Giada De Laurentiis' Grilled Tofu with Asiago and Walnut Pesto for Mommy and Daddy

I have never cooked tofu before, but this looked so yummy I had to give it a shot. This is so easy to make, and the pesto is delicious!

Ingredients
Pesto:
1/2 cup grated Asiago cheese
1/2 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
1/4 cup chopped walnuts
1 tablespoon (about 5 leaves), chopped fresh sage
1 garlic clove, roughly chopped
5 tablespoons grapeseed oil
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Tofu:
14 ounces firm tofu, drained and patted dry with paper towels
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Directions
For the Asiago and Walnut Pesto:
Place all the ingredients in the bowl of a food processor. Pulse until smooth.

Place a grill pan over medium-high heat or preheat a gas or charcoal grill. Cut the tofu in half diagonally to make 2 large triangles. Cut each large triangle in half to make 4 smaller triangles. Place the triangles, long side down, on a cutting board and carefully cut each into 3 slices. Brush the tofu triangles, on each side, with the extra-virgin olive oil. Season with salt and pepper. Grill the tofu for 2 minutes on each side.

Carefully transfer the tofu to a serving platter. Spoon the pesto over the tofu and serve.

Reader's Recipe: Black Bean Quesadillas for the Whole Family

This week's Reader's Recipe is another easy and yummy recipe from my friend Sarah. I made these for dinner on Friday, and my little guy loved them (and so did I!)

Ingredients:

2 Whole Wheat Tortillas
1/4 - 1/2 avacado (depending on how much you like)
roughly 1/4 c. black beans (or more or less depending on your tastes)
Shredded Mexican blend cheese (you can use reduced fat/light for Mommy, but for Katy I use the real deal)

Set a medium skillet over medium to medium high heat on the stove.

With a fork, mash up desired amount of avacado. Set aside. Again using a fork, mash up desired amount of black beans (if your baby is still little, you might want to use a food processor to get a smoother consistency for the avacado and the black beans)

Take 1 flour tortilla and spread avacado and black beans on. Place the tortilla in the heated skillet. Add desired amount of cheese. Top with remaining tortilla. Press the tortillas together with the spatula. cook for a few minutes, then flip quesadilla to cook for a few more minutes on the other side.

Remove from pan, cut into pieces and enjoy! For Katy, I let it cool down, and then just tear off pieces. I made hers using 1 tortilla and cutting it in half and she ate the whole thing!

When your baby gets older, you can add in a small amount of very mild salsa, or some shredded chicken or turkey. I use it as a way to get Katy some ingredients she won't eat by themselves.

Enjoy!!

Sarah

The KIND Food Truck Making a Difference in San Francisco

Hello Bay area readers! Here's your chance to help make a difference this month.

Here's what you can do:


The KIND Food Truck is making its way to San Francisco, and we would like YOU to be a part of it!

If you aren’t already familiar with KIND, it is a brand of all natural foods made from ingredients you can see and pronounce® and a movement that gives new purpose to snacking.  This month, by visiting The KIND Food Truck, you and your readers will have the opportunity to turn your one act of kindness into support for women battling breast cancer. Here’s how:

Each month, KIND challenges its community to carry out a specific act of kindness (KINDING Mission) on the first Tuesday of the month.  This coming month, KIND challenges residents of San Francisco to send a thoughtful note or email to a woman who has impacted their life.

If-and-only-if enough people sign up to complete this KINDING Mission, KIND pays it forward with a BIG KIND Act for a local community in need (similar to Groupon - but for good!). This month, KIND will team up with National Breast Cancer Foundation to hand deliver care packages to women undergoing radiation and chemotherapy at a local hospital, bringing them comfort and support during their courageous struggle.

The KIND Food Truck will be parked on 333 Market Street between Front and Beale from 7:30 AM to 9:30 AM and will also be parked at the San Francisco MOMA (Third Street between Howard and Mission) between 10:00 AM and 12:00 PM.  At the truck we will provide thoughtful note cards that can in turn be filled out and given to a woman who inspires you. I’d love to invite you and your readers to join us for this day of kindness which will feature music, complimentary snacks – and most importantly, a way give back to women who so truly deserve it.

