Introducing International Flavors To The Kids Meal

 

I've heard from many a mom that their kids won't eat vegetables.  One way to train the young palate is to introduce new flavors early in their lives so that their young taste buds become accustomed to the taste and texture of fresh food.  The processed foods that are all to often offered have chemical compounds in them that actually affect the way our taste buds work. 

 

According to Dr. David Katz, M.D. , Director of Yale Prevention Research Center, familiarity is a potent driver of dietary preference; we tend to like what we're used to. We see this at the level of culture, where babies in Mexico learn to like spicy food, and Inuit babies learn to like seal.  Genetically, we are all much more alike than different -- but culture changes what we find familiar.  In our own culture, we have simply grown familiar with ever more-processed, ever sweeter, ever saltier foods.

Introducing new flavors can be a challenge but with a little imagination and fun, kids can learn to eat more vegetables.  One of my favorite healthy cuisines is Vietnamese. Regular ingredients include fish sauce, shrimp paste, soy sauce, rice, fresh herbs, fruits and vegetables. Vietnamese recipes utilize lemongrass, mint, Vietnamese mint, long coriander and Asian basil leaves. Traditional Vietnamese cooking is greatly admired for its fresh ingredients, minimal use of oil, and reliance on herbs and vegetables. Vietnamese food is often ranked as one of the healthiest cuisines in the world. The most common meats used in Vietnamese cuisine are fish, chicken, pork, beef, and various kinds of seafood. The Vietnamese also have a strong vegetarian tradition influenced by Buddhist values.

 

Spring Rolls are a versatile option that can be made up ahead of time, added to the kids lunch box or as a light starter for dinner.  Since kids love dipping their food in sauces, the Spring Roll might just be the thing to get them to try new vegetables that they would otherwise turn away. 

Note:  Adjust the strength of the sauce recipe here since the ginger can be a bit strong.

 

 

SPRING ROLLS with CARROT-GINGER DIPPING SAUCE
Courtesy of Martha Stewart Entertaining

 

Pliable rice-paper wrappers envelope six vegetables (and countless nutrients). .

The sauce supplies a tingling jolt of ginger and vinegar.xpand

  Yield: 6 servings

• 6 rice-paper wrappers
• 2 cups radish sprouts ( 1/2 ounce)
• 1 red beet, trimmed and thinly sliced crosswise
• 1 medium carrot, peeled and julienned
• 1 cucumber, julienned
• 1 red bell pepper, stem and seeds removed, julienned
• 3/4 cup coarsely grated daikon
• 3 medium carrots, peeled and coarsely chopped
• 1 small shallot, quartered
• 2 tablespoons coarsely grated peeled fresh ginger
• 1/4 cup rice-wine vinegar (not seasoned)
• 2 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce
• 1/4 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
• Pinch each of coarse salt and freshly ground pepper
• 1/4 cup vegetable oil
• 1/4 cup water

Directions

1. Make the spring rolls: Soak one rice-paper wrapper in a large bowl of hot water until pliable. Transfer to a work surface. Place one-sixth of the sprouts, beet slices, carrot, cucumber, bell pepper, and daikon on the wrapper, towards the bottom. Fold ends in and roll tightly to enclose filling. Repeat with remaining ingredients to make 5 more rolls.
2. Make the dipping sauce: Puree carrots, shallot, ginger, vinegar, soy sauce, sesame oil, salt, and pepper in a food processor until smooth. With machine running, add vegetable oil and then water through the feed tube in a slow, steady stream. Serve sauce with spring rolls.

Soups That Inspire and Enliven Your Palette



"Only the pure of heart can make a good soup"

~Ludwig van Beethoven~

 

What is it about a good soup that warms the heart, heals the body and stirs the mind to remember when life was simpler?  Martin Yan, host of Yan Can Cook,  says it all begins with the stock. Ina Garten, The Barefoot Contessa, loves corn as a key ingredient in her soups, Carlos Santana thinks that a good soup smells as delightful as a newborn baby and everyone agrees that Chicken Soup really does cure what ails you!

 

It's interesting to me that the word restaurant (meaning "[something] restoring") was first used in France in the 16th century, to refer to a highly concentrated, inexpensive soup, sold by street vendors, that was advertised as an antidote to physical exhaustion. In 1765, a Parisian entrepreneur opened a shop specializing in such soups. This prompted the use of the modern word restaurant for the shops.

Soup is an international experience, a common link among cultures that binds us together as surely as the table we share with strangers in a strange land.  And that is what stirs my soul, knowing that soup is an ancient tradition carried thru the ages to bring us together time and time again.

Here are some links to my favorite soup recipes:
Creamy Coconut Lentil Soup 
Butternut Squash Soup
Mexican Chicken Soup
Italian Wedding Soup
Chinese Hot & Sour Soup

Brats & Beer Cheddar Chowder

Best of all is the soup you make using your imagination and leftovers! 

Spice it up, stir often and add lots of loving intention as you work your magic. 

Vegetable Stock - A great start to any soup!