Make mealtime a family affair with our easy international recipes.
In fourth grade, I went on a class field trip to a farm and learned about how fruits and vegetables are grown. At the end, we got to sample some of the produce, including the strawberries. Those were the sweetest, juiciest strawberries I've ever tasted! In fact, I've been to a lot of farm stands, and I've never been able to find strawberries that taste as good.
I have a feeling it was the hands-on learning experience that made those berries so unforgettable. As parents, we can take advantage of kids' natural enthusiasm for learning to get them interested in eating a variety of healthy foods. Involve them in the entire process—from shopping to preparation to cooking—and you just may find your vegetable-hating grade-schooler downing a plate of veggie-packed taquitos, then asking for more.
Pesto Minestrone (Italy)
Ingredients
Minestrone
2 cups coarsely chopped cauliflower (the equivalent of about 2 small heads)
1½ cups chopped zucchini (1-2 medium)
3 14.5-oz. cans low-sodium chicken broth
1 16-oz. can diced tomatoes, drained
1 cup uncooked elbow macaroni or small pasta shells
3 cups kidney beans or black-eyed peas, drained and rinsed
1 cup sliced carrot
1 cup chopped onion
Pesto
2 Tbsp. olive oil
2 garlic cloves
1 cup fresh, loosely packed basil leaves
1 Tbsp. water
Directions
Minestrone
In a 5-6 quart saucepan, bring 1/2 cup water to boil and add tomatoes, cauliflower, onion, and carrots. Reduce heat and simmer covered 10 minutes or until vegetables are tender. Add zucchini, beans, broth, and pasta. Return to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer uncovered 10 minutes.
Pesto
Put all pesto ingredients in food processor or blender and process until very finely chopped. Just before serving, remove soup from heat and stir in pesto.
Servings: 8
Nutrition facts per serving: 240 calories, 5 g total fat (1 g saturated fat), 38 g carbohydrates, 13 g protein, 12 g dietary fiber, 130 mg sodium
How kids can help: Measure ingredients; chop vegetables (older kids); stir soup (older kids); put pesto ingredients in blender and turn it on.
Turkey Apple Gyro (Greece)
Ingredients
1 medium Golden
Delicious apple, cored and thinly sliced
2 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice
1 cup thinly sliced onion
1 medium red bell pepper, cut into thin strips
1 medium green bell
pepper, cut into thin strips
1 tsp. olive oil
8 ozs. cooked turkey breast, cut into thin strips
4 whole-wheat pita bread rounds, lightly toasted
½ cup plain low-fat yogurt
1 garlic clove, minced
Directions
Toss apple with lemon juice; set aside. In a large nonstick skillet, sauté onion and peppers in hot oil, stirring frequently until crisp-tender. Add turkey to skillet and stir until heated through. Stir in apple mixture. Add garlic to yogurt and mix. Fold pitas in half and fill with turkey mixture. Drizzle with yogurt mixture.
Servings: 4
Nutrition facts per serving: 260 calories, 4 g total fat (1 g saturated fat), 36 g carbohydrates, 24 g protein, 5 g dietary fiber, 280 mg sodium
How kids can help:
Measure ingredients; chop apple, vegetables, and turkey (older kids); squeeze lemon juice;
assemble gyros.
Peanut Noodles (Japan)
Ingredients
8 ounces soba noodles or whole-wheat spaghetti
¼ cup natural crunchy peanut butter
4 cups shredded cabbage
2 cups shredded carrots
1 cup edamame,* shelled and thawed
1 Tbsp. grated fresh ginger
2 garlic cloves, minced
½ cup chicken broth
1 pound shrimp, peeled and uncooked
2 Tbsp. Hoisin sauce
2 tsp. chili sauce or 1 tsp. red chili paste
¼ cup chopped cilantro (optional)
Nonstick cooking spray
Directions
Cook noodles. Drain and rinse. Set aside in large mixing bowl. In a small saucepan, combine garlic, ginger, chicken broth, peanut butter, hoisin sauce, and chili sauce. Cook on low heat, stirring until peanut butter is blended. Spray nonstick spray in large frying pan. Add cabbage, carrots, and edamame. Cook for about 5 minutes. Add shrimp and sauce mixture and cook until shrimp turn pink, about 5 minutes. Pour mixture over noodles and mix until noodles are well coated. Top with fresh cilantro (optional) and serve.
Servings: 6
Nutrition facts per serving: 360 calories, 8 g total fat (1 g saturated fat), 46 g carbohydrates, 29 g protein, 6 g dietary fiber, 460 mg sodium
How kids can help: Measure the ingredients; stir sauce and shrimp mixture (older kids); toss all ingredients before serving.
* Note: Edamame are fresh soybeans, and can be found with the frozen vegetables in many supermarkets. Preshredded carrots and cabbage are also available in the produce section, and can make it easier for kids to put together this dish. If your kids don't like shrimp, try substituting chopped cooked chicken, or just make it a vegetarian meal.
Taquitos (Mexico)
Ingredients
2 cups frozen vegetables, thawed (peas, carrots, and corn)
1/3 cup crumbled queso añejo or shredded Monterey
Jack cheese
12 corn tortillas, warmed
2 tsp. vegetable oil
2 cups fresh salsa
½ avocado, chopped
Directions
Heat oven to 450 degrees. In a medium bowl, mix vegetables and cheese. Spoon 1/4 cup vegetable and cheese mixture down the center of each tortilla. Roll up tightly. Place taquitos on a baking sheet. Brush each taquito lightly with oil. Bake until crispy, about 7 to 10 minutes. While taquitos are baking, mix fresh salsa with avocado. Spoon salsa mixture over each serving of taquitos. Serve.
Servings: 4
Nutrition facts per serving: 360 calories, 12 g total fat (3 g saturated fat), 56 g carbohydrates, 8 g protein, 8 g dietary fiber, 230 mg sodium
How kids can help: Measure ingredients; thaw vegetables in microwave; assemble taquitos; mix salsa ingredients and spoon it on the taquitos.
