Roasted Vegetable Manicotti

I was never one to disguise vegetables for my children.

Really, what's the point? Kids should know what their food looks like. And aren't vegetables and fruit so much prettier than meat or a piece of chicken, anyhow? I respectfully disagree with those books like "Despicably Deceptive" and "The Sleazy Chef Mom".

I have nothing against making veggies fun.

Photo by Saxton Freymann

And maybe I just got lucky with kids who actually liked to eat yellow peppers and snap peas, mango chunks and avocado. I am not holding my self up as a paragon of perfect parental nutrition in any way. In fact, I gave my daughter a peanut butter and Fluff sandwich for lunch today.

And then there's this true story: Last week while I was away on vacation, my husband took the kids - the minute I left - to the store and bought them Capt'n Crunch and Ring Dings. 

So, the point is, I thought I could get away with Roasted Vegetable Manicotti, no problem.

Wrong.

I loved it.

Bob loved it.

The kids? Not so much.

The little one deconstructed it, eating just the carrots out of it.

The 16 year old said" Why do you get so mad when I don't love everything you make? Stop looking at me."

Don't care. I would make this again in a heartbeat, because it's delicious and healthy. 

And I'll never try to hide that.

Roasted Vegetable Manicotti

adapted from Canyon Ranch Cooks

1/2 lb. shiitake or crimini mushrooms, thickly sliced

3 medium carrots, peeled and coarsely chopped

1 large zucchini, coarsely chopped

1 red bell pepper, sliced into 1-2" pieces

1 yellow bell pepper, sliced into 1-2" pieces

1 large onion, sliced

2 cloves fresh garlic, minced

2 Tbsp. olive oil

3/4 cup goat cheese

1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

2 Tbsp. fresh basil, chopped

2 Tbsp. fresh parsley, chopped

16 sheets fresh pasta, or no-cook lasagne sheets (I used Barilla)

2 cups marinara sauce, either from a jar or your own

salt, pepper to taste

additional grated Parmesan

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Place pasta sheets in a boil of very hot water to soften, 15-20 minutes.

Mix together all the vegetables, garlic, olive oil, salt and pepper in a single layer on a large sheet pan (you might need two pans). Roast for 15-20 minutes or until lightly browned and softened. Keep an eye on them: softer vegetables, such as zucchini, will cook faster. It can be removed from pan before the others.

Cool slightly, then place all vegetables in a medium bowl. Mix in both cheeses, basil and parsley.

Spread a small amount of marinara sauce in a 9 x 13" baking pan.

Place one softened pasta sheet on a work surface, like a cutting board. Spoon 1/3 cup vegetable mixture down one edge of sheet, and roll. Place roll in baking pan, seam side down. Repeat with remaining pasta and vegetable mixture. Top manicotti rolls with remaining marinara sauce and a sprinkling of grated Parmesan, if desired. Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until heated through and sauce is slightly bubbling.

Serve in plain sight, not disguised as anything else.

NOTE: These vegetables are merely suggestions. Feel free to substitute any vegetables you (or your children) like - asparagus, broccoli, summer squash. Some kalamata olives might be good too.

What the hell - throw in some chopped spinach too.

Spa Chocolate Ganache

Yes, I know I've been AWOL.

My apologies.

I have been riding the roller coaster from the high of a vacation at a lovely spa to the low of a hellish and urgent search for a new home/owner for my daughter's beloved horse.

Something had to give and last week it was blogging. 

I was supposed to be de-toxing and de-stressing at Canyon Ranch - a mother-daughter getaway with my college girl, home on spring break. You know, like eating less sweets, no wine with dinner, exercising and enjoying it all.

There was the 7 mile hike. Even though it was 60 degrees at the base, there was plenty of snow on the mountain.

There was the facial and aromatherapy massage, both wonderful.

The food was very good of course. Heavy on the fresh vegetables, portion-controlled protein, whole grains. Some how they manage to make a baked sweet potato taste like an indulgence. 

I was doing just fine, going the Puritan route.

Until I saw a sign offering a cooking class with a theme. 

The theme was chocolate.

 I had to do it. I had to it for you, dear readers. 

How could I pass up a chance to learn about chocolate and chocolate desserts that are actually lower in fat and calories, and yet extremely delicious?  Taught by the wildly popular pastry chef Billy Boudreau?

Ignoring this opportunity would have been pure craziness!

So after a full day of Cardio Circuit class, yoga and some torturous activity called "Abs on the Ball",  I took my sorry self to the demo kitchen, ready to bake and learn, like a good food blogger should. 

