Easy Homemade Granola

Ingredients:

• 4 cups rolled oats
• 1/2  cup ground flax seed
• 1/2 cup sunflower seeds (raw)
• 1/2 cup pumpkin seeds
• 1/2 cup cashew pieces
• 1/3 cup sesame seeds
• 1/2 cup almond slices
• 1 cup maple syrup
• 1 cup olive oil
• 2 tbsp. ground cinnamon
• pinch of sea salt
• 1 tbsp. vanilla extract
• 1 cup chopped pitted dates

Kale, Quinoa, Chickpea, Sweet Potato Soup

( Vegan and Gluten-Free)

( yields 6 portions)

Ingredients:

1/3 cup olive oil

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 medium onion, chopped

3 kale leaves, stalks discarded and leaves chopped

6 cups of water

1 medium sweet potato, chopped

1/4 cup uncooked quinoa

1 cup cooked chickpeas ( or canned and rinsed)

1/2 cup parsley, chopped

1/2 tsp turmeric

1/4 tsp cayenne pepper

1/2 tsp. cumin

1 tsp. sea salt

Directions:

In a large saucepan,warm up the oil. Add garlic and spin the pot a few times for the oil to become fragrant. Add onions and saute for 2 minutes. Add kale and saute for 2 additional minutes. Add sweet potato and quinoa and bring to a boil. Add chickpeas and parsley and bring to a boil again. Cover and simmer for about 12 minutes. Add the spices and sea salt. Taste and readjust the spices, if needed. Let the soup stand and develop flavor for 15-20 minutes, then serve.

You need: Scissors, green construction paper, pen, plastic bugs.

More preschool math activities.

Brown Rice Eggplant Casserole

Ingredients:

3 cups cooked brown rice

1 large eggplant, sliced

sea salt

1/3 cup olive oil (divided)

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 large onion, chopped

4 medium tomatoes, chopped

1 cup cilantro, chopped

1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper

1 cup goat cheese crumbles, feta cheese or vegan cheese

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 400 *F.

Place the eggplant slices onto a cookie tray, covered with parchment paper. Cover the eggplant with 3 tbsp. olive oil. Salt it lightly and gently mix. Bake for 10 minutes or until soft.

Lower the oven heat to 350* F.

Press the rice, using your hands, into a lightly oiled casserole dish. The rice should be firmly packed.

Warm up the rest of the oil in a skillet or a medium-size sauce pan. Add the garlic and spin  the skillet a few times. When the oil becomes fragrant, add the onions and saute for 3 minutes or until translucent. Add tomatoes, cover, lower the flame and simmer for 7 minutes, or until they become soft. Mix once half-way. Add cilantro and 1/2 tsp sea salt. Add cayenne pepper and mix gently. Taste and see if you’d like more cayenne pepper. Take off the heat.

Place the tomato mixture over the rice. Place eggplant slices over the tomato mixture. Salt lightly. Put the cheese crumbles  on top and bake for 20 minutes or until the cheese is starting to lightly brown. Serve with chopped cilantro on top and salad, which includes avocado.

We made a ship out of foil. The plan was to play with the foil and maybe make a fun sculpture. My son made a car that didn’t really look like a car. I made something that didn’t loo like anything, and so we moved on to more interesting concepts.

To make a foil ship:

Fold a piece of foil into a triangular hat. Lift its edges to form a boat. Make a small hole by the edge and thread a piece of rope or a piece of thread through it. Find the nearest stream or a puddle!

Check out our milk carton ship, too, and don’t forget foil painting.

Vegan Chocolate Milkshake With Hidden Greens

( makes 3-4 glasses)

Ingredients:

2 cups chilled almond milk

3 kale leaves ( stalks discarded)

1/2 avocado

2 frozen bananas

5 pitted dates

4 tbsp. unsweetened peanut butter

3 Tbsp raw unsweetened cocoa powder

1 tsp pure vanilla extract

Blend everything until smooth.

5 Quick kid-friendly dinner recipes

guest post by Alia Haley

What are you making for dinner tonight? How about some quick and simple kid-friendly recipes, like Cheese Onion and Mushroom Flan, Confetti Salad and a Vegetarian Lasagna?

 Cheese, Onion and Mushroom Flan

Ingredients:

Whole wheat flour  1 ½ cup

A pinch of salt

3/4 cup olive oil

1 finely sliced onion

1 sliced leek

Chopped mushrooms 1½cup

2 tablespoons of vegetable stock

2 Eggs

Non-dairy or regular milk  2/3 cup

Corn, 1 cup

diced fresh chives 2 tablespoons

Fresh parsley chopped, 1tablespoon

Finely grated cheddar cheese about ¾cup

For garnishing, fresh chives

Directions:

Preheat oven on 400 degrees F.

