Here’s Cookin with You, Kid

This article was originally printed in The Creekline.

    Onions, broccoli, purple potatoes, brussel sprouts, cucumbers, tomatoes, beets, butter lettuce, peppers, collards, rosemary, cilantro… do these foods make your child break into a grin or break into a run?!

Foods that normally end up on the corner of a plate or hidden in a napkin may take soon center stage if you and your children get creative in the kitchen together!  This month, pick an unfamiliar veggie and don your aprons for some delicious family memories.

Everybody loves a cheese quesadilla.  Older children can make these (put shredded cheese on one half of a tortilla.  Fold in half.  Cook ‘til it melts, flip, serve!) with all sorts of tasty additions folded in.  If you offer a plate of sauteed veggies to choose from, you may be surprised when your picky son chooses peppers and mushrooms to add to the cheesy yumminess!  Cilantro is a garden staple and family favorite over here.

If all of that are already fave foods, add guacamole to the dinner!  Any preschooler will love mashing Haas Avocado chunks with a potato masher.  Here’s a chance to teach big sister to chop, too… tomatoes, red onions, cilantro and garlic (jalapeno for the brave!) all need to be stirred in.  Let someone have fun squeezing in some fresh lime juice and dashing on a bit of salt just before the final taste test.  (I’m getting hungry just writing about this!)  Avocado isn’t an “icky weird green thing” any more, now it’s a yummy snack with tortilla chips or on top of the quesadilla!

I’ve been surprised over the years at how many things my children willingly try (and enjoy!) when they have a hand in the preparation.  Tuna or egg salad sandwiches are always a welcome break from PB&Js and now Lauren jumps in the kitchen & whips these up on her own!

Sure, you can make personal pizzas with unusual toppings.  And how about a salad bar where they choose which new toppings to try alongside?  Or head to Ace or Lowe’s to choose some new veggies to plant (and later eat).  March is a fine time to introduce your family to the delicious side of Florida gardening!

Using a familiar base (pizzas and quesadillas) to add something new can be a great and non-intimidating way to introduce new foods to your family.  And if the kids snub their noses at these new taste treats?  Keep offering the “good stuff” and reduce the fake food (remember cheez whiz?) you keep in the house until they naturally choose delicious and nutritious snacks and dinners.

You can’t go wrong when you’re creating a delicious meal and a great memory alongside your child.  Bon Apetit!!