Here’s a link to my column in today’s Ledger-Enquirer about luring kids to eat their vegetables. Below are some recipes mentioned in the column. Happy healthy eating!
Sunshine soup (my cousin April’s recipe with lots of flexibility, no precise measurements and just a pinch of magic)
April says: ‘Sunshine soup could be any kind of stuff with lots of carrots added in to make it yellowish orange - and nothing added that would turn the orange brown - like greens. I just cook onions in a generous amount of oil or butter (I usually use coconut oil) and then add a whole head of cauliflower cut up small and several cups (maybe three or four?) of sliced carrots, and Herbamare (a salty seasoning), and cover the veggies up with water - you could use broth instead. I put the lid on the pot and cook until everything is soft enough to blend. Then blend the heck out of it. You could even add some grain to make it creamier and thicker and more filling - quinoa or rice or millet would be good - I suppose millet would be the sunniest. I frequently blend any soups that we make because Jasper tends to eat more if it is blended. And then I can also add a bit of raw or lightly cooked greens - kale, romaine or whatever.”
Zucchini brownies: (This was also posted on July 27 and includes notations by my friend Grace about how she altered the recipe – but in case you missed it…)
3 cups all purpose flour
1/4 cup cocoa
2 tsp ground cinnamon
2 cups grated zucchini
1/2 cup butter or margarine
softened 1 3/4 cup sugar (I used less - about 1 1/4 cup)
1 cup vegetable oil (I used less - about 3/4 cup)
2 large eggs, slightly beaten
1 tsp vanilla (I used more - about 1 1/2 tsp)
12 oz chocolate chips (I used less - just enough to cover top)
1/2 cup chopped walnuts or pecans (I omit since we don't use nuts in our house)
Combine first 4 ingredients in bowl, stir well. Combine zucchini and butter; add to flour mixture. Stir well. Combine sugar, oil, eggs, vanilla; add to mixture. Stir 2 minutes. Pour into greased 15 x 10 inch pan; top with chocolate chips (and nuts if you are using). Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes (I found it took longer to cook). Test center to see if "cake" like. Yield: 32 brownies.
You’ll find more kid-friendly vegetable recipes at this site and at "the veggietable.com."
If you have a vegetable recipe (or any recipe for that matter) that your kids gobble down without complaint, please share. Any favorite kid cookbooks or cooking-with-kids Web sites to recommend?
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More ideas, rather than recipes - I've found that adding sweetener (i.e. maple syrup) or soy sauce to veggies also can increase their appeal. Tiny bits of veggies chopped up in fried rice or better yet, tomato sauce can help them go down easier. If you ever make fruit smoothies in the morning, try adding a leaf or two or romaine lettuce to get in the greens. And another strategy that works wonders with my kids: I give them veggies first at dinner time - sometimes before they are even at the dinner table. I'll bring a bowl of steamed broccoli or green beans w/ butter and salt to the area they are playing and quite often they are gobbled up lickety split. Don't be afraid to add butter and salt to them! A little (real) butter and salt are good for vitamin solubility and for digestion. In fact a local nutritionist (local to Seattle) named Jennifer Adler, recommended to my friend to bake veggies for a long time in the oven (sturdier things like broccoli, cauliflower and kale) w/ fat (butter, coconut oil, olive oil) and salt until they are a little crispy. I do this with broccoli - at around 400 degrees for 20 - 30 minutes - with soy sauce ( I use organic tamari) and butter or oil. Absolutely delicious, even for grown-ups!
Jessica Seinfeld (that's right, Jerry's wife) is coming out with a cookbook mid-September, entitled Deceptively Delicious: Simple Secrets to Get Your Kids Eating Good Food. She belives in pureeing undisireable veggies and hiding them in other recipes. From what I understand, the book is about getting your kids to eat healthy and not spending all day in the kitchen.
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