Every Sunday at our local farmers’ market, Kenya gets a pupusa. He’s been eating them ever since he was able to say the word pupusa (which until recently came out as “‘pusa”)! I finally decided to figure out how to make
pupusas so we could all enjoy them at home for a fraction of the cost. Kids just love them, they’re inexpensive to make and they can be filled with anything from chicken to cheese to beans. I love to make up a batch and keep the leftover dough refrigerated so we can cook them up any time of day.

When I was a kid, one of my friend’s mom’s made nachos every time we came over after school. It wasn’t something I would get at home, so it was always a special treat that was really fun to eat. I loved pulling each chip from a pile that was covered in melted cheese, beans, guacamole and jalapeños. Even though nachos seem like an unhealthy food, made responsibly with baked chips (versus fried), good cheese and fresh veggies, it’s actually quite the opposite. You get protein from the beans and cheese, vegetables in the form of avocado, salsa and olives, and a carbohydrate from the chips. The best part is that you can tailor this recipe to your family’s liking by adding their favorite toppings. Whether you make these as an after-school treat, for a special dinner or even for a party, nachos are always a big winner!

Nachos (Serves 6)

1 Bag Tortilla Chips (I used 1/2 baked blue corn & half white corn)
2 Cups Cheese (I used a Mexican blend cheese which is a blend of Monterey jack, cheddar and queso blanco)
1 15oz Can Black Beans, drained and rinsed
Accompaniments: Sour Cream, Guacamol-Wee, Salsa, Sliced Black Olives

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Place 1/2 of chips in an oven safe dish or on a cookie sheet.
3. Cover with 1/2 of the cheese and beans.
4. Cover with the remaining chips, cheese and beans and bake for 10-15 minutes or until cheese is melted over chips.
5. Top with guacamol-wee, sour cream, salsa and or olives.
6. Serve.

Of all the new recipes I’ve made recently, these Mashed Potato Cakes are one of the biggest hits in our kitchen. I made them for family dinner, but they were equally perfect in Kenya’s lunch box for school the next day. I find most kids love to eat anything they can hold in their little hands, so these little cakes are a special treat. They’re delicious served on their own, but when I served them with a side of apple sauce, Kenya the fun of eating them seemed to double for Kenya.

Mashed Potato Cakes (Makes 12 Small Cakes)

2 Cups Mashed Potatoes
1/4 Cup Parmesan Cheese
1 Egg, whisked
7 Tbsp All Purpose Flour, divided
Butter or Oil, for pan-searing
Accompaniments: Apple Sauce and/or Sour Cream

1. Place mashed potatoes, cheese, egg, and 3 tbsp flour in a bowl and stir to combine.
2. Take a scoop of the potato mixture and form into patties.
3. Place the remaining 4 tbsp of flour on a plate.
4. Lightly coat the potato patties in the flour.
5. Heat a thin layer of the oil or butter in a large saute pan over medium heat.
6. Cook the potato cakes for 3 minutes on each side for a total of 6 minutes.
7. Serve as is or with accompaniments.

Since we’re not going on a vacation this summer, we decided to do the ol’ “stay-cation” and just pretend we’re away. We’ve turned our house into the ultimate vacation paradise with all kinds of fun activities and, of course, a TON of cooking and barbecuing. We’re try to cook as often as possible to save money, but I try to be as creative as possible with the recipes lest my gang get bored!

We’re big time fajita eaters in this house. Whether you consider fajitas southwestern or Mexican fare is up to you, but the one thing I know is….they’re yummy. One of our favorite local restaurants serves their fajitas for $13 an order. Well, I can make these fajitas for a fraction of the price we would pay at a restaurant and still have a ball cooking them together as a family.

So, toss on your chef’s sombrero, play some mariachi music and watch how much your kids will love building their own skirt steak fajitas. They’re as fun to make as they are delicious to eat.

Skirt/Hanger Steak Fajitas (Makes 4 Servings)

2 Garlic Cloves
2 Tbsp Olive Oil
Juice of 2 Lime
1/4 Cup Soy Sauce or Braggs
1/4 Cup Cilantro, packed
1/4 Cup Tequila (PARENTS, DON’T WORRY. ALL THE ALCOHOL BURNS OFF AND YOU’RE JUST LEFT WITH GREAT FLAVOR, but you can leave it out all together and they’re still yummy!)
1 Lb. Skirt/Hanger Steak (this marinade also works well with chicken and shrimp)
1 Onion, thinly sliced
1 Red Bell Pepper, thinly sliced
Oil as needed
Accompaniments: Tortillas, Sour Cream, Guacamole

1. Combine the first 6 ingredients in a blender, food processor or in a bowl using an immersion blender (you can also chop the ingredients by hand and stir to combine).
2. Place the skirt steak in a zipper bag with the marinade (you may need to cut it into several large slabs).
3. Marinate the meat for 4-24 hours in the refrigerator.
4. Add 1 tbsp of oil to a large saute pan over medium to high heat or you could also cook the meat on a grill or use a grill pan.
5. Place the drained meat in the saute pan or grill and cook for 2 minutes on each side.
6. Place on a cutting board and allow to rest for 5-10 minutes.
7. Heat another tbsp of the oil in the saute pan over medium heat and cook the onions and peppers for 4-5 minutes.
8. Slice the meat.
9. Cover a tortilla with desired accompaniments, meat, onions and peppers.
10. Serve.

