rice vinegar

Sandwich:

1 carrot grated

1 TB chopped culantro (long leaf cilantro)*

toasted bun, roll, whatever crusty bread you have on hand

several slices of flank steak (warmed)

Toss the carrot and culantro together with the dressing. Layer steak and carrot mixture on toasted bread, eat.

* note: I just happened to have this and like the slightly exotic flavor tones it adds to the dish, but regular cilantro would work just as well.

Ricky Gervais Sings Elmo a Lullaby

2010-01-20T09:25:00.001-05:00

Warning: Do not drink anything while watching this video.

Lost in Ferelden

2010-01-13T08:26:00.000-05:00

So, umm, hello there. I have been rather slack in my posts lately, I still have pre-Christmas photos lingering on my computer! I guess the holidays....and other things (the Blight) have kept me busy.

EGG lunch (12/18):
veggie booty, ham and chutney sandwich with cheese tree, gouda, apple candy cane, blueberries, strawberry, cookies.

Monkey Lunch (12/18): sun butter and jam Christmas Tree with green sprinkles (this looked better in my head), cheese and carrot "presents", cheese snowman on cookie, red pepper poinsettia, veggie booty, blueberry and strawberry.

For the Monkeys last class before the break all classes got together to watch "The Polar Express". I was able to pop in and prepare a special snack for the kids in his room based on thier favorite story for the month: "Rudolf the Red Nosed Reindeer".

Snack: Clementine, cinnamon bread, cheese Rudolf with pomegranate nose and pretzel antlers, blueberries.

Cabbage is Crunchy

2009-12-15T12:10:00.003-05:00

The Monkey often surprises me. I think I have him all figured out and then wham, he pulls a fast one. Last night I made Chicken Larp for dinner. We have this Thai inspired dish occasionally and the kids like it for the tart sweetness of the chicken. I had purchased some napa cabbage to go with the dish this time for the adults...I mean what child is going to want raw cabbage? I know this goes entirely against my mission, I am always offering new items for the kids to try. But cabbage. Ha Ha, right, there was NO WAY the Monkey or EGG would eat THAT. In fact, I did not even bother to offer it to either of them.

The dinner conversation went like this:

Monkey: What's that?
Me: Umm, cabbage. You won't like it.
Monkey: Yes I will. It's crunchy.
Me: You don't like carrots or apples and they are crunchy.
Monkey: But I really want some.
Me: Oh, okay. Here give it a try.
Monkey: Yummy, cabbage is awesome.

Go figure.

Proof:

This dish is super easy to make and does not require a special trip to the farmers market. It is a good intro to Thai food for kids. As their palates grow you can expand this recipe or try some more curry based dishes. Coconut milk curries are popular with our family as well.

Kid Friendly Chicken Larp
recipe adapted from: Thai Food by David Thompson

1 pound ground chicken
1 minced garlic clove
3 TB chicken stock
1 tsp brown sugar
3 TB lime juice
1 tsp roasted chili powder
1 TB fish sauce
1/2 onion minced
handful of minced mint and cilantro leaves

Heat stock in pan add sugar and pinch of salt, add ground chicken and garlic. Simmer gently until cooked, but do not overcook or chicken will become tough. Take off of heat and add all other ingredients. Season to taste, should be sweet, tangy, and a tad spicy.

Serve with raw veggies. I typically use cucumber, long beans, and now napa cabbage.

WebMD

2009-11-17T10:13:00.013-05:00

When I started this blog a few years ago on a whim (and a suggestion from my sis) I never dreamed I would have a camera crew visit my kitchen and film my family making our morning smoothies!

At the house.

Last Friday the WebMD crew arrived at the house early in the morning to shoot footage of the kids and myself making smoothies and cleaning up afterwards. We then travelled to the Monkeys' school to make applesauce with his class. The applesauce was great, the kids had fun, and I feel pretty good about the whole day! Of course, MY SON, is the one that DID NOT like the applesauce. Sigh.

Setting up the classroom.

Washing hands.

Using the old fashioned apple peeler.

Tossing scraps in the garden compost (more on the garden later).

Checking the texture, almost ready.

