annanna

[annawildman]

#Repost @thetastetrades with @repostapp ・・・ #TasteTrade from @togetherinkitchen, whose IG post today inspired me to make healthier "breading" using almond meal, flax meal, s&p and garlic powder. Dipped chicken in a beaten egg then the non-breadcrumb mixture, cooked in coconut oil on stove until browned. Yum! Thanks for the inspiration! #dinner #dinnertime #glutenfree #healthy #healthyfood (Sign up in bio)

[annawildman]

Recipe for overnight oats in the latest #tastetrades... Made this last night in 2 mins with oats, yogurt, almond milk, cocoa powder, maple syrup, coconut, chia seeds, splash of vanilla and salt. Topped with banana and walnut this morning - delicious & so easy and soaking overnight makes oats easier to digest. Any variation possible. Recipe from #itsalleasy. @thetastetrades #fit #fitspo #healthy #healthylifestyle #breakfast

[annawildman]

Toddler Heaven. via @disney @ohmydisney #disney #pooh #toddler #tastetrades #foodart #fun

[annawildman]

Homemade Protein Bars

From Andrea Beaumont Lewis

Homemade Protein Bars

¾ cup unsweetened vanilla almond milk 1 cup natural chunky almond or peanut butter 2-3 Tbsp. honey, plus more to taste 1 cup vanilla (or chocolate) whey protein powder ½ cups steel cut oats (uncooked) (Optional: Melted 80% dark chocolate for top layer - ¼ cup)

1.In a medium pot, combine milk, nut butter, and honey over low heat. Stir until all ingredients are well combined and warmed through. Add protein powder and oats. Stir to combine well. (If mixture is too thick to stir, slowly add milk.) 2. Grease an 8x8 pan and press mixture evenly into pan. Drizzle with dark chocolate (optional). 3. Allow bars to cool completely before cutting into squares. Wrap in airtight container and store at room temp or in the fridge for up to a week.

[annawildman]

Never heard of socca until @firestonesisters sent me a recipe for #tastetrades. So easy and good! Chickpea flour, water and a pinch of salt made delicious (and protein-packed) tortillas we filled with roasted veggies & chicken. Toddler approved too. (Sign up to get the recipe recommendations at tastetrades.com or link In profile) #sundaydinner #dinner #yum #tastetrades

[annawildman]

tastetrades #3

Hello & welcome to lots of new subscribers to "tastetrades," where we share inspiration, recipes and product ideas for delicious, nutritious, easy-to-make food. Friends can sign up here and see past tastetrades... And please keep sending your favorite recipes & ideas to [email protected], and I'll keep sharing and curating them!

Okay... BACON. I usually bake my bacon in the oven (20 minutes at 400 degrees) because it's not as messy and doesn't require as much attention... But my friend, former colleague and Senior Producer at Thrillist Lainie told me her grandmother taught her to use water when cooking bacon... Yes, that's right, water. It apparently allows your bacon to "achieve that perfect crispiness you pine for, but never quite achieve." America's Test Kitchen did a video on this hack. You are welcome. :)

