Kids and a Cook™

Teaching kids to eat healthy & bringing families together!

Kids and a Cook™
Recipes 

A Great White Food?

Michelle Day , ,

Great White Food?  Cauliflower?

We’ve all heard that you should buy food that is bright in color and that darker is better (because of a higher nutrient content). At Kids and a Cook we’ve said it  ourselves because it is true. However there are some foods that break this rule.

Cauliflower, like other white vegetables onions and garlic, is a good source of allicin.  (Allicin has been touted as garlic’s cure-all). Cauliflower is also a good source of potassium, selenium, Vitamin C, Folate (a B vitamin) and indole-3-carbinol.  These elements and vitamins have been shown to help fight cancer, inhibit tumor growth, free radicals, reduce stroke risk, promote healthy skin and reduce the effects of toxins that the body absorbs on a daily basis as we go about living our lives.   Plus it is a hearty cruciferous vegetable and does more than help detoxify your body –it acts as a tummy filler.

Cauliflower blends easily into soups, especially puréed soups, mashed vegetable dishes, and casseroles.

Cauliflower with Tumeric

An important step in cooking cauliflower  (and broccoli) is too cut the florets off the stems and let sit for 5-10 minutes.   When cruciferous vegetables are cut phenethyl isothiocyanates occurs (this is what allegedly suppresses cancer growth).  It stops when they are heated.

Tumeric, an orange-yellow spice with a tangy peppery mustard- like flavor (used a lot in curry dishes), has also been shown to fight cancer and reduce stomach ailments.  It has been used for such things in the Far East for thousands of years. Tumeric is also good with eggs, lamb, chicken, sauces and many vegetables.

Here’s the interesting part –There have been studies showing that the pairing of cauliflower with Tumeric increases both substances’ health benefits exponentially. Even if that isn’t true, the two make a wonderful combination.

I like to blanch a head of cauliflower for 5 to 10 minutes then drain and transfer to a roasting pan.  Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with kosher salt and a healthy dose of Tumeric.  Roast for 15 minutes at about 450 degrees, until the edges of the florets are starting to turn brown.  Blanching isn’t necessary if you have 40 – 45 minutes to cook. Then just roast the prepared florets.

Michelle Day

Michelle Day has been cooking and baking since she was old enough to hold a whisk. Michelle is an expert cook and her passion for cooking and entertaining has never wavered. At the age of 10 Michelle’s Family started a bakery in Simsbury CT, where Michelle got her first taste of running a food service business. In 1994 Michelle moved to New York City, where, she found her true passion in baking. In 2001 she started “The Catering Divas” Catering business. Serving the Upper East Side, she catered numerous small dinner and cocktail parties. Her passion and attention to detail won her the attention of some of New York’s Elite. Back at home in Connecticut, Michelle is a well known culinary instructor and her cake decorating skills jump-started a side business — Devine Cake Designs — where clients clamor for her inspired and beautifully artistic designs. After 15 years in the culinary industry, Michelle’s love of cooking, baking and children, has lead to her to her newest career, offering personalized family cooking classes and creating a TV show, digital broadcasts and Cook Books like no other. Kids and a Cook is all about healthy, fun, and easy meals for kids and their families. Michelle credits her parents with her success and her love of food, helping to create so many memories being in the kitchen with them as a child. Her goal is to have a show to help viewers create the same memories with their families. A show for the kids, and by the kids, with the “cook” there as guidance. Michelle’s featured co-host is an energetic, precocious 9-year-old named Elisabeth. Although a finicky eater, Elisabeth still loves to cook in the kitchen and learn about ingredients and how to mix them to make tasty dishes. Come join us — as you and Elisabeth learn easy recipes and explore culinary adventures. Michelle Day is available for lectures and cooking demonstrations. Please contact us through this website.