Category Archives: Food

Making Cheese with Kids

Posted on July 8, 2013 | Leave a comment

Making fresh goat cheese (chèvre) at home is so easy even a young child can do it! My toddler LOVES to be involved in the kitchen and we believe it helps teach her healthy habits and attitudes about food. It is time to make a fresh batch of chèvre and here are some quick shots of Little Bird demonstrating how we enjoy making cheese with kids.

Making Cheese with Kids

In the above picture, Little Bird is holding a digital thermometer in the milk to make sure it is the right temperature. (I accidentally overshot 86°, and had to put it in a cold water bath to bring it back down. I learned the hard way, do not put your starter in milk that is too hot, i.e. over 90°, or it won’t set. It won’t “go bad” or make you sick but it will be more like buttermilk or runny sour cream than nice, sweet cheese.) Below she is sprinkling in chèvre starter.

making cheese with kids - adding chèvre starter

For all the details of how to make chèvre, including step by step instructions with pictures, please click here. And for more on how to involve very young children and babies in cooking, please read this post.

 

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Posted in Backyard Goats, Food, Home Dairy, Parenting, Recipes to Make with the Kids, Urban Homesteading

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Anasazi Green Beans

Posted on July 7, 2013 | Leave a comment

If you have seen my previous posts on Anasazi Beans then you know I am a huge fan of the heirloom bean. Although we typically allow them to dry right on the vine and then use the beans as you might use pintos or black beans, I recently learned that Anasazi green beans are another delicious option!

anasazi green beans

Papa Bird has Anasazis growing as vines along our bottom fence, but discovered a gopher had eaten the roots off of one of the plants. Since the plant was on the verge of toppling over, he picked them for use as Anasazi green beans!


For a recipe for the most delicious veggie burger ever, the legend of Anasazi Beans, and more on victory gardens, see my post on Anasazi Bean Burgers. And for more growing tips on Anasazis and a recipe for a twist on a Southern holiday classic, check out Anasazi Bean Hoppin’ John.

Can you recommend a recipe for Anasazi Green Beans?

We usually cook green beans simply, and Little Bird loved to gum them as one of her first “holding” foods at 8 months. But please tell me, what are your favorite recipes for green beans?

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Posted in Recipes from the Garden, Urban Agriculture, Urban Homesteading

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Mango with Coconut Chia Pudding

Posted on June 11, 2013 | Leave a comment

I love it when friends send me pictures of their takes on recipes from this blog. My sister sent me one this morning of her take on the Chia Strawberry Shortcake  Parfait in the last post: fresh mango with coconut chia pudding.

mango with coconut chia pudding

She made the recipe for my Very Vanilla Chia Pudding with Coconut Milk instead of Almond and added fresh mango. Yum! It makes me think of mango and sticky rice, one of my favorite sweet Thai treats.

Do you ever snap any pictures of recipes from the Baby Bird’s Farm and Cocina Blog? Please share them with me! Use our contact page or connect via Facebook, Pinterest or Twitter.

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Posted in Dessert, Food, Healthy Recipes, Recipes for the Whole Family, Seasonal Recipes

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Chia Strawberry Shortcake Parfait with Very Vanilla Chia Pudding

Posted on June 9, 2013 | 2 comments

This Chia Strawberry Shortcake Parfait was the happy result of an accident. We were on a good nightly kick of classic strawberry shortcake until I accidentally dropped and shattered the glass container of whipped cream on the kitchen floor. Messy. Luckily, true tragedy was averted when I improvised this dessert featuring my Very Vanilla Chia Pudding that I’ve been tinkering with for ages and a vanilla bean yogurt. My husband now likes it better.

Chia Strawberry Shortcake Parfait with Very Vanilla Pudding

We LOVE strawberry shortcake. And strawberries are so sweet right now. My daughter communicates with a mix of mostly English, a little baby sign, and some Spanish. But occasionally she makes up her own words. For example, she calls strawberries “Pita” or “Peety” and will absolutely insist on eating them as soon as she sees them in the fridge (or neighbor’s yard.)


