Ciabatta Sandwich

Today was sandwich day. So I tried to make something a little bit different. As my daughter doesn't like to eat sliced tomatoes, I took another direction. I washed and took the seeds out of a tomato, then I put it in a processor with olive oil and salt to make a "paste". I spread it in one of the sides of a ciabatta bread, and topped it with two slices of buffalo mozzarella. On the other half of the bread, I spread the store bought pesto sauce that I already mentioned in another recipe. Super delicious!!!!

Zucchini Muffin

For yesterday's lunch I tried a different version of an old muffin recipe. Here's what I did: in a bowl,  add 1 cup of flour, 1 teaspoon of baking powder, 3/4 cup of ricotta, 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese, 2 eggs, 1/4 cup of milk, 1/4 cup olive oil, 1 seedless shredded  zucchini and salt to taste. Mix everything to incorporate. If you think that the mixture is too dry, add a splash of milk. Fill greased muffin molds(3/4) and bake them around 20 min in a pre-heated 350F oven. Check if they are done with a toothpick. If it comes out clean, they are ready. The family really enjoyed them!!!!!

Ricotta salad sandwich

I'm always trying to create something simple but different for the kids. So I  processed ricotta cheese, black Kalamata olives, olive oil and salt. Then I spreaded a thick layer of the ricotta paste on a slice of rye bread, added 2 slices of tomatoes and slices of hard boiled eggs. Seasoned with olive oil and salt, and topped with another slice of the bread. I split this sandwich in half, and made two meals out of that. Sent with yogurt and some fruit (or maybe a natural cereal bar), it makes a good school lunch.

Hummus and vegetables

Today I assembled a simple lunch for the kids that they really enjoy. I used a salad container from Rubbermaid that seems to make lunch more interesting for them... I filled a little container with homemade hummus, and added cherry tomatoes, sliced cucumbers and organic tortilla chips. I used to send carrot strips with this meal, but now that my daughter is wearing braces, I'm skipping this one. But any vegetable that your kids like will do!!

About the hummus... I bought it from different stores and they are also very good, but once I started doing my own, well, it makes the family happy!!! I use 1 can of cooked and peeled garbanzo beans, 2 tablespoons of Tahini, half a lime, 1/4 cup of olive oil, salt to taste and a splash of water. Run everything in the processor, adjust seasonings and it's done. The water can be more or less, according to your taste, if you like thicker or thinner. The Tahini brand that I used was Once Again Organic Tahini, I already found it at Meijer and Whole Foods Market.

Quick chicken wrap

This morning, I had planned to send cheese quiche for the kids. But they asked me if I could change plans and send a wrap, which they love!!! There was just one detail: I didn't have the usual ingredients for the wrap... In the fridge I had cheese and some grilled chicken tenderloin leftovers. So I sliced it very thin, put inside slices of provolone cheese and wrap everything. To close ("glue"), I spread some Dijon mustard (their favorite). They were so happy that they were bringing something that they chose!!!!