Really, I would have gone straight to bed.

 But I so didn't want to disappoint you.

You're welcome.

Billy was prepping some ganache that would later be made into truffles. 

He was also soaking tea bags in hot water, to be used in Chocolate Chai Cupcakes. 

He greeted us by expertly piping some of the ganache and filling them with dried cherries and crystallized ginger.

They were placed in the refrigerator. Later we rolled them into balls and dipped them in a coating of chopped nuts.

Hint from Billy: Always sift nuts after grinding them for a neater, cleaner look. Sifting gets rid of the messy looking "nut dust".

A chopped pineapple was also dipped in the ganache and coated with nuts.

 If you're thinking, "Ganache? At a health spa?", I have one word for you: evaporated skim milk.

Ok that's three words, but one ingredient.

Usually ganache is made with chocolate and heavy cream. This version replaces the heavy cream with evaporated skim milk, cutting the fat content by... a lot.

Billy also suggests using coconut milk instead of heavy cream. The coconut flavor won't be very strong and this is another good way to make a lower fat truffle.

You can also flavor the milk with a huge variety of ingredients - orange zest, instant coffee, peppermint tea, or a cinnamon stick to name a few. Get creative.

Here's the basic recipe. I'd love to know if you try it and what you made.

Chocolate Ganache from Canyon Ranch

1/3 cup evaporated skim milk  (coconut milk, almond milk, or soy milk can be used instead)

2/3 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

Heat milk until just before boiling. Stir in chocolate. Cover and let sit for 5 minutes, then whisk together.

If you're going to use it for truffles, either fill a pastry bag with the ganache and pipe them out onto parchment, or refrigerate until firm (about 1 hour) and scoop onto parchment. 

You might use that hour for some sort of aerobic exercise or a few push-ups. That would be the Canyon Ranch way.

And the horse? He was moved to a new home today and so far he seems to like it. The mare in the other paddock appeared to be flirting with him as I left.

Field Trip! with a Snack

Remember the excitement of a school field trip?
Free from the confining classroom! Be outside!
Who are you going to sit with on the bus? Sit with me!
Same seats coming back!

I relived it all yesterday with my daughter's class.
On a day that passes as early spring in Maine, we went to Jillson's Farm in Sabbatus, to learn about maple sugaring.
You may think of maple as sort of a fall flavoring (pumpkin pie, etc.), but spring is when the sap flows. In fact, the very first sign of spring, all over northern New England, is a sap bucket hanging from a tap in a maple tree.

Did you know it takes about 43 gallons of sap to make one gallon of maple syrup? The sap gets boiled down in the sugarhouse for hours until all that remains is the very essence of maple. There's nothing else to it. Just time. patience, warm days and cold nights.

This is Mr. Jillson, in the sugarhouse. He's been making maple syrup and other maple treats for a long time and had lots of stories for the kids.

And this is Mrs. Wilcox, who works at the farm and cares for the animals. She's holding Mom Goose, a 19 year old blind goose, who likes to give hugs. A little freaky, in a fun kind of way.

Look at that face! I may not be posting about bacon for awhile.
But then again nothing goes better with farm fresh eggs...

Jillson's Farm bottles and sells its maple syrup. A field trip with baby animals and shopping?
 Best. Field. Trip. Ever.

So guess who's getting a taste of Maine?
You!

I put together a nice package from the farm: 1 quart of pure Maine maple syrup, a big bag of maple kettle corn, Maine wild blueberry jam and 2 maple moose pops.
Just leave a comment telling  me your favorite way to use maple syrup. I'll pick a winner at random and send  the goods your way, asap.
And let me know if you're a fan on my Facebook page. Fans will get their names put in for two chances to win.

Here's something to whet your appetite. I made mini-muffins for the kids and larger ones for the adult chaperones. Wholesome, healthy, easy and delicious. In fact, these may be the easiest muffins I've ever made.

Maple Oatmeal-Apple Muffins
adapted from Epicurious


1 cup all purpose flour

1 cup whole wheat pastry flour

1 cup oats

2 tsps. baking powder

1/2 tsp. baking soda

2 tsps. ground cinnamon (or more to taste)

1/2 tsp. salt

1 cup buttermilk

3/4 cup unsweetened applesauce

1/2 cup pure maple syrup

1/2 cup packed brown sugar

1/4 cup vegetable oil

1 large egg

2 tsps. vanilla extract

1 apple, diced

optional: 1/2 cup chopped pecans or walnuts and/or 1/2 cup raisins

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
Line 12-cup muffin tin with paper liners (or spray generously with baking spray).
Combine first six (flour through salt) ingredients in a large bowl and stir to blend.
Whisk buttermilk, applesauce, maple syrup, brown sugar, oil, egg and vanilla in medium bowl until well blended. Add to dry ingredients, along with chopped apple and any other optional ingredients. Stir just to incorporate - do not over mix!

