Cobi's Recommended Recipes

Just for Kids!

The following recipes are taken from “Winning the Food Fight” by Joey Shulman

Scrumptious Spelt Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies

1 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 cup maple syrup
1 tsp vanilla
¼ cup boiling water
1 cup spelt flour
1 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
2 cups oatmeal
¼ cup flaxseeds
¼ cup flaked coconut (optional)
1 cup organic chocolate chips or carob chips

Beat oil, maple syrup and vanilla with beater for 2 minutes until foamy. Add boiling water and stir. Add flour, salt, baking soda, and oatmeal and stir with a wooden spoon. Mix in flaxseeds, coconut and chocolate chips or carob chips. On non-stick or lightly greased cookie sheet, flatten out small balls of dough with fork. Bake @ 325 degrees F for 18-25 minutes.

Delicious and Healthy Nachos (Serves 2-3)

1 onion, diced
1 green pepper, diced
2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 package veggie ground beef
1 cup salsa
1 bag baked nacho chips
Soy or low fat shredded cheese to taste

Sauté onion and green pepper in olive oil over medium heat for 5 minutes. Add veggie ground beef and salsa into skillet. Stir and let simmer for 5 minutes.
Spread baked nacho ships on a foil-covered cookie sheet. Spread ground beef mixture over the nachos. Sprinkle with shredded cheese. Bake @ 350 degrees F for 10 minutes and enjoy!

Sweet Potato French Fries (Serves 4-6)

6 medium size sweet potatoes (yams)
¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
2 tsp of seasoning salt
Pepper to taste

Peel and cut sweet potatoes into ½ inch strips. With a pastry brush, coat with the olive oil. Spread the fries evenly on a baking sheet and sprinkle with seasoning salt. Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees F and bake for 45 minutes turning every 10 minutes. Put on medium broil for final 5 minutes for added crispness.

Healthy Snack Ideas

Healthy trail mix of raw seeds, nuts and raisins for sweetness
Baked nachos or chips dipped into salsa
Veggie Bootie (a chip-like snack filled with kale and rice-kids love it!)
Naturally sweetened yogurt or pudding (such as Imagine pudding)
Naturally sweetened applesauce
Healthy granola bar
Soy ice cream or ice cream sandwiches (such as Tofutti Cuties)
Homemade cinnamon oatmeal cookies sweetened with maple syrup or applesauce
Dried apricots or apples
Naturally sweetened dark chocolate squares
Veggies and dip such as guacamole, hummus or ranch dip
Ants on a log (banana cut in half lengthwise with almond butter and raisins on top
Banana roll up (whole wheat tortilla with almond butter and sliced banana rolled up and cut into pieces)

APPLESAUCE MUFFINS with butternut squash or carrot (Makes 12 Muffins)

Topping
2/3 cup old fashioned oats
¼ cup firmly packed light or dark brown sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
2 tbsp trans fat free soft tub margarine spread, melted

Batter
1 ½ cups all purpose flour
1 cup old fashioned oats
1 tsp baking powder
½ tsp baking soda
½ tsp cinnamon
1 cup nonfat(skim) milk
1 cup unsweetened applesauce
½ cup butternut squash or carrot puree
½ cup firmly packed light or dark brown sugar
¼ cup vegetable or canola oil
1 large egg

  1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Coat a 12 cup muffin tin with cooking spary or line with paper baking cups.
  2. To make topping, stir together the oats, sugar, and cinnamon in a bowl. Stir in the margarine.
  3. To make the batter, combine the flour, oats, baking powder, baking soda, and cinnamon in a large mixing bowl or zipper-lock bag and stir or shake to mix. In a second bowl, mix the applesauce with the milk, vegetable puree, sugar, oil, and egg with a wooden spoon. Add the flour mixture slowly, stirring until just moistened. Do not overmix-the batter in supposed to be lumpy.
  4. Divide the batter evenly among the muffin cups and sprinkle the streusel topping. Bake until the topping is lightly browned and a toothpick comes out clean when inserted into the center of the muffins, 18 to 20 minutes. Turn the muffins onto  a rack and serve warm or cool.

