Fix Me A Snack

Whenever I wake up and stop blogging my life away, I’m going to have to start stalking John Thorne. He’s a food writer that apparently lives only an hour north of me in Northampton, Massachusetts. One of his books, Mouth Wide Open, contains a recipe for Stirred Egg Rice Bowl. Thorne mentions that this type of dish is popular in China, especially for children or the infirm.

This recipe is adapted from Thorne’s only slightly – can’t mess with perfection. I made some attempts to adapt the recipe using brown rice, but it didn’t compare.

1 scant cup water
Pinch salt
Heaping 1/2 cup long grain white rice
2 large eggs, beaten
1 scallion, trimmed and chopped fine
1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
1 teaspoon Chinese rice wine or dry sherry
Drizzle of soy sauce or oyster sauce, for garnish (optional)

In a small saucepan, bring the water to a boil. Add the rice and turn the heat to low. Cover the pan and allow to cook for 13 minutes.

While the rice is cooking, stir together the eggs, scallion, sesame oil, and rice wine in a small bowl. At the end of the 13 minutes, pour the egg mixture over the rice. Place a folded cloth napkin or dish towel over the saucepan with the lid on top to hold it in place. Cook over low heat for 2 more minutes. Then remove from heat and allow to sit with cover and towel on for 15 minutes.

Stir the egg into the rice and be sure it is adequately cooked. Stirring it usually takes care of any questionable bits of egg by exposing them to just a little bit more heat. Transfer to serving bowl(s) and garnish with soy sauce or oyster sauce, if desired. Serve warm.

Note: Thorne’s favorite soy sauce is this Dark Soy Sauce from Pearl River Bridge. I’m not a soy sauce aficionado, but this is definitely a world apart from Kikkoman. I found it at an Asian grocery store.

Yield: 1 1/2 cups
Prep-time: 10 minutes
Cook-time: 30 minutes

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This post is a part of a series of 101 ways to flavor plain yogurt. (Keep scrolling down after you click on link to see the entire list.) For more information about yogurt in general, go to my Yogurt page.

26. Apricot Yogurt with Blackberries

1/2 cup plain yogurt
1 tablespoon apricot preserves
Fresh blackberries

In a small bowl, stir together the yogurt and preserves until smooth. Top with a handful of blackberries. Serve.

 

27. Waffles/Pancakes Topped with Fresh Fruit and Yogurt

Admittedly, this is more of a breakfast than a snack. I think I’m going to eat this regularly to help me cut down on my maple syrup intake. It’d also be fun to try it with Strawberry Yogurt.

 

1/4 cup plain yogurt
1-2 teaspoons pure maple syrup
1/8 teaspoon vanilla extract
Dash cinnamon
Waffle or pancakes (or both!)
One half of a small ripe banana, sliced
Small handful fresh blueberries
1-3 fresh strawberries, sliced

In a small bowl, stir together the yogurt, maple syrup, vanilla, and cinnamon. Set aside. Place waffle/pancakes on a plate and top with sliced banana. Spoon yogurt mixture over the bananas and serve immediately.

 

28. Red Grapes with Nut Butter Yogurt Dip

Here’s another unexpected, yet mostly healthy twist on the peanut butter and jelly sandwich. The preschooler was not too fond of the dip. But, like any good human being, she loves food on a stick. So she gobbled up all the grapes and mommy was left with the dip, which I enjoyed. So there.

1 tablespoon nut butter (such as peanut or almond)
1/4 cup plain yogurt
1 teaspoon honey
Grapes

Place nut butter in a small bowl. It will be easier to stir into the yogurt if it is room temperature or warm. So give it a few seconds in the microwave, if necessary. Add yogurt and honey and stir until combined and smooth. Serve with grapes on lollipop sticks for dipping.

 

29. Apple Butter Yogurt with Pear and Chocolate Chips

1/2 cup plain yogurt
1 tablespoon apple butter
Chopped pear, for garnish
Miniature chocolate chips, for garnish

Briefly mix the yogurt and apple butter in a small bowl. Top with pieces of pear and chocolate chips. Serve.

Grilled Banana Boats from Aggie’s Kitchen.

How to Make Your Own Instant Oatmeal from The Kitchn.

Are Kid Friendly Foods a Defeat? from NYT Motherlode blog. An interview that contains some recommendations for snacking: eat something every four hours, avoid snacks 2 hours before meals, etc.

According to Food Safety News, the EPA recently listed BPA as a ‘Chemical of Concern’. Manufacturers are being ordered to determine the chemical’s impact and the FDA is pursuing further studies.

Calling a Food ‘Healthy’ Makes You Hungrier from Business Week via Food News Journal.

A year ago I would have dismissed you completely if you told me I’d be making pastry dough from scratch and turning it into little turnovers full of dried fruit and nutty goodness. My mission is to make quick and easy snacks that are healthy too. But alas, it’s time to fess up to the fact that I’ve been playing around with pastry dough lately. I’ve been keeping it off the blog. I’ve been leading a double life.