Another breakfast idea from master strategist, life guide & mom Denise... These are a great mix of protein and complex carbs to start the day. Quick & Easy Oatmeal Pancakes 2 eggs healthy pour of milk (almond or whatever you have) 1/2 cup oats 1/2 banana, thinly sliced Beat all ingredients together like you would scramble eggs. Add bananas (and blueberries if you want). Heat frying pan or griddle to medium, add coconut oil to the pan and flip when the bottoms brown. (Add some applesauce to the mix if you want them sweeter). Serves 1-2. Lisa Licht is an amazing cook and world-class hostess, on top of being a top media marketing exec. A while ago she started posting her favorite recipes on a Tumblr, "What The Fork, Lisa?!" which has a ton of great ideas, especially for entertaining. This week Lisa sent me this recipe for Chicken Paillard with Roasted Corn Salsa which is a summer staple in her house, and for Mother's Day she made Mark Bittman's Pasta a la Norma and Bobby Flay's Chicken Parmigiana - not exactly healthy but she said it was a great combo of indulgent dishes for a party. After my request for slow cooker recipes, Nina told me about this classic Slow Cooker Chili (photo above) which I tried this week and it was awesome. She cuts the chili powder in half so she can give it to her toddler, and you can adapt it any way you want (turkey instead of beef, add carrots, add spinach at the end, etc). Top with avocado and Forager Chips (or whatever you want), jalapeños for heat, and it’s a delicious and healthy dinner. My former ABC colleague and senior producer Brian is always coming up with healthy new concoctions, and one of his latest obsessions is: Sweet Potatoes with Pistachio and Coconut Flakes 1 large sweet potato or 2-3 small ones 3/4 cup shelled pistachios 1/2 cup unsweetened coconut flakes 1 cup water Roast sweet potato in oven at 400 for an hour until soft. Add to blender with all other ingredients and blend one minute until smooth. Add more water if needed. From Alexa, mom of two boys, former actress and entrepreneur extraordinaire (check out1000 Watt Presence), a good, super simple recipe: Parmesan Grilled Eggplant 1 eggplant Parmesan cheese Olive Oil Oregano Slice an eggplant in 1/2 inch slices and drizzle olive oil on one side; on the other side sprinkle parmesan cheese, salt, pepper and oregano and grill until soft and tender... Flip as needed but you don't have to oil both sides since it will get too soggy. Serve as is, or in an eggplant sandwich! And finally, dessert. I can't stop talking about this really easy and super delicious dessert from Gjusta in Venice (sister restaurant of the popular Gjelina) for Chocolate Avocado Pudding.  It also happens to be vegan, low-sugar and filled with "good" fat. I made it for Sunday dessert recently (see photo below) and we made it look fancy by putting it in some little decorative mugs that we never use and topped with coconut flakes, but next time I would put whip cream on top! 

Keep sending me recipes & ideas... I'll keep circulating. Feedback welcome! And if you make something, take a pic and tag it #tastetrades on Instagram! Happy eating, Anna

[annawildman]

#Tastetrades from @molly.chester & @sandyschrec: Chester "Cookies" - healthy alternative to protein bars (esp for kids) or for breakfast. Soaked oats overnight in yogurt or kefir and mixed with almond butter, eggs, butter, cinnamon, salt, currants or raisins, chopped apples, walnuts & choc/carob chips optional. Recipe on Organic Spark blog or in #BackToButter cookbook! #healthy #yum #yummy

[annawildman]

#tastetrades from @ntooley: Classic crock pot chili with added veggies. Excellent and easy. Recipe from @chowhound to be featured in next #tastetrades. (Sign up at www.tastetrades.com or link in bio.

[annawildman]

tastetrades #2

Hello!

THANK YOU for all of the great recipes, inspiration and feedback on our first recipe swap - favorites were the one-sheet tray chicken & veggies, the cauli-rice & the spinach ricotta bites... Yum! I got an amazing response, so I'm starting a "real" newsletter so I can organize it more easily.  We're calling it "tastetrades" thanks to my former Yahoo colleague & creative naming wizard Michele P.!   Onto the good stuff... Development executive & nutrition expert Jennifer H turned me on to the Minimalist Baker a while ago - all the recipes on the blog all require 10 ingredients or less, one bowl, or 30 minutes or less to prepare. Most of them are plant-based and gluten free. Jenn recommends the 30 Minute Coconut Curry and I also love their one bowl Banana Bread. They just launched a cookbook and the blog is great! Speaking of plant-based, I can't wait to try these Zucchini Tacos recommended by Mary Firestone, mama, entrepreneur & co-founder of Wild Precious Life - you could also saute the zucchini instead of grilling if you need to, and you can find chickpea flour at Whole Foods. (If you want to make it even easier you could buy tortillas.) She also loves making these healthy & delicious Sweet Potato Muffins with her 2 year old son. Friend, neighbor, screenwriter and mama Amanda sent me her favorite Chickpea and Kale Stew which I devoured when she brought it to a vegetarian dinner party this weekend! Couple more ideas for go-to weeknight meals: I tried these awesome Asian Turkey Meatballs from Pamela Salzman (with mushrooms hiding in them) and would definitely make them again. The "Glory Bowl" is also a go-to for me at least once a month if not more; I use the dressing from this recipe and then you can choose to either use raw veggies grated like they suggest, or roast a bunch of veggies and protein and just assemble with brown rice. (Great for entertaining like we did Sunday night).

