PICKY EATERS Make mealtime with pint-size culinary critics easier BY MEGAN BRADEN-PERRY PIZZA WITH A CAULIFLOWER CRUST.
inding ways to get kids to eat right is as easy as a few mouse clicks, thanks to Pinterest and the abundance of mommy bloggers. Do you worry about your milk-hating kid getting enough calcium? Is there bargaining at the table when vegetables are involved? Are you the parent of a picky eater whose list of tolerable and intolerable foods reads like a celebrity contract rider? The assortment of healthy-eating techniques parents can use includes: ingredient substitutions, serving items differently, sneaking foods into other foods and other tactics. Here are some tips. PARENTING TACTICS — Some of these tactics can be adapted for use with other tasks, like picking out clothes and doing chores. • Present kids with two or three food options and let them make the final decision. • Introduce new foods to children on several different occasions. • Have healthy foods available when kids come home hungry or snack out of boredom. • Involve kids in cooking and teach them to prepare a variety of foods. • Never make a big deal out of eating foods children are hesitant to try or don’t like. • Realize that children often make negative associations with foods if they were sick the last time they tried them. • Teach children portion control by letting them know they can always get second helpings and not forcing them to “clean their plates.” • Never use “fun” foods to bribe kids into eating “just a few more bites” of “gross” foods.
CAULIFLOWER PIZZA CRUST (Adapted from www.closetcooking.com) Ingredients: 1 cauliflower 1 egg 1/2 cup shredded Italian cheese blend 1 tablespoon Italian seasoning Preheat the oven to 450 F. Break the cauliflower into florets and puree in a food processor. Microwave the mixture for 8 to 10 minutes, or until cooked. Dump the cooked cauliflower into a clean dishtowel and wring out as much water as possible.
Combine the cauliflower, egg, cheese and Italian seasoning. Add salt and pepper to taste. Press the mixture into a wax paperlined pizza pan much the way you do with traditional crust. Bake the crust for 25 to 30 minutes, until it is dry to the touch and golden brown all over, with medium- to dark-brown edges. (If you don’t cook the crust long enough before adding toppings, it will fall apart when you try to hold it.) Add pizza sauce and toppings, and bake for about 20 minutes or until the cheese starts bubbling.
CAULIFLOWER ALFREDO SAUCE (Adapted from Pinchofyum.com) Ingredients: Head of garlic, minced 2 tablespoons olive oil 6 cups cauliflower florets 7 cups non-tomato vegetable broth 1/2 cup milk Granulated onion
Sautee garlic in olive oil until it is soft, but not browned. Put it aside. Boil cauliflower in vegetable broth until it’s fork-tender, about 10 minutes. Don’t drain it. Put the cauliflower in a blender with sauteed garlic, milk and a cup of the broth the cauliflower was boiled in. Add salt and pepper to taste.
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GAMBIT’S KIDS ISSUE | 19