This is a final reminder that tomorrow is the inaugural International Cook With Your Kids Day.
We highly encourage you to use one of the recipes below or from one of our previous posts if you can’t think of your own, but please use whatever recipe you’re most comfortable with! Please share your photos on social media with us on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram using the hashtag #LookWhatWeMade tomorrow during ICWYKD!
Best Ever Mac & Cheese (Will James – from Angela @ Vegangela.com)
This rich and creamy macaroni and cheese is the ultimate comfort food. Vegan and Gluten-Free
Serves: 2-3
8oz macaroni noodles, cooked (use gluten-free, as required)
¾ cup raw cashews
1 + ¾ cups almond or soy milk
¼ cup canola oil
1.5 tbsp cornstarch
¼ cup nutritional yeast
2 tbsp light (yellow or white) miso paste
1 tbsp lemon juice
1 tsp onion powder
½ tsp garlic powder
½ tsp salt
1 tsp truffle oil (optional, but highly recommended)
pepper, to taste
Place cashews in the food processor and finely grind (just don’t let the cashews turn to a paste). Set aside.
In a heavy saucepan, combine milk, oil and cornstarch. Bring to a simmer over high heat. Decrease heat to low, cover and simmer, stirring occasionally for 10 minutes, or until cornstarch dissolves.
Using a whisk or large fork, stir in the ground cashews, nutritional yeast, miso paste, lemon juice, onion powder, garlic powder, and salt until well combined.
Add the cashew cheese to the macaroni noodles, drizzle with truffle oil (if using) and serve.
Optional: For a baked version, preheat oven to 325 and place macaroni mixture in a 8- or 9-inch square baking dish. Cover and bake 20 minutes. Uncover and sprinkle with ½ cup herbed bread crumbs. Continue baking, uncovered, for 15-25 minutes until topping is golden brown.
Apple Pie-Rogies (Shiri Sondheimer)
Ingredients
PIEROGI FILLING
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1 medium crisp apple (at least 1/2 pound in weight) peeled, cored, and cut into 1/4-inch cubes
2 tablespoons packed light brown sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
DOUGH
1 large egg
0.5 cup (4 ounces, 113 grams) sour cream or plain Greek yogurt (full-fat, reduced-fat, or nonfat)
3 tablespoons (1 1/2 ounces, 43 grams) unsalted butter, melted and slightly cooled
1 tablespoon granulated sugar
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
2 cups (8 1/2 ounces, 240 grams) unbleached all-purpose flour
EGG WASH
1 large egg whisked with 1 tablespoon water
TOPPINGS (OPTIONAL)
Caramel sauce
Whipped cream
Powdered sugar
Make the filling:
Melt the butter in a small saucepan over medium-low heat. Stir in the chopped apples, cover, and cook for about 5 minutes until the apples begin to soften. Uncover and stir in the sugar, vanilla, cinnamon, ginger, and allspice. Cook, stirring occasionally, for about 10 minutes until the apples are very soft and liquid is mostly absorbed, about 10 minutes. Transfer to a bowl and refrigerate for at least 1 hour or overnight.
Make the dough:
Whisk the egg, sour cream or yogurt, butter, sugar, and salt in a bowl.
Pour the flour into a separate large bowl.
Gently stir the wet ingredients into the flour. The dough will initially be very dry and shaggy, seeming as if it will never come together, but have no fear: Keep stirring, and it will pull itself into shape.
Once the dough starts to come together, press and smash it against the sides of the bowl with your palms, picking up dough bits and essentially kneading it within the bowl until it forms a ball.
Tip the dough and any remaining shaggy flakes out onto a clean work surface. Knead until smooth, about 1 minute. Cover the dough with the bowl and let rest 15 minutes.
Reserve the egg wash for assembling the pierogies.
Assemble the pierogies:
How to prep apple pierogies
Line a rimmed baking sheet with waxed paper or parchment paper.
Divide the rested dough into 4 equal pieces with a bench scraper or knife. Set aside 3 dough pieces and cover with the mixing bowl. Roll the remaining dough as thinly as possible into a rough 8- x 12-inch rectangle.
Using a 3-inch round cookie cutter, cut out 6 rounds of dough. If the dough isn’t quartered evenly, you may get 5 rounds from one piece and 7 from another. Resist the temptation to re-roll dough scraps for additional rounds. It seems wasteful, but the dough won’t be as tender the second time around.
Spoon 1 teaspoon filling into the center of dough rounds.
Using your finger, swipe a very scant amount of egg wash—just a light touch—around the edge of the dough round.
Fold into a half-moon shape: Either fold the dough over the filling on the work surface—I call this “the blanket”—or gently cup the pierogi in your hand in a U shape—I call this “the taco.” Gently but firmly seal the pierogi by pinching and squeezing the edges together with your thumb and pointer finger. Start with one pinch at the top, then move to one “corner” of the pierogi and pinch along the edge back to the top. Repeat on the opposite side to finish sealing the pierogi.
Transfer to the baking sheet and repeat with remaining dough rounds and filling. Freeze on the baking sheet, refrigerate up to 3 hours, or cook immediately.
Cook the pierogies:
Boil a pot of water over medium-high heat (fill approximately 1 quart water for every 6 pierogies). Add pierogies and cook until floating, 2 to 3 minutes for fresh and 4 to 5 minutes for frozen.
Toss the pierogies in melted butter and serve, or pan-fry: heat 1 tablespoon neutral oil (like canola or vegetable) or melt 1 tablespoon unsalted butter in a skillet over medium heat. Add as many pierogies as will fit in a single layer without crowding. Cook until pierogies are brown and crispy, about 2 minutes per side. Repeat with additional oil or butter and pierogies.
MAKE IT AHEAD!
Once assembled, the pierogies can be frozen and stored for up to 3 months. Freeze the pierogies directly on the waxed paper-lined baking sheet until solid, about an hour, then transfer to a zip-top bag. Boil frozen pierogies as noted above.
Samantha’s Washington Apple Hot Dogs (Claire Jennings, courtesy of her daughter)
1 package of hotdogs
1 package of buns
1 bottle of apple juice
Honey mustard
Ketchup
Bag of favorite chips (Cool Ranch Doritos or BBQ Potato Chips are our favorites)
Cook hotdogs in enough apple juice to cover.
Place hotdog on bun with honey mustard and ketchup to taste.
Top with favorite crushed chips.
Please let us know if you try or enjoy any of our recipes! And don’t forget to send in your recipes to us using the hashtag #LookWhatWeMade!
NOTE: Although International Cook With Your Kids Day is sponsored by Uncle Ben’s, we’d be encouraging this behavior anyway, just because of how helpful it’s been to us.
