Summer is a blast! I’ve had so much fun teaching my kids’ cooking camps; enjoying much needed time to play, relax, and rejuvenate on the beaches in California; and precious moments taking super-early morning walks with my mom to beat the Arizona heat. But even though the temperatures are still soaring, we’re back to school now, which inspired me to get into the kitchen and create some simple, easy, nutritious, and delicious recipes to fuel a fantastic new school year.
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Cherry Zucchini Smoothie
My first swap takes on sugary breakfast foods like donuts and cereals. I love to literally mix things up a bit by making yummy smoothies. The best part is they can be made out of an unlimited combination of fresh and delicious ingredients. My Chocolate Cherry Zucchini smoothie recipe is fun, flavorful, and a refreshingly sweet way to get your daily veggies. All the kids in my cooking camp really loved this recipe. Plus, did you know that zucchini is heart-healthy? Just another reason to blend it up right now.
| Servings |
| 2people |
|
|
- 2 1/2cups Soy Milk(or your favorite milk)
- 1 Zucchinismall
- 1cup Cherriesfrozen
- 4 Datespitted
- 2tablespoons Cocoa Powder
- 2tablespoons Almond Butter(or chia seeds)
- 1teaspoon Vanilla Extract
- Add all ingredients to a blender, blend until smooth, and enjoy!
My next swap takes on pizza. I know this is a very popular (and in my opinion, boring) lunchtime meal, because eating cheese, peperoni, and maybe a few other toppings isn’t always the healthiest or adventurous choice. That’s why I like to swap pizza out for my Mediterranean Chickpea Flatbread. I love Mediterranean flavors like cumin and paprika, which really make the flavors in this dish pop! The chickpeas are used both in hummus form, as well as whole roasted on top of the flat bread, imparting plenty of calcium to keep our bones nice and strong.
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Mediterranean Chickpea Flatbread
| Prep Time |
| 10minutes |
| Cook Time |
| 5minutes |
|
|
- 2pieces Pita Breadmedium-sized
- 1can Chickpeas
- 1/4cup Hummusper flat bread, store-bought or homemade
- 1teaspoon cumin
- 1/2teaspoon Paprika
- 1/4teaspoon garlic powder
- 1teaspoon salt
- 2tablespoons Cilantrochopped
- 1cup Cherry Tomatoes
- 1/4 red onionthinly sliced
- Preheat oven to 400°.
- Season the chickpeas with cumin, paprika, garlic powder, and salt.
- Pour chickpeas onto baking pan, and roast for 25-30 minutes.
- Meanwhile, cut your cherry tomatoes in half, chop the cilantro, and thinly slice the red onion.
- Next spread 1⁄4 cup of hummus onto the pita bread.
- Then divide and top pita bread with the chickpeas, tomatoes, onions, and cilantro.
- Bake the pita bread for about 5 minutes, or until heated through. Serves 2.
Finally, an essential component to back-to-school recipes is making sure they are simple and quick to prepare, and my Green Rice and Tofu Fajita Bowl is a fantastic example of a perfect lunch to bring to school. I love how colorful and flavorful the green rice is, and how well the spinach, jalapeño, and cilantro work together. And, the crispy tofu just makes it all complete. It’s truly perfection.
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Green Rice, Black Bean & Corn, and Tofu Fajita Bowl
| Servings |
| 4people |
|
|
- 1package Tofuextra firm
- 1 Bell Peppergreen
- 1/2 Yellow Onion
- 1tablespoon salt
- 1tablespoon Fajita Seasoning
- 3-4tablespoons Coconut Oil
- 4cups Brown Ricecooked
- 1cup Spinach
- 1/4cup Cilantro
- 1/4one Jalapeño
- 1/4 Yellow Onion
- 1/4cup Vegetable Broth
- 1clove garlic
- 1/2can Black Beans
- 1/2can Corn
- 1 1/2cups Cherry Tomatoesdiced
- Cut tofu into equal sized cubes and set aside.
- Heat a pan on medium- high heat, and add coconut oil.
- Add the tofu to the pan and cook for about 2 minutes. Add salt and fajita seasoning to the tofu, and distribute evenly by stirring the tofu around the pan.
- Cook the tofu for another 10 minutes, or until slightly crispy and golden brown.
- Mix in the bell peppers and onions, and heat through.
- Add all green rice ingredients to a blender, except for the rice, and blend until smooth.
- our the green sauce over the precooked brown rice, and stir until the rice is completely green.
- Dice tomatoes, and combine beans, corn, and tomatoes in a bowl.
- Season with a dash of salt.
- Set aside.
- You can warm this mixture or serve cold.
- Layer the green rice mixture, then the bean and corn mixture, and finally top with tofu. Enjoy!
I hope that these swaps will inspire you to get creative with back-to-school meals, and to have a happy and healthy new school year!
Haile Thomas is a 10th grader at The Gregory School, a motivational speaker, a young chef, and the founder of the HAPPY Organization.
The post Haile’s Healthy Swaps: September/October 2015 appeared first on Edible Baja Arizona Magazine.