Swai and other fun food words.

  We like to use all our senses when it comes to food.  Little kids are much more likely to try something new if they can see it, smell it, and touch it before they taste it. Last week we also made a connection in our ears with our food as well. It was very good week for new food words.  We had Swai  (sounds like S'why), Jicama (Hick-a-ma) and Cardamom, (hey food with Mom, what could be more natural?).    Let's start our fooducate journey with Jicama.  Jicama is a root vegatable that resembles a turnip and tastes like a crunchy apple. It's easy to prepare...just peel and chop.  We like Jicama stix with Hummus (much more fun sounding than bean dip) or ranch dressing and it's a favorite in spinach salad.  Look for smooth unblemished bulbs, peel and chill in the fridge till ready to use, and enjoy. I like to peel a bunch, cut into stix and store in cold water for easy access. Try some this summer in a watermelon salad, or as a mid-day cooler.

 Cardamom, is my all time FAVORITE spice so imagine my delight when we received some unopened spices from my Mom and there was a jar of cardamom.  Cardamom is a pungent, intoxicating, exotic smelling spice predominantly used  in Indian food.  When I passed the jar around for everyone to get a smell, I think I actually saw ecstasy one the face of one little guy who delared it the "best thing I've ever smelled".   It's easily found in ground form at the supermarket and is also found whole  in specialty markets as black, green or white pods. I leave my jar of cardamom on the counter where it is readily available 'cause it goes on everything from toast to pork roast.  We had fresh cut strawberries with cardamom and honey, I also put it in their yogurt and in rice.  It's a versatile spice for both sweet and savory dishes.....try it on meat, fruit, veggies or fish....I could go on and on about Cardamom.

  Swai, also called Basa, the Vietnamese cousin to US catfish, is farmed raised and is a sustainable food source*.  It's a very mild flaky white fleshed fish that serves as a wonderful platform for flavors and seasonings. The kids here LOVE IT! They go home and tell their parents about how good it is and I've been told, some are requesting it in restaraunts.  :).  If your child is not big on fish, try some Swai. I make fish cakes with baked Swai and also serve it "mock fried".  This week we had some uncooked red and green peppers left from an earlier dish, so I placed the thawed fish fillets on a lightly oiled baking sheet, seasoned with salt and pepper and scattered the diced peppers over the top. Bake at 350 till the meat is firm and no longer opaque (in my oven this takes about 40 min.).  The Swai really picked up on the bright flavors of the peppers.  I put the cooked fish in the frigde and the next day I lightly dusted it with a "fish fry meal" and then grilled it on a flat griddle till the coating was crispy and the fish heated through....We had a stroke of budgeting luck as our local HEB was offedring 2lb bags of frozen swai fillets for $6.00, two dollars off the normal price....I cooked 6lbs of swai on Friday and there wasn't a crumb left. 

  Food can be fun, smiley faced sandwiches, heart shaped cookies and Mickey Mouse pancakes are all super ideas if you have the time... if not, then give your kids a giggle and have them say Swai, cardamom or Jicama over and over.... next week.....we're having COUSCOUS.   Sounds Good.   

*http://www.montereybayaquarium.org/cr/SeafoodWatch/web/sfw_search.aspx?s=swai

Cucurbita pepo - OOdles of Noodles

Spaghetti Squash, easy to prepare, inexpensive and fun to eat. Although it's late in the season for these veggies, they are still tender and sweet. I made the mistake of choosing too large a squash the first time I prepared it for 28 plates. Because of the size, I let it cook too long and it turned out mushy. " Waste not" being my motto, I used that squash to thicken my pasta sauce. This time I selected four 1/2 lb. gourds (at 78 cents a pound!) and timed it better.

There's a window between the kitchen and the classroom and I often pass future meal items out the window for the kids to see, feel, smell and ask questions about. I like to show them the inside of, or the unpeeled veggie or fruit. I really wanted the kidlettes to see the fun in this particular pepo and as they were passing by the window on their way outside, they all got to see the pulp and seeds being removed. It was encouraging that so many associated it with the insides of a pumpkin. When the squash was cooked and cooled, they again watched as I gently scraped the flesh with a fork and saw all those beautiful yellow "noodles" "magically" appearing. I seasoned the squash with honey butter (left from this morning's breakfast biscuit), salt, pepper and a little thyme. Served with homemade sauce (from last Friday's pizza), multigrain pasta and hand rolled meatballs, it made a pretty presentation. Getting the kids to try a bite did take a little coaxing....my favorite part of this job? Watching them go from a "No Thank-you bite" to "Please, May I have some more". Footnote here, it's Springbreak so a number of children were not in the center today, 2 pounds of in the skin squash yielded about 25 1 oz cooked servings.