I usually stock up at our Mexican grocers, which is sadly a half-hour drive from our house. Ah well, it’s worth the drive–I grab fresh-made corn tortillas, lime mayo, dried ancho chiles, pinguinos (I’ll have to post about those later–think less sugary, moist Hostess Chocolate Cupcakes). Ya-Cool come in packs of 5 small bottles with an easy to peel off aluminum lid. There are several different companies that make them and plenty of varieties to choose from. My kids’ favorite are the peach and pineapple. I like the regular which has sort of a mild, indistinguishable fruity flavor and strawberry (fresas).

According to the packaging, they are supposed to aid in digestion. I’m not really sure about the health claims, I just know they taste good. Perhaps Activia for youngsters?

When I started looking through various black bean burger recipes I realized a couple of things—first that they were constructed a lot like meatballs with bread crumbs and an egg to hold them together and second that bean patties are common. Who knows, maybe falafels, those balls of ground, fried chickpeas often wrapped in a warm pita, were the inspiration for black bean burgers.

Here’s what I didn’t like about the recipes I came across—why no ‘bean fushion’? I like black beans but what about adding in a few red beans or pinto? The flavoring in black bean burgers seemed fairly expected too, garlic and onions, onions and garlic, sometimes sautéed and sometimes added raw. I figure if you’re already using beans for your burger you should make it a southwest burger with enough spice and heat to distinguish it from it’s beefy cousin.

No problem getting the kids to eat bean burgers!

So instead of bread crumbs as I binder, I used ground up tortilla chips and I didn’t even bother with onions and garlic, I spiced it as I might a burger with onion powder, garlic powder and then chili powder. I also tossed in a little mayo to hold it together; to brighten the flavor even more I added plenty of fresh chopped cilantro. As for the beans, I decided on a black-pinto combo.

The results? I really wasn’t expecting to like the bean burgers much (I mean, it is still a burger). But the crisped patties melded together with the vivid flavors of beans, cilantro, southwest spices and corn won me over. My kids too. My husband even had seconds, and said—I kid you not—“I like these better than regular burgers.”

Have you tried bean burgers?

Recipe
Servings: 8, 3-inch burgers
Prep + Cooking time: About an hour

Ingredients
1 15.5 oz can black beans (drained)
2 15.5 oz cans pinto beans (drained; you’ll only use half of the second can)
1 cup corn chips, ground (measured after grinding)
1 egg
2 tablespoons mayo
½ teaspoon onion powder
½ teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon chili powder
¼ teaspoon cayenne
Salt and pepper to taste
Slices of cheese, optional
Oil

Directions

1. In a food processor, grind the corn chips and then set aside in a large bowl.
2. Drain all of the beans. Process 1 can of pinto beans until smooth. Add to the corn chips in the separate bowl.
3. Again, in the food processor, pulse the remaining pinto beans (remember half of the can; the rest you can save for another recipe) and half of the black beans until chunky but NOT pureed. Two or three pulses should do it.
4. Add the chunky pinto and black bean mixture to the corn and pureed bean mixture. Add the remaining ingredients (except the rest of the black beans) and stir.
5. Add in the whole black beans to the rest of the bean mixture and stir gently. The mixture will be loose.
6. On a baking sheet covered with parchment paper, form three inch in diameter, one-inch thick patties. Place on the baking sheet and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
7. In a large skillet bring three tablespoons of oil to medium-high heat. Gently add the firmed patties to the oil and sauté on one side for about 4 minutes and then flip over gently and sauté the next side for 4 minutes or until crisped. You should be able to fit four patties into the pan at a time.
8. Replace the parchment on the baking sheet and put the sautéed patties onto the sheet. Add a slice of cheese to the top (I used Monterrey Jack, but you can use whatever your family prefers). Melt the cheese in an oven preheated to 375 degrees Fahrenheit for about 7 to 10 minutes while you prep the rest of the burger ingredients.
9. Serve the burgers on bun with lettuce, tomato, and onion. I also added a chipotle mayo to the bun top for some extra heat.
10. Enjoy!

Photo credit: Amazon

Looking more like a silver bucket than a lunch pail, I was intrigued when I passed a stack of Tiffin boxes sitting on the end of the aisle at World Market. I find all sorts of goodies for my kids’ lunches there. Little bottles of Tabasco and Cholula sauces, chocolate-hazelnut spread (like Nutella, but chocolatier and a store-brand version), tins with an assortment of candies, I could spend hours just going through the aisles picking through every little item. I always limit myself to my coupon (usually it’s $10 off a $30 purchase). So three bags of Ghirardelli 60% cocoa chocolate chips–FYI ALERT this is the best deal anywhere, Ghirardelli fanatics take note!–at around $7 for a 12-ounce bag and I’ve got myself $10 to spend on something fun. And you know I was going to buy those chips anyway.

