Do you ever think about how much control we have over where our children go, what they do and – more than anything – what they eat? Sometimes I wonder if they resent having no input on what I cook on a daily basis; I know I would. They are getting older now, and at 5 and 7 they are ready to be more active in the kitchen. To inspire them, I make just about any healthy dish that they ask me to make. So when my older son came home and told me, excitedly, about the raw chard rolls he had at school, I took the ball and ran with it. Half a CSA box later, I had two happy (and participatory) campers chomping on raw (and refreshing) chard rolls. Talk about a healthy dinner; I couldn’t have made it up if I tried. And let me assure you, my cooperation would have been less than stellar had he begged for corn-dogs… thankfully I am deaf when it comes to those suggestions. Come and cook with us!
It doesn’t happen every day that my children ask for a raw vegetable meal. And when Finn mentioned chard roll, I was a bit worried as I would have no real clue on how to do it. Rather than fret, I asked my boys for help. They picked which vegetables to feature in their rolls, and lent a helping hand cutting them into the perfect size. We didn’t have cream cheese (an essential element in the school version) but my son suggested we substitute it with nut butter – an even healthier alternative. It was fun to see him take charge in the kitchen, letting us know how to go about making this dish. It was simple, really, as we filled the raw chard leaves with cut-up carrots, cucumbers, avocado, peppers and some