Williams Sonoma - The Healthy Junior Chef Cookbook

PHO TOGRAPH Y BY

ERIN SCOT T

cookbook

Junior

CHEF

The Healt hy

V anilla-C oconut Bu ndt Cake (page 1 16)

C ONTENTS I ntroduction 7 Healthy T e chniques 8

Breakfast

Soups & Salads 33 Mains 49 Snacks 77 Desserts 101 Basic Re cipes 122

Index 1

S weet Pota to T ac os with B lack Be ans, Corn & A voca do (page )

L earning to coo k is both fun and rewardi nge specially when yo u share the he althy and de liciou s resul ts wi th fam ily an d frie nds. In th e follo win g pages, y ou wi ll find all yo u need t o kn ow to get star te d in the kitc hen: an illu strat ed gu ide t o basi c tec hniqu es, a tre asure tr ove of handy tips to str eamli ne cul inary ta sks, and mo re th an easy- to-fo llow reci pes, from simple break fasts, he arty soups and sala ds, and satis fyin g mains to yu mmy sna cks and mouth water ing de sserts . Don t be put of f by the word hea lthy . In this book , healt hy equ als tasty , so keep an open mi nd and you l l quick ly dis cover won derf ul ne w fl avors in every dish.

In cookin g as in al l skills , prac tice ma kes pe rfec t! Whe never you try a recipe for the fi rst time, y ou ar e like ly to learn someth ing yo u didn t kn ow about a techn ique, an ingre dient , and/ or your o wn per sonal taste an d style . The r ecipe s step -by- step instruc tion s and ti ps ar e the re to help y ou succeed wi th th at ne w knowl edge. G rown- ups are gre at fo r sort ing ou t any que stion s you ma y hav e as yo u cook. Make sure at least o ne adult is alwa ys near by to h elp ke ep you safe w hen ove n and sto ve-top heat, sharp kni ves or special t ools, or fu lly loa ded pot s and pan s are inv olved.

Whet her yo u decid e to m ake banana pan cake s to po wer you up aft er a sleepove r, c hewy granol a bars to snack o n aft er sch ool, or sweet po tato tacos fo r th e dinne r table , this b ook wil l help you bui ld your culina ry confi dence wi th a n ew and ex citi ng rep erto ire o f healt hful favor ite s every one w ill lo ve. So r oll up your s leeves, tie on an ap ron, and ge t ready to begin an adve ntur e you w ill enj oy thr oughout y our lif e.

Introduction

ORGANIZA TI ON

Whether you want to ma ke an aft ernoon snack for yourself or a ful l meal for yo ur family, the first thing you must do is set up your mise en plac e , Fren ch for ever ythi ng in its place. Be fore you begin to coo k, carefully re ad through th e recipe fro m start to finish. Next, gather all the ingredients and equipment y oull need. Then, pre pare the ingre dients as much as possible and arran ge them neatly a round yo ur work area for e asy access . As yo u work, keep y our hands and the surrou nding surfa ces clean. Promptl y clear away what ever y ou hav e finished us ing, dro pping dirty utensils int o the sink an d putting ingre dients back into t he cupboard or the fridge. A f ew blunde rs are bound to happen, but mise en pla ce can help you preven t most kitchen errors.

BASIC TEC HNIQUES

Knife Skills Learning how to use a knife is an essentia l kitchen skill for tw o primary reasons: the safety of the cook and the prepara tion of many ingredients . When choosing which knife to use, first co nsider the ite m to be cut and th en select a knife that is sui table to the task and fee ls comfort able in your hand.

To hold a kitche n knife pro perly, grasp it firmly by the handle, as if yo u were sh aking someone s h and. Hold down the i tem you are cutting with your other hand, placing the f ood flat side down whe never you can and curling y our finger s under you r knuckles to keep yo ur fingert ips out of harm s w ay. With the tip of the knife po inting down, start to cut, bringing the

handle straight up and down and alway s cutting away from your body. Follow the dir ections o n the facing page for ho w to chop , slice, and dice mo st fruits and vegetabl es.

Measuring Knowing how to measure with precision is key to success in the kitche n, especially when you re baking. For smal l amounts of liquid and dry ingredients, you will need a set of measuri ng spoons (usu ally / teaspoon, / t easpoon, 1 teaspoon, and 1 tablespoon) . For liquids, use clear measuri ng pitchers with a ruler printe d vert ically on the side and a lip for po uring, and for dry ingredients , such as sugar and flour , select fl at-toppe d measuring cups. Follow the dir ections o n the facing page for the correct measuring tec hniques.

HEAL TH Y CHOICES

Consuming foods you hav e cooke d yourself is th e first step in heal thy eating. Many ultra -proc essed foods carry added sugars an d sodium, unhealt hy fats, additives, and more. The recipes in this book take a balanced appr oach to healthy eat ing, stick ing to a few basic t enets o f a good diet : a focu s on vegeta bles and fruits, whole grains, low-c alorie pro teins, and reduced sug ar and sodium and a thumbs -down t o ultra-pro cessed fo ods (a lways read a package label before yo u buy) . Combine these smart food choice s with a sport or other phy sical act ivity you like and your e well on y our way to a health y lifesty le. Dont forget to drink lots of water to o! It will help ke ep you hydrated and energize d and feeling g ood.

HEALTH Y TECHNIQUES

1/4 TSP

1/2 TSP

TSP

TBSP

H OW TO SL ICE

H OW TO DI CE

H OW TO ME ASURE

La y the item to be cut rmly on the cuing board, rs t trimming a thin slice from one side if needed to rest it at.

Cut the it em to be diced in half . La y e ach half , cut side down, on the cuting board .

H olding the item to be cut with curled ngers to keep n gertips safe, slic e with the knife blade perpendicular to the cuing board.

Cut e ach half into ev en slices the same width as your intended dic e, working lengthwise if the item is lon g.

Slic e the food while re sting the at side of the knife blade gently agains t your knu ckles, allowing them to guide the width of yo ur slices.

Cut the lon g slices into lengthwise strip s, then turn and cut crosswise i nto dice.

Spoon dry ingredients int o a at-topp ed measuring cup until mounded on top . Using the back of a knife, s weep o the exces s level with the rim of the cup .