Santa Rosa chef shares quick, healthy ideas for back-to-school meals

Jennifer Emory grew up on a small farm in Susanville where her family grew their own fruits and vegetables and raised their own chickens and cows.

“My mom was able to stay home and cook dinner every night,” Emory said. “That was a huge blessing.”

Although she does not yet have children of her own, the Santa Rosa personal chef has plenty of sympathy for working parents who sandwich fresh family meals between the demands of soccer practice, homework and early morning alarm clocks.

As children head back to school this month, Emory shares some recipes from her food truck catering company, Foodie Farmhouse, which serves global comfort food with a twist. All are easy to prepare, perfect for repurposing and easy on the family budget.

Of course, they also showcase the healthy bounty of fall, from zucchini and butternut squash to herbs and tomatoes, along with fiber-filled foods like garbanzo and black beans.

“My cooking style is fresh, clean and full of flavor, yet nutritionally conscious,” Emory said. “I like to use whole foods.” One of her favorite kid-friendly dishes is a simple cherry tomato pasta sauce served over zucchini noodles, topped with chicken medallions and a fresh pesto.

“The pesto can be made from your favorite herbs,” she said. “I like basil, arugula and cilantro, blended with garlic, juice and olive oil.”

For the pasta dish, she slices a chicken breast vertically into thin, manageable pieces, then cooks the slices in a pan. Then she uses the same pan to make the cherry tomato sauce, saving time on clean-up.

The pesto sauce, which may last a few days in the fridge, can later be used to add flavor to a dip, a wrap or a sandwich. She also suggests pouring it over sautéed vegetables.

“Something like pesto helps clear a pathway for kids who may not like vegetables,” she said.

For the zucchini noodles, home cooks can either use a spiralizer, a mandoline slicer or a grater to create the faux spaghetti.

“People do not realize that it’s not pasta,” she said. “And you don’t even have to cook it.”

For another simple but savory dinner, Emory suggests a butternut squash soup made with Asian aromatics like ginger and thickened with coconut milk and shredded coconut. Later in the week, you could use the leftovers as a sauce for fish, such as halibut.

“It’s so creamy and delicious,” she said of the soup. “It’s even good chilled.”

If your kids do not like spicy food, leave out the chiles and serve some hot sauce on the side.

“It’s important to be delicate with kids,” she said. “You should allow them to taste things in small doses, because their palates are so sensitive.”

With this Asian-inspired squash soup, Emory would serve a rainbow slaw made from small bites of apples, cucumbers, radishes, celery, carrots and cabbage, topped with a citrusy dressing of orange juice, mint and extra virgin olive oil.

“You can gather whatever you have in your fridge, then run it through the spiralizer or grater,” she said.

“The texture is great for the kids, because the pieces are nice and small.”

When she was growing up, Emory’s mom made a Mexican casserole called enchilada pie that was layered like a lasagna. Emory still makes it, but for busy families suggests using canned organic black and pinot beans, blended with vegetables and meat for the filling.

To keep the casserole healthy, Emory sprinkles the top with cheese rather than adding it throughout. Rather than frying the tortillas first, she overlaps them on the bottom and pours the sauce over them.

“This recipe gets rid of all the oil, and it holds and freezes well,” she said. “It’s almost more fun to eat than regular enchiladas, and it’s so easy for Mom.”

For lunches and after-school snacks, try making a roasted red bell pepper hummus using ready-made roasted peppers out of the jar. It can be used in a wrap or on a sandwich, or served as a dip with some healthy vegetables.

Another fun idea is to make a batch of pickles, using your favorite refrigerator pickle recipe and the fall bounty of bell peppers, radishes, carrots, cucumbers and cauliflower.

“For kids, it’s a nice way to get fresh veggies on the side of a sandwich,” she said. “They last for a really long time.”

Chicken Medallions with Pesto Sauce over Zucchini “Pasta” with Simple Tomato Sauce

Makes 4 servings for kids (or 2 servings for adults)

1 chicken breast, sliced into 1/2-inch medallions

1/2 cup avocado oil

4 cups young zucchini, grated or spiralized

1 clove garlic, sliced thin

1/2 cup red onion, medium dice

2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

1 teaspoon salt and pepper

1 pint cherry tomatoes, cut in half

For pesto sauce (no cheese, nuts)

(To save time on this recipe, purchase ready-made pesto from the store.)

