Trying to get kids to eat vegetables is sometimes a struggle, and for some kids who struggle with new flavors and textures, it can be hard to get them to branch out beyond their few accepted foods. One way to encourage healthy eating is to have kids prepare food themselves.
It can be intimidating introducing cooking skills with young children (knives! fire! yikes!) but many foods can be prepared simply with just a few minutes of preparation. Below, we share a simple blender salsa that's much like what you're served when you sit down at a Mexican restaurant. Your child can control the ingredients and texture.
Parents, you're not alone in worrying about your children's nutrition and getting frustrated at how hard it can be to introduce new, healthy foods. It's developmentally normal for children to be picky eaters, and some even experience what's called "food neophobia" which is literally a fear of new foods. Sometimes it takes more than ten different times tasting a new food for people to accept it and start to like it, but even once can be a battle for many kids. Teaching children how to prepare healthy foods will often encourage them to taste, but even if it's not a magical cure-all for picky eaters, you're still teaching important skills that build life-long independence and health. It's an investment in your child's future to teach them to cook.
Another perk of teaching your children to cook is that they will start to make delicious food for you. Break out a can opener and a blender and give this salsa recipe a whirl!
RECIPE: Blender Salsa
INGREDIENTS:
1 can drained Whole Tomatoes
2 cans Tomatoes + Chiles (we use Ro-Tel brand)
1/4 of a large onion
1 clove garlic, peeled
1/2 cup Cilantro washed leaves only Juice of 1 fresh lime
A pinch or two of salt
Optional add-ins: 1/2 teaspoon Cumin, 1 chopped jalapeno pepper (ribs and seeds removed--wear gloves!) for a spicy salsa, 1 can corn (drained) mixed in after blending for corn salsa.
INSTRUCTIONS:
Toss the onion, garlic and cilantro into a clean blender.
Roll the lime to soften a bit then cut into halves or quarters. Squeeze juice straight into the blender.
Drain the liquid from the canned tomatoes and RO-TEL. Put tomatoes and RO-TEL in the blender.
Add salt and cumin to taste. (“To taste” means start with a little, taste with a clean spoon after blending, then decide whether to add more.)
Blend briefly, check chunkiness and blend again if necessary. Pour into serving bowl(s) and stir in any add-ins.
Serve with tortilla chips and fresh veggies for dipping or use as a sauce baked into a dish or served fresh on top.
COMING UP AT FOOD FOR THOUGHT KITCHEN
Spring Savory Series at 1400 Food Lab, 1400 Dublin Rd.
April 19, 6-7:30pm
Salsa Chicken!
We're making salsa from scratch, baked chicken with salsa and cilantro-lime rice (kids will decide whether and how much to season their rice). We will work on knife skills, make restaurant style salsa in a blender, and bake chicken with some of the salsa and cheese. We'll talk about the science of food and sensory perception and even do a little experiment while dinner cooks.
Tickets: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/cook-kids-make-the-meal-salsa-chicken-rice-tickets-44699116260
May 1, 6-7:30pm
Pasta!
We have a special guest chef coming to this class to work on more advanced knife skills. Jaime Perez, Executive Chef of Strongwater Food & Spirits, will join us to chop, slice and dice our way to a delicious and simple pasta sauce made from scratch. We'll experiment with a few different ingredients and kids will learn about developing their signature sauce based on their tastes and which ingredients are on hand. Students in this class will be featured in a short TV spot on NBC4.
Tickets: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/kids-make-the-meal-pasta-tickets-44756786754
May 15
Soup!
We're continuing to work on knife skills and creating simple, delicious, nourishing dishes from scratch. Students will make chicken noodle soup and learn how to adapt the recipe with a variety of proteins, vegetables and seasonings. We also have a special guest from Tiger Mushroom Farms and will sample mushroom soup.
Tickets: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/kids-cook-the-meal-soup-tickets-44758033483
Keep up with Food For Thought Kitchen on our website foodforthoughtkitchen.com and facebook facebook.com/foodforthoughtcolumbus
