White House chef shares healthy salad and pie recipes

Being healthy doesn't have to be boring; try these dishes from Cris Comerford

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>>> this morning in "today"'s kich chen, veggie and fruit meals, featured in "better homes and garden" magazine. the first time in decades a figure has appeared on the cover. chris, good morning. nice to see you.

>> good morning.

>> you've got a pressure packed job at the white house between state dinners and huge luncheons but you had a really pressure packed assignment recently. you had to throw a picnic for fifth graders and everything had to be healthy. how did you do that?actually inspiring experience for us because for chefs, kids are the hardest ones to please. they're very blunt and honest. they will tell you if the food doesn't taste good. for us, that was our hardest audience ever.

>> this was part of the first lady's idea that families need to think differently about how they're feeding their children breakfast, lunch, and dinner.

>> yes. we want people having healthy choices but we want to give tell the tools and the know how. how do you really work from this vegetable around make it just palapable for kids.

>> this is a chopped green salad , herb dressing. what vegetables do you like for this? ?

>> everything in here. chopped green salad . it's really very simple. just, you know, you've got your spinach, you've got your romaine.

>> broccoli and string beans ?

>> put them right here.

>> do you blanche those first?

>> you blanche them.

>> shock them in cold water .

>> shock them in cold water . green color. kids are very visual. so when they see a fruit looks good, it's easier to let them try it.

>> okay. so cucumbers. you've got beans and grapes there to add a little sweetness to it.

>> a little sweetness. and then edamame is great for protein.

>> tell me about the dressing.

>> sure. orange herb vinaigrette. the easier part of this is it all gets mixed in the mason jar . a cup of orange juice , half a cup of --

>> if you don't use all this at once you can store it in the mason jar and store it in the fridge?

>> yes. keep it there for two weeks.

>> pepper in here pr, vinegar. herbs, of course, depends on what you want. thyme, parsley. basically you shake it in the jar. some of this right there. and it's very, very simple.

>> that just goes over the salad. self-explanatory.

>> let's move on. fascinatin fascinating. parents are going to love this one. pocket fruit pies. how do you pick them?

>> simple. you get a piece of a whole grain white bread . and prefer xwli yably you want to use whole grain because it has better nutritional value. this is a homemade smashed apple sauce . if you do not have the smashed apple sauce you can certainly use an apple butter , store bought. we want to make it easy for home cooks and moms who are so busy at home.

>> couple of raspberrieraspberries.

>> put one on top. cut around it. and then the good thing with the soft bread is you don't need any egg wash to brush it. using the tiniest little fork you can kind of like really make it seal around the edges. and what's happening --

>> brush that with oil afterwards?

>> just a little bit with canola oil or vegetable oil and it goes into the oven for 18 minutes, 350 degrees, in a dusting of cinnamon sugar .

>> were these over here made recently? can i try one?

>> you can try one.

>> sometimes you have to be careful around here.

>> yes.

>> those are great. those are really good.

>> it's a take on whatever kids are used to already. like the simple pop tart in the oven kind of thing but this is homemade. you have this in your pantry. anyone can do it.

>> a couple of other things. we don't have time to make but you can show. sweet potato fries.

>> sweet potato fries but they're not fried at all. feel how crunchy that is. this is basically breaded in whole wheat flour , parmesan and bread crumb .

>> fresh made tomato ketchup.

>> dell me about the lemonade.

>> this is the hit of that picnic. kids are, again, very visual. it's made with carrot puree. we added some pineapple juice as a sweetener, just a hint of lemon, a little carbonated water or plain water, if you like.

>> very good. very creative. you have the folks in washington for us. we appreciate it.

