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Best Cookbooks for Kids Buying a cookbook for a child can be such a fun milestone, so to help you sort through the many, many options out there, these top four picks are great places to start for kids of all ages. I’ve included these by ages and stages, so you can start with the toddler/preschooler stage, then add a book as the kids grow into middle school! These books are for kids to actually get cooking in the kitchen, using ingredients that are accessible and as kid-friendly as possible....

Okra, called bhindi in Hindi (or lady fingers in Indian English, which has to be the cutest name for them!), has to be one of the oddest vegetables. Shaped like a pepper, but tender and with a peach-like fuzzy skin. If you’ve ever cooked with it, you know it has a tendency to get very… for lack of a better word, slimy. Some recipes take advantage of this characteristic, such as gumbo–which uses okra as a thickener for the stew....

Get ready for something awesome: I am combining the rich, spicy flavors of Mexican Birria with the cozy, slurpable goodness of Japanese Ramen. It’s like two of your favorite comfort foods got together and made something even better! One of my most popular and iconic dishes on GypsyPlate is Birria Stew. I have been making this Mexican classic for years now, and recently upgraded it into Short Rib Birria. Most of the times I go the Birria Taco way when we cook a big pot, as they are simply irresistible when dunked in that bold yet perfectly seasoned consommé....

Black beans make a great side dish. Some of our favorite main dish recipes to serve these with are Slow Cooker Cuban Mojo Pork, Crispy Mexican Slow Cooker Pork Carnitas, Sriracha Mayo Marinated Grilled Lamb Chops, and Cafe Rio Sweet Pork Barbacoa. Brazilian Black Beans Remember how last week I posted a recipe for Brazilian style white rice? Well, man cannot live on bread rice alone. (I hope it’s not blasphemous to quote the scriptures this way....

We always serve this Brazilian white rice with Grilled Cilantro Lime Chicken Thighs, Hawaiian Teriyaki Chicken Skewers, Poppy Seed Chicken Casserole, and Slow Cooker Cuban Mojo Pork. Brazilian White Rice I can’t hardly believe that the Rio Olympics are over. It was such a wonderful couple of weeks and we enjoyed watching as much of it as we could. My girls, who have both been doing gymnastics since they were 18 months old, are now officially obsessed with the sport even more than before and their make-believe has shifted from princesses and cats to who is Laurie Hernandez or Simone Biles....

With just a few ingredients, most of which can be easily substituted, you can have better-than-restaurant breakfast tacos on your table. You’ll love them for a weekend brunch, but they’re more than easy enough for a quick start to your busy weekdays! Tacos for breakfast have become the new thing in our home. I mean, why wait till lunch or dinner for those fun handheld treats? Breakfast tacos are huge in Texas....

Caramel Buttermilk Syrup If you are tired of plain old maple syrup, you can elevate your pancakes and French toast with a batch of this easy buttermilk syrup that is thick, sweet, and delicious! Your family breakfasts will go from forgettable to memorable with this yummy syrup that is sure to become a tradition in your family just like it is in ours. Caramel is one of the most heavenly flavors of all time....

Even though I live here on Hutchinson Island in Florida, I always get dreamy eyed thinking of far away islands. Those of the Bahamas, which are so close to us, to the Dominican to Salvador to Jamaica and all the way to Trinidad and Tobago. Jason, my husband, and I would love to sail away someday in our sailboat. But for now, with our son, life is showing us some other beautiful side of life with parenthood, and sailing has gone to the back-burner....

Creamy, rich and finger licking, Korma is cooked slow and low with flavors created to suit the King’s palate. Korma is an iconic dish from India, with deep roots in Moghlai cuisine. We will tell you all, and you would be surprised how easy it is to master this chicken recipe in your very own kitchen. We decided to cook some Indian food for this Diwali, though this year my heart is very sad and heavy for my father, who passed away last year....

Chocolate covered bananas always make me think of Disneyland and the original frozen banana stands in Southern California near where I grew up. If you are a fan of the show “Arrested Development”, you might remember George Bluth’s frozen banana stand based on the ones started on Balboa Island in the 1960’s. You can still get the frozen chocolate covered bananas at Disneyland or on Balboa Island, but they are super easy to make at home and you can customize them with your own favorite toppings!...