These turnovers are made with a pastry dough that I’ve modified to include yogurt and white whole wheat flour. The innards include walnuts, pecans, dried fruits, and ground flaxseed. I had a lot of fun making them…and even more fun eating them.

I used to be really frightened by the thought of working with pastry dough. And I still sort of am. But I’m starting to think we should all make pie. I took a pastry class a while ago and it really helped to see a professional whip out a pie shell and see the consistency of the dough, etc. I’ve still got a lot to learn. Thank goodness I’ll need to practice practice practice.

The recipe for the filling is flexible. Don’t have ground flaxseed handy? Try replacing it with some wheat germ. Don’t have pecans? Just replace them with walnuts. Don’t have dried dates? Try replacing them with more dried apricots and raisins. Other than that, I’d try to stick to the recipe.

Turnover dough:

2/3 cup all-purpose flour
1/3 cup white whole wheat or whole wheat pastry flour
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup (1 stick) cold butter, cut into pieces
1/3 cup plain Greek style yogurt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

In the bowl of a food processor fitted with a metal blade, pulse the flour, sugar, and salt together a few times. Evenly distribute the butter pieces over the flour mixture and pulse 5 or 10 times until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs with the occasional pea-sized chunk. Add the yogurt and vanilla and pulse until mixture starts to form into a ball.

Remove dough from processor. Form into a disk as best as you are able. Knead it a few times if necessary. The dough will be wetter and stickier than most pastry dough. Wrap the disk tightly in plastic wrap and store in the refrigerator for at least one hour, preferably overnight.

Filling:

Make sure the walnuts and the pecans are minimally altered. They should not be salted or flavored - just nuts.

2 dried dates, pitted (preferably Medjool)
2 unsulfered dried apricots
2 tablespoons raisins
1/4 cup walnut pieces
6 pecans
1 tablespoon ground flaxseed
Pinch salt
1 teaspoon agave nectar or honey
2 teaspoons apricot preserves

On a cutting board, finely chop the dates, apricots, raisins, walnuts, and pecans together. Transfer to a small bowl. Add the flaxseed and salt. Stir to distribute. Add the agave nectar and preserves and stir to coat.

To Assemble:

1 egg
1 teaspoon milk
All-purpose flour

In a small bowl make an egg wash. Beat the egg and milk together. Set aside.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.

Prepare a work surface by dusting it with flour. Get out your rolling pin and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. The dough gets unfriendly once it warms up, have everything ready to go and work as quickly as you can. Don’t make this on the hottest day of the summer.

Take the dough out of the refrigerator and remove plastic wrap. Place on floured work surface and dust the top of the dough with additional flour. Beat on the dough with the rolling pin a few times in order to make it malleable while still cold. Roll it out to 1/4″ thickness, turning it occasionally (a quarter or half turn) and dusting with additional flour when it starts to stick.

Cut dough into four squares. Gently pick up with your hands or by resting it over the rolling pin. Dust off any excess flour with a pastry brush. Transfer to the parchment-lined baking sheet.

Place 2-3 tablespoons of the dried fruit mixture on each square. Wet the edges of the squares with the egg wash using a pastry brush. Fold each square over into a rectangle or triangle. Gently press edges together with the tines of a fork. Cut a small hole in the top of each turnover to allow any steam to escape. Brush the tops with more egg wash.

Bake for 13-15 minutes or until tops are golden brown. Transfer to cooling rack with a large spatula. Allow to cool 5 – 10 minutes. Serve immediately.

Yield: 4 turnovers (I cut them in half to serve to the kids)
Prep-time: 30 minutes (not counting the time the dough rests in the refrigerator)
Bake-time: 13 minutes

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How could I be blogging about healthy snacks for over a year and not have a post about my childhood favorite? Perhaps I didn’t think it was fancy enough. But today I have the clarity of mind to know that the simple snacks are often the best. Not only because they are easy for mommy to make, but because they are darn tasty! Thanks for making me these when I was little Mom! And I’ll call you soon!

2 pieces toast, preferably raisin and/or whole grain
2 tablespoons nut butter (such as peanut or almond)
One small banana, sliced
Honey

Spread nut butter on toast. Top with banana slices and a drizzle of honey. Serve warm!

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This post is a part of a series of 101 ways to flavor plain yogurt. For more information about yogurt in general, go to my Yogurt page.

I’ve been starting to wonder lately if this list was really such a great idea. I mean, I love yogurt, but maybe not quite this much. 

It has been a terrific crash course in food photography. Being forced to take a lot of pictures at random times has led me to accidentally stumble upon some really good light/settings that I previously ignored. And looking at a lot of similar photos at the same time made me realize that some of my props were crap and it was time to clean up my act. So that’s good.

While part of me is getting a little tired, the other part is a little excited to see what the list will look like as it lumbers closer to 101. I’m already getting kind of sick of the whole fresh fruit and jam angle. But hopefully, I’ll be able to break through the barrier soon and a cornucopia of splendid yogurt snacks will spew forth! This sort of break through tends to happen when food is the last thing on my mind or when I’m trying to fall asleep. So excuse me while I either go take a nap or play a game of croquet.