Divide batter equally among muffin cups. Bake until muffin tops are golden brown and tester inserted into center of muffins comes out clean, about 28-30 minutes.
Transfer to rack and cool.

Note: I made 24 mini-muffins, which baked for about 18-20 minutes, and six regular size muffins with this recipe.

Breakfast of Champions

They (whoever they are) say that breakfast is the most important meal of the day.

It's also the best. I said that. "They" didn't.

So when I heard about The Incredible Breakfast Cook-Off being held in conjunction with Maine Restaurant Week, I knew I had to go. Called up my friend Becky, who's always up for a good foodie event and we hustled down to SoPo (that's South Portland to you) first thing Friday morning.

We were greeted by this guy.

You just can't go anywhere in Maine without lobster showing up.

We found more lobster in Sea Dog Brewing Co.'s Lobster Benedict on a croissant.

Crab, in the form of Eggs Benedict on a Crabcake with Avocado Mousse, from Sea Glass at Inn by the Sea.

And more Eggs Benedict from The Porthole, with spinach and a creamy smoky bacon sauce.

This was my favorite of all the egg dishes, proving once again that everything is better with bacon.

In search of carbs, we sniffed out the offering from The Good Table - Creme Brulee French Toast.

Ok, like most really delicious things, it doesn't look like much in the photo. But trust me, this was the clear winner. A hearty French bread, soaked over night with eggs, heavy cream, brown sugar, Grand Marnier and other diet-busting ingredients, then baked to form that signature brulee crust. With fruit on top, just to make you feel like you might be eating something healthy. Amaaaaazing. Even though The Good Table is at the opposite end of the earth from me - well, on the other side of the Casco Bay Bridge and that's far enough - I plan to eat brunch there asap. I hear they have a lovely terrace in the summer. Not sure I can wait that long.

After helping ourselves to the Bloody Mary bar (hello, it's Friday!),

we were ready for some breakfast dessert. You know how I love breakfast dessert.

No, I DID NOT eat the whole thing. A little bite of each one was enough. And a bit of this too.

Tomorrow morning, it's back to my Kashi Go Lean cereal with skim milk.
I think I might be hungry again by then.


PS - Here's a link to a recipe for the Creme Brulee French Toast that sounds similar to the one from The Good Table. I haven't tried it. Let me know if you do.

PSS - One of the highlights of my morning was meeting the Morning Team from WBLM radio, The Captain and Celeste. I listen to them every day and they never fail to make me smile.

A Brief History of My Love Affair with Chinese Food. And Potstickers.

I have had  a life long relationship with Chinese food. Or Chinese-American food, I really should say.

For as long as I can remember, it was my family's practice to go out for Chinese every Sunday night. Sometimes it was just the four of us; sometimes my cousins or grandparents came along.

The restaurants are still clear in my mind. China Sails in Chestnut Hill was the best and most regular one for awhile. Then we moved on to South Pacific in Newton. Followed by, but not limited to, Ho Sai Gai, New Garden, Mandarin Cuisine, The Wok and Chef Chang's. There were also frequent trips into Boston's small Chinatown to eat at the grand China Pearl or some little hole-in-the-wall my father had tracked down. (My mother was somewhat wary of these spots, worried about the cleanliness of the bathroom and the mystery ingredients in the lo mein.)

The menus at each one were almost identical. Chow mein, chop suey, fried rice, General Tso's Chicken. You would think that, and the frequency of our visits, would make ordering dinner easy for a family of four.
You would be mistaken.
There were many heated arguments over Shrimp with Lobster Sauce vs. Kung Pao Shrimp, Moo Shu Beef vs. Beef with Broccoli. Sometimes it would get so bad that my father would actually leave the restaurant in a fit, until we decided.

Oh, wait, that story was supposed to be for my therapist...

Anyway, appetizer selection was more peaceful because we all agreed on Chinese barbecued spareribs and egg rolls, with a side of spicy mustard. Sometimes there were Shirley Temples served in a coconut half with a paper umbrella.
There was always hot tea, and plenty of the icy water that manages to taste better in a Chinese restaurant than anywhere else.