BANANA BREAD with cauliflower (Makes 9x5 Inch Loaf or Two Mini Loaves)

Non-stick cooking spray
¾ cup whole wheat flour
½ cup all purpose flour
½ tsp baking soda
¼ tsp baking powder
½ tsp salt
½ tsp cinnamon(optional)
½ cup firmly packed light or dark brown sugar
¼ cup canola or vegetable oil
2 large egg whites
1 ½ cups banana puree
½ cup cauliflower puree
1 tsp pure vanilla extract

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Coat a 9x5 inch loaf pan, or 2 mini pans, with cooking spray.
  2. In a bowl or zipper lock bag, mix the flours with the baking soda, baking powder, salt. And cinnamon, if using. Set aside.
  3. In a large mixing bowl, mix sugar, and oil with a wooden spoon until well combined. Mix in the egg whites, banana and cauliflower purees, and vanilla. Add the flour mixture and mix just until combined.
  4. Pour the batter into the loaf pan. Bake until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, 55 to 60 minutes for the large loaf, 25 to 30 minutes for the mini loaves. Let cool on a rack for 5 minutes, then turn the bread out of the pan to cool before serving.

CHICKEN NUGGETS with broccoli or spinach or sweet potato or beet (Serves 4)

1 cup whole wheat, white, or panko bread crumbs
½ cup flaxseed meal
1 tbsp grated parmesan
½ tsp paprika
½ tsp garlic powder
½ tsp onion powder
1 cup broccoli or spinach or sweet potato or beet puree
1 large egg, lightly beaten
1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breast or chicken tenders, rinsed, dried, and cut into small chunks
½ tsp salt
Non-stick cooking spray
1 tbsp olive oil

  1. In a bowl, combine the breadcrumbs, flaxseed meal, parmesan, paprika, garlic, and onion powder on the paper or foil, and mix well with your fingers.
  2. In a shallow bowl, mix the vegetable puree and egg with a fork and set the bowl next to the breadcrumb mixture.
  3. Sprinkle the chicken chunks with salt. Dip the chunks into the egg mixture and then toss them in the breadcrumbs until completely coated.
  4. Coat a large non-stick skillet with cooking spray and set over medium-high heat. When the skillet is hot, add the oil. Place the chicken nuggets in the skillet in a single layer, being careful not to crowd the pan, and cook until crisp and golden on one side, 3 to 4 minutes. Then turn and cook until chicken is cooked through, golden brown and crisp all over, 4 to 5 minutes longer. (Cut into pieces to check that its cooked through.) Serve warm.

ALOHA CHICKEN KEBABS with sweet potato and pineapple (Serves 4)

I cup whole wheat bread crumbs
¼ cup flaxseed meal
½ cup sweet potato puree
¼ cup pineapple puree
1 tbsp reduced sodium soy sauce
1 large egg white, lightly beaten
¼ cup shredded unsweetened coconut
1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breast or chicken tenders, rinsed, dried, and cut into “fingers”
¼ tsp salt
2 tbsp all purpose or whole wheat flour
Non-stick cooking spray
1 tbsp olive oil
10 to 12 wooden skewers

  1. In a bowl, mix the breadcrumbs with the flaxseed meal. Set aside.
  2. In a second wide, shallow bowl, combine the sweet potato and pineapple purees, soy sauce, egg white, and coconut, and mix with a fork; set next to the breadcrumbs.
  3. Thread the chicken fingers lengthwise onto skewers, using one skewer per chicken finger. Sprinkle both sides of the chicken skewers with salt and then with flour. Dip the chicken into the egg white mixture and then roll it in the breadcrumbs until completely coated.
  4. Coat a large non-stick skillet with cooking spray and set it on medium-high heat. When the pan is hot, add oil.
    Add the chicken in a single layer and brown 3 to 4 minutes on one side, until the breadcrumb coating is crisp and golden. (turn down the heat if the coating browns too quickly-coconut burns easily.) Turn the skewers and cook 4 to 5 minutes longer, until the chicken is cooked through and browned all over.

