Book Review: The ABC’s of Fruits and Vegetables and Beyond

by Claire on June 14, 2012

(See Announcing the June Cookbook Giveaway: Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution and the ABCs of Fruits and Vegetables for a chance to win this book.)

The ABCs of Fruits and Vegetables and Beyond

I really enjoy this book. It is broken into “the ABC’s” and “beyond”, with each section having a two page spread dedicated to each letter. It is marked at 4-12 (and beyond), but at 1, Samantha loved having the “ABC’s” read to her.

In the “ABC’s” section, the first page has the letter and a picture of the fruit/vegetable/related item (like organic). Some, but not all, include additional fruits and vegetables along the edge.

The second page includes a catchy little rhyme and a picture to go with it.

As I said, Samantha loves having this section read to her.

The beyond section is a bit more busy, and better suited of the claimed 4+ age range. It includes fun facts, jokes, further reading, and 1 to 2 recipes. X is the wild fruit Xemenia, and does not include a recipe since you cannot get it in the states.

I found the simplest recipe in the book to make with Samantha, Banana Soft Serve

We followed the instructions exactly. I found that I had to let the bananas defrost some to break them into chunks. I think I will do this before freezing next time.

Samantha enjoyed pushing the button on the food processor, and holding the bowl while it was going (I had no idea it needed to be held). She enjoyed the soft serve even more. I found it creamy, like ice cream, with a strong banana flavor to it.

The banana first turns into little pearls before becoming a smooth ice cream like texture. I want to try mixing other flavors in with it to see how that works.

Recipe
Note: All other recipes call for more than just a banana and have an ingredient section.

Banana Soft Serve

A cool treat!

Peel as many bananas as you need, so each person has one banana.
Put Bananas in a plastic freezer bag. Squeeze out all the air and seal the bag tightly. Place it in the freezer. (I will break the bananas up at this point in the future.)
Just before serving, remove the bananas from the freezer and break them into chunks. Put them in the work bowl of a food processor. Turn the machine on and let it run until the bananas break up. Continue until the mashed banana becomes creamy, light in color, and whipped with air.
Spoon the whipped banana into bowls, paper cups, or cones, and eat it right away.

Comments (10) -

Pamela

6/15/2012 3:29:43 AM #

This looks like a wonderful book, love that banana soft serve, my little ones would love this.

Claire

6/15/2012 7:48:37 AM #

Thanks Pam,

The book is really nice, and has lots of fun stuff in it. I've really enjoyed it.

Thanks,
Claire

Anne @ GreenEggs&Moms

6/15/2012 11:31:58 AM #

Oh my gooosh!! We love bananas over here so I'll be sure to try this out! We just made 2 loaves of banana bread since the cook bought too much bananas and we had 2 cups worth of them overripe.

Claire

6/15/2012 9:22:00 PM #

Thanks Anne,

This turnout out to be a great recipe, and banana bread is great too. Hopefully this will add a bit of variety into your banana eating habits!

Thanks,
Claire

Kenya G. Johnson

6/15/2012 11:51:47 AM #

I read that several times trying to see what else you put in it. It's so creamy and pretty. What does whipped with air mean? I hope that's not a "duh" question.

Claire

6/15/2012 9:33:06 PM #

Thanks Kenya,

The way I see it, when it comes to learning something about food you didn't know, there is no "duh" questions. I probably would not have used the term "whipped with air" if the book had not, but it is accurate in describing what happens. Certain foods can be "whipped", whipping cream is the obvious one, but ice cream and other foods are made this way to. Basically, as the food is stirred, air gets mixed into it and makes is smooth and fluffy/creamy. In this recipe, the food processor is the tool which gets the air mixed in. You know it is done when it feels like soft serve ice cream. Isn't it wonderful how a single banana can be turned into this?

Thanks,
Claire

Hezzi-D

6/15/2012 4:48:08 PM #

Awesome book! Every other year we do a project with my students to have them try just about every fruit and vegetable there is. We use dips, put them in pies, make them into projects, etc. to get the kids to try them. This book looks perfect for it!
(We only do it every other year because I keep my kids for up to 5 years in special ed)

Claire

6/15/2012 9:49:34 PM #

Thanks Hezzi,

It sounds like you care about your students, and about exposing them to food. We need more teachers like that! This would make a great addition to your project. It has lots of information packed into the "beyond" section in a way children will love, and the "abc's" section is a fun read. Let me know how it goes the next time you do this project.

Thanks,
Claire

Katie

6/30/2012 8:05:51 AM #

That looks soo tasty, and it's so simple too. Thanks for sharing Claire.

Claire

6/30/2012 12:41:58 PM #

Thanks Katie,

It really is good. I would like to try it with a few other flavors added in. It could be a healthy and easy substitute for ice cream.

Thanks,
Claire

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Book Review: The ABC’s of Fruits and Vegetables and Beyond

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