Photo courtesy of Cooking on the Weekends
By JENNIKA INGRAM | Reporter
Palisadian parents are preparing for back to school much differently this year. On top of the usual forays for school supplies, parents are having to prepare to make an extra meal in-house for the kids: lunch.
To resist the urge of lunch turning into snacking and multiple trips to the refrigerator, preparing or planning lunch in advance can turn the meal into a respite for the whole family to connect or create a ready-to-go and time efficient meal so your ardent student can return to their schoolwork or afternoon classes full and focused.
By creating lunches in advance, your family won’t lose the forward momentum in their day and have to figure out what to eat. Plus, you will have choices at your disposal that your whole family can look forward to.
Palisadian parent and Hollywood stunt coordinator Vladimir Tevloski shared a hot food favorite lunch he makes for his teenage daughters called “Potatoes in a Ceramic Pot.”
Ingredients:
2 lbs. young potatoes
1.5 lbs. chicken breast
1/2 lb. cheese
1/2 lb. carrots
1/2 onion
1 clove garlic
1 tsp. salt and pepper
Directions:
Cut chicken into small cubes, add chicken spice, salt and pepper, and squeeze garlic. Mix it all and marinate for 30 to 40 minutes.
Peel and cut potatoes into one-inch cubes or smaller.
Cut onions into 1/4-inch squares and carrots in half-inch squares, and put them on preheat in a skillet with olive oil and stir it until golden.
Start loading ceramic pots with layers of potatoes less than halfway. Then, put a spoonful of fried onions with carrots and spread evenly, then a layer of chicken, and then another layer of potatoes all the way to the top, and top it off with Manchaca cheese.
Add 1/2 cup of water and cover it all with a lid, and put in the oven at 350° for 45 minutes.
After 45 minutes, open the lid and cook for another 15 minutes with the lids off, and it’s ready to eat. You can eat it out of the pots directly or serve it on the plate.
“This recipe makes for a perfect healthy snack, especially for kids,” Nadia Mashar, author of UnitedWeCook, a website and book featuring almost 200 recipes from 100 independent restaurants across the U.S., shared with the Post about English Pea Dip.
The dip and its fixings, from The Draycott in Palisades Village, is suited for teens and kids. This recipe yields two cups.
Ingredients:
3 cups peas (frozen)
1 lemon, zested and juiced
3 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
2/3 cup fresh mint
2 tbsp. tahini
1 clove garlic
1 tsp. dill, chopped
Kosher salt and pepper
Directions:
Prepare an ice-water bath in a medium bowl and set aside.
Bring a small pot of water to boil and add a large pinch of salt.
Add frozen peas to boiling water and cook for one minute. Transfer peas to an ice bath for two minutes and drain the water.
Place peas, mint, lemon zest, lemon juice, garlic, olive oil, dill and tahini into a food processor—and pulse until creamy.
Taste, season with salt and pepper.
The dip is served with crudités as well as toasted bread.
Local parent Valentina K. Wein has a website, “Cooking on the Weekends,” and an Instagram following. Wein shared one of her favorite summer salmon recipes: Avocado Salmon Bowl.
“It’s a perfect casual lunch or light dinner—and elegant enough to impress guests,” Wein wrote on her site, adding that it came together “much like a painting might—simply by bringing together beautiful colors, contrasting textures and, of course, a blend of delicious flavors that are the essence of summer.”
Ingredients:
1 avocado
1.5 lbs. salmon fillet, skin removed
4 medium-large fresh peaches
2 tsp. honey
2 tsp. soy sauce
Grapeseed oil for the pan
2 tsp. freshly grated ginger
2 scallions, finely chopped
4 cups cooked coconut sticky rice (or any rice you prefer).
Salt and black pepper
Directions:
Peel two of the peaches, remove the pits and cut them into large chunks. Place them in a food processor fitted with the blade attachment or a blender and purée them until smooth, about 30 seconds.
Mix the honey, soy sauce and ginger into the peach purée, and add the mixture to a 9 x 13 x 2 inch baking dish. (This is a very thick marinade.)
Add the salmon to the marinade in the baking dish. Be sure all of the salmon is well coated with the marinade, cover with plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator for one hour.
Lightly coat the bottom of a large sauté pan with the oil and place it over medium heat. Place the salmon on a large plate, wiping off most, but not all, of the excess marinade. Season both sides with salt and pepper and then place them in the pan. You should hear a sizzling sound—if you don’t, it’s not hot enough. Wait for the sizzle. Sauté just until it’s cooked through, a couple of minutes per side. (It should remain translucent in the very center.) Set aside to cool completely.
Peel and cut the avocado into bite-sized pieces. Place the avocado in a large mixing bowl and add the scallions. Then wash and dry the two remaining peaches, cut them into bite-sized pieces and add them to the bowl. Once the salmon has cooled, using your hands, break it into bite-sized pieces and add it to the bowl as well. Gently mix to combine.
Spoon the cooked rice into four individual serving bowls or a large serving platter. Evenly top it with the salmon mixture.
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