Every Sunday morning we all wake up super excited because that’s our farmer’s market day and without fail the first word out of Kenya’s mouth when he wakes up is “‘pusa”?! ‘Pusa is Kenyan for papusa and Kenya doesn’t just like pupusas, he loves them, and he especially loves the ones they sell at our local market.

Here in Los Angeles there are pupusa stands all over, but until I moved here I had no idea what they were. In El Salvador, where this dish hails from, vendors everywhere sell this delicious street food which looks like a thick tortilla. Hidden inside each one is a savory filling, usually made up of cheese, chicken, beans or a combination of the three and it is served with curtido (a vinegary coleslaw, generally too spicy for most kids), guacamole and/or crema (similar to sour cream).

I decided to make my own pupusas for lunch yesterday to see how I compared to Kenya’s favorite vendor at the market. When Kenya woke up from his nap and came to the kitchen he took one whiff and said “pusa”? There was actually shock in his voice (as if he thought they only came from the Salvadorian lady at the farmer’s market). You’ll be shocked too when you see how easy these are to make in no time flat and each one costs mere pennies compared to the $2 I spend on the ones at our market.

Pupusas (6 Pupusas)

2 Cups Masa Harina (corn flour)*
1 1/2 Cups Water
1/2 Tsp Salt
1/3 Cup Cheese, shredded (I used a mexican blend of cheeses)
Oil
*Serve with guacamole, sour cream, salsa or vinegary coleslaw

1. Combine the masa, water and salt in a bowl and stir to combine into a dough.
2. Divide the mixture into 6 balls and flatten each one into a 3 inch disk.
3. Place 1 tbsp of shredded cheese in the center of the disk and carefully fold in the edges to enclose the cheese.
4. Flatten the disk, covering the cheese and form into 1/4 disks (about 5-6 inches across).
5. Heat 2 tbsp of oil in a large saute pan. Add 2-3 pupusas at a time and cook for 4-5 minutes on each side for a total of 8-10 minutes.
6. Serve with any of the above accompaniments.

*Make sure to buy masa harina (sold at most groceries) which is different from cornmeal

Yummy! I have no other words to describe this dish. We love breakfast burritos in our home because they’re so quick to prepare and are the perfect protein-packed breakfast after a long night’s sleep (if we’re lucky enough to get one these days). I love watching Kenya’s little hands grabbing the tortilla-wrapped egg, bean and salsa filling as it drips out onto his plate. I can’t say this is the neatest meal to consume, but it sure is delicious and, trust me, every bite will ultimately wind up in your little ones mouth!

P.S. My husband thinks the picture above looks more like a taco then a burrito. Picky, picky! I wanted everyone to see all the yummy filling!

Breakfast Burritos (Serves 4)

4 Eggs
2 Tbsp Milk
3/4 Cup Pinto Beans, cooked, rinsed and drained
1/2 Cup Salsa
Canola Oil Spray, Oil or Butter for pan
2 Corn Tortillas, warmed if desired
Sour Cream, Cheese or Avocado, optional

1. Whisk the eggs, milk, and salt in a bowl.
2. Heat a nonstick pan over low to medium heat and spray or grease with oil or butter.
3. Pour in the egg mixture and stir until almost scrambled, about 2 minutes.
4. Add the beans and salsa and cook for 2 minutes or until ingredients are heated through.
5. Place scrambled egg mixture and other optional ingredients into tortillas and roll or fold in half.
6. Serve.

We’re big fans of soup in this house — and I mean all of us. I love anything with vegetables, Kenya thinks drinking soup out of a cup is a blast and my husband is into anything that’s healthy and keeps his waistline in check. Therefore, this recipe for broccoli soup fits the bill for all of us. You can even serve it to a 10-12 month old if you leave out the lemon juice.

Broccoli should be a regular food in everyone’s diet because it’s a super veggie. It’s packed with vitamins A and C, calcium and soluble fiber plus it’s available year round. Even for kids that turn their noses up at vegetables, broccoli is one you can usually get them to eat because of it’s mild flavor. I usually make a big batch of this soup because I like to freeze a few servings to have for another day. The only trouble is that it’s usually gone before it ever makes it to the freezer!

Broccoli Soup (6-8 Servings)

1 Tbsp Olive Oil
1 Small Onion, chopped
1 Tsp Salt
1 Large Potato, peeled and chopped into a small dice
1 Pound Broccoli (about 2 cups), use florets and stems (stems peeled
and chopped)
4 Cups (1 32 Oz Box) Chicken or Vegetable Stock
1 Tbsp Lemon Juice
Yogurt, Creme Fraiche or Sour Cream for garnish.