 

17. Yogurt with Rhubarb Compote and Strawberries

This snack might be neck and neck with Blueberry Cinnamon Yogurt as my Most Favorite Yogurt Snack Ever. It’s a little tart for the kids, but I don’t mind being able to keep all the compote for myself.

For the Compote:

Adapted from the Joy of Cooking.

5 medium stalks rhubarb
3 tablespoons sugar

Wash the rhubarb and chop it into 1/2″ pieces. Place in medium sauce pan and cover with sugar. Allow to sit for 15 minutes while rhubarb releases its juices.

Set heat to medium-high and bring to a boil. Turn heat down to low and cover. Simmer for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Remove from heat once rhubarb has broken down completely. Allow compote to cool completely in covered pan. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to two days. Makes about one cup.

For the Final Product:

1/2 cup plain yogurt
1/2 teaspoon sugar
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 cup rhubarb compote
Fresh strawberries, chopped or sliced

In a small bowl, stir together the yogurt, sugar, and vanilla until combined. Top with compote and strawberries. Serve.

 

18. Yogurt with Applesauce and Pumpkin Butter

Perfect for kids and adults alike, this snack is fabulous with a little granola on top as well.

1/2 cup plain yogurt
1/4 cup unsweetened applesauce
1 tablespoon pumpkin butter
Dash ground cinnamon (optional)

Put yogurt in a small bowl and top with applesauce, pumpkin butter, and cinnamon. Stir until well combined. Top with granola, if desired. Serve.

 

19. Jumbled Rainbow Fruit Yogurt

I tried to line up the fruit in concentric circles and make it all lovely. But it looked like a third grader did it. So I grabbed a handful of what was on the cutting board and threw it on. I have no patience for food presentation/art that requires such precision, especially when children are clamouring for their food.

1/2 cup plain yogurt
1/2 teaspoon sugar
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
Chopped fresh fruit:
Red: strawberries
Orange: oranges
Yellow: bananas
Green: kiwi
Blue: blueberries
Purple: red grapes

In a shallow bowl, stir together the yogurt, sugar, and vanilla until combined. Top with assorted fruits. Serve.

 

20. Raspberry Yogurt with White Chocolate Chips

This yogurt snack was inspired by one of our favorite summertime snacks: Raspberry Rockets.

1/2 cup plain yogurt
2-3 teaspoons seedless raspberry jam
White chocolate chips or shavings

In a small bowl, stir together yogurt and jam until combined. Top with a few chocolate chips. Serve.

 

21.Yogurt with Dulce de Leche

I could have topped this with mini chocolate chips and really sent my kids to the moon. As it was, this snack was a big hit. And after you “make” the dulce de leche, it’s oh-so-easy to pull this together.

1/3 cup plain yogurt
2 teaspoons Dulce de Leche

Place yogurt in a small bowl. Top with dulce de leche. Stir and enjoy!

Note: I’ve used the same ingredients to make a fruit dip (especially tasty with apples). Mix together 2 tablespoons of plain yogurt and 1 tablespoon of dulce de leche.

 

22. Pink Lemonade Yogurt

1/2 cup yogurt
1 tablespoon seedless raspberry jam
1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice

In a small bowl, stir together the yogurt,  jam, and lemon juice until well combined. Serve.

 

23.Chocolate Delight Yogurt

1/3 cup plain yogurt
1 tablespoon chocolate syrup
Small pinch salt
1/3 cup unsweetened whipped cream, plus more for garnish

In a small bowl, stir yogurt, chocolate syrup, and salt until smooth. Gently fold in whipped cream until combined. Garnish with more whipped cream. Serve.

 

 

24. Mint Yogurt with Mango

The kids enjoyed this snack even though they are normally not fond of mint. Toothpaste has given them the wrong impression. In this case, the crisp taste of the mint plays well against the sweet mango.

1/2 teaspoon sugar
4-5 fresh mint leaves
1/3 cup plain yogurt
1/4 cup chopped fresh mango

In a small bowl, crush the sugar and mint together with a muddler until it almost forms a paste (see #7 Mint Yogurt). Little bits of mint leaf here and there are fine. Add yogurt and stir until well combined making sure to scrape the bottom as you stir. Top with mango. Serve.

 

25. Blueberry Jam Yogurt

1/2 cup plain yogurt
1 tablespoon blueberry jam
Fresh blueberries for garnish

In a small bowl, stir together the yogurt and jam until combined. Top with fresh blueberries. Serve.

A sage neighbor of mine just told me this morning that when my kids get a little older and are having a tough time for whatever reason to go and make some cookies together. She said it’s the ritual more than anything that really helps lift everyone’s spirits.

This isn’t the first time I’ve been told this since I’ve moved to the burbs. While it’s not the Midwest, people take their child-rearing pretty seriously here in central Connecticut and they seem to be doing a fantastic job of it. I’m thinking I’m going to take it to heart and try to remember this advice once my girls start to turn into tweens. If you find yourself with a need for some cookie makin’, I’d recommend Simply Recipes’ Heath Bar Cookies or if it’s been an extremely bad week go for The Best Chocolate Chip Cookies from food, je t’aime.