Hi everyone! Today I'm posting my entry for the 37th #steemitculinarychallenge hosted by @woman-onthe-wing. This week's theme is Healthy Yet Tempting Food for Children.
I am the mom of 2 very picky eaters, and I know the struggle of making sure that the little food they will eat is actually good for their little growing bodies. Something every parent or kid caretaker knows is that if you want to get something done with kids, turning any situation into a game will get it done with less fussing and more laughing. Win win!
So today I turned a healthy meal into a tempting dinner for any kid by bringing out the fun.
On the menu, we've got "tofu kids", which are crusted in a combination of almond flour and parmesan cheese and ready to dip into some bright green pesto.
We've also got broccoli "trees" and crispy cheddar chips standing in an avocado "swamp".
Finally, there's the purple berry "pool", applesauce with juicy and sweet purple berries.
While it looks like there's a lot going on here, I know this meal can be made by even the busiest of you. To make sure of that, I decided to put this entire meal together for dinner on a Saturday afternoon and had it all assembled and served up while I had kids hanging on my legs, running in and out of the house, and all other forms of distractions going on. This meal can be done a little at a time, and there's not much 'tending' needed. Perfect for a busy house filled with nearly constant interruptions from the littles! :)
For the Purple Berry Pool
- Roughly chop 3 small apples and put into a saucepan over medium heat.
- Add about 1 cup of fresh or frozen purple berries (I used fresh blueberries) to the pan.
- Add the juice of half a lemon to the pan.
- Bring to a simmer, and use the back of a spoon to mash up the apples as much as you can.
- After the apples have cooked down, add the entire contents of your saucepan to your blender or food processor and pulse until you've got purple applesauce!
- Stick the applesauce into the fridge to let it cool while you make the other food.
For the Tofu Kids
- Slice a block of firm or extra firm tofu into 7-8 even pieces.
- Use a dish towel or paper towels to press out as much moisture as possible from the tofu.
- Use a small gingerbread man cookie cutter to make little 'kids' out of the tofu.
- Combine equal parts almond flour and parmesan cheese in one dish, and 2 eggs in a separate dish.
- Coat the Tofu Kids in the egg first, then coat with the almond flour/parmesan mixture.
- Gently place the Tofu Kids on a baking sheet that has been prepared with oil and a sprinkling of salt. (The salt will prevent the Kids from sticking to the pan!)
- Bake at 350°F for about 20 minutes, then flip the Tofu Kids and finish baking until they are golden brown.
(Also, don't waste anything! Combine all of the tofu scraps and remaining egg wash and almond flour/parmesan and toss it all into a frying pan. Bring it outside to the kids and other family members for a sneak peak into dinner!)
For the Broccoli Forest and Crispy Cheddar Chips in the Avocado Swamp
- Cut your broccoli into florets and steam over simmering water until bright green and not overdone. (about 4-5 minutes).
A trick to keep your broccoli green (and not yucky yellow) is to add a pinch of sugar to the water before you start steaming.
- Mash up an avocado with some lemon juice to make the avocado swamp
- In a frying pan, heat little piles of shredded cheddar cheese until they melt.
- Then remove the cheese puddles from the heat and they will quickly crisp up.
- Break up the cheese crisps into whatever size you like.
Assembly
- With the Tofu Kids, set a little dish of pesto, barbeque sauce, or ketchup for dipping.
- Plop some purple berries on top of the Purple Berry Pool
- Stand broccoli and cheese crisps into the avocado swamp.
Everybody eat up!
Even the parents enjoyed this meal, but we didn't use kitty cat utensils. (This time).
Thanks to @woman-onthe-wing for hosting this challenge, and to @gringalicious, @sirwinchester, and @englishtchrivy for sponsoring! Also thanks to @patelincho for this great challenge theme and for being our guest judge!
Thanks for reading! If you enjoyed this post, please do check out my blog.
All content and photos by @jaymorebeet, taken on August 5, 2017 with a Canon 7D Mark II.