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| Celebrate Mother's Day In The Kitchen: Chef Lorena Garcia Gets Moms & Kids Cooking Together |
Mother's Day is the one day a year that mom gets to kick back, relax and leave the cooking to the kids. This year, Celebrity Chef Lorena Garcia is encouraging a new tradition. Instead of the standard breakfast in bed, why not celebrate - and strengthen - the bonds of motherhood by spending some quality time in the kitchen together? Garcia, who credits family meals in Venezuela as her inspiration to become a chef, founded Big Chef, Little Chef, a program that educates and excites kids of all ages about the benefits of nutrition and living a healthy and happy life. "Kids love to get involved with cooking," Garcia says. "They feel a sense of accomplishment being a part of something that is traditionally an adult's job." Plus, as children become part of the preparation, they're more willing to eat whatever is on their plate and form a habit of healthy choices. This year, make some tasty treats and lasting memories. Garcia has created a line-up of Mother's Day treats that are delicious, easy and fun for both little chefs and moms - and healthy, too! Lorena Garcia's Apricots and Ricotta Cheese Toast Serve for breakfast or dessert. Preparation time: 10 minutes Cook time: 10 minutes 1 cup water 1 tablespoon butter, softened 1/2 cup SPLENDA® Sugar Blend for Baking 6 fresh apricots, peeled, halved and pitted 1 vanilla bean, split lengthwise 4 bread slices, toasted 1 cup part-skim ricotta cheese Zest of 1 lemon Optional Garnish: vanilla beans PREHEAT broiler. COMBINE water, SPLENDA® Sugar Blend for Baking, vanilla bean and lemon zest in a non-aluminum saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring until SPLENDA® Sugar Blend for Baking dissolves; reduce heat and simmer 10 minutes or until mixture is reduced. Add apricots and simmer for 3 to 5 minutes or until apricots are just tender. Using a slotted spoon, remove apricots from syrup. Set aside. SPREAD butter on bread slices. Broil until bread is lightly toasted. SPOON ricotta cheese on each bread slice. Top with apricots and remaining syrup. Broil 2 to 3 minutes or until thoroughly heated and apricots begin to caramelize. Garnish with a vanilla bean, if desired. Serve immediately. Dietary Exchanges: 2 Starches, 1 Medium Fat Meat Nutrition Information per Serving Serving Size: 1/4 recipe Calories 240 Calories from Fat 60 Total Fat 7g Saturated Fat 4g Cholesterol 20mg Sodium 290mg Total Carbohydrate 34g Dietary Fiber 2g Sugars 7g Protein 11g Makes 4 servings. This recipe, when compared to a traditional recipe, has a 31% reduction in calories, a 38% reduction in carbohydrates and a 78% reduction in sugars! Lorena Garcia's Crispy French Toast The kids will never know that this delicious, melt-in-your-mouth breakfast is low-fat and you'll feel like you've indulged too! Makes 6 servings. Preparation time: 10 minutes Cook time: 10 minutes 1 cup 1% low-fat milk 3/4 cup half-and-half 1/2 cup SPLENDA® No Calorie Sweetener, Granular 2 tablespoons vanilla extract 4 large eggs 6 (1-inch) thick slices white bread, crusts removed and cut diagonally in half 4 cups cornflakes cereal, finely crushed 2 tablespoons ground cinnamon 1 cup strawberries, sliced 1 cup fat-free vanilla yogurt Optional garnish: fresh mint sprigs PREHEAT oven to 350°F. COMBINE milk, half-and-half, SPLENDA® Granular, and vanilla; whisk until SPLENDA® Granular dissolves. Add eggs, whisking until blended. DIP bread into the milk mixture; dredge in cornflakes cereal. Place on a baking sheet. BAKE for 5 to 10 minutes or until golden brown. SPRINKLE a small amount of cinnamon over 6 plates. Arrange 2 toast triangles in the center of each plate. Arrange strawberries around toast; top toast with a small scoop of vanilla yogurt. Sprinkle with cinnamon. Garnish with fresh mint sprigs, if desired. Dietary Exchanges: 3 1/2 Starches, 2 Fats Nutrition Information per Serving Serving Size: 1/6 of recipe Calories 330 Calories from Fat 80 Total Fat 9g Saturated Fat 4.5g Cholesterol 155mg Sodium 440mg Total Carbohydrate 50g Dietary Fiber 2g Sugars 11g Protein 12g This recipe, when compared to a traditional recipe, has a 19% reduction in calories, a 25% reduction in carbohydrates and a 64% reduction in sugars! Lorena Garcia's Sweet Yogurt Dip This yummy dip is great with fruit or with pound cake! Preparation Time: 10 minutes 2 cups of low-fat plain yogurt (for a thicker dip, use traditional Greek yogurt) 2 tsp vanilla extract 2 tsp orange zest 6-8 tbsp of SPLENDA® Granular COMBINE all ingredients in a medium bowl WHISK together. SERVE chilled Makes about 2 cups |
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About the Author: Lorena Garcia is currently the host of "El Arte del Buen Gusto," one of the highest rated shows on MGM's 'Casa Club TV' and also appears weekly on Telemundo's nationally syndicated morning show "Cada Dia con Maria Antonieta," Lorena can also be heard on Univision Radio as the host of "Con Saxon" a national cooking show. Lorena is a spokeswoman for SPLENDA® No Calorie Sweetener and has been featured in publications such as Glamour, Cosmopolitan, Kiplinger's Personal Finance, The Miami Herald and New York Times among others. Lorena's restaurant, Elements, is the hottest destination in Miami's burgeoning Design District. Lorena started 'Big Chef Little Chef' in response to the health and social problems caused by childhood obesity. The non-profit organization teaches children - and their families - how to take control of their cooking and eating habits and ultimately, their lives. Lorena's hands-on workshops show both parents and children that cooking healthy is easy, fun and really can be delicious. The program is set to expand nationally during 2007. For more information, visit www.cheflorenagarcia.com. |
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Let's Get Cooking!
