She Picked Radishes!

She doesn't even like radishes!  After some thoughtful deliberation and discussion, the Kiddie Kitchen Critic has chosen the ruddy radish as our merit system icon.  Emma explained, "I don't even like radishes, but it sounds cool."  Now...to find a tiny radish icon I can lift for my blog...

The Critic's inaugural "official" meal tasting was tonight.

I made polenta, topped with red chard and roasted artichokes, in a vegan bearnaise sauce, garnished with diced tomatoes (could have just has easily been red peppers), kept company by a local purple sweet potato.

It sounds fancier than it is.  It's a really basic vegan meal that requires very little effort, time, or expense.  The polenta was pre-made (this time), and you can find it in a variety of "flavors" - plain, sun-dried tomato and garlic, basil and garlic, garlic-lime-cilantro, etc.  If you choose to make it yourself, that's really easy, too.  The chard was wilted (or water sauteed) for about 5 minutes, with a spritz of Bragg's Liquid Aminos.  The artichoke hearts were canned (but organic) and I put them in the oven with the polenta, to brown.

The most time-consuming, ingredient-intensive recipe is the bearnaise sauce.  I'm going to tweak it and streamline it for you before I post it.  I've definitely done better.  I wonder what the Critic thought?

  

The sauce was pretty rich; I was afraid Emma wouldn't like it, as she is not a fan of condiments, in general.  She also prefers not to combine food.  For instance, when we have rice and beans, she likes her rice on the side.  When we have Pasta Primavera, she likes her noodles naked, and a pile of steamed veggies on the side.

I think we were both pleasantly surprised, though!  She ate every bite, AND she liked it!  We're going to have to work on "candid action shots," though - because these are not what I had in mind for the blog:

The moment of truth...

More thoughtful deliberation...(I love this about her)

The Kiddie Kitchen Critic awards this meal FIVE RADISHES!

SUCCESS!

(she gave each individual item, by itself, 6 radishes...lol)

Siskel and Emma

It recently occurred to me (just now, actually, on my way up to bed), what a valuable partnership I have at my disposal, right next to the garbage disposal (where my little helper stands while I prepare meals), here before my very eyes, in my humble home.


My biggest fan is also my biggest critic, even though she happens to be pint-sized.  And until this very moment, I had overlooked our potential as a dynamic duo in our mission to nourish people and the planet.


Emma has a very mature and refined palate (for a 5 year-old) to accompany her adventurous taste buds.  She will try anything, once.  She is always enthusiastic to taste my latest creations, with an open mind and an excitement that is only present in a child.  I think she is growing to love and appreciate food just as much as I do.  


Graham says Emma is the best eater he knows - she loves raw fruits and veggies, and prefers her salads without dressing.  Her favorite foods include tofu, mushrooms, spinach, almonds, buckwheat pancakes, and spring rolls with peanut sauce.  She turns her nose up at most processed foods (meat analogs, cookies, crackers, pretzels, pop tarts, chips, Kraft Macaroni and Cheese - I know, right?)  She's an odd kid, but a good eater. Thank goodness.


So, I'm going to talk to her tomorrow about being my official assistant: The Kiddie Kitchen Critic.  I was going to be cutesy and spell it "Kritic," but I don't want you to confuse her with the KKK.  Yikes!


She and I will develop a rating system, a la "5 Stars," but I'll leave it up to her which merit symbol we'll use (will she pick carrots?  strawberries?  broccoli trees?  aprons? who knows?) - and with every new concoction, I will seek her input.  Not that I have to dig too deeply; she is fairly outspoken...


For instance, last night she said, "Mom, you usually make really good food, but this is not good.  I do not like it."  Of course, that statement isn't entirely accurate, because just a few days ago, she said, "Mom, I want you to make me something else."  Usually?  That might be optimistic.


So, here, meet the Kiddie Kitchen Critic!

Vegan Gluten-Free Coconut Macaroon: A Cookie Worth Crumbling For

The easiest, fastest cookie I've ever made...

...and I already had all of the ingredients in my kitchen!

Not only is this tasty treat simple and speedy, it's almost good for you!

Or...at least it's not all that bad for you!

With minimal ingredients, including omega-3-loaded almonds, coconut, and coconut milk, iron- magnesium- phosphorus- and antioxidant-rich dark chocolate, and no refined sugars or bleached flours, you really can't beat it!

That is, unless you hate coconut, almonds or dark chocolate. (weirdo)

SALTED CHOCOLATE COCONUT MACAROONS – GLUTEN-FREE & VEGAN

Makes 11-12

Adapted from “Flying Apron’s Gluten-Free & Vegan Baking Book”, by Jennifer Katzinger

Ingredients

For the macaroons

• 1/3 cup brown rice flour
• 2 cups unsweetened flake coconut
• 1/2 cup sliced almonds
• 1/2 cup light coconut milk
• 1/3 cup raw agave nectar
• 1 small pinch salt
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

To decorate

• 3.5 oz dark chocolate*, melted over a double boiler     

 *opt for organic, fair-trade, and shade grown, and make sure the 1st ingredient is CHOCOLATE

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 350°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.*

2. In a large bowl, mix all the macaroon ingredients together – brown rice flour, coconut, almonds, coconut milk, agave, salt and vanilla extract until evenly combined. The mixture will be moist and very slightly sticky.

3. Using one 2 inch diameter ice-cream scoop, scoop out portions of the dough onto the prepared cookie sheet. Ensure that you pack the scoop tightly.

4. Bake in middle of preheated oven for 15 minutes or until just lightly browned. Try not to over bake.*

5. Remove from oven and let cool on the baking sheet.

6. Once cool, drizzle or dip in chocolate and let set. Enjoy!

*The time it took for the oven to preheat was exactly the time it took me to gather and mix my ingredients.

*The time it took for the cookies to bake was exactly the time it took for my chocolate to melt.

PERFECT!

Sprinkle a bit of coarse sea salt on top of the warm chocolate, for a tantalizing twist for your taste buds!