There could be no better venue for a class on “Raising Clean Kids,” than the kitchen of Terry Walters, author of Clean Food and Clean Start. Last week, Terry prepared four dishes and dessert for a group of Connecticut moms, while her “clean eating” daughters breezed in and out of the kitchen, quite naturally enhancing the evening’s topic. One daughter had exuberantly picked kale for our meal from their garden, the other asked sweetly if she could “listen in” on the class, and later, if there was any polenta pizza left.
Here were the take-away messages for me:
- The best way to create healthy bodies and healthy body image is to model making good choices for yourself and your family.
- Talk to your kids about the food choices you make (and why you make them), as well as where food comes from (farms, gardens, markets) and where it goes (your body, the trash, compost, the landfill).
- Keep lemon and lime juices in the fridge for most recipes and save the pricey fruit for special salads and zesting.
- You can make perfect julienne strips in a minute with this fantastic julienne peeler:
Summer Rolls with Garlic Scape & Basil Pesto
Prep Time: 20-30 mins
Ingredients (Serves 8-10)
- 2 cups sprouts of choice, rinsed and patted dry
- 2 avocados, peeled and sliced lengthwise
- 1 large red beet, peeled and julienned
- 3 carrots, julienned
- 8-10 rice or tapioca spring roll wrappers
- Shallow bowl or plate of hot water and towels
Garlic Scape Basil Pesto
- 1 cup chopped garlic scapes (these are garlic shoots, available now in New England – I used about 1/2 this amount of garlic when I made it at home)
- 1 cup fresh basil leaves
- 1 cup toasted pine nuts
- 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 1/4 teaspoon lemon juice
- 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
Instructions
Prep all veggies and lay everything out ready for assembly in the following order: wrappers, bowl of water, sprouts, avocado, beets and carrots.
Preparing pesto
Blend all pesto ingredients in blender or food processor until fairly smooth. Place in bowl and add to the line-up between the sprouts and avocado.
Assembling Rolls
Place a towel in front of you. Put one wrapper in bowl with hot water until soft (about 45 seconds). Remove and place on towel and pat dry. Place sprouts centered along the edge closest to you. Spread pesto over sprouts. Top with avocado, beet and carrot.
Wrap by folding up the edge closest to you, folding in the sides, then rolling toward the far edge.
Leave rolls whole or slice in half (on an angle) and place on a serving dish.
Continue with remaining wrappers and filling and serve chilled or at room temp.
I made these over the weekend on my own – refreshing, clean and enjoyed by all. I’ve never enjoyed raw beets quite so much. The pesto is gorgeously bright and flavorful (I used half the garlic scapes for my sensitive crowd).
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