Wednesday, September 3rd, 2008
Back-to-School Brain Food
In today’s Cooking with the Moms radio podcast, our featured topic, Back-to-School Brain Food, highlights the importance of feeding kids a delicious array of foods rich in omega-3 fats, iron, and zinc — all important for brain health. Be sure to listen in as we share two family favorites, Teriyaki Salmon in Foil and Szechuan Beef Stir-Fry. Also tune in to hear our 9-year old guest, Simon (Liz’s son), talk about clever ways to get kids to eat their veggies and to learn about his latest food jag: quesadillas. Here’s a recipe Simon asks for when he’s having a quesadilla craving:
BBQ Beef Quesadillas
Makes 4 Servings
6 to 8 ounces leftover steak (or chicken or shrimp), diced into small pieces
1 orange, yellow or red bell pepper, roasted or grilled and finely diced
2/3 cup fresh or frozen corn kernels, thawed
1/2 cup reduced-fat shredded Cheddar cheese
2 tablespoons all-natural barbecue sauce
Four 10-inch flour tortillas
2 teaspoons canola oil
Combine the steak, bell pepper, corn kernels, cheese, and barbecue sauce in a bowl. Divide the mixture evenly and spread over half of each tortilla. Fold over, press down gently, and set aside. Heat 1 teaspoon of the oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add two of the quesadillas and cook, pressing down occasionally with a spatula, until the tortillas become crisp and golden on the bottom, about 3 minutes. Flip the tortillas and cook an additional 2 minutes. Repeat with the remaining oil and quesadillas. Cut into quarters and serve (Liz’s family had them with vegetarian baked beans last night, and it was a great side dish).