Forgive me, talking Ghirardelli gets me distracted (in the store too). The Tiffin box, according to the note attached to the container, is a traditional Indian lunch pail. Mine is about 5-6 inches tall and the bottom forms a bowl that snaps into place on the bottom of another bowl for a seamless design. You can find Tiffin boxes that stack any number of containers–mine only held two, but I’ve seen plenty online numbering three, sometimes more.

My 7th grader begged to pack her own lunch the first day of school just so she could use “the box.” She lined the bowls with plastic wrap for easy clean-up (of course you can make this greener by ditching the plastic and just wiping out the bowls after). Packing in penne, sharp cheddar cheese, chunks of ham and a little broccoli, she made herself a pasta salad in the bottom bowl. In the top she put some cut up fruit. All this and she didn’t even ask for my help! I’m liking the Tiffin box.

Tiffin boxes are popping up in all sorts of places. You can find them in colors at Target. What’s happening around your house–are you trying out new lunchbox containers this year or breaking out the old Bento boxes maybe?

Whether my captured lightning bug kept flashing into the night or not, I don’t remember. And, of course, since then I’ve learned that lightning bugs really shouldn’t spend too much time “indoors” no matter how many holes you poke! But what I do recall is the fascination and draw of these twinkling little creatures. It makes the outside feel magical at night–especially when all of a sudden one pops up next to you and flashes.

With summer nearly over and the fireflies making fewer and fewer appearances, I wanted to do something special with my kids. We’re having a ‘firefly’ picnic. Our plans are pretty simple–to take time to eat outside a little later at night (8pm) and to use battery-powered candles as light (granted, it won’t be that dark outside), but my kids liked that touch. Oh, and we’re eating our meal under the trees. We’re hoping a few fireflies will make a guest appearance and that the mosquitoes stay away during our “feast.”

Our meal will be a spread of peanut butter and honey sandwiches, juice boxes, chips and carrot sticks (can you tell the kids are ready for school again?), but we’re taking time to create some special firefly snacks—just in case the real ones don’t make an appearance.

Recipe for Firefly Crackers

Servings: As many as you want to make!

Prep time: Depends on how long it holds your kids’ interest

Ingredients

Circle crackers (Ritz or similar variety)

Spreadable cream cheese

Raisins

Kiwis (or pineapple rings)

Directions

Have all of your ‘firefly’ materials on hand ready for assembly.

Body—circle cracker

Wings—circle cracker broken or cut in halves

“Glow”—cut kiwis into thin slices or alternatively, use pineapple rings

Raisins—eyes

Cream cheese—glue

Add a generous dollop of cream cheese to a full circle cracker and spread. Add the kiwi to the bottom half of the cracker and carefully place a wing on either side. Add two raisin ‘eyes’ to the top of the body circle cracker. That’s it! If you don’t have kiwis available, go ahead and use pineapple rings, but you’ll have to carefully cut them in half to create a thin enough slice for the ‘glow’ part of the firefly cracker.

Gnocchi and spaghetti with ragu

Ingredients

1 17.6 ounce package gnocchi

4 cups spinach

1 cup ricotta

¾ cup fontina

1 clove garlic

1 1/2 Tablespoons olive oil, separated

ground pepper and salt to taste

2 Tablespoons either half and half or cream (optional)

Fresh, chopped basil (optional)

Directions

Cook the gnocchi according the package directions.

Add the olive oil to a large sauté pan and bring to medium-high heat. Add the garlic and cook for 30 seconds before adding the spinach (I don’t even bother pulling them into smaller pieces I just throw them whole into the pan). Cook for 2 to 3 minutes or just until the spinach leaves just barely begin to wilt. Push the spinach to the outer sides of the pan and add another ½ tablespoon of oil. Add the cooked gnocchi to the middle of the pan. Let the gnocchi cook for about 4 minutes before moving them around.

Now that the gnocchi have had time to sauté, turn the heat down to medium. Add the ricotta cheese in dollops on top of the gnocchi and sprinkle with the cheese.  Don’t mix the ingredients until you see cheese just beginning to melt. Sprinkle with pepper and salt, stir briefly until the cheeses mix with the rest of the ingredients. For a creamier sauce you can add a few tablespoons half and half or heavy cream at this point. You can also toss in fresh basil, Parmesan cheese and/or a few red pepper flakes. Serve.