I promised crock pot recipes... I actually don't use mine much; it seems like a time saver but I have a hard time finding good recipes that don't involve pre-cooking on the stove, which in my mind kind of defeats the time saving. But Daria tried this Vaguely Vietnamese Slow Cooker Pork Tacos recipe from the NYT Food newsletter but subbed chicken for the pork shoulder, which she said was amazing and took about 20 minutes of prep. She also makes a Crock Pot Mexican Chicken that you could use for tacos or anything: Mix one 15 oz can of diced tomatoes with green chilies with one packet of low-sodium taco seasoning blend (or make your own). Put chicken breasts in the crockpot, top with sliced onions, peppers and carrots (you could use a mandoline so they are thin) and then top with the tomato seasoning mixture. Cook on low for 8 hours or on high for 4. Shred chicken. You could also make an Italian version with the same process but season the breasts with salt and pepper, Italian seasoning and top with veggies and a 15 oz can of diced tomatoes with garlic and Italian spices instead. Does anyone have recommendations for fish? As Mark Bittman says, Fish can be a weeknight cook's savior. They are healthful and easy to prepare, require little time to cook and take well to all manner of spices."  Margaret (tastetrader extraordinaire) turned me on to Bittman's 4 Spice Salmon and I also love Sam Sifton's Roasted Salmon Glazed With Brown Sugar & Mustard - both so easy... But would be great to get any other ideas. We also talked about how to escape the rice and pasta trap... Margaret likes this Corn and Zucchini Quinoa and says this Roasted Brussels Sprouts and Mushroom Quinoa is a go-to as well. Sometimes I'll make a batch of quinoa ahead of time and have it in the fridge for lunches or dinner or even breakfast, with a runny fried or poached egg on top... It also freezes well. Other non-recipe thoughts:

I tried Gwyneth Paltrow's "It's All Easy" cookbook and found it hit or miss... I've only tried a few recipes so far. Anyone else?

I also got "The Family Cooks" by Laurie David which I'm really liking. Made the "Seeds of Power" granola, the Blueberry Oatmeal Pancakes and Balsamic Chicken and they were all really great.

Denise sent me this 15 Minute Recipes That Are Better Than Takeout from Vogue - some fun ideas.

Okay, saving the rest of the recommendations for next time, including bacon and desserts... Please continue to send me ideas, recipes, products you love or requests for ideas and if you make something, take a photo and tag it with #tastetrades" so we can all search it. And if you missed the first one, you can check it out here. Spread the word -- more people = more ideas & inspiration. (Friends can subscribe at www.tastetrades.com.)

Enjoy! Anna

PS Thanks to Josh Robertson for the help with the logo and website :)

[annawildman]

Great dinner from my #sunbasket box which I'm trying out. Chicken meatballs made with chickpea flour (which seems to be hot right now) with tagliatelle and a homemade soup. Would never have thought to make it myself. Great quality of food & innovative recipes from the former chef at Slanted Door. #tastetrades #dinner #dinnertime

[annawildman]

My latest passion project: I started a modern-day recipe swap called "tastetrades" to curate and share inspiration for nutritious, delicious, easy to make recipes and products. This recipe for one pan roasted chicken & veggies from @buzzfeedtasty was featured in it & has been one of the most popular bc it's so fast and yummy. Sign up to get the newsletter at www.tastetrades.com & email me ideas for recipes! #tastetrades #dinner #dinnertime

[annawildman]

"Seeds of Power" granola from "The Family Cooks" cookbook. So easy to make & so much less sugar than you get at the store. This is just 3 cups oats, 1/2 cup olive oil, 1/2 cup maple syrup, almonds + flax, chia, pumpkin, sunflower seeds and some vanilla, coconut flakes, cinnamon and salt. #tastetrades #granola #toddlerfood

[annawildman]

#latergram: Sunday dessert: Blood orange, basil, watermelon sorbet made in 5 minutes in the @vitamix #tastetrades

[annawildman]

tastetrades #1

Hello!

As many of you know, I have started a modern day recipe swap to curate and share inspiration for making nutritious, healthy food at home.  I received an incredible response from my email asking for ideas... And so here it is, the first installment of what I hope will be a regular roundup of great ideas that will help everyone! 