1. In a large stock heat the olive oil and saute the onion and salt for 5-7 minutes over low to medium heat.
2. Add the potatoes, broccoli and stock and bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer.
3. Cook covered for 12-15 minutes or until broccoli and potatoes are fork tender.
4. Pour the ingredients along with the lemon juice into a blender and puree.
5. Serve garnished with yogurt, creme fraiche or sour cream.

One of my favorite dinner memories as a kid was coming to the table and seeing my mother’s version of this delicious recipe. It’s one step beyond the plain old “baked potatoes with a pat of butter on the side” that we would typically eat and it was exciting to have a new twist on a dinner time staple!
I decided to give my recipe an even bigger nutritional boost by tossing in some broccoli florets (which my family loves), but feel free to substitute broccoli with peas, greens or any other veggie your little one digs. You can even defrost something you have in the freezer if you don’t feel like cutting up fresh.
With just a little more effort, you can turn you dinner from “mmm…potatoes” to “MMMMMM!!!….twice baked potatoes!”

Twice Baked Potatoes (Makes 4 Big Kid Servings)

2 Baked Potatoes
2 Tbsp Butter
2 Tbsp Sour Cream
1/2 Tsp Salt
2 Tbsp Milk
1/2 Cup Broccoli, cooked and chopped
1/4 Cup Cheddar Cheese

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Bake potatoes for 1 hour.
2. Remove potatoes from the oven and let cool for 10 minutes.
3. Cut in half and scoop out potato flesh, leaving the skin intact.
4. Mash the potato flesh with the butter, sour cream, salt and milk. Fold in the broccoli and cheddar cheese.
5. Refill the potato skins with the mixture.
6. Place potatoes on a cookie sheet and bake for 10 minutes.
7. Serve.

I’m a total sucker for the holidays and especially the foods that you get at this time of year. I always loved celebrating Hanukkah with my friends when I was growing up, spinning the dreidel, lighting the menorah for 8 days, eating chocolates coins (Hanukkah gelt), and especially munching on crispy latkes with tons of apple sauce and sour cream.
Potato pancakes, also known as latkes are a Hanukkah tradition and one especially that I wanted Kenya to take part in. Even for a kid under the age of 2, Kenya knows something yummy when he sees it. We made a huge batch the other day and he ate them one after another, dipping away in the apple sauce. Making these treats is a beautiful way to celebrate the festival of lights.

Potato Latkes (Serves 6-8)

1 Onion
4 Potatoes, peeled
1 Egg
2 Tbsp Flour
Salt
Pepper
Vegetable Oil
Apple Sauce, for serving
Sour Cream, for serving

1. Grate the onions and potatoes into a large strainer over a bowl (you could also do this through the grating blade in a food processor).
2. Press on the potato mixture in the strainer and discard any clear liquid in the bowl under the strainer.
3. Place the onion, potatoes, egg, flour, salt and peeper in a bowl and throughly combine.
4. Heat enough oil to cover the bottom of a saute pan over medium heat.
5. Place one heaping tablespoon of potatoes in the oil forming a circle.
6. Cook for 2-3 and minutes or until golden and flip over.
7. Cook another 2-3 minutes or until cooked through and remove to a paper towel lined plate to drain.
8. Can be served immediately or kept warm in a 300 degree oven until all latkes are prepared.
9. Serve with sour cream and apple sauce.

We used these to make this recipe:

Oxo Good Grips Box Grater

I’m always shocked to find out how many people know of and adore noodle 
kugel. I only tried it for the first time recently, but when I shared 
my feelings about how much I loved it with friends, I got some pretty darn 
passionate responses about what a recipe for noodle kugel MUST include. The variations made my head spin. Some people said nuts were a must. Others cited raisins, cinnamon and all kinds of other additions.
When I was originally doing research on kugels and their history, I 
was shocked to find that most recipes called for a cup or more sugar. That much 
sugar would send me into outer-space, so I can only imagine what it 
would do to our kids.
My version is a much healthier toddler-and-family-friendly recipe that 
you could eat as a side dish or even for dessert! After it comes out of the 
oven, cut it into squares and take a bite of the soft, tender, creamy 
noodles perfumed with cinnamon — you’re in heaven. Of 
course Kenya tried to shove the entire square I gave him into his little mouth in 
one bite which he quickly figured out wasn’t such a good idea! As for my friends with very strong opinions on what is and isn’t kugel, most of them gave this their stamp of approval.

Noodle Kugel (makes 20-25 squares)

2 Cup Eggs Noodles
1 Tbsp Butter
2 Eggs
1/2 Cup Cottage Cheese
2 Tbsp Sour Cream
2 Tbsp Agave Nectar
1/2 Tsp Cinnamon
1/2 Cup Raisins

1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add the noodles and cook for 5-7 minutes. You want them to be tender, but firm.
2. Strain the water off the noodles and place them in a large bowl.
3. Add the butter and toss the noodles so they’re evenly coated.
4. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
5. Place the eggs, cottage cheese, sour cream, agave and cinnamon in a food processor or blender and pulse to combine throughly.
6. Pour the liquid mixture over the noodles and stir to coat.
7. Pour the noodle mixture into a 9 x 9 greased baking dish.
8. Bake for 25 minutes.
9. Cool and cut into square pieces.
10. Serve.