The segment will be available on the WebMD website in March or April, I'll keep you posted. I want to say thanks to friends (and hubby) who worked behind the scenes to make all of this run smoothly and to the WebMD crew that made me feel comfortable and made this a fun experience! And of course, a very special thank you to the school and the kids!

Junktique

2009-11-13T17:11:00.001-05:00

Come out and enjoy good food and shopping this Sunday at the Solarium in Oakhurst! I will be sharing a booth with Colleen Keenan who designs and hand sews super cool handbags. See you there!

Junktique.

Day at the Ranch Bento

2009-11-10T11:23:00.004-05:00

top: gouda cheese, berries, corn, cheddar bunnies, green beans

bottom: carrot sticks, sunbutter and jam sandwich with cheese horse

The Monkey and his classmates travelled to Dacula last Friday to spend a day at Rancho Alegre. This is a working farm and the kids enjoyed brushing “Chili Pepper” one of the horses, milking a goat, petting the bunnies and donkeys, learning about chickens and composting, they even attended a goat cheese making class! After a tractor driven hayride around the ranch we settled into the covered pavilion for lunch and some playtime. It was a wonderful day!

my bento:

top: shrimp cakes, green beans, corn, strawberry

bottom: porchini mushroom ravioli, gouda cheese, crackers, chocolate crepe (and yes, I shared with the Monkey!)

goat milkingchickens

cheese making

Go Away Monster bento

2009-10-28T09:33:00.001-04:00

left: clementine, blackberry, strawberry, steamed yellow cauliflower, marshmallow ghosts, chocolate bat, graham crackers
right: boiled quail egg eyes with carrot, carrot hair, cheese mouth, green bean horns, cheese quesadilla underneath

Momo Bento

2009-10-26T09:08:00.007-04:00

There is a new craze in the household: Avatar: The Last Air Bender. At dinner last night both monkey's requested Momo* bentos for lunch today. I need to work on early morning picture quality, sorry for the poor lighting!
*For those not in the know - Momo is a flying lemur!

Monkey #2 (EGG's) bento:
sunbutter & jam sandwich with cheese momo, snow peas with strawberry, and clementine

Monkey #1 bento

right: sunbutter & jam sandwich with cheese momo

left:clementine with strawberries, skewered snow peas, carrot sticks, animal crackers

Meow Bento

2009-10-23T14:14:00.004-04:00

EGG loves her stuffed kitty...named "Meow" of course.

top: pear & strawberry, mini chocolate cookie, avocado, cheddar

bottom: veggie straws, ham sandwich on pumpernickel with (whisker-less) cheese cat.

Cold and Windy Day

2009-10-20T13:28:00.005-04:00

This is a soul satisfying soup. The textures and subtle flavors really make you want to savor every bite. The original recipe came from Bon Appetit October 2007, a (slightly) revised version is below.

Sweet Potato and Sausage Soup

Olive oil for sautéing
1 10- to 11-ounce fully cooked smoked Kielbasa cut into bite sized pieces
2 medium onions, chopped
2 large garlic cloves, minced
2 large sweet potatoes peeled, and cut into bite sized pieces
1 pound white-skinned potatoes, peeled, and cut into bite sized pieces
6 cups low-salt chicken broth
1 9-ounce bag fresh spinach

Heat oil in heavy large pot over medium-high heat. Add sausage; cook until brown, stirring often, about 8 minutes. Transfer sausage to paper towels to drain.

Add onions and garlic to pot and cook until translucent, stirring often, about 5 minutes. Add all potatoes and cook until beginning to soften, stirring often, about 12 minutes.

Add broth; bring to boil, scraping up browned bits. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer until potatoes are soft, stirring occasionally, about 20 minutes.

Using potato masher, mash some of potatoes in pot. Add browned sausage to soup. Stir in spinach and simmer just until wilted, about 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Divide among bowls and serve.