Not so for my kids. “This tastes like you’re eating leaves,” my oldest said once. “Well… you are,” I explained. Of course, that didn’t make her any more eager to eat it. So I add spinach into my foods, but I don’t push it with my girls.

Sometimes, it’s all about the recipe. The other day I had a duel challenge—my kids aren’t huge gnocchi fans and well, you already know their thoughts on my favorite veggie. But I wanted a meal with both. I made them plain pasta and for my husband and me I tried something new. For each of my girls I put a little of my new creation on their plates and expected to eat their leftovers later. No leftovers. In fact, my two oldest girls went back for seconds—we’re talking sautéed spinach here. And it wasn’t a fluke. I made the recipe again this week and sure enough they ate it. I wish I could say the recipe was something terribly creative and unique, but taking a few extra steps was what made the dish yummy. That and I didn’t try to tweak it for my girls, I just made something I wanted to eat.

My daughter with a second helping

*Note—for this recipe I tried a stir-fry technique with Italian food. I sauteed the veggies first (the spinach) and moved it to the sides of the pan as you would in a wok. Then I add the main ingredient (the gnocchi) to the center of the pan and then tossed in my sauce ingredients. Couldn’t have been simpler and less mess to clean up too.

Fast & Easy Creamy Sauteed Spinach with Ricotta and Fontina Gnocchi

Ingredients

1 17.6 ounce package gnocchi

4 cups spinach

1 cup ricotta

¾ cup fontina

1 clove garlic

1 1/2 Tablespoons olive oil, separated

ground pepper and salt to taste

2 Tablespoons either half and half or cream (optional)

Fresh, chopped basil (optional)

Directions

Cook the gnocchi according the package directions.

Add the olive oil to a large sauté pan and bring to medium-high heat. Add the garlic and cook for 30 seconds before adding the spinach (I don’t even bother pulling them into smaller pieces I just throw them whole into the pan). Cook for 2 to 3 minutes or just until the spinach leaves just barely begin to wilt. Push the spinach to the outer sides of the pan and add another ½ tablespoon of oil. Add the cooked gnocchi to the middle of the pan. Let the gnocchi cook for about 4 minutes before moving them around.

Now that the gnocchi have had time to sauté, turn the heat down to medium. Add the ricotta cheese in dollops on top of the gnocchi and sprinkle with the cheese.  Don’t mix the ingredients until you see cheese just beginning to melt. Sprinkle with pepper and salt, stir briefly until the cheeses mix with the rest of the ingredients. For a creamier sauce you can add a few tablespoons half and half or heavy cream at this point. You can also toss in fresh basil, Parmesan cheese and/or a few red pepper flakes. Serve.

Credit: Revolution Foods

Thanks for all the entries in the Revolution Foods Giveaway. Heather C, is the winner. Please report back and let MKES readers know what you thought about the Grammy Jammys and other kids’ snacks.

Remember the $50 Bison Sampler Giveaway from High Plains Bison? Jennifer M. reported back. Here’s her review:

It came last week! It was really well packaged, with dry ice and individual frozen boxes. The dry ice wasn’t even half gone when it got to me, so everything was nice and cold. I got a box of hot dogs, a box of ribeye steaks, and a box of sausage with provolone and pepperoncini.

I don’t eat red meat, but my husband and six-year-old daughter do. I cooked up the sausage according to the package directions, which was very easy to do. They ate almost the whole (big) package in one sitting–there were two left over, and they each had one for breakfast first thing the  next morning. They both declared it to be the best sausage they’d ever eaten and immediately asked that I order some more.

So it’s a big hit, especially since I”m really happy about the nutritional content as well!

Keep reading MKES for future giveaways and cool recipes your whole family will enjoy–even picky eaters!

Photo credit: esthereggy

Great as a dip or spread–we here at Jolly Pumpkin serve it with our grilled pizza dough!

