VeeeeJaaaay's Slippery Sesame Nooooooodles!

It's a TINY COUSIN TART!   Anna and Maya's cousin VJ likes to help his momma in the kitchen, too.  He has an impressive little palate and a great sense of humor. From pesto to pomegranates, there's not a lot I haven't seen him try.  We love and miss you Veej!  Thanks for dropping in on the Tiny Tart.

VJ's momma shares: "This sauce tastes good on quinoa, too!" Gosh I love her! And I've tried it...it's darn good. Especially enjoyable with some BBQ chicken (or ribs) and steamed broccoli in a happy, flavorful, bowl of ancient grain, modern-method yum!


INGREDIENTS:

1 pound fresh thin whole wheat, whole grain noodles (or 1 cup of quinoa, cooked to make 3 cups)
2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
1/4 cup sunflower seed butter
2 teaspoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons honey
1 tablespoon dark sesame oil
1 small clove garlic, crushed
2 scallions, trimmed and thinly sliced
6 springs fresh cilantro, stems trimmed, leaves chopped


PREPARATION:

1 - Cook pasta or quinoa according to package directions.

2 - While pasta is cooking, whisk together in large bowl: vinegar, sunflower seed butter, soy sauce, honey, sesame oil and garlic. 

3 - Drain pasta (no draining necessary with fully-cooked quinoa) and, while still hot, toss with sauce until pasta is thoroughly coated.  Toss in scallions and cilantro and serve warm or cool and serve as a cold salad. 


Nutritional info for 1/4 of recipe when made with quinoa, (approximatey 3/4 Cup serving):

~ Nutritional info carefully calculated using recipe/ nutrient compilation and is deemed close but not accurate. ~
 
 

Tart Sized Tacos!

Children, especially small children, have small stomachs and are not necessarily able to get their nutritional needs met at meal time. Hearty, healthy snacks are a great way to get those nutrients in. Kids of all ages like miniature versions of their favorite foods.

Bean Taco Snackers

INGREDIENTS:
corn tortillas
beans
salsa
shredded cheese

HOW TO:

1 - Turn broiler on in oven.

2 - Using a biscuit cutter or circle cookie cutter, stack and cut tortillas.  You should be able to get three tacos out of each tortilla.  We save the scraps to crisp up for Chilaquiles de Frijole.

3 - Line the tacos up on a baking sheet.  You will notice from the pictures that we don't use our good baking sheets for this!

4 - With rack placed in middle of oven, place sheet under broiler and leave until toasted (1-2 minutes).  Watch carefully so that they do not burn.

5 - Place containers of cheese, salsa and beans on work surface.  Remove tortillas from oven and flip each one over.

6 - Allow children to top each with a teaspoon of beans, about a 1/4 teaspoon of salsa and a pinch of shredded cheese (we used a mexican blend). 

7 - Place under broiler for 1-2 minutes or until cheese has melted.  Place on a serving plate and allow kids the opportunity to serve themselves some appetizer-style snacks.

Nutritional Info:

Nutritional data is calculated using ingredient compilation tool and is deemed close but not accturate.

Straw-ba-ba-ba-ba-berry!

What kid doesn't like strawberry milk?  When I was a child, I remember one of my favorite things about a trip to grandma's was the noxious-pink colored powder in a can that we stirred into our milk.  For a healthy makeover using real food, try making this with your kids. 

The Tiny Tarts give this a two thumbs up seal of approval.  It's healtly, quick, and the kind of snack that they can make themselves with a bit of supervision.  Don't forget the garnish!  Kids really like it when they feel like their food has received the special treatment. 

Strawberry Moo

INGREDIENTS:

8 ounces 1 % milk

4 strawberries, plus 2 for garnish (3 ounces total), rinsed and tops removed

1 1/2 teaspoons raw honey*

Reserving two strawberries for garnish, add all remaining ingredients to a blender.  Whip up until frothy.  Divide into two glasses, garnish each with an additional strawberry. 

*Honey is not considered safe for children under the age of two.

Recipe makes two servings:

Nutritional info calculated by ingredients and is deemed close but not accurate.