Field of Greens 2009

2009-10-03T18:19:00.000-04:00

I have been so busy I almost forgot to post about one of my favorite events of the year! Field of Greens 2009 tomorrow from 11am - 6pm.
Locally grown chef-prepared food, live music, and green living education, all in a family-friendly, fun environment at Whippoorwill Hollow Organic Farm. Proceeds benefit Georgia’s sustainable and organic farmers through Slow Food Atlanta. For more info and to purchase tickets, visit http://www.fieldofgreensfestival.com/

The festival is featuring the following restaurants: Rosebud, Leon's, 5 Seasons, Restaurant Eugene,Woodfire Grill, Parish, Rathbun's, Valencia, Food 101, 4th & Swift, farm 255, The Shed at Glenwood, JCT, Haven, Repast, Milton's Cuisine and Cocktails, Dynamic Dish, Miller Union.

Drop by if you can! I PROMISE more bento lunches soon!

Fried Green Tomato Yumminess

2009-09-20T06:50:00.003-04:00

It has been raining for...well forever it seems. My tomatoes are not getting any sun and therefore are staying green. I decided to use them before "The Flood" and made this awesome salad! Oh my gosh, so freakin' yummy.

contents: baby arugula, pan fried green tomatoes with cornmeal & pecan breading, grilled chicken breast, goat cheese, and a spicy peach chutney dressing.

I dipped the tomato in the peach chutney mixture and then in the breading before pan frying and tossed the arugula in the remaining chutney mixture.

I will post the full recipe soon.

Next I'll have to try that recipe my mom sent for green tomato pie.

Top Chef Bento Edition

2009-09-18T15:42:00.008-04:00

The Decatur Book Festival and the Slow Foods USA Eat Ins were a huge hit. Thanks to all the folks that showed up to make it such a success! If you have not yet, please visit the Slow Foods website and show support for healthier food in schools.

Pictured here are: State Representative Stephanie Stuckey Benfield with her adorable kids, THE famous Leslie Grant - Chickin Feed, Josh Viertel – Pres. of Slow Food USA, Julie Shaffer – Founder & Former Pres. of Slow Food Atlanta chapter, Me, and Eli Kirshtein- Top Chef extraordinaire. And in the middle is Judith Winfrey of Love is Love Farms and the Slow Food Atlanta chapter leader. Photo courtesy of Donata Renfrow.

It was great to talk with folks that visit the blog and to meet several new people. Eli from Top Chef even came by the booth to purchase a bento! I am pretty certain it was for the tall and lovely young lady that was with him. He even posed for a picture! Speaking of Top Chef, you know Richard (Blais that is) that adorable daughter of yours could use a bento box…on the house for my favorite Top Chef contestant ever. (Sorry Eli, not sure how your season turns out yet).

Hmmm…maybe Bravo should host a Top Chef: The Bento Edition! One of the challenges could be to prepare a lunch bento with one baby strapped to your back while watching a toddler that just ate a pound of chocolate. I would totally watch that!

Rainy Day Tutorial

2009-09-02T20:55:00.013-04:00

Okay, so I finally got around to doing a tutorial, woo hoo! Sorry for the picture quality, it was a rainy and dark day.

I typically trace/draw a picture on parchment paper and then use this as my guide to cut out cheese, sweet potato, tortillas, or whatever else is easily cut into shapes.

Once the jeep bodies have been cut out I use a pastry tip (straws the like work just as well) to cut out circles for the tires and headlights. In this case I have used fruit leather for tires (olives work as well for more savory sandwiches) and cheese for headlights.

I then "glue" the finished jeep to the sandwich. You can use honey, jam, sun butter, peanut butter, anything that is edible and sticky!

For the alligator carrot, I slice the carrot thin and then cut the top at an angle for the head. I then cut a zig zag design in the snout to make his mouth. Lastly I cut a bunch of small zigzags down his back. You can also add feet as I have done here.

Here is the finished product. Another camp day bento safari style.

contents: baby banana, zucchini bread elephants, veggie booty, corn, cheese giraffe, alligator carrot, watermelon, blueberries, sunbutter and jam sandwich with spinach tortilla jeep

I used some mini cookie cutters for the giraffe cheese and the elephant.

