A specialty of Argentina, chimichurri is a tangy, zesty condiment traditionally served with grilled meats. Emerald in color and packed with loads of fresh herbs, olive oil, vinegar and garlic, it’s like a cross between vinaigrette and pesto. This version — made from a fragrant blend of parsley, mint and cilantro — pairs beautifully with spice-rubbed beef tenderloin filets. It’s the perfect dish for Father’s Day or any special occasion. In fact, I made it just last night for a family dinner in honor of my baby cousin, Ian (bottom right), who was in town visiting.

The nice thing about the recipe is that it’s impressive, yet quick and easy to make. You can have the entire dish on the table, start to finish, in about 30 minutes. As for sides, keep it simple. I served it with sweet fresh corn, a big salad  and warm bread. It would also go well with this Black Bean Salad with Corn, Red Peppers and Avocado.

Begin by making the spice rub, which is a simple blend of paprika, cumin, ground mustard, kosher salt and pepper.

Set that aside while you make the sauce. Start by chopping a medium shallot and a few garlic cloves. You don’t need to chop them finely since they are going to get puréed, just enough so that big chunks don’t get stuck in the blender.

Then add the shallot and garlic to a blender, along with the olive oil, sherry wine vinegar, lemon juice, salt, pepper, red pepper flakes, and some of the herbs.

Blend and add the remaining herbs in two separate additions until the sauce is almost smooth. Cover the sauce and refrigerate until ready to serve.

When you’re ready to eat, drizzle the filets with olive oil and sprinkle generously with the spice rub.

Pat it down with your fingers so it sticks — it will be a thick coating.

Grill the steaks over high heat for 3-4 minutes per side for medium-rare.

Serve with chimichurri sauce and enjoy!

The chimichurri sauce in this recipe is adapted from Bon Appétit.

Morning Glory Muffins are made with a little bit of everything — whole wheat flour, carrots, apples, raisins, walnuts, orange juice, coconut and wheat germ — and, true to their name, they’re a glorious way to start the day. Created decades ago by Chef Pam McKinstry for her Morning Glory Café on Nantucket Island, they’re a throwback to the 1970s “back-to-the-land” movement, when wholesome hippie food was all the rage. (Hint: If you like carrot cake, you’ll love them.)

Despite the long list of ingredients, Morning Glory Muffins are easy to make, especially if you use a food processor to shred the carrots and apple. The ingredients are pretty straightforward. I’ll just note that I like to use King Arthur White Whole Wheat Flour for this recipe because it’s lighter and milder tasting than regular whole wheat flour (yet just as nutritious). If you can’t find it, regular whole wheat flour or a combination of whole wheat flour and all-purpose flour will work fine.

Begin by soaking the raisins in hot water. This softens and plumps them up.

Next, combine the dry ingredients in a large mixing bowl.

Shred the carrots and apple.

Then combine the dry ingredients with the grated apple and carrots, wheat germ, walnuts and coconut.

In a separate bowl, whisk together the eggs, oil, orange juice and vanilla extract.

Add the liquid ingredients to the mixing bowl.

Then stir and mix in the drained raisins.

Fill the wells of the muffin pan with the batter. They will be very full.

Bake for about 25 minutes, until muffins are nicely domed.

Cool in the pan for a few minutes, then turn the muffins out onto a rack to cool completely.

These muffins keep well for several days and also freeze well. Enjoy!

My starting point for this recipe was the Morning Glory Muffins on the King Arthur Flour website — a fantastic baking resource. I found their version to be a bit bland, so I increased the spices, raisins, walnuts and sugar.

This vibrant and fresh Thai Quinoa Salad is adapted from one of my favorite cookbooks, Raising the Salad Bar by Catherine Walthers. It’s a healthy eater’s dream: flavorful, chock-full of protein and veggies, satisfying and low in fat. I know you’ll love it because I shared it on my column over at Serious Eats last summer and it got rave reviews. I usually make it as a light lunch, but you can also serve it alongside other Asian dishes for dinner or make it a meal in itself by adding cooked shrimp, crab or lobster.

The ingredients are pretty straightforward. Quinoa (pronounced keen-wah) has become mainstream in the past few years and is available at most large supermarkets. It’s a high protein seed that has a fluffy, slightly crunchy texture. It looks like couscous and is eaten like a grain, but it’s actually a cousin of spinach, Swiss chard, and other leafy greens.

Fish sauce is also fairly easy to find. Most large supermarkets carry it in the Asian section and you can always find it at Whole Foods or Asian markets. It’s a dark, pungent liquid used in Southeast Asian cooking. Contrary to what you might expect, it doesn’t add a “fishy” taste to foods at all, but rather a salty, savory flavor. If possible, buy a brand imported from Thailand or Vietnam. And don’t worry about buying a large bottle — it will keep forever.

