Why is it so difficult to find some produce that starts with the letter “D?”
Kids tasting a recipe
I haven’t seen much daikon at the farmer’s market lately…And since it’s just the start of spring, I’ll have to wait a few more months before there will be a single donut peach to be found…We only have 45 minutes, so I didn’t think I’d have time to steam dumplings. And I didn’t want to deep fry donuts with a class of 3 year olds (call me crazy). Last year, I did Deviled eggs, but this time around, one of my students has an egg aversion. Dungeness Crab came to mind and I thought about making crab cakes – but then I got a great idea.
I thought I’d really give them a surprise. Today was like a cocktail party:
“D” is for Dips and Daiquiris
Picking parsley leaves from the stem
White Bean Dip
Adapted from Giada DeLaurentis
1 (15-ounce) can cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
2 cloves garlic
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1/3 cup olive oil, plus 4 tablespoons
1/4 cup (loosely packed) fresh Italian parsley leaves
Salt
Freshly ground black pepper
Directions:
- Open the can of beans.
- Have the kids drain the beans in a colander in the sink and then rinse them the same way.
- Pick the parsley leaves off of the stem.
- Peel the paper skin from the garlic.
- Squeeze the lemon juice into the jar of your blender or cuisinart.
- Place the beans, parsley and garlic in the work bowl of a food processor.
- Add ½ tsp salt and ¼ tsp pepper.
- Pulse until the mixture is coarsely chopped.
- With the machine running, mix in 1/3 cup olive oil until the mixture is creamy
- Transfer the bean puree to a small bowl.
- Serve with pita chips, chips or veggies
Daiquiri (virgin, of course!)
1 (14.5-ounce) can pineapple chunks in juice
1 (12-ounce) bag frozen strawberries
2 medium limes, juiced
Fresh strawberries, optional, for garnish
Directions
- Juice lime into the jar of a blender.
- Pour in frozen berries
- Pour in canned pineapple plus the juice from the can
- Puree until smooth.
- Pour into glasses, garnish with fresh strawberries, if desired, and serve immediately.
- Note: for today’s recipe, I used whatever frozen fruit I had in my freezer: some mango and mixed berries. The kids loved it (and I wished I had remembered some little umbrellas for their cups!)
Ooh, I could go for a kiddie daiquiri!
What about dandelion greens for next time?
Oh they would have gotten a kick out of umbrellas for sure! How about a general topic about dairy products and introduce a (super simplified) toddler version of the food pyramid that is more like a color matching game. Too much? Sorry, that was the preschool teacher in me speaking out loud
Love the Dips idea!!
Do dates work for your “d” foods? Being in California I have a big more access to a variety of produce all year round. I could find dill and dandelion greens. How about generic “dried fruits?” Good luck. Let me know if you need more alphabet foods.
Thank you! Yes, we are in California too. Dates are fantastic, but I haven’t seen any fresh ones at the farmer’s market recently. Cooking by alphabet has been such a fun challenge! Can’t wait for my next series, starting in a few weeks. We will resume at “F.” E blog post is coming soon…
Michelle
I love the idea of calling them Daiquiris….will try this with mango as well…..