Ingredients

1 ½ pounds shelled edamame (fresh when in season or frozen)

1 cup fresh spinach- washed, stems removed

¼ cup parmesan cheese-grated (optional)

2 tsp. lemon juice

1 tsp. lemon zest

¼ cup extra virgin olive oil

2 clove garlic- crushed

Kosher salt and black pepper to taste

Fresh mint to garnish

1. In boiling salted water blanch the beans until tender.  Transfer to an ice bath to stop the cooking process.
2. Place beans in a food processor and pulse until course chopped- transfer half of the beans to a mixing bowl, leaving the other half of the beans in the food processor.
3. Add the olive oil, parmesan cheese, spinach, lemon zest and juice, garlic salt and pepper to the beans in the food processor and puree until smooth.
4. Add the pureed beans to the course chopped beans and gently fold together.  Taste and re-season with salt and pepper if necessary.
5. Transfer to a serving bowl- drizzle with extra virgin olive oil and garnish with fresh chopped mint

Photo credit: esthereggy

The concept for the Jolly Pumpkin Café & Brewery has literally been stewing for years. The eatery located in downtown Ann Arbor is the brainchild of chef, and managing partner, Maggie Long and brewer extraordinaire Ron Jeffries. Jeffries has been crafting his artisanal sour beers in Dexter, Michigan for years and now has a restaurant and brewery in Traverse City along with the café, which opened in September of 2009.

Long says the philosophy behind the food at the café is fresh, organic. For example, her oldest daughter volunteers at an area farm where some of the ingredients come from for the café. And the sourdough pizza is fashioned with a sourdough starter that Long received from a fellow foodie whose held onto it for 130 years. Beyond the fresh ingredients, Long says that the aim of the café is “welcoming.” “We want everyone to feel comfortable here, especially families,” explains Long. “I love to see families here and I’m honored to provide food for them that is both healthy and delicious.” She notes that the menu includes kid favorites like chicken strips, but that the strips are made from locally raised chickens and breaded in organic cornflakes.

For a taste of Long’s organic creations, you can try this recipe from the Jolly Pumpkin café’s appetizer menu; this edamame spread is served alongside fresh, grilled sourdough pizza.

What three ingredients do you always keep stocked in your pantry?

Quinoa, organic peanut butter—it’s gotta be crunchy, and honey from the farmer’s market. Those are the staples in my house. It doesn’t mean I put those all together!

Your favorite meal to make or serve?

That’s a hard one. I absolutely love Tamworth hogs. A braised pork shoulder is my favorite meal–slow cooked. Tamworth is a heritage breed of hog and it’s a flavor not to be missed. It’s a darker meat and it has a ton of flavor.

We all have a favorite indulgence, for a foodie like you it must be something spectacular?

Ron introduced me to Alan McClure of Patric Chocolate, a small chocolate maker in Missouri. I’m not usually a fan of dark chocolate but the stuff this guy puts together is absolutely amazing. My favorite is the 70% Madagascar chocolate bar with little cocoa nibs in it. It’s addictive.

What’s one of your worst cooking mistakes?

Anything that I burn. Once, I burned the mac ‘n cheese sauce—totally toasted it. I tried to fix it, but you can’t. I use really good pasta and really good cheeses, but nothing can take that scorched flavor out.

There are so many great Michigan-made food products, what is your pick?

For me, anything seasonal. Rosewood Farms makes a phenomenal tofu.

What do you suggest for first-timers to Jolly Pumpkin? What menu item should they make sure to try?

I make a smoked tofu salad that’s really good. There’s spinach, cherry tomatoes, shitake mushrooms, shaved broccoli, a sesame vinaigrette and, of course, smoked tofu. The flavors meld really well. The sourdough pizza is always good too.

Apples are my idea of a perfect school snack–a medium-sized, crisp Empire apple. But I know that apples will only appeal (no pun intended:) to my kids so many days in a row and then I’ve got to get creative. I’ve been looking around for easy, healthy school snack options and Revolution Foods has some that may be just right. I haven’t sampled Revolution Foods’ line yet, instead I’m going to rely on one lucky MKES reader to do it for me.

The giveaway package will include samples of their kid-friendly

• Grammy Sammy–which pairs soft baked graham bars with creamy yogurt fillings. The cocoa graham with banana yogurt fillings sounds good to me.
• Jammy Sammy–for those of you with gluten allergies, this might be your answer to the standard PBJ. The bars come in several varieties including peanut butter and grape.
• Mashups–good-for-your-kids fruit snacks. Only organic fruits make it into these treats. Although there are several flavors, their newest creation, strawberry banana would be my pick.

Here’s how you enter–tell me your kids’ favorite school snack. Don’t have kids? You’re still eligible to enter–tell me one of your favorite snacks. The contest runs until next Wednesday, August 25th, when the winner will be chosen at random and announced on Thursday, August 26th. (Only participants in the continental U.S. will be eligible–sorry Kiwis.)

I’ll start–one of my kids’ favorite school snacks (beyond apples) is whole, black olives. I send in ten–one for each finger and let them know that playing with their food is just fine. How about you?