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updated 7/22/2011 9:56:37 AM ET

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Recipe: Chopped green salad with herb dressing (on this page) Recipe: Fruit pocket pies (on this page)

Recipe: Chopped green salad with herb dressing

Cris Comerford, White House executive chef

Ingredients

For salad:
4 cups torn spinach and/or romaine
1 small cucumber, seeded, if desired
3 oz. broccoli florets, blanched and shocked*( 1 cup)
3 oz. tender fresh green beans, blanched and shocked*( 1 1/2 cups)
3/4 cup frozen edamame, thawed
1 1/2 cups halved green grapes
1 recipe Fresh Herb Dressing
Lemon wedges
For dressing:
1 cup orange juice
1/3 cup olive oil
1 Tbsp. cider vinegar
2 Tbsp. snipped fresh Italian parsley, basil, or thyme
2 tsp. yellow mustard
1/8 tsp. ground black pepper

Preparation

For dressing:
In a screw-top jar combine orange juice, olive oil, vinegar, herb, mustard and pepper. Cover and shake well. Serve immediately or cover and refrigerate up to 3 days. Stir or shake well before using.

Raspberry vinaigrette: Prepare as above, except substitute raspberry vinegar, and add 1/4 cup mashed fresh raspberries.

For salad:
On a large cutting board, cut lettuce and cucumber into bite-size pieces. Add to a large salad bowl. Add broccoli, beans, edamame, and grapes. Toss gently to mix. Drizzle about 1/3 recipe fresh herb dressing over vegetables. Toss gently to coat mixture with dressing.

Serve in small tumblers or cups with lemon wedges, if desired. Pass remaining dressing, if desired.

Teaching Notes: Before chopping lettuce, wash lettuce and remove excess water from leaves by patting dry with paper towels. Salad dressing clings better to dry lettuce.

Tips

Shocking vegetables: Bring a saucepan half filled with water to a boil. Carefully add vegetables and cook 3 minutes (do not wait for water to return to boil to start timing). Drain in colander and immediately add to a bowl of ice water to halt cooking. Drain well before using.

Before chopping lettuce, wash lettuce and remove excess water from leaves by patting dry with paper towels. Salad dressing clings better to dry lettuce.

Serving Size

Makes 6 servings

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Recipe: Fruit pocket pies

Cris Comerford, White House executive chef

Ingredients

3/4 cup fresh raspberries and/or blueberries
2 Tbsp. sugar
1/4 tsp. ground cinnamon
6 Tbsp. smashed apple jam or apple butter
12 slices soft whole grain white or soft whole wheat bread
1/4 cup vegetable oil
For smashed apple jam
4 lbs. of apples

Preparation

For smashed apple jam:
Peel, core and slice 4 pounds apples. Place apples and 1/2 cup water in a 4 or 5-quart heavy-bottom pan over medium heat. Simmer, covered, for 20 minutes, until very tender. Remove from heat. Mash apples with a potato masher or blend with an immersion blender. Return to heat and simmer, uncovered, for 5 minutes until the jam thickens and most of the liquid has evaporated, stirring frequently. Transfer to a covered container. Store in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.

For pies:
Preheat oven to 350°F. Wash berries and spread to dry on paper towels. Meanwhile, stir together sugar and cinnamon; set aside.

For each pie, spoon 1 tablespoon of smashed apple jam in the center of a bread slice. Top with 3 to 4 berries and another slice of bread. Gently press the top slice around the fruit. Trim crusts from bread using a serrated knife.

Using a fork, press the edges of the bread together to seal in the filling. Lightly brush the top slice of bread with some of the oil. Pick up each pie and, while holding in your hand, lightly brush the opposite side with oil. Place pies on an ungreased baking sheet. Sprinkle tops with cinnamon-sugar.

Bake pies for 18 to 20 minutes or until bread is lightly toasted and bottoms are browned. Transfer to a cooling rack. Cool at least 30 minutes before serving. Makes 6 servings.

Tips

Select soft whole grain bread for these pies, and use the bread directly from the wrapper. The moistness of fresh bread works to seal the fruit inside.

You will know when the pies are done when the bottoms are evenly toasted. To check for browning, use a spatula to lift the pies and peek at the undersides.