My friend and former colleague Daria (mom of 2 here in LA) sent so many good tips. Like me, she loves Tasty (BuzzFeed's recipe videos on Facebook) and recommends this pan-roasted chicken breasts with veggies which you can make all on one sheet tray. Daria loves the meal delivery service Plated, and lucky for us she saves all the recipe cards, including this recipe for spice roasted steak which she says is the simplest and most delicious way to cook up a steak - it uses a lean, fairly small cut so she buys the best quality she can find and it's sill inexpensive. She also loves this Asian Meatloaf also from Plated (I made it and used a little less salt - yum!). Speaking of meat, Daria loves this simple burger recipe (use beef or turkey) which I use all the time too; it's totally foolproof and doesn't require a grill. You could also turn the ground meat into meatballs and roast them in the oven - it's so much easier than pan frying and you can roast veggies at the same time. Roast veggies happen in my house several times a week - usually sweet potatoes which are Jackson's favorite but sometimes parsnips, carrots, broccoli or zucchini. I just sprinkle with EVOO or coconut oil, salt and pepper and as Daria suggested, you can add a flavor to make them more interesting: honey & cinnamon or ground cardamom and salt to carrots, or paprika on potatoes, or coriander seeds on broccoli, or lemon & panko & parmesan on asparagus. If you want a recipe, I love this one for Coconut Oil Roasted Sweet Potatoes from Melissa Clarke at the NYT, whose recipes I use ALL the time on the NYT cooking app.

Another idea for making veggies yummy and kid-friendly: Daria makes cauliflower rice by chopping fresh florets in a food processor until it's the consistency of couscous, saute on the stove with some oil and S&P for about five minutes until tender... Then add anything to it like raisins, capers, etc. I also love this recipe for Roasted Garlic Mashed Cauliflower which is not super fast but really delicious and a lot healthier (but better tasting) than mashed potatoes, from my friend and chef Molly Chester (tons of great recipes on her blog and in her book, by the way). Baked/Roasted chicken is a go-to for many of us, and this recipe for Laurie Colwin's Baked Mustard Chicken is a "holy crap it is so good" recipe recommended by Margaret who is a high power TV news producer with a young son who manages to make dinner almost every night. Years ago, TV food producer for The Chew, chef and old friend Anthony turned me onto Melissa Clark's recipe for Dahlia's Fragrant Chicken Fingers which is a staple in my house (you can use breadcrumbs or panko instead of matzoh meal). I recently made these super easy Paleo Chicken Nuggets from the Thrive Market blog and Jackson LOVED them, and he had fun helping me mix the ingredients. [Side bar: I love Thrive Market as an alternative/augment to Whole Foods - great products, cheaper and they deliver to your door free for orders over $49. They do have a yearly fee but I think it's worth it and I like their mission.] I find a lot of good recipes on the Thrive Market blog, including this family favorite Tahini Chicken recipe that is great for entertaining. Mags also likes this Honey-Rosemary Chicken with Cherry Tomatoes and Daria recommends Thomas Keller's Easy Roast Chicken as the best and easiest roast chicken for a weekend dinner (it takes a little longer). A few of you turn to Weelicious for ideas, which of course recently launched a family meal delivery service called One Potato which has gotten great reviews (including from my friend, actress and mama of two, Wynn). My friend Robin recommends a more labor intensive but unique spin on a classic dish: Lasagna Rolls, and Nina loves her trusty Spinach Ricotta Bites recipe from Weelicious, too - a great way to get toddlers to eat veggies. Robin also does pesto on pasta with broccoli or peas, which is quick, easy, healthy and fun that it's green.  And on the pasta front, Daria makes the stuffed shells recipe from the side of the pasta box, which makes enough for two dinners so you can chill or freeze half, and you can modify the base filling of ricotta and mozzarella by adding finely chopped veggies. For a fun kid activity you can put the filling in a gallon-size Ziploc, rubber band the top closed and snip a corner so you can fill the shells as if you were using a pastry bag. Pizza! Several of you suggested doing a pizza night one night a week, which is so fun. Daria had a great chef's secret for LA people: Bay Cities sells the best pre-made pizza dough in the freezer section for about $1.50 each that you can stretch that into a large-ish thin crust pizza. They also sell very good canned imported pizza sauces that are excellent at about $3 each, and they have smaller portions of their perline mozzarella for about $3 too, so it's much cheaper than delivery and 2/3 of the ingredients can be bought in bulk and frozen or kept in your pantry for a fast weeknight dinner in a pinch if you have cheese in the fridge. If you're making your own pizza, Mags uses Roberta's Pizza Dough from the NYT. Wynn and Kendall both use Blue Apron and Kendall shared two of her favorite recipes from them: Avocado & Orange Black Rice (she said the salmon was nothing to write home about but the rice was delicious and juicy and a great one to bring to parties or as a summer staple); and this Lemon & Black Pepper Shrimp Linguine, which is delicious as is but has also been morphed into a pesto/corn/spinach/shrimp pasta that is super quick and toddler-friendly. She's used all types of pasta - whole wheat penne, corkscrew, basil fettuccine Trader Joe's, etc - but she says fettuccine or linguine work the best. You can also just salt/pepper shrimp, saute garlic in oil with rosemary, add fresh or frozen corn, spinach until it wilts and pesto.