Pasta Salad with Cherry Tomato, Avocado, and Garbanzo Beans for the Whole Family

This is what Mommy and Baby had for lunch yesterday. It's really easy to make and full of nutrients essential for you and your little one. This pasta salad has protein, iron, calcium, potassium and vitamins A and C. You can puree this for babies that are not ready for finger food yet, and serve as is for older babies.

Here's what you need:

1 1/2 cups whole wheat macaroni salad pasta

1/2 cup organic cherry tomatoes quartered

1/2 can organic garbanzo beans

1/2 avocado diced

1 tblsp italian seasoning

Handful Shredded provolone cheese (or shredded italian mix cheese)

1/4 cup olive oil

Cook pasta according to package (do not add salt to pasta water if serving to baby). Drain and rinse  pasta in cold water. Add tomatoes, garbanzos, avocado, cheese, olive oil, and italian seasoning. Toss to coat, and serve. If pureeing, add a little filtered water and the puree. Enjoy!

Baked Sweet Potato Chips and Roasted Sweet Potato Fries for the Whole Family

Here's two easy, healthy, and yummy snacks for the whole family. Sweet potato is definitely a super food. It is jam packed with vitamins A and C, folate, potassium, calcium and iron. It's a great food for your little one and for you! This is for babies who are ready for finger foods.

Baked Sweet Potato Chips:
1 organic sweet potato
Ground cinnamon
1 tsp ground sage
1 tsp dried rosemary
olive oil

Preheat oven to 375F. Peel sweet potato and slice into thin rounds (like chips). Place in a large baking pan. Brush olive oil on both sides of each chip. Sprinkle the sage and rosemary over all of the chips. Sprinkle cinnamon over all the chips (about 1 tsp to 1 1/2 tsp). Place in oven and bake for 20-25 minutes. Let cool and enjoy!

Roasted Sweet potato fries
1-2 organic sweet potatoes
Ground Cinnamon
1 tsp Herbs de Provence
1 tsp dried rosemary
olive oil

Preheat oven to 375F. Peel sweet potato and cut into wedges. Place in a baking pan and brush with olive oil. Sprinkle with Herbs de Provence, Cinnamon and Rosemary. Place in oven and roast for 30 minutes. Serve and enjoy!

Pumpkin Banana Pancakes for the Whole Family

Happy Fall!! Here's a yummy pancake recipe for all you pumpkin lovers. Pumpkin is a seriously nutrient rich food for you and your little one. Pumpkins are jam packed with vitamin A beta carotene, potassium, protein, and iron. This is for babies 8+ months and Mommies and Daddies of all ages.

Here's what you need:
1 cup multigrain pancake mix (I use arrowhead mills)
1/2 tblsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp ground ginger
1/4 tsp ground allspice
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
1 cup canned organic 100% pumpkin (do NOT get pie filling)
1 egg (If you use arrowhead mills pumpkin mix you don't need egg)
1-2 organic banana cut into tiny pieces
2-3 tblsp plain whole milk yogurt or 1/4 cup milk

Mix all ingredients in a large mixing bowl. Heat 2 tblsp olive oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. Ladle the pancake batter into the skillet. Flip when you see air bubbles starting to form in pancake. Serve and enjoy!

Reader's Recipe: Turkey Burgers

This week's Reader's Recipe comes from Sarah Tarantino. Can't wait to try these! Enjoy :)

This recipe is actually from The Abs Diet cookbook. We bought the book a few years ago, and I actually still use a lot of the recipes as staples, because I know they are healthy and easy.

So here goes:

Ingredients:

1 egg
1 lb. ground turkey breast
2 crushed cloves garlic
1/3 cup drained canned diced tomatoes
1 teaspoon dried basil
1/4 teaspoon salt

In a large bowl, whisk egg. Add everything else, mixing it with your hands until well blended. Form into four patties. Place in a grill pan or nonstick skillet that's heated over medium-high. Cook 6 minutes per side or to desired level of doneness.

We like to put the burgers on toasted sourdough wheat bread and top with a little dijon mustard.

A good side that we sometimes eat with this are sweet potato fries. Toss some field greens with oil and vinegar for a simple salad, and you have a tasty little meal that is so easy to make!

**The only thing about this recipe is that sometimes when you are mixing it, it can get a little eggy, which makes it difficult to form the patties. So, adding a little more ground turkey can help that.

Hope you like it!