PITA PIZZAS with spinach (Makes 8 Mini Pizzas)

8 (4 inch) whole wheat pita pockets
½ cup spinach puree
2 cups bottled tomato sauce
2 cups thinly slices part skim mozzarella

  1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
  2. Spread spinach puree on each pita so that the spinach comes to within ½ inch of the edge. Spread the sauce over the spinach; it should cover the spinach and come to within ¼ inch of the edge of the pita. Now lay the cheese over the sauce, covering anyplace where the green comes through.
  3. Place pizzas on a foil lined baking sheet and bake until the cheese melts and begins to brown, 5 to 10 minutes. Let the pizzas cool 5 minutes before serving so the cheese cools and doesn’t pull off (and the spinach stays completely invisible).

BURGERS with cauliflower or carrot (Makes 8 Little Burgers, Serves4)

½ pound lean ground turkey or sirloin
½ cup breadcrumbs
½ cup cauliflower or carrot puree
¼ cup nonfat (skim) milk
2 tbsp low sodium soy sauce
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1/8 tsp pepper
Non-stick cooking spray
1 tbsp olive oil
8 small whole grain dinner rolls or whole grain bread slices, for serving

  1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
  2. In a large bowl, stir together the meat, breadcrumbs, vegetable puree, milk, soy sauce, garlic, and pepper with a wooden spoon; the mixture will be moist. Form it into 8 small patties and place them on a sheet of waxed paper or aluminum foil.
  3. Coat a large non-stick oven proof skillet with cooking spray and set it over medium-high heat. When the skillet is hot, add the oil. Add the burgers and cook until nicely browned on one side, 4 to5 minutes. Turn the burgers, then slide the skillet into the oven and bake for 4 to 5 minutes longer, until the burgers are no longer pink in the center. Serve each on a slit roll.

QUESIDILLAS with butternut squash (Serves 4)

Non-stick cooking spray
1 tbsp olive oil
½ pound chicken cutlets or boneless chicken breasts, rinsed and dried
½ tsp salt
1/8 tsp pepper
1/8 tsp chilli powder, or to taste
½ cup canned navy beans, drained and rinsed
½ cup reduced fat sour cream
½ cup butternut squash puree
½ cup shredded reduced fat cheddar cheese
4(8 inch) whole wheat tortillas
½ cup bottled salsa

  1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Coat a large baking sheet with cooking spray.
  2. Coat a large non-stick skillet with cooking spray and set it over medium-high heat. When the pan is hot, add the oil. Sprinkle the chicken with salt, pepper, and chilli powder, add it to the pan, and cook until no longer pink in the center, 4 to 5 minutes per side, reduce heat to low, cover, and cook 9 to 10 minutes longer. Cut the chicken into thin slices, or puree it if necessary.
  3. In a small bowl or mini chopper, mash the beans with the sour cream. In another bowl, stir together the butternut squash puree and the cheese.
  4. Spread the bean mixture over two of the tortillas, then arrange the chicken slices or spread the pureed chicken on top.
  5. Spread the cheese mixture over the other two tortillas and press one of each together to form sandwiches. Place on the baking sheet and bake until the tortillas are crisp, 5 to 6 minutes. Cut into wedges and serve with salsa.

TORTILLA “CIGARS” with yellow squash and carrot (Serves 6)

1 cup sautéed or roasted chicken or turkey, cubed or pureed
½ cup shredded reduced fat cheddar or American cheese
½ cup yellow squash puree
½ cup carrot puree
4 ounces reduced fat or non fat cream cheese
¼ tsp garlic powder
¼ tsp salt
6 large(burrito size) whole wheat tortillas

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line baking sheets with aluminum foil or parchment paper.
  2. In a large bowl, stir together the chicken or turkey, cheese, squash and carrot purees, cream cheese, garlic powder, and salt.
  3. Cut the tortillas in half. Place one half on the work surface with the straight edge facing you. Spread about 2 tbsp of the filling along that edge from one side to the other. Starting at the edge, roll the tortilla into a cigar shape, completely enclosing the filling. Place seam side down on the baking sheet. Stuff and roll the rest of the tortillas the same way.
  4. Bake until the tortillas begin to brown, 4 to 5 minutes. Let cool slightly before serving.