Crunchy spinach cakes

These are so good! Another panko crusted oven creation that is fun for the whole family! I am bringing these to therapy sessions this week and so far they have been a success. I suggest serving them with a favorite dip--today the preferred dip was Catalina dressing. My daughter chose Ranch dressing (of course-- I would expect nothing less from her when a new food is concerned!)

Recipe:

1 package frozen chopped spinach, drained and water 'squeezed' out
1 egg
1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
1/4 cup whole wheat flour
sea salt to taste
1/4 cup panko bread crumbs

Beat egg and mix parmesan cheese and flour into egg mixture, add spinach and form into small 1/2 dollar size patties
Roll each patty into panko crumbs, add salt
Bake at 375 degrees for 15 minutes on a foil lined sheet sprayed with olive oil or other baking spray. I flipped these halfway through to ensure a good crisp!


Makes approximately 20 half dollar size patties.



**** To make the egg free version of this recipe I used 2 tablespoons of vegan canola oil based mayonnaise in place of the egg


** Delicious change: Add approximately one large tablespoon of goat cheese to this recipe! I also substituted chopped kale for the spinach and it was delicious!

If you enjoyed this recipe, Try another crunchy green snack from Meghan Telpner: Crispy Crunchy Kale Chips

Panko Paradise

If I knew how to insert audio clips and sunbeams I would try my best to recreate National Lampoon's Christmas vacation scene. You know the scene...Clark Griswold and family stumble upon "THE" perfect Christmas tree and the light beams are shining down in conjunction with a gigantic harmonic Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!!!!

Well, this is how I feel about Panko bread crumbs and successful new food creations lately. I even decided to dedicate a spice jar JUST for Mr. Panko---welcome to the spice jar family!

"Sushi" rolls

After meeting a friend for sushi today I got into one of my experimental phases...go figure! While the chicken was in the oven I glanced over and noticed the box of Fruitabu 'smooshed fruit' rolls in the pantry. There was an abundance of Apple at Amazing Savings in Asheville this week (maybe this is not a favored flavor!) and I thought...what a great 'roll' for faux kid-friendly sushi rolls!

I took some of my daughters favorites out of the fridge including deli ham, laughing cow light cheese wedge and some avocado slices. Placed a little of each in 3 separate 4-5 inch fruitaboo strips, which was equivalent to the length of one pre-packaged roll. Add some crushed cracker crumbs for Tempura and Whalla! A little shudder on the first bite but with a few changes (smaller rolls, less filling) this could be a Thumbs Up for the future! I used avocado for the 'wasabi' garnish and more ham for the 'ginger'.

Pudding and Prayers

The sweet little "cover girl" on my blog is a patient whose mom has given me permission to post pictures. She is recovering from her 3rd open heart surgery in Boston and has experienced some complications including infection, elevated heart rate and fever spikes.

Please keep this little girl and her family in your thoughts and prayers so they can all find the strength to push through each day! Here she is re-discovering the joy of chocolate pudding :)

All Natural "Sprite"

Since I have decided to "eat clean" (for the most part) I wanted to find a satisfying replacement for cola. I was also inspired to do this because my daughter recently discovered the joy of Sprite while traveling to the beach this weekend. Sprite and other carbonated beverages are a big staple in many diets of the kids seen for feeding therapy--they do give a great amount of sensory feedback and 'wake up' the mouth. Since many families are seeking a more natural alternative, however; I feel compelled to share any new discoveries that may be helpful!

Carbonated water, lime juice and a stevia packet is the concoction that I made for myself. I found some canned drinks, La Croix, which is made up of sparkling water and natural lime. There are no artificial flavors or sweetners nor are there any other sugars, 0 calories. I bought these because of the green shiny can! I thought my daughter would enjoy the fact that it looks like a cola. She did not like it plain but did take a few sips when mixed with juice and again when I added a slice of lime and the stevia. Lets face it it is not going to be the same as a yummy cold Sprite but it sure is close!