We have added a weekly taste test at BCS! Every Thursday afternoon, Erinn and Holly (BCS food intern) create a treat for the children and families to try at pick up. So far this summer we have made a mango-peach-banana smoothie, blueberry muffins, kale chips, and zucchini bread (with local zucchini from the farmer’s market!) – all of which were hits! The purpose of these taste tests is to get children interested in trying new foods in an exciting way!
Week one: Peach-Mango-Banana-Strawberry Smoothie: (link: allrecipes.com)
Ingredients:
1 cup of frozen or fresh peaches
1 cup of frozen or fresh mango
1 cup of plain yogurt
1 cup of ice
½ of a banana
½ cup strawberry
Week two: Blueberry Muffin! Perfect for summer time (link: NYTimes Cooking)
Ingredients:
½ cup softened butter
1 ¼ cup sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups flour
½ teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons baking powder
½ cup milk
2 cups blueberries, washed (frozen works as well) (blueberries are nice and ripe during the summer months and can be found at all grocery stores)
Steps:
Preheat the oven to 375
Cream the butter and 1 ¼ cups sugar until light
Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add vanilla
Sift together the flour, salt, and baking powder, and add to the creamed mixture alternately with the milk
Crush ½ cup blueberries with a fork, and mix into the batter. (Toss the berries in flour before adding, to keep them from sinking from the base of the muffin). Fold the remaining whole berries
Line a 12 cup standard muffin tin with the cupcake liners, and fill with batter. Sprinkle the 3 teaspoons of sugar over the tops of the muffins, and bake at 375 degrees for about 30-35 minutes.
Remove the muffins from the tin and cool for at least 30 minutes. Store, uncovered, or the muffins will be too moist the second day
Week three: Kale Chips (link: food network)
Ingredients:
1 small bunch of kale
1 tablespoon (15 ml) of olive oil
1 teaspoon of garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon of salt
Tear the kale into pieces, then wash and thoroughly dry it. Toss it in the olive oil and seasonings. Spread it out on a cookie sheet and bake it at 350°F (175°C) for 10–12 minutes. Watch the oven carefully, as the kale can quickly burn.
Week four: Zucchini bread (link: all recipes)
(made with Digger’s Market Zucchini from the local farmer’s market in the Old North End on Tuesday’s! Ask Holly, Erinn, or Sarah for more information about this market!)
Ingredients:
3 cups of all purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
3 eggs
1 cup vegetable oil
2 ¼ cups sugar
3 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups grated zucchini
1 cup chopped walnuts
Steps:
Grease and flour two 8×4 inch pans. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F
Sift flour, salt, baking powder, soda, and cinnamon together in a bowl
Beat eggs, oil, vanilla, and sugar together in a large bowl. Add sifted ingredients to the creamed mixture, and beat well. Stir in zucchini and nuts until well combined. Pour batter into prepared pans
Bake for 40 to 60 minutes, or until a tester inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool in pan on rack for 20 minutes. Remove bread from pan, and completely cool
Makes about 24 servings.
Bonus: Pesto (nut free) (link: the Mom 100)
Made with local basil from Digger’s Market!
Ingredients:
1 clove garlic roughly chopped
1 cup packed basil leaves
⅓ cup olive oil or more as needed
Freshly ground pepper to taste
3 tablespoons finely grated parmesan or pecorino romano cheese
Kosher salt as needed
Steps:
Place the garlic and basil in a food processor or blender and pulse until everything is roughly chopped. Add the oil and paper and process, scraping down the sides, part way through, until everything is well blended. If it is very thick, add a bit more olive oil
Add the cheese and pulse until blended in. taste and add salt, if needed.