Join us for a nationwide EAT-IN following the Decatur Book Festival

2009-08-25T20:11:00.007-04:00

The Slow Food USA "Time for Lunch" campaign & Eat-In's are a few short weeks away. If you are in the Decatur/Atlanta area and would like to post some fliers... here they are. You can also let your monkeys learn how to advocate for themselves and ask their Legislator to "please give me real food" by printing the action flier below and bringing it to the Eat In. Check out the EVENTS tab on the Cooking for Monkeys Facebook Page for all the details on our Eat-In.

Camp Day Butterfly Bento

2009-08-25T16:43:00.007-04:00

contents: corn, snap peas, carrot, strawberry and blueberries, butterfly grilled cheese, graham bunnies, and "chocolate cake" ( zucchini bread with flax seed, oats, banana, applesauce, and a smidge of cocoa).

"Chocolate Cake" Zucchini Bread
Makes 2 loaves

1 cup white flour
1 cup wheat flour
1 cup rolled oats
4 TB ground flax seed
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg
1 teaspoon salt
4 TB cocoa
4 eggs (or Egg Beaters to cut some calories)
1/3 cups brown sugar
1/4 cup oil
1/2 cup applesauce
2 medium overripe bananas, mashed (the riper, the sweeter)
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 cups shredded zucchini

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Whisk together white flour, wheat flour, oats, flax seed, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt.
In a separate bowl beat the eggs.
Add the sugar, oil, applesauce, and mashed bananas to the eggs; mix well.
Add the vanilla.
Combine the wet and dry mixtures. Stir until just combined.
Fold in the zucchini
Pour into 2 lightly greased loaf pans (9x5-inch).
Bake for 45-50 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.

Caprese Salad Sandwich

2009-08-25T16:22:00.010-04:00

This is my new favorite sandwich. Oh my gosh it is so oooey, gooey, yummy. And it is simple to boot. We have had an amazing crop of tomatoes this year. In looking for new ways to use up all those tomatoes I stumbled across a recipe from Bon Appetit I wanted to try. It is very easy and this is my version.

Caprese Salad Sandwich

2 slices of dense whole grain bread
2-3 thick slices of heirloom tomato
3 slices prosciutto
2- 3 thick slices of a good buffalo mozzarella (the original recipe called for Burrata if you can find it)
fresh basil
a little bit of mayo

All you need to do is crisp the prosciutto in a pan and put all the elements together for a yummy sandwich.

bento: corn, sauteed spaghetti squash, concord grapes, strawberry and makings for my Caprese Salad Sandwich sans the bread, which was in a separate container.

Hanging with Curious George

2009-08-25T16:01:00.009-04:00

Wow! Thanks to all the folks, some 80 overall, that showed up for our Back to School Healthy Eating Fair at Hoopla this past Saturday!

I know many were initially dubious to the idea of putting frozen broccoli in smoothies, I am glad I could win you over!

Plane Travel Bento

2009-08-17T10:36:00.004-04:00

I was able to clean out our fridge and fruit bowl and pack all four of us a fabulous lunch for the 2+ hour plane ride to Boston. It really is a nice little treat in mid flight and certainly beats a bag of peanuts!

left: concord grapes, cherry tomatoes and cucumber (from the garden!), zucchini bread, cheese, carrot & swiss sandwich squares

right: hummus, kiwi, peach, broccoli, and leftover mini turkey burgers

Healthy Eating Fair This Saturday At Hoopla!

2009-08-17T10:30:00.003-04:00

Hoopla Kids, Chickin Feed, and Cooking for Monkeys will be hosting a Back to School Fair with an emphasis on healthy eating and exercise. Curious George will be present along with face painting and balloon animals. The festivities go from 10am-1pm on August 22nd.

The famous Leslie Grant from Chickin Feed (Rachel Ray, Atlanta Magazine) will be there to encourage children to “Make Good Choices” with her Nutrition Tracking Boards and fun activities that promote exercise.

Jacks Harvest products will be available to sample as well as coupons available.

Cooking for Monkeys will be making Happy Day Smoothies and will have tips for bento packing and perhaps a demo or two!

After the chaos the kids can relax and focus with a sample kids yoga class at 12pm. Taught by Nicole Jurovics.

Hope to see you there!