The Mighty Quinn Serves It Up
June 24, 2004

Watching kids as their eating habits form and solidify is not unlike witnessing a train wreck in slow motion, it’s a scary and fascinating thing all at once. I’ll eat anything that moves, yet my fourteen year old daughter, Quinn, has been a vegetarian for over two years. She decided to try it one day and never looked back. At first I was worried about her health all the time. “How can she possibly pass up a freshly grilled burger? Doesn’t she want even a little bite of the Cajun-rubbed pork? Horrors, she’ll have low bone density scores as an adult!” After I got tired of worrying, I got indignant. Cripe, the kid lives in a home with the food equivalent of limousine service, yet, she’d rather hitchhike. To be fair, Quinn is not righteous or political or picky about her food, she is knowledgeable and knows that for her, eating lighter feels better. She is growing beautifully, has plenty of energy for rock climbing, and takes responsibility for her nutritional needs. I, in turn, have learned to respect and support her choices.

The “vegetarian” tag may be a stretch. Technically speaking, Quinn doesn’t really eat that many vegetables; she’s more like a “carbatarion”, an accurate but potentially inflammatory moniker in today’s carb-paranoid world. We’ve managed to bridge our generational food gap with spinach: Quinn is willing to add fresh spinach to just about any dish. Since this is prime time for that mighty and versatile green, I thought I’d share some of her favorite food combinations. They easily fuel my busy teenager, and provide me with nice alternatives during this wonderfully warm season.

Pita Bread Pizzas    makes 4   6” pizzas

Try the excellent Muir Glen organic pasta sauce line for this recipe.
- 2 whole wheat 6” pita pockets, split in half to make four flat rounds
- 1 cup whole milk mozzarella cheese, shredded
- One half cup vegetarian pasta sauce
- 1 cup fresh spinach, shredded
- Slices of fresh garlic and bell peppers

Layer ingredients on the pita bread and bake in 350 degree oven for 6 minutes.

Fresh Spinach Salad
- 4 fists of fresh, clean spinach
- one half cup red onion, thinly sliced
- 2 cups button mushrooms, sliced
- bean sprouts

Dressing: 2 T each of rice vinegar and sesame oil, shaken well.
Toss together with clean hands, serves 2-4.

Wilted Greens and Bowtie Pasta
- 8 ounces bowtie pasta
- 2 fistfuls of fresh clean spinach, lightly torn
- 3 cloves fresh garlic, minced
- one half cup fresh parmesan cheese, shredded
- one third cup olive oil

Cook pasta al dente, drain, toss with ingredients. Serves 2 .

Kim Dannies is a graduate of La Varenne Cooking School in France. She lives in Williston, VT with her husband, Jeff, and three college–aged daughters who come and go. ©2008