Family Dinners

Ever since I saw this article a few weeks back in the NewYork Times - Putting the Squeeze on a Family Ritual  about kids eating "meals" out of pouches, a little rant has been brewing and bubbling inside me. I am well aware that kids and food is tricky territory. Fights and feuds at the dinner table are no fun and are stressful for all of us. While our family is pretty lucky in that the kids get to see the food in the field and can understand the hard work it takes to produce it, we still have to go through the growing pains of learning the ins and outs of mealtimes. This is particularly true now with our three year old, Baxter. Our current challenge is teaching that there are no other options at supper than what is on the plate and that everyone is sitting down together and eating the same thing. Alas, we persevere and have faith that we'll get through this phase of age three.

So, I'll bite my tongue and skip the rant. I'll bet you'd probably have a pretty good idea of what I'd say about the importance of feeding your kids healthy unprocessed whole foods. Suffice it to say it isn't really my opinion that children should be fed out of pouches. Instead I'll refer you to this amazing book that is right on spot about the importance of family dinners. It's even called The Family Dinner; great ways to connect with your kids, one meal at a time. It is loaded with statistics, stories, recipes and fun games that will transform your family dinners. I want to include some of the recipes here, so I won't go into too much detail about the guts of the book. Written by Laurie David, producer of An Inconvenient Truth, as well as a trustee of the Natural Resources Defense Council and Kirstin Uhrenholdt, who shares recipes and traditions from her native Denmark, this book also also contributions from Michael Pollan, Mark Bittman, Dr. Harvey Karp, just to name a few. So basically, you should run out and get this book. In the meantime here are a few recipes to try out with your csa veg! Enjoy!

Cabbage and Noodles
This week's sweet onions and savoy cabbage are perfect for this recipe.

2 Tablespoons olive oil plus 1 teaspoon for tossing
2 large onions, sliced
2 tsp brown sugar
1 tsp salt
1 12-ounce package wide egg noodles
1 1/2 pound white cabbage, thinly sliced
1 Tbsp apple cider vinegar
2 Tbsp butter
1 tsp caraway seeds (optional)
Salt and pepper to taste

In a large pan drizzle the olive oil. Add the onions; sprinkle with brown sugar and salt. Slowly saute over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, for about 15 minutes, until the onions are softened and golden with a few crunchy bits.
Meanwhile, start cooking the noodles by bringing a big pot of water to a boil. Salt to taste like the sea, add the pasta, stir well, and cook the pasta according to the package directions. Drain, toss with a teaspoon of olive oil and put aside.
When the onions are done, add the cabbage to the pan and saute for about 10 minutes or so, stirring occasionally. When the cabbage and onions are soft and happily married, add the apple cider vinegar just to keep life from getting boring.
Turn the heat back up to medium high, add the cooked noodles and stir until hot. Toss with butter and caraway seeds. Taste for seasonings.


Pea Nutty Noodles

for the peanut sauce
1 pound of your favorite shaped pasta
1 cup peanut butter
1/2 cup soy sauce
2/3 cup warm water
3 Tbps chopped fresh ginger
2 cloves garlic chopped
1 Tbsp toasted sesame oil
1 Tbsp honey
3 Tbsp white (rice or wine) vinegar

Garnishes: pick and choose as many as you please and as much as you want

chopped peanuts
diced cucumbers
diced apples
sliced scallions
limes, cut into quarters
sliced cabbage
Asian chili sauce
chopped fresh cilantro or mint
shredded carrots

Pick out the garnishes you want to serve with the noodles and chop, dice and slice them. Put them in little bowls.
Boil the pasta until it is done, drain and rinse in cold water.
Mix all the ingredients for the peanut sauce together in a big bowl with a big spoon. Taste the sauce, when it is perfect toss in the pasta and pour into a big pile on a big platter and serve with little dishes of garnishes around.