Add the  flour and salt to a bowl, sift the two well. Add oil and rub the mixture till it is lumpy. Now add cold water to the mixture, you have to rub the mixture well until a soft dough is formed. Lightly cover the dough and refrigerate for 30minutes.

Cook onions, leek, vegetable stock and mushrooms in a pan for 10 minutes. Cover the pan as you cook them on  low flame. Once tender, drain the vegetables and keep aside.

Roll the dough to cover an 8 inch flan pan, covered by a baking sheet. Cut the edges neatly and place the flan dough on a baking sheet. Spread vegetables over the flan dough.

In a bowl, beat egg and milk. Now add herbs, corn and cheese to the mixture, mix everything well and pour it over the vegetables. Place the pan in the oven for 20 minutes. Lower the temperature to 350 degrees and bake for another 30 minutes or until it is golden brown. Remove from the oven and garnish it with chives.

Confetti Salad

Ingredients:

Mixed brown and wild rice 1cup

1Yellow bell pepper seeded and diced

Chopped scallions 1bunch

3chopped celery sticks

1large chopped beefsteak tomato

2chopped green apples

¾cups chopped dried apricots

Raisins 2/3cup

Light soy sauce 4tablespoons

2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

1 tablespoon chopped rosemary

Salt and ground black pepper

 Directions: 

Cook the rice for 30 minutes or until tender. Drain and rinse the rice with cold water. In a large bowl combine yellow bell pepper, onions, apricots, apples, tomato, celery, raisins and cooked rice. Mix everything well.

In a small bowl, mix  apple juice, herbs, soy sauce, salt and pepper. Mix everything well. Pour the dressing over the rice mixture. Toss the salad well. You can serve it immediately or refrigerate it.

 Vegetarian Lasagna

Ingredients:

1 small eggplant

1 large onion thinly chopped

2 crushed garlic cloves

Vegetable stock  1 1/4cup

Sliced mushrooms 2 cups

Canned chopped tomatoes 14 oz

Tomato paste 2 tablespoons

Ground fresh  ginger ¼ teaspoon

Mixed dried Italian herbs 1 teaspoon

Ready to use lasagne strips 10 to 12

1 cup cottage cheese or soft tofu

1 beaten egg

Freshly grated cheddar cheese 2 tablespoon or vegan cheese

Ingredients for sauce

3/4 cup olive oil

whole wheat flour ¼cup

Grated nutmeg 1large pinch

11/4 cup non-dairy milk

Ground black pepper and salt

Directions:

Preheat oven on 400 degrees F.

Cut eggplant into 1-inch cubes, sprinkle salt and leave for 30 minutes. Rinse in a colander. Boil vegetable stock, onions and garlic. Simmer for  for 10 minutes. Add cut mushrooms, tomatoes, tomato puree, eggplant, herbs and ginger and cook for another 15 to 20 minutes. Increase the flame to thicken the liquid.

Add oil, flour, nutmeg, and milk into a pan to make the white sauce. Whisk while heating until it turns into a thick sauce. Add salt and pepper to season.

Spread vegetable mixture into a 12x8x2 inches baking dish. Cover the mixture with lasagne and white sauce. Repeat the layering twice. Cover the top layer with beaten egg, cottage cheese or tofu and the remaining white sauce. for the final layer, spread cheddar cheese on the lasagna and bake for 25 to 30minutes.

……..

About the author: Alia Haley is a blogger by profession. She loves writing on technology and autos. Beside this she is fond of cars and fancy dresses. Recently an article on causes of aids  attracted her attention. These days she is busy in writing an article on dining room decorating ideas.

Buckwheat is a brown grain, available at health food stores. It’s nutty, tasty and rich in B-vitamins, iron and protein. Sauteed with onions and mushrooms, it’s hearty and filling enough to sustain you all by itself and with a side salad it’s just sublime!

Try vegetarian borsht, too to complete your immersion in healthy Russian cooking.

Buckwheat, Mushrooms and Onions

( vegan and gluten-free)

Ingredients:

1/3 cup olive oil

1 large onion, chopped

1 1/2 cups shitake or portabella mushrooms, sliced

3 cups cooked buckwheat ( see below on how to cook it)

1 tsp. sea salt

freshly ground black pepper

optional: 1/2 cup parsley, chopped

Directions:

In a large skillet, warm up the oil and add the onions. Saute for 3 minutes, or until translucent. Add the mushrooms and saute until soft, for another 4-5 minutes. Add the buckwheat, lower the flame and cover. Simmer for another 5-7 minutes, stirring once, half way. Season and serve.

How to cook buckwheat:

Rinse 1 cup buckwheat groats in a strainer. Put the grain a medium sauce pan. Add 2.5 cups water and bring to a boil. Cover, lower the flame and simmer for 10-12 minutes or until all the water is absorbed.