Four Ingredient Baba Ganoush

Baba ganoush is a staple item that we order whenever we go out for Turkish food. We love tasting how different places flavor their eggplant. And of course because “baba” is the Russian word for “grandma”, the kids vie to ask the waiter if they have any “deda” ganoush (grandpa in Russian).

When you make your own baba ganoush, you can spice it however you like. More garlic, less tahini, the options are endless. If you’re making it for kids, I bet they wouldn’t even know that this garlicky delicious dip doesn’t have mayo or or sour cream in it. And many adults would love to know that it’s vegetarian, vegan and gluten free!

Four Ingredient Baba Ganoush

Many people will say that in order to have truly authentic baba ganoush, you have to fire roast your eggplant. While that sounds great in theory, it doesn’t lend well to apartment dwellers who still want to have their baba ganoush and eat it too! Here’s an easy recipe that oven roasts your eggplant and can compete with any Turkish restaurant… just four simple ingredients!

Enjoy!

Lovely roasted eggplant

The skin easily peels off of the eggplant

Tahini… a pantry staple

Adding chopped garlic to the baba ganoush

The eggplant breaks apart so easily

Four Ingredient Baba/Deda Ganoush

Baba Ganoush

Four Ingredient Baba Ganoush

Ingredients

1 large eggplant

2 scant tablespoons tahini

2 cloves garlic, grated, crushed or finely chopped

juice from one lemon (about 2-3 tablespoons)

Kosher salt, to taste

Directions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

1. Place washed eggplant on a cookie sheet and bake for 45 minutes. (Alternatively, you can set the oven to 250 degrees and slowly roast the eggplant for 3 hours.)

2. Remove eggplant from the oven and let cool.

3. In a medium bowl, Peel skin off of the eggplant. Discard the skin.

4. Thoroughly mix the tahini, as it tends to separate in the container. Scoop out a scant 2 tablespoons of tahini and add it to the eggplant. (you can always add a bit more, but you can’t take away)

5. Add the grated garlic and lemon juice. Mix well.

6. Taste and adjust for salt.

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Eat, Drink & Be Yummy!

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School And Daycare Lunches, Take 5 (10 MORE lunch photos)

Round five of photos of our school and daycare lunches!! These are photos of lunches that we made during the 2012-2013 school year for our three kids. They were in 4th grade, 2nd grade and daycare. Sometimes leftovers, sometimes sandwiches, sometimes thrown together, sometimes thoughtfully put together… always with an effort to keep them healthful.

Check here for more school lunch photos and ideas.

1. Whole wheat with cream cheese and salami, sugar snap peas, clementine, vanilla meringue… and a bag lunch for a friend.

Made a bag lunch for a friend, as per my sons request.

2. Whole wheat with brie, honey roasted turkey and thinly sliced granny smith apples, cucumbers and banana chips

school lunch

3. Chicken Salad (with red grapes, celery and almonds), cracker assortment and apple sauce pouch.

The crackers were leftover from a cheese plate a few days earlier.

34. Chicken soup with orzo, chicken & carrot pieces. Whole wheat with mortadella & mayo & banana.

Soup and a sandwich. Perfect for winter days!

35. Wraps with goat cheese, salami & cucumbers, edamame, peeled pomello pieces & fruit leather.

Pomello is a fantastic citrus fruit. We often see it in Chinatown.

6. School lunch: Salad with greens, tomatoes, cucumbers and grilled chicken.  Daycare: wrap with ham, cheese and asparagus. Everyone: fruitbowl with orange segments, dragon fruit and pear, goldfish & yogurt

I try to give everyone the same lunch each day, but the littlest one just “isn’t into salads”.

7. BLT wraps/sandwich, carrots, apple & banana skewers and tapioca pudding

8. Whole wheat with turkey and laughing cow French Onion, cucumbers and mango

Sometimes, simple is all I have time for.