1 cup basil

1 cup parsley

1 cup cilantro

1 green onion

1 clove garlic

1 lemon, zested and juiced

1/2 cup olive oil

Salt and pepper

For chicken: Preheat a sauté pan over medium heat. Season the medallions top and bottom with salt and pepper. Just before you add the chicken, add 2 tablespoons avocado oil to the pan. Place the chicken into the pan and allow to cook for 2 minutes. Flip each piece of chicken, then cover the pan and allow to cook for another 2-3 minutes until cooked all the way through. When chicken is done, remove it from pan and set aside in a warm place.

For the zucchini “pasta”: In a large bowl, add the grated or spiralized zucchini, cover and set aside.

For the sauce: Using the same pan as the chicken, heat the avocado oil, then add the garlic, red onion, balsamic vinegar and salt and pepper. Bring ingredients to a simmer and let cook for 2 minutes. Turn off the heat and fold in the cherry tomatoes. Pour the sauce over the zucchini, then season to taste with more salt, pepper and balsamic.

For pesto: Put all ingredients in a blender and puree.

Serve the chicken on top of the “pasta,” with 1-2 tablespoons of pesto on top of the chicken.

Thai Butternut Squash Soup

Makes 6 to 8 1-cup servings

4 cups butternut squash, ?medium dice

1 sweet onion, medium dice

1 piece lemongrass, ?bruised and minced

2 tablespoons ginger, chopped fine

2 cups shredded coconut ?(unsweetened)

1 (13.5-ounce) can coconut milk

Salt and pepper

1 lime, zested and juiced

Place all ingredients into a saucepan over medium heat, except for the lime. Cook until tender. Add the lime juice and zest, then puree in blender or with an immersion blender.

Rainbow Slaw

Makes 6 to 8 1-cup servings

For slaw:

1 small zucchini

1 apple

1 carrot

1/2 cucumber

1 watermelon radish

1 golden beet

1 candy-stripe beet

1 stalk celery

2 small pieces broccoli

1/2 cup red cabbage

1/2 cup green cabbage

For dressing:

2 oranges, zested

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

Salt and pepper

Shred, grate or thinly slice all slaw ingredients into a large bowl. Mix together the dressing and drizzle over the top. Toss together the slaw and enjoy.

Enchilada Pie

Makes 6 to 8 servings

2 (13.5-ounce) cans black beans

1 (13.5-ounce) can pinto beans

1 (13.5-ounce) can diced green chiles

2 cups cooked protein (chicken, turkey, beef, pork, tempeh, diced or shredded)

1 yellow onion, medium dice

1 chayote squash, medium dice

1 carrot, small dice

1 (13.5-ounce) can fire-roasted tomatoes

2 (13.5 ounce) cans (4 cups) mild enchilada sauce (green or red)

1 package corn tortillas

1 cup cheddar cheese, shredded

1 bunch cilantro, chopped (optional)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Mix half the black and pinto beans with the chiles and the meat or tempeh. Season with salt and pepper. In another bowl, mix the other half of the black and pinto beans with the onion, chayote, carrot and tomatoes. Season with salt and pepper.

In a large casserole dish, layer a spoonful of enchilada sauce to cover bottom of dish, six corn tortillas, all of the beans and veggie mix, and a third of the enchilada sauce. Follow with 6 corn tortillas, all of the beans and meat mix, another third of the enchilada sauce and six corn tortillas. Top with a spoonful of enchilada sauce to cover.

Bake, covered, in a 350-degree oven for 25-30 minutes until heated through. Take cover off and sprinkle the cheese over the top. Put back into oven for 2 minutes to melt. Add the cilantro at the end before serving, if the kids like it.

Staff Writer Diane Peterson can be reached at 707-521-5287 or diane.peterson@pressdemocrat.com. On Twitter @dianepete56.