As I grew up, my love for Chinese food never wavered. Eat in or take out. I was insanely jealous of my friends who lived in New York and could have Chinese delivered right to their doors. I almost moved to New York simply for this reason.

Chinese food is comfort food for me, familiar and soothing.

It's also the combination of flavors that keeps me coming back. The salty, of course, but combined with the sweetness of pineapple or the sharp taste of ginger. The sizzling platter brought forth from the kitchen, inviting envious stares from other diners. The fortune cookies and pineapple chunks with toothpicks served as dessert.

My second date with my husband was at a Chinese restaurant for lunch.
The first time I introduced him to my parents was on a gorgeous spring day, at a Chinese restaurant.
And our rehearsal dinner? A multi-course Chinese banquet at Sally Ling's, which was the best of its kind twenty years ago.

Now our kids adore Chinese food too. It's a tradition to have it on Christmas eve. My youngest usually requests it for her birthday dinner. And now that my son has his driver's license, he can take himself into town and pick up a $4.99 Happy Box at China Taste, any time he wants.

You know I love all kinds of Asian food, but I haven't had much luck replicated the Chinese dishes of my childhood. I think there's a special ingredient left out of recipes (msg?) to keep us coming back for more. Or maybe it's the well-seasoned woks and oils that I lack. Whatever. I'm happy to keep the locals in business.

But I did make potstickers the other night - and man, they were good! It was a fun project with youngest kid too.
I know this isn't the authentic shape, but I couldn't get round wrappers. If you can find them, here's the way to form them.

Pork Potstickers (aka as Peking Ravioli)
adapted from The Steamy Kitchen


4 cups Napa cabbage, chopped very finely

1/2 tsp. salt

9 oz. ground pork

1 Tbsp. fresh ginger, grated

2-3 cloves garlic, minced

1 scallion, finely chopped

2 tsps. red (or dark) miso paste

1 tsp. sesame oil, plus more for cooking

1 tsp. crushed red pepper

1/4 tsp. sugar

1/4 cup fresh cilantro, finely chopped (optional)

1 pkg. wonton or dumpling wrappers, round or square

vegetable oil

Toss the chopped cabbage with the salt in a large bowl, lined with double thickness paper towel, and let it sit for 10 minutes or so. Then squeeze the cabbage firmly in the paper towels, removing as much water as possible (this will prevent your potstickers from getting soggy). Place cabbage in a large mixing bowl.
Add pork, ginger, garlic, scallion, miso paste, sesame oil, crushed red pepper, sugar and cilantro (if using). Mix everything together with your hands until all ingredients are evenly distributed. Using your hands, scoop the mixture into a ball, lift from bowl, then throw it back in. Repeat several times to tenderize meat and help mixture stick together. (Helps curb aggressive tendencies too.)

Have a small bowl of cold water ready. Lay a dumpling wrapper on a dry work surface (cutting board) and using your finger dipped in water, wet the around the border slightly. Place a heaping teaspoon of pork filling in the center. If using square wrappers, fold one corner of wrapper diagonally across to the other. Pinch together the edges, then fold the 2 opposite corners in. Use a dab of water to seal them. Set aside until all are filled and folded.

Wrapped and ready to be cooked

In a large skillet with a tight fitting lid, heat 2 Tbsps. vegetable oil and 1 tsp. sesame oil over medium-high heat. Carefully place as many potstickers as you can in the skillet, without them touching. Cook for 3 minutes, or until the bottom is nicely browned. While they're cooking, get 1/4 cup water.

Holding the skillet lid to shield yourself from the splattering that's about to happen, pour the water into the pan. When the splattering dies down, drizzle 1 tsp. sesame oil around the edge of the skillet. Place lid on skillet, then quickly lower heat to keep liquid just at a simmer.

After about 2 minutes, check the potstickers, by pressing gently with a spoon. The meat should feel firm,  and the wrapper slightly translucent. If they're not there yet, cook another minute with the lid back on. Then remove the lid and raise the heat slightly. Continue to cook until all the water has evaporated and only the oil remains (about 2 minutes). Once you hear a sizzling sound, shake the skillet. The dumplings should slide around.
If they don't, move the skillet off the heat and replace the lid for a moment. If you want to brown the other side, flip the potstickers over and cook about 30 seconds.
Remove from pan onto a plate lined with paper towels to absorb any extra oil.
Repeat until all have been cooked. Serve with dipping sauce.

Dipping Sauce


6 Tbsps. soy sauce

3 Tbsps. rice vinegar

1 Tbsp. grated fresh  ginger

some chopped cilantro

Mix all ingredients thoroughly and serve along side potstickers.