Kids Cuisine

I’ve had my child cooking with me since she was two, and even before then she was hanging out in a backpack watching over my shoulder as I prepared meals. No surprise that she loves to help cook and even asks to watch me cook, pushing over a dining chair to stand on herself. It’s also not a surprise to me that her favorite dish is scrambled eggs, since that is the one she helps prepare about once a week.

I am always on the lookout for recipe ideas for kids’ meals. I spotted this book, Salad People and More Real Recipes, on the shelf at a kitchen store and recognized the author from her Moosewood Cookbook, a top vegetarian title. When I opened the book, I quickly realized this is not a book for me to cook recipes from, it is a cookbook for my child to cook from. The recipes feature short lists of ingredients and easy, fun illustrations instead of instructions. Even children who do not read yet will be able to identify the steps and follow along.

The recipes start with the fun tips on making salad people and include other dishes like Polka Dot Rice and Counting Soup; all sound as creative and fun to prepare as they are healthy and tasty. All twenty recipes were tested in the kitchen with cooks ranging in age from just under three to age six. Deciding factors on the recipes to include in the book included the kids’ interest in eating the finished product as well as important considerations such as attention span, tasks, flavor, and variety of ingredients.

Each recipe includes information for the parent or teacher to help prepare for the cooking lesson and make sure the experience is a success. Indeed, the instructions for parents are of great value since they provide good insight on teaching your child to cook. Katzen has published two other books for young cooks; Pretend Soup and Other Real Recipes for preschoolers; and Honest Pretzels for kids aged eight and up. She is currently a consultant and co-creator of Harvard’s Food Literacy Initiative.

For our test recipe, the chef and I chose the Mango-Honey Lassi. It was a much simpler dish than the traditional version you’ll find in an Indian restaurant, but it was tangy and just sweet enough. We all toasted one another at dinner to my child’s first recipe book success.

Mango-Honey Lassi
1/2 cup chopped mango pulp (or 4 oz fresh or frozen mango)
3/4 cup buttermilk or plain yogurt
Non-stick spray for the honey spoon
1-1/2 teaspoons honey
3 ice cubes

1) Combine the mango, honey and buttermilk in a blender and blend until smooth

2) Serve over ice and drink!

Yield 1 serving

Salad People and More Real Recipes
by Mollie Katzen
Tricycle Press
Suggested Retail: $17.95