Cha-Cha-Cha-Chia! If you are only familiar with Chia as in Chia pets, then you are in for a treat! The same plant that grows a furry covering on chia pets is also the health food of the moment. The seeds are loaded with Omega-3’s, protein, fiber and antioxidants. They have very little calories and can be thrown into smoothies, oatmeal, or just about anything. I think they look like poppy seeds and when eaten dry, I feel like they get stuck in my teeth. Luckily, their coolest feature is that they can turn nearly any liquid into a pudding, plumping up to resemble little tapioca balls, without cooking! Try it out as a healthy pudding or in this chia strawberry shortcake parfait.

Chia Strawberry Shortcake Parfait with Very Vanilla Chia Pudding Recipe

For the Very Vanilla Chia Pudding

Ingredients for Very Vanilla Chia Pudding

Mix all the ingredients well and chill in the refrigerator. IMPORTANT: For best results, stir the pudding again after 45 minutes to prevent all the seeds from falling and clumping at the bottom. Chill for 2-3 hours or until set.

Very Vanilla Chia Pudding

For the Strawberries

Rinse and slice ripe (preferably organic) strawberries and place in a bowl. Toss with 1 teaspoon of sugar or sweetener of your choice. Chill for 30 minutes or until a slight syrup forms.

For the  Chia Strawberry Shortcake Parfait

Arrange in layers in a parfait glass, clear bowl or wine glass:

  • Very Vanilla Chia Pudding
  • Strawberries
  • Crumbled Shortcake (I used shortcake pre-made by Trader Joe’s, but homemade would be delicious.)
  • Vanilla or Honey Greek Yogurt OR a little whip cream

Enjoy!


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Posted in Dessert, Food, Healthy Recipes, Recipes for the Whole Family, Seasonal Recipes

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Roasted Red Pepper and Walnut Pesto

Posted on May 5, 2013 | 1 comment

This red pepper pesto recipe is one that my family requests over and over again. The pesto, once made, can be stored in the fridge (although ours rarely lasts long) and is great for snacking, entertaining, or can pull together a quick dinner.

red pepper pesto recipe

Roasted Red Pepper Pesto Recipe

Adapted from the Vitamix Create Recipe Book 

  • 2-3 red bell peppers
  • 1 head of garlic, divided use
  • 3/4 cup (75 g) walnuts
  • 1/2 cup (27 g) sun-dried or oven-dried tomatoes
  • 2/3 cup (20 g) fresh basil or 1 oz prepared pesto (previously frozen fine)
  • 1/2 cup (50 g) grated parmesan cheese
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
  • 1/2 cup (120 ml) olive oil
  • 1/4 cup (60 ml) balsamic vinegar

red pepper pesto recipe

1. Preheat oven to 400°F (200°C). Halve and trim red peppers, place skin side down on baking sheet, lined with a silicone mat, or directly on oven rack. (Energy saving tip: try fitting in a toaster oven.) Slice the uppermost portion of the head of garlic off, so that the tops of several cloves are visible. Reserve the top for later use. Sprinkle with a touch of salt and pepper and a few drops of olive oil. Wrap the garlic in foil and add to the oven. After 20 minutes or so, check on peppers. Cook until the skin starts to blister and darken. Immediately place in a covered bowl or sealed bag so the steam helps loosen the skin. (See this post on Spanish Tuna Stuffed Peppers for a photo of this technique.) Cook garlic for 45 minutes or until soft. Once the peppers are cool, peel of the skin, reserving any liquid.

2. Measure out 6 ounces (270 g) of roasted bell peppers.

red pepper pesto recipe

3. Place in a good blender along with a little bit of their liquid, the roasted garlic, the reserved bits of raw garlic, and the rest of the ingredients.

red pepper pesto recipe

4. Blend. For reference, on a variable speed Vitamix, start on variable “1”, slowly increase speed to “3”, and blend for 30 seconds or until desired consistency.

red pepper pesto recipe

Serving Suggestions:

This is just amazing on bread and makes a great appetizer for entertaining. For a quick dinner, toss over pasta and shrimp. Add any extra roasted peppers, too! (I might add peas next time for a bit of fresh green.)

red pepper pesto recipe with shrimp

“Semi-Homemade” Time Saving Tips:

I have also made this using roasted, peeled bell peppers in the jar from Trader Joe’s. Instead of roasting the garlic, you can just use 2 cloves of raw garlic. I use frozen, peeled, uncooked red Australian shrimp from Trader Joe’s. I usually have a bag in my freezer.

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Posted in Entertaining, Food, Recipes for the Whole Family, Recipes from the Garden, Step by Step with Pictures

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