What's for lunch 9/11/13

Oven-Baked Breaded

Chicken

Whole Grain Garlic Bread

Buttered Rotini with Garlic & Oil

LI Sweet Corn on the Cob

Fresh Fruit 

 Chicken is a flash-fried product from Tyson with 10g of fat and 620mg of sodium. Ingredients: Boneless, skinless chicken breast filets with rib meat, water, modified food starch, sodium phosphates, salt. PREDUSTED WITH: Enriched wheat flour (enriched with niacin, reduced iron, thiamine mononitrate, riboflavin, folic acid), wheat gluten, salt. BATTERED WITH: Water, enriched bleached wheat flour (enriched with niacin, reduced iron, thiamine mononitrate, riboflavin, folic acid), modified corn starch, salt, dextrose, spices, garlic powder, xanthan gum, oleoresin paprika and annatto. BREADED WITH: Enriched wheat flour (enriched with niacin, reduced iron, thiamine mononitrate, riboflavin, folic acid), salt, spices, garlic powder, extractives of paprika, natural flavors (spice extractives). Breading set in vegetable oil. The rotini is whole grain from Zarega.

The corn is fresh as is the fruit. 

I am often looking for new vegetables to serve my family.   Today I bought Kohlrabi.

Kohlrabi is a nutrient-rich vegetable of Eastern European origin. In the German language, it means “cabbage turnip.” This aptly describes the family it came from–cabbage. Kohlrabi’s appearance is almost a cross between a cabbage and a turnip. It has a turnip-shaped overgrown stem–the commonly eaten part–with leaves sprouting from it. There are several ways to prepare a kohlrabi. It can be eaten raw, grilled or stir-fried. Regardless of how it is prepared, kohlrabi has numeroushealth benefits. Listed below are ways to cook kohlrabi.  I will let you know how my kids like it. 

1. Sliced thin and eaten raw. When raw, kohlrabi is slightly crunchy and mildly spicy, like radishes. You can toss them in a salad or eat them on their own with a drizzle of good olive oil and a sprinkling of sea salt.

2. Made into fritters. This is a great way to get kids to eat their kohlrabi! Shred the vegetable and mix with an egg and a few tablespoons of flour. Heat oil or butter in a flat skillet, drop on small mounds, and flatten slightly with the back of your spatula. Turn after a few minutes, and serve when both sides are crispy.

3. In soup. We particularly like kohlrabi in a creamy, pureed soup with mild spices so that sweet kohlrabi flavor can really shine through. Also, try adding it to recipes for Cream of Potato, Cream of Broccoli, and even Cream of Mushroom soup!

4. Roasted. When roasted in the oven, the outside of the kohlrabi caramelizes, and the flavor sweetens and mellows. You can slice the kohlrabi thin for toasted "chips" or cube it. We like to toss it with other roasted veggies like eggplant and potatoesfor a hearty side dish.

5. Steamed. This is kind of a cheat-suggestion because kohrabi can be used in literally anything once steamed. We throw steamed kohlrabi into frittatas, stir-fries, and pasta dishes. We also like to puree it with a little cream and simple spices. We've also seen recipes for stuffing steamed kohlrabi into empanadas andcalzones!

Kohrabi is found in a lot of Indian cooking, so it naturally does well with traditional Indian spices. Honestly, though, we tend to prefer it seasoned with just a nice sprinkling salt!