Veggiesaurus Lex - My children's picture book on healthy eating!

SAN DIEGO, Nov 12, 2009 /PRNewswire via COMTEX/ --

At a time when parents spend more each year on fast food for their children than on books, educational materials, DVDs, music, trips to the movies and video games combined, it can feel like instilling healthy eating habits is a losing battle. With the publication of her third book, "Veggiesaurus Lex" (published by AuthorHouse), Karen Fine offers parents, educators and caregivers a new resource to combat the seemingly endless array of easy, cheap and available unhealthy food.

Meet Lex, a big pink dinosaur who has a big tummy ache after she eats too much junk food. Lex, feeling sluggish and slow, seeks the advice of her vegetarian friends who immediately have an answer for her. Fine writes:

Veggies are great And they don't slow you down.
They're easy to find all around town.
Carrots are roots That grow in the ground.
Peas are quite yummy; smooth, green and round.
Looking for color? There's plenty, they said.
Green peppers also come in yellow, orange and red!

As her friends go on to describe other types of tasty vegetables, Lex decides to try some for herself and discovers that they truly are delicious! With charming illustrations by Russ Novak that bring Lex and her friends to life on each page, "Veggiesaurus Lex" combines a fun, rhyming story with an important message: to stay fit and energized, it's important to eat vegetables.

Find out more in the pages of this whimsical new book. Karen Fine was inspired to educate children about living a healthy lifestyle after her oldest son was diagnosed with celiac disease and restricted to a gluten-free, wheat-free diet. Her other books, "How I Eat Without Wheat" and "Nature's Candy" (both published by AuthorHouse) are the first two installments in a trilogy she hopes will inspire children to make healthier choices.

For more information, visit http://www.karenfine.com.
AuthorHouse is the premier book publisher for emerging, self-published authors.
For more information, please visit http://www.authorhouse.com.

EDITORS: For review copies or interview requests, contact: Promotional Services Department Tel: 888-728-8467 Fax: 812-961-3133 Email: pressreleases@authorhouse.com (When requesting a review copy, please provide a street address.)

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SOURCE AuthorHouse URL: http://www.authorhouse.com www.prnewswire.com Copyright (C) 2009 PR Newswire. All rights reserved -0- KEYWORD: California INDUSTRY KEYWORD: BKS

Mom Cooks Gluten Free on Facebook!

Gluten Free Toasted Pancetta, Basil and Cheese Sandwich with Truffle Oil

For this sandwich, I just used a lot of left over ingredients from other dishes I had been making. The bread is the Whole Foods Every Day Gluten Free Hamburger Buns (you see those a lot on my blog), pan-fried Pancetta (Italian version of bacon...very flavorful!), white American cheese, Thai basil (but regular basil would be great too), lettuce, tomatoes and white truffle oil.

• Two large, gluten free buns or four slices of gluten free bread.
• 8 slices of Pancetta
• 4 slices of white American cheese (or your favorite sliced cheese)
• 3 Tbsp of fresh, chopped basil leaves
• 4 leaves of Romaine lettuce
• 4 large tomato slices
• 2-4 tsp of white truffle oil

Directions:

1. If the gluten free bread was previously frozen, thaw in the microwave.
2. In a 12" (or larger) skillet, cook the Pancetta slices over medium/high heat for approximately 5-7 minutes. Flip with a spatula half way through. The Pancetta should be crispy, golden brown, on both sides, but not burned. Set aside.
3. Toast the four slices/halves of the gluten free bread under the broiler for 1-2 minutes, or in a toaster oven, until golden.
4. With a basting brush, brush approximately 1 tsp of truffle oil on each piece of bread.
5. Layer the Pancetta and cheese on two halves of the bread. Put those two halves in the microwave for approximately 25 seconds or under the broiler for about 30 seconds until the cheese is melted.
6. Return to a serving plate. Top with fresh basil, lettuce, tomatoes and the remaining slices of bread.
7. Serve immediately.

Vera's Egg and Cheese Stuffed Breakfast Potato

• Two large, Russet potatoes
• 8-10 eggs
• 1/2 cup of shredded cheddar cheese
• 2 chives, sliced thin
• Freshly ground black pepper and salt, to taste

Directions:

1. Wash/scrub the potatoes under water.
2. Bake the potatoes. In the microwave, it took me 17 minutes for both potatoes. I cut an "x" into the top of each potato and turned them over after 10 minutes. DO NOT OVER COOK THEM. They're done when you squeeze them and they give just a little. You don't want them too soft, or over-cooked and hard. (If have time, you can bake these in the oven. They will retain more nutrients and have a crispier outside shell. Bake at 350 deg F for 1-1.5 hours.
3. Let the potatoes cool at least 15 minutes until they are cool enough to handle.
4. Prepare the scrambled eggs by whisking the eggs, cheese, salt and pepper in a bowl.
5. Heat a LARGE (bigger than 12" if you have one), nonstick frying pan to low/medium heat. (Ten eggs is a lot to scramble in a smaller pan.)
6. Add the egg mixture and, using a spatula, continue to scrape the bottom of the pan, while moving the eggs around, until the eggs are cooked through. (If you cook with the heat too high, the eggs will start to brown.)
7. Sprinkle 1/2 of the chives into the eggs and continue to toss over the heat, gently, until the chives are mixed in.
8. Remove from heat.
9. To make the potato boats, slice the potatoes lengthwise. Using a spoon, scoop out the middle of each potato half, leaving about 1/4 inch of potato around the outside and on the bottom. You want to leave enough potato to keep it sturdy.
10. Scoop in 1/4 of the egg mixture into each potato half. Top with chives and more salt and pepper, to taste.

I see my future version of this to include Pancetta, fresh basil and chopped cherry tomatoes. Definitely a fun thing to serve for overnight guests or on a lazy Sunday morning!

Gluten Free Cookie Dough in the freezer section!

These are delicious. There are 10 cookies to a box and you just put the dough on a cookie sheet and bake for about 14 minutes. Yum.