Begin by cooking the quinoa. The key to success is not following the package instructions, which always call for too much liquid and result in mushy quinoa. The ideal ratio is 1 cup of quinoa to 1-2/3 cups of liquid. Simply combine the water, salt and quinoa is a pan and bring to a boil. Turn the heat down to a simmer, cover the pan and cook until the quinoa is done, about 15 minutes. You’ll know it’s done when the little white “tails” sprout from the grains.

While the quinoa cooks, prepare the vegetables.

For the cucumbers, I like to use English (or hothouse) cucumbers because the skin is edible and you don’t need to peel them. They’re sometimes called seedless cucumbers but you still need to seed them, otherwise they’ll make your salad watery.

Slice the red pepper into bite-sized pieces, thinly slice the scallions and shred the carrot.

Next, make the dressing by combining the fresh lime juice (no bottled stuff!), sugar, vegetable oil, red pepper flakes and fish sauce in a small bowl. Whisk until the sugar is dissolved.

Combine the quinoa with the dressing, vegetables and fresh herbs.

Toss, serve and enjoy!

Here’s how it worked…

Similar to spirit week, each day of the week was a different color — Monday was Orange, Tuesday was Red, Wednesday was Purple/Blue, Thursday was Green and Friday was Yellow/White. Each day, kids were encouraged to show their healthy spirit by wearing the color of the day and bringing in fruits or vegetables in that color for lunch.

To make it fun, we decorated the school with healthy eating posters (like “Spit out your gum, eat a plum!” or “Veggies rock so eat your broc!”) and handed out colored wristbands in the color of the day during lunchtime. We also dressed up in fruit and veggie costumes and handed out stickers to kids as they walked into school in the morning. They loved it!

We coordinated the colors with the school menu so kids who bought lunch could participate. Whole Foods even came in one day at lunchtime to make smoothies for the kids to sample.

Eating the Rainbow  was put on by our school’s Wellness Committee. The program was originally created by New York mom, Sharon Pesner, for her kids’ Dix Hills, NY Elementary School. It was so successful in getting kids excited about healthy eating, it has started to spread to other schools around the country. It’s a wonderful program that can be adapted and modified to work at any school. If you’d like more information on how to start a Wellness Committee or implement Eating the Rainbow at your school, feel free to email me at jennifer@onceuponachef.com.

Before we get started, a few words about the ingredients. Most chicken enchilada recipes call for dark meat because it stays moist. This is important because the chicken is cooked twice: once in preparing the filling and then again in heating the assembled dish. But I like to use chicken tenderloins — they’re much easier to prep than dark meat and, unlike boneless breasts, they stay tender even if slightly overcooked. Plus, tenderloins are usually sold in convenient one-pound packs, which is exactly how much you’ll need.

The sauce for this dish is made with tomatillos. If you’re unfamiliar with them, they look like small green tomatoes covered by a papery husk. They’re related to tomatoes, but have a distinctive tart flavor. (Note that they are not the same as green tomatoes, which are simply unripe tomatoes.) You can find them in most grocery stores.

Finally, this recipe calls for three jalapeño peppers, which I know seems like a lot. Don’t worry, as long as you remove the fiery ribs and seeds, the enchiladas won’t be spicy. When you taste the sauce on its own, it will have a little kick but once you put the dish together it will be mild enough even for young children. Of course, if you like heat, go ahead and throw in some of the seeds — I always do. (Just be sure to wear gloves and/or wash your hands very well after working with jalapeños, and keep your hands away from your eyes!)

Ok, let’s begin with the tomatillo sauce. Start by cooking the onions and garlic in olive oil until soft. No need to chop them too finely since it all gets puréed in the end.

Add the tomatillos, jalapeños, sugar, salt, cumin and 1/3 cup water.

Simmer until the tomatillos are soft.

Then, transfer the mixture to a blender and purée until completely smooth. Set the sauce aside and start the filling.

Season the chicken with the cumin, smoked paprika and salt.

Sauté the chicken in olive oil until just cooked through, about 2 minutes per side, then set aside to cool.

Once cool, shred the chicken into bite-sized pieces. Tenderloins all have a tough tendon running through them; just remove it.

In the same pan that you cooked the chicken in, cook the onions until soft.

Remove the pan from the heat, then add the shredded chicken along with the cilantro and shredded cheese.

That’s your filling.

You can make the dish ahead of time up to this point.

To assemble the enchiladas, begin by smearing 3/4 cup of the tomatillo sauce on the bottom of a 9 x 13-inch baking dish.

Next, brush each tortilla on both sides with oil.

Stack them on a plate and microwave until hot and steamy, about 2 minutes. This makes them pliable; if you skip this step, they’ll shred to pieces when you roll them.