9. School lunch: Crusty bread with Turkish chocolate spread. Daycare lunch: truffled mac & cheese. Everyone: “bugs bunny carrots”, pear or banana.

Chocolate spread was our souvenir of choice from Istanbul.

10. An example of dinner leftovers going straight into the LO’s lunch container. Leftover Orzo with Pesto and steamed asparagus.

Orzo with pesto and steamed asparagus

Enjoy!

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Kids should also Eat, Drink & Be Yummy!

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School And Daycare Lunches, Take 4 (10 lunches)

Round four (yes FOUR!!!!) of school and daycare lunches!! These are photos of lunches that we made during the 2012-2013 school year for our three kids. They were in 4th grade, 2nd grade and daycare. Sometimes leftovers, sometimes sandwiches, sometimes thrown together, sometimes thoughtfully put together… always with an effort to keep them healthful.

Check here for more school lunch photos and ideas.

1. Tricolor tortellini with vodka sauce, hard boiled egg (salt on the side) and Trader Joe’s crispy rice snack.

Leftovers for lunch can be lifesavers!

2. Bagels with goat cheese and salami with snap pea crisps and pear slices.

Extra bagels from your weekend brunch? Make great school lunch sandwiches!

3. Whole wheat with roasted turkey, cucumber slices and mayo (or mustard) with, grape tomatoes, candied pecans & dried mango.

I try to have a combination of pantry and fresh items.

4. Hard Boiled egg (with truffle salt on the side), carrots, yogurt, mozzarella stick and rice cake.

Clearly, whoever packed this lunch was short on sleep and short on time. Just the basics…

5. Whole wheat with thinly sliced cucumbers, hummus and turkey with pear, tomatoes or carrots and cheez-its.

mmmmm… a little bit of cheez-its go a long way

6. Country white with canadian bacon, lettuce and mayo. Cucumber slices and trail mix (just dried fruit for the LO).

Making my own trail mix is often the result of having random dried fruit and nuts that haven’t been destined for greater glory.

7. Hand cut veal bologna, mini pita (aioli on the side), grapes and TJ’s rice krispies treat

They love putting together their own sandwiches… or eating them “deconstructed”.

8. Bologna and brie on country white with yellow and red grape tomatoes, kiwi & strawberry pieces.

9. Tuna salad with sweet peppers (for scooping), crackers and strawberries.

No utensils required… the kids scoop up the tuna with sweet peppers or crackers.

 

10. Hearty multigrain bread with honey roasted turkey and romaine, hard boiled egg, oatmeal craisin cookies & carrots.

This was for a longer school day… 

Enjoy!

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Kids should also Eat, Drink & Be Yummy!

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School And Daycare Lunches, Take 3 (10 lunches)

Round three of school and daycare lunches!! These are photos of lunches that we made during the 2012-2013 school year for our three kids. They were in 4th grade, 2nd grade and daycare. Sometimes leftovers, sometimes sandwiches, sometimes thrown together, sometimes thoughtfully put together… always with an effort to keep them healthful.

Check here for more school lunch photos and ideas.

1. First day of school lunch. Romaine with cucumbers, tomatoes, egg whites, shredded mozzarella, chick peas and cubed grilled chicken. Dressing of choice. Yogurt covered raisins on the side.

2. Tomato soup, grilled cheese & cucumbers

The grilled cheese comes closer to room temperature by the time the kids eat it, but the heat from the soup container helps to keep it warm.

3. Whole wheat with turkey and pesto with grapes/kiwi and rice crackers

Sometimes… there just isn’t enough time for fanciness or creativity…

4. Multigrain (crusts removed) with honey roasted turkey and and herbed goat cheese, edamame, kiwi and gogurt.

The frozen Simply gogurt defrosts by lunch time.

5. Quickie lunch: Multigrain with turkey and hummus, grapes and carrots (shredded and baby)

I try to keep easy supplies on hand for days that we’re rushing out the door. For some reason, it always feels like we’re rushing out the door!