Pasta & sauce is always a homerun when it comes to getting dinner on the table at our house. Some of our other favorites are Penne Alla Vodka, Roasted Red Pepper Sauce, and Fettuccine Alfredo. This is the Best Cincinnati Chili I love making regional favorites for my American Eats series where I’m sharing famous foods from every state, and Cincinnati Chili is a dinnertime staple in the Queen City....

If you are looking for fun party food or tasty lunch ideas, be sure to try our Homemade Soft Pretzels or Slow Cooker Asian Pulled Pork Sliders! Confession time: Corn dogs just might be my favorite junk food of all time. I know they aren’t “good” for you, but man I just love them so much! They are tasty and fun and have that salty-sweet flavor going on with the fantastic cornbread texture that I can’t resist....

Making these is as simple as drenching cauliflower in a chickpea flour batter, baking them, then tossing in an easy cranberry barbecue sauce. Dip into a vegan ranch for a tangy, creamy counterpoint. These cauli wings are plant based and gluten free and can be enjoyed by all for a mouth watering snack! While I designed this recipe as a way to use up leftover cranberry sauce (from your Thanksgiving meal perhaps), and maybe sneak a bit of extra veggie into our lives–I’m going to argue that one should make these cranberry barbecue cauliflower wings at any time a craving hits!...

Our love for fries of all sorts runs deep and strong. Some of our other favorite fries are Baked Greek Feta Fries, Oven Roasted Barbecue Potato Wedges, and classic Homemade French Fries. I never really used to be much of a sweet potato fan until I discovered sweet potato fries. The sweet and savory combination is just incredible. They are so good! These crispy seasoned sticks of deliciousness were my gateway to the broader world of sweet potato sides like smoked sweet potatoes with cinnamon honey butter and sweet potato casserole....

Do Bananas Cause Constipation? Whether bananas cause constipation depends the ripeness which is detectable by the color of the peel. Underripe bananas, so ones that are more green than yellow, have higher levels of what’s known as resistant starch—which can be binding in the digestive system—so they can contribute to constipation. As bananas ripen, the amounts of those resistant starches decrease and the amounts of soluble fiber increase. Fully ripe bananas, so ones that are bright yellow and have some brown spots, can actually help with constipation because of the fiber they contain....

Bean Puree It can be a challenge to figure out which proteins to offer to a baby, but this simple bean puree is incredibly easy to make and it’s a great source of nutrition for an early eater. We like to serve it on a spoon in the traditional way, or to spread it onto a toast finger for a baby led weaning food that baby can feed himself. You can make this with a variety of beans, you can start with canned beans or cook beans from dry, and you can add a range of flavors....

Pies are one of my favorite desserts, they’re always a crowd-pleaser and they don’t have to be super complicated to taste amazing. It definitely shouldn’t be relegated to just Thanksgiving! This creamy Custard Coconut Pie recipe is every coconut lover’s dream! It’s really similar to a coconut cream pie although the texture and method of preparation are different. But both are absolutely delicious in their own way! Instead of cooking the filling separately and pouring it into a prebaked pie crust like you do for coconut cream pie, in a coconut custard pie you mix the filling together then bake it in a pie crust for a more custardy, set slice....

Just one look at my golden seared chicken smothered in creamy sauce, sprinkled with colorful veggies, and everyone around the table is happy. It’s like you’ve been served a restaurant quality chicken dish in the comfort of your own home. Pin or bookmark this one for your every day dinner. I love easy recipes that taste good. You will find plenty here on GypsyPlate. Life can be demanding, with a million things to tackle and finish....

We eat a soup for kids in our house (often on Sundays), and this one is a favorite. It’s similar to one my grandmother used to make, and I love how versatile and delicious it is. I’ve tried to streamline the chopping you need to do for this, but there are options for pre-cut or frozen vegetables. We love the flavor of this tomato broth with the ground beef and veggies for its a nod to Italian-American cuisine....

Mediterranean Quinoa Salad I love a good quinoa salad and I particularly love how easy they are to make ahead of time and grab whenever I need a fast meal for myself. This version, which features tender quinoa, crunchy cucumbers and shredded carrots, protein (and fiber!) packed beans, and creamy cheese, is a perfect mix of textures and nutrition. And, the zippy lemon-based dressing gives it a Mediterranean flavor that’s both subtle and satisfying....