Spoon the filling down the middle of each tortilla.

Then roll tightly with your hands.

Place the enchiladas side by side, seam side down, in the prepared baking dish. Pour the remaining sauce over top.

Spread the sauce evenly over the tortillas, then sprinkle with more grated cheese.

Bake until sauce is hot and bubbling and cheese is melted, 15-20 minutes.

Sprinkle the enchiladas with smoked paprika — it makes them look pretty but also adds more delicious smoky flavor.

Serve immediately with shredded lettuce, sour cream, sliced avocado and lime wedges. Enjoy!

Note: My starting point for this recipe was a similar version in Cook’s Illustrated. I made a lot of changes, but the tomatillo sauce is very similar to the original recipe.

I know one cannot own every conceivable kitchen appliance, but if you can find an excuse to buy an ice cream machine, just go for it. They’re relatively inexpensive and you’ll be forever amazed at how much better your ice cream and frozen yogurt will be. This recipe, modestly adapted from David Lebovitz’s The Perfect Scoop, is proof of that. It bears no resemblance to store-bought frozen yogurt or the imitation ice cream served at most froyo shops. Instead, it tastes intensely of fresh strawberries — almost like a cross between strawberry frozen yogurt and strawberry sorbet.

My eight-year-old daughter tried it and said it best: “It tastes very strawberry-y.”

The beauty of the recipe is that it’s incredibly easy. No cooking and you only need five ingredients to make it: fresh strawberries, Greek yogurt, a lemon, sugar and vodka. I highly recommend using whole milk Greek yogurt, although low-fat will work too (just don’t use nonfat). As for the booze, you won’t taste it — it’s just there to keep the yogurt creamy and smooth in the freezer. You can substitute kirsch or rum, or just leave it out completely.

Begin by combining the strawberries, sugar, vodka and lemon juice in a medium bowl.

Let the strawberries macerate in the sugar mixture for about an hour, or until the sugar is nice and syrupy.

Combine the strawberry mixture with the Greek yogurt in a blender and purée until smooth.

Strain the mixture through a fine sieve to remove the seeds.

This step is optional; I think it’s much better without the seeds but if you don’t mind them, don’t bother.

Chill the mixture in the fridge, then freeze in your ice cream machine.

It will look a bit slushy when it’s done.

Transfer the frozen yogurt to a plastic container and freeze until firm enough to scoop.

After a few hours, the frozen yogurt will get quite firm. You may need to let it sit out a bit to soften before scooping it. Enjoy!

My starting point for this recipe was David Lebovitz’s Strawberry Frozen Yogurt in The Perfect Scoop. His version came out more icy and sorbet-like than I wanted, so I upped the amount of yogurt and adjusted the sugar and other ingredients accordingly. He also doesn’t strain the seeds, but I think it’s much better without them. You can check out his version here.

May marks the start of zucchini season but I love this silky puréed soup anytime of year. It’s surprisingly healthy — there’s no heavy cream or dairy in it, just a handful of toasted walnuts to thicken it up. I like to serve it warm in the spring while there’s still a chill in the air, and cool in the summer once the weather heats up.

Begin by heating the olive oil in a large sauté pan, then add the chopped onions and garlic.

Cook over medium-low heat until the onions are soft and translucent.

Add the sliced zucchini, chicken broth, salt and pepper to the pot.

Bring the soup to a boil, then cover and simmer for about ten minutes, or until the zucchini is tender.

Meanwhile, toast the walnuts in a 350 degree oven for 5-10 minutes, until fragrant.

When the soup is cooked, add the toasted walnuts and chopped dill to the pot.

Purée the soup in batches in a blender. (I prefer a blender over a hand-held immersion blender for this recipe because it’s more powerful and does a better job blending the nuts into the soup.)

Pour the puréed soup into a bowl as you go.

Rinse the pot, pour the soup back in, and stir in the fresh lemon juice. Taste and adjust the seasoning to your liking.

Ladle the soup into bowls and garnish with more dill if desired. Enjoy!

Leave it to Nigella. I used to love my popcorn topped with just a little butter and salt but now that I’ve had her “Party Popcorn,” I don’t want it any other way. Slightly sweet, salty and spiced with an exotic blend of cinnamon, cumin and paprika, this stuff is downright habit-forming. 

The recipe is adapted from Nigella Express, one of my favorite cookbooks, and takes less than fifteen minutes to make. As the name implies, it’s perfect with cocktails but don’t wait until you’re entertaining to make it — it’s just as delicious as a snack or treat for family movie night.

Begin by heating the oil and popping corn in a large pot. Don’t be tempted to increase the quantities — the kernels should be in a single layer to ensure even popping. Cover the pot with a lid and wait for the popcorn to start popping. As it pops, shake the pan gently now and then to keep the kernels moving. When the popping slows to 2-3 second apart, remove the pan from the heat.