6. Multigrain bread with thinly sliced grilled chicken breast, salad greens and mayo. Blueberries and grape tomatoes.

The side compartments make portioning so much easier!

7. Vegetable soup with “mandel” croutons, rice cake crackers and other crackers.

Guess we were running short on sweet items on this day!

8. PB&J on Rice Crackers with apple sauce and corn

Leftover corn never goes to waste in our house!

9. Roll ups with salami and cream cheese with Kefir and string cheese.

This was definitely a quickie lunch!

10. Antipasto Salad (Romaine, pea shoots, tomatoes, red peppers, cucumbers, shredded carrots and salami.

Antipasto salad is another great way to use up small bits of random ingredients hanging out in your refrigerator!

Enjoy!

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Kids should also Eat, Drink & Be Yummy!

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School And Daycare Lunches, Take 2 (10 lunches)

Round two of school and daycare lunches. These are photos of lunches that we made during the 2012-2013 school year for our three kids. They were in 4th grade, 2nd grade and daycare. Sometimes leftovers, sometimes sandwiches, sometimes thrown together, sometimes thoughtfully put together… always with an effort to keep them healthful.

Check here for more school lunch photos and ideas.

 1. School & daycare lunch: Turkey, asiago and mixed greens on TJ’s Canadian White with dijon aioli. Quinoa salad with asparagus, olives and goat cheese. Apple slices.

Quinoa is a big seller in our family. Seasoned properly, it’s delicious! 

2. School lunch: mixed greens with shredded carrots, kidney beans, tomatoes, grilled chicken and cucumbers; dressing on the side. Cereal bars. Daycare lunch: LO got grandma’s chicken soup with mini shells and shredded carrots.

Loved that daycare was able to heat up soups and other items in glass containers!

3. School and daycare lunch: whole wheat pita with hummus, Canadian bacon, yogurt cheese and cucumbers. Edamame and strawberries. (And yes, if you look close enough, I’ve taken a “bite” out of each sandwich and called it “taxes”. Sarcasm through food love!

Love that they have a great sense of humor!

4. School & daycare lunch. Homemade “lunchables”: Cleared out our cheese drawer (truffle cheese, manchego, goat cheese, feta, laughing cow & halumi) with rolled up ham, grape tomatoes and TJ’s rice crackers. LO got a bonus of veggie sticks.

I love that they love a cheese plate as lunch!

5. School & daycare lunch: plov (courtesy of a late night drop off by my stellar sister, Anna) with a side of cornichons and grape tomatoes. Plov is a rice pilaf with lamb.

Rice products retain their heat very well in thermos containers.

6.  Chicken Caesar salad wraps with carrots (not pictured). I saw something else went into their lunchbox, but I was too groggy to remember The wraps were on mayo, lettuce, grilled chicken and parmesan cheese. The older kids also got a side of trail mix along with the side of carrots. The little one got a yogurt since no nuts allowed at her school.

Putting sandwiches into a tortilla wrap magically transforms them into a much fancier meal!

7. School & daycare lunch: virginia ham on whole wheat with goat cheese. Side of cucumber and plums/apricots.

Sometimes the kids request a particular fruit…

8. Egg salad (with mayo and scallions) on mulitigrain with tomatoes and nectarines.

The egg salad was leftover from Sunday brunch.

9. Lunch for four kids today! Grandma joined our littlest one on a field trip to the Prospect Park Zoo! Whole wheat with Canadian bacon, aioli & romaine, baby carrots, apricots & pear.

Packing lunch for an extra person wasn’t difficult at all. 

10. Homemade lunchables: roast beef, bologna, salami, cheddar, feta, laughing cow, mozzarella stick, mini pita, cucumbers and tomatoes.

Homemade “lunchables” are also a great way to clear our your cheese and cold cut drawer!

Enjoy!

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Kids should also Eat, Drink & Be Yummy!

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