Kid-Friendly, Cost-Conscious Menu
Getting the family to sit down to dinner together can be tough these days, and making a healthy meal the kids will love seems next to impossible.
But thankfully, Tanya Wenman Steel, editor in chief of Epicurious.com, the award-winning Internet food site, has co-authored a book, "Real Food for Healthy Kids," with Tracey Seaman, that is packed with over 200 easy, wholesome and (most importantly) kid-friendly recipes that will leave the whole family asking for more.
As our "Chef on a Shoestring," we challenged her to prove herself by creating a kid-friendly menu on a budget of just $40.
MENU:
Creamed Spinach
Skillet Chicken Cacciatore
Chocolate-Flecked Angel Cake
FOOD FACTS:
Cream of Tarter: A fine while powder derived from the crystals that form on the inside of wine barrels. Cream of tarter is added to candy and frosting mixtures for a creamier consistency, and to egg whites before beating to improve stability and volume.
RECIPES
Creamed Spinach
One 2 ½ pound bag baby leaf spinach
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 large onion, finely chopped
2 tablespoons unbleached all-purpose flour
1 ½ cups whole milk
1 tablespoon cornstarch
½ cup heavy cream
1 ½ teaspoons kosher salt
¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Bring 2 inches of water to a boil in a 6-quart pot. Add half of the spinach leaves and stir until wilted, about 2 minutes. Add the remaining spinach a few handfuls at a time, stirring until wilted and then adding more spinach.
Drain the spinach in a colander. Rinse with cold running water until cool.
Melt the butter in the same pot over medium heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until golden, about 5 minutes.
Add the flour and stir for 1 minute. Gradually whisk in the milk and bring to a boil.
In a measuring cup, stir the cornstarch into the cream and then whisk that mixture into the milk mixture along with the salt and pepper.
Whisk while simmering for 2 minutes and then reduce the heat to low.
Squeeze the spinach in batches by hand or in a fine-mesh sieve to remove as much liquid as possible.
Stir the spinach into the sauce and serve.
For more recipes, go to page 2
Skillet Chicken Cacciatore
6 chicken thighs (skin/boneless)
¼ teaspoon kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons unbleached all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
10 ounce pack of medium mushrooms
1 large onion, sliced
1 yellow bell pepper, cut into ¼ inch-thick strips
2 garlic cloves
One 14-oz can of diced tomatoes in juice
One 14-oz can of low-sodium chicken broth
¼ cup chopped fresh basil or flat-leaf parsley
Place the chicken in a medium bowl and sprinkle with the salt and pepper.
Stir the flour in with a large spoon to coat the chicken.
Heat the oil in a 10-inch round skillet over medium-high heat.
Add the chicken thighs smooth side down flat in the pan, and let cook until golden, about 2 minutes. Turn and cook 2 minutes more and then transfer the chicken to a plate.
Add the mushrooms to the same skillet and cook over medium-high heat, stirring often, until golden, about 3 minutes.
Add the onion, bell pepper, and garlic and cook, stirring, until softened, about 3 minutes.
Pour in the tomatoes and broth and bring to a boil over high heat.
Return the chicken thighs and any juices to the skillet, nestling the chicken in the sauce.
Reduce the heat to medium low and simmer until the chicken is cooked through, about 10 minutes.
Transfer the chicken, covered, to a clean plate and simmer the sauce about 5 minutes more to thicken. Stir in the basil or parsley, season to taste, and spoon the sauce over the chicken.
Chocolate-Flecked Angel Cake
1 cup plain cake flour
1 ½ cups sugar
13 large egg whites
1 teaspoon cream of tartar
¼ teaspoon fine salt
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
4 ounces quality bittersweet or semisweet chocolate; coarsely chopped and pulsed in a food processor until finely ground
Sliced peeled peaches
Arrange a rack in the lower third of the oven and preheat the oven to 375°F.
Place the flour and ¾ cup sugar in a bowl and stir well with a whisk for 1 minute to combine and aerate; reserve.
Place the egg whites, cream of tartar, and salt in the bowl of an electric mixer; mix at low speed until frothy, about 1 minute.
Increase the speed to medium and beat until the mixture holds soft peaks when the beater is lifted, about 2 minutes. Then, with the mixer running at low speed, gradually sprinkle in the remaining ¾ cup sugar, 1 tablespoon at a time.
Once all of the sugar has been added, beat at medium speed until stiff, about 3 minutes.
Sift one-third of the flour mixture on top of the whites; fold in gently with a rubber spatula until just blended. Repeat with the remaining flour in two batches.
Fold in the vanilla and chocolate and then scrape into a 10-inch tube pan, smoothing the top.
Bake for about 45 minutes, until a tester inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean, and the top is light brown.
Invert the pan onto a glass bottle (wine or other) with a neck that is narrow enough to fit inside the center tube of the pan and let cool completely before unmolding the cake.
To unmold the cake, run a long thin knife around the inside and outside edges of the cake to release it from the pan and then invert onto a serving platter. Garnish with peaches & whipped cream.
So, how did Tanya fare with our budget?
1st Course
spinach $7.96
onion .89
cornstarch $1.49
heavy cream $1.19
2nd Course
chicken thighs $5.07
mushrooms $3.49
onion .89
bell pepper $1.68
garlic .39
diced tomatoes $1.69
chicken broth $1.09
parsley .59
3rd Course
cake flour $2.59
egg whites $1.49
cream of tartar $3.29
chocolate $3.49
peaches $1.29
FINAL COST = $38.57