For breakfast ideas, Kimi (mom of three and producer of one of the hottest docs out of Sundance, "Gleason") sent me herGreen Smoothie recipe: 1 banana, 1 TBS Peanut or Almond Butter, 1 apple, 1/2 cup kale or spinach, 2 cups of milk. She pre-makes the bags of ingredients and freezes the fruit/veggie portions so she can just throw it in the blender and add milk and PB to make it easy and quick. I do overnight porridge once a week: soak 1 cup old fashion oats in 1 cup water and add 1 TBSP yogurt or lemon juice, let sit overnight; in the morning add 1 cup water and it cooks up in 5 minutes; add whatever you like (fruit, coconut flakes, almond milk, seeds, etc.). I also like to make my own pancakes from scratch but when I use a mix I like Kodiak Cakes which have a good deal of protein and I add oats and fruit, and Nina recommended Grainstorm's pancake mix for low sugar muffins which are always good to have in the house. 

And with all of those recipes, a closing word on strategy: many of us agree that the key to success for weeknight cooking is ease and preparation. As Mags says, the recipe has to be about 8 ingredients or less. I have been really inspired by Pamela Salzman's meal planners which she sends out on email and social media every Saturday and maps out suggestions for the week - I usually take one or two of those recipes and then mix them in with a few of my own rough ideas and head to the farmer's market and grocery on Sunday morning. I try to spend 30-60 minutes chopping and prepping or marinating on Sundays or after the kids go to bed on weeknights. Mags says she has shifted to making dinner in the morning before heading out to work. My friend Beth Ricanati is a doctor and health enthusiast with 3 kids who recently launched a great concept called House Calls for Wellness, and she makes sure that her spice cabinet is stocked with things like ginger, garlic, turmeric and good salt and pepper. She also has a plate on the counter by the stove on which she puts various oils and sauces for cooking: if you can see them, you will use them!  As for other shortcuts: lots of you get rotisserie chickens and use those for a few meals, and in terms of products I like to have in the freezer Dr. Praeger's California Chicken Burgers and Fishies as well as Applegate Farms organic chicken fingers and Trader Joe's turkey meatballs (although not organic). All of those are sure fire winners with Jackson. My dad also shared this story from Bon Appetit with ideas for "emergency dinners" from their editors. 

And there were more a lot more recipes but I'm going to save them for the next installment because I don't want to overwhelm anyone! Next time, crock pot ideas, tools for the kitchen and fish, among other things.

Want to receive this in your inbox? Subscribe at tastetrades.com and send ideas, recipes or inspiration to [email protected]

Happy cooking!

[annawildman]

Beet "chips" with guacamole. Thinly sliced beets with mandoline, tossed with coconut oil and salt and roasted (not touching each other) at 400 until they were crispy. Yum. #tastetrades #itsalleasy #toddlerfood

[annawildman]

"Homemade" pizza using @baycitiesitaliandeli pizza dough (thanks to a tip from @dkklenert) - so great to have in the freezer! #winnerdinner #tastetrade #dinner #yum

[annawildman]

Great Asian turkey meatballs recipe from @pamelasalzman. My 2 year old and husband devoured them & love that they are filled with mushrooms and no breadcrumbs. Sriracha aioli was #yum. #dinner #winnerdinner #tastetrade