Next, melt the butter in a small bowl and add the spices, sugar and salt.

Stir to combine.

Then drizzle the mixture over the popcorn, stirring as you go so that it coats the popcorn evenly. It will clump in some spots — that’s okay.

Continue tossing the popcorn until it’s well coated.

Then transfer to serving bowls or popcorn bags and enjoy.

Note: The original recipe, as published here, calls for 4 teaspoons of salt. That’s way too much salt so I reduced the amount significantly here.

In this quick and easy recipe — adapted from The Splendid Table’s How To Eat Supper by Lynne Rossetto Kasper and Sally Swift  — jumbo shrimp are bathed in a brine flavored with salt, sugar and chili powder, and then sautéed with loads of fresh ginger and garlic. It’s a delicious and flavorful dish that appeals to kids and adults alike. In fact, the recipe headnote reads: “If there is one recipe in this book that is guaranteed to have your family moaning with gratitude, this is it. After eating these shrimp, a five-year-old has been known to say, ‘Wow, Mom, thanks!’ And they’ve driven a grown woman to shamelessly lick her plate—in front of everyone.” (Thanks to my friend, Kim Cohen, for sharing the recipe with me!)

Before we get started, a few words on buying shrimp. Unless you live on the coast and have access to fresh shrimp, it’s best to buy frozen. The “fresh” shrimp you see in the seafood case at the supermarket are almost always thawed frozen shrimp, and you never know how long they’ve been sitting there. Most shrimp are cleaned and flash frozen shortly after being caught, so you’re better off buying frozen shrimp and defrosting them yourself.  For this recipe, try to find jumbo frozen shrimp (21-25 to a pound) labeled “shell split and deveined.” Come dinnertime, all you have to do is run the shrimp under warm water to quickly defrost and then peel.

Begin by whisking together the water, kosher salt, sugar and chili powder.

Drop the shrimp in the brine and let them sit for about 20 minutes.

Heat the vegetable oil in a large sauté pan, and cook the ginger and garlic for one minute.

Add the sugar and cook 1-2 minutes more. Do not let the garlic brown.

Drain the shrimp in a colander.

Then add the shrimp to the pan and cook until done, 3-4 minutes.

Serve the shrimp over white or jasmine rice. The sauce is salty (in a good way) so be sure not to salt the rice. Enjoy!

Note: After making this recipe as it was originally printed, I made some minor modifications without any noticeable change in flavor. I increased the amount of shrimp from 1-1/2 pounds to 2 pounds (since frozen shrimp are usually sold by the pound) and reduced the brine by half (the recipe made a ton, and it was unnecessary). To see the original version, click here.

Granola bars are a staple in my pantry, but between my husband, my kids and their hungry friends, I can’t seem to keep enough of them in the house. So I figured it was time to try and make them from scratch, and maybe even sneak in some health food. After many trials, I finally cracked the code and came up with a version that puts all those store-bought bars to shame. What’s more, they’re no-bake and take only ten minutes to make.

The nice thing about these bars is that they’re versatile. If you don’t like chocolate chips, you can use raisins or cranberries. If you’re not a fan of almonds, you can throw in some unsalted sunflower seeds instead. Basically, as long as you keep the ratio of wet to dry ingredients the same, you can substitute just about anything you like. Just keep the quantities of oats and Rice Krispies the same so your bars will have a nice, chewy-crisp texture.

Also, be sure to use quick-cooking oats, which are rolled oats that have been coarsely chopped. Regular old-fashioned oats would be too chewy for this recipe and cause the bars to fall apart. Quick-cooking oats are readily available but you can also make your own by pulsing regular oatmeal in the food processor a few times.

Begin by combining the butter, brown sugar and honey in a large pan.

Bring it to a boil, then let it bubble over low heat for a few minutes to thicken slightly.

Off the heat, stir in the salt and vanilla extract.

Then add the oats, crispy rice cereal, almonds, and flax meal (or wheat germ).

Fold the mixture with a rubber spatula until evenly combined.

Transfer the granola bar mixture to a 9 x 13-inch pan lined with aluminum foil.

Press the mixture lightly with a rubber spatula to flatten, then sprinkle the chocolate chips over top. Use the spatula to press the chips firmly into place and compact the mixture into the pan as much as possible. (The reason you don’t mix the chips in is that they’ll melt.)

Place the pan in the refrigerator for 1-1/2 -2 hours, until the bars are cool. Then use the foil overhang to lift the bars out of the pan and transfer to a cutting board. Using a sharp knife, cut into rectangles.

Keep the bars in an airtight container at room temperature; if you have to stack them, be sure to use parchment paper or foil in between the layers, otherwise they’ll crumble and stick. Enjoy!