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This month's recipe features a spinach
pesto topped with colorful bell peppers. The pesto can be made on its own and can be used on pasta or served as an accompaniment
to chicken. I like to make the pesto in large batches and freeze them in Ziploc bags (Tip: If you press the pesto
so that it lies flat in the Ziploc bags, you can easily break off a piece of frozen pesto to heat up and use it whenever you
want it).
This
is a recipe that we use in our middle school classes to teach adolescents about the importance of iron in their diets, particularly
during pre-teen and teenage years. Iron-deficiency anemia is the number one nutritional deficiency in the United States.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates that about 75 percent of teenage girls and about 17 percent
of teenage boys don't get enough iron in their diets. Iron deficiency also “rears its ugly head” again
for many women later in life.
Yes, Popeye had it right: spinach makes you strong because it is an iron-rich food. However, in
order for the body to absorb the iron from most plant-based foods, you need to also consume foods rich in Vitamin C, like
the bell peppers in our recipe.
Spinach (IRON) + Bell Pepppers (VITAMIN C) =
strong, energetic, less tired
 SPINACH PESTO PEPPER TARTS
(a Jill Dahan recipe)
(makes 12 small tarts)
6-7 sheets Fillo pastry (found in the frozen section of your grocery store) For Pesto Filling*:
1 cup packed baby spinach leaves
2 medium
cloves garlic crushed
½ cup raw walnuts soaked in water (preferably overnight) then drained
1 tbsp lemon
juice (about ½ a lemon)
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 large stems basil or 1 sprig rosemary leaves (optional)
2-3 tbsp fresh finely grated parmesan cheese To Top
Tarts:
1 cup chopped bell peppers (assorted colors – red, yellow, orange)
Extra virgin coconut
oil or olive oil for brushing Instructions: Step #1: Kids cut bell pepper into small pieces.
Bake the bell pepper pieces with 1 tbsp
oil at 375F for 7-10 minutes until just softened. Set aside.
 Step #2: While the bell pepper pieces are baking, cut fillo into rectangles,
squares, or circles (each child gets 6 sheets of fillo). Step #3: For the
tart base, unroll Fillo dough and count out 6-7 large sheets. If you make Fillo “cups”, cut the Fillo in
half, and then half again in order to make squares. The Fillo cups should each have about 6 layers of Fillo. Working
quite quickly brush or drizzle some of the olive oil on each square, and press into muffin tin. Repeat this process
of layering with olive oil and pressing into muffin tins until each cup has about 6 layers of Fillo. Rewrap tightly the unused sheets and return to a sealed plastic bag for another use.
SPINACH PESTO
Step #4: To Make the Spinach Pesto: Place lemon,
garlic, and olive oil in a blender and top with the spinach, nuts, cheese, and basil if using. Blend pushing down the
leaves until all combined. Set aside. Ingredients For Pesto Filling*:
1
cup packed baby spinach leaves
2 medium cloves garlic crushed
½ cup raw walnuts soaked in water (preferably
overnight) then drained
1 tbsp lemon juice (about ½ a lemon)
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 large stems
basil or 1 sprig rosemary leaves (optional)
2-3 tbsp fresh finely grated parmesan cheese Step #5: Bake the Fillo pastry at 375F for about 7-8 minutes just until
lightly browned. Step #6: Remove from oven
and gently remove from muffin tins. Step #7: Fill
each Fillo cup with the pesto and top with the roasted bell peppers. Serve
at room temperature.
JUNE
RECIPE - ORANGE CHOCOLATE BANANA POPS
JULY RECIPE - ZUCCHINI "SPAGHETTI"
AUGUST RECIPES - ROASTED TOMATO GRILLED CHEESE, BASIL PESTO, & WATERMELON PEACH SLUSHIE
SEPTEMBER
RECIPE - OATMEAL APPLE CINNAMON PANCAKE MUFFINS
OCTOBER
RECIPES - WHOLE WHEAT VEGGIE PIZZAS, QUICK TOMATO SAUCE, CHIA SEED JELLO
FEBRUARY RECIPE - CHOCOLATE BEETROOT CUPCAKES
MARCH RECIPE - QUINOA FRUIT SALAD
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