Don't Miss Summer Fruit, Irresistible Feta-Like Cheese, and a Cute Toy Car

Before summer and its glorious fruits disappear make sure to make a fruit salad for the kids to enjoy. It's so easy, especially if you hit your local farmers' market which is bound to have an abundance of fresh and colorful summer fruit like apricots, nectarines, peaches, plums, pluots, figs, grapes, melons, and all kinds of plump, tasty berries. Cut them all up into bite-sized pieces and voilà it's ready to eat. If you want to dress it up a bit try mixing in some kefir or yogurt, and/or adding a little sugar and lemon juice at a ratio of 1 parts sugar to 2 parts lemon juice.

Recipe:

Irresistible Feta-Like Cheese

VT came out with several vegan cheese recipes in April 2009, but this one was by far the best. Whether you are a cheese lover or a vegan (or both) you will not be disappointed. For non-dairy kids and adults, this healthy recipe is a must-try. Suprisingly, it is not too difficult either.

Ingredients
1 cup whole blanched almonds
1/4 cup lemon juice
3 Tbs. plus 1/4 cup olive oil, divided
1 clove garlic, peeled
1 1/4 tsp. salt
1 Tbs. fresh thyme leaves
1 tsp. fresh rosemary leaves

1) Place almonds in medium bowl, and cover with 3 inches cold water. Let soak 24 hours. Drain soaking liquid, rinse almonds under cold running water, and drain again.

2) Purée almonds, lemon juice, 3 Tbs. oil, garlic, salt, and 1/2 cup cold water in food processor 6 minutes, or until very smooth and creamy.

3) Place large strainer over bowl, and line with triple layer of cheesecloth. Spoon almond mixture into cheesecloth. Bring corners and sides of cloth together, and twist around cheese, forming into orange-size ball and squeezing to help extract moisture. Secure with rubber band or kitchen twine. Chill 12 hours, or overnight. Discard excess liquid.

4) Preheat oven to 200°F. Line baking sheet with parchment paper. Unwrap cheese (it will be soft), and transfer from cheesecloth to prepared baking sheet. Flatten to form 6-inch round about 3/4-inch thick. Bake 40 minutes, or until top is slightly firm. Cool, then chill. (Cheese can be made up to this point 2 days ahead; keep refrigerated.)

5) Combine remaining 1/4 cup oil, thyme, and rosemary in small saucepan. Warm oil over medium-low heat 2 minutes, or until very hot but not simmering. Cool to room temperature. Drizzle herb oil over cheese just before serving.

Product:

Plan Toys Baby Car

Quality toys are hard to come by these days, but this is definitely one of them. It not only rolls well and has cute colors, it also folds up like an accordion when you push the ends.

When shopping for toys we always look for wooden ones, but even some of those are covered with acrylic-based paints, which is not a good idea for babies that are still chewing on things. Plan Toys has many cute toys and games that span the ages, all of which are made with the health of your child and the environment in mind. And FYI - a really great website out there for cute wooden toys is Oompa. They have a search section dedicated to wooden toys.


"If little else, the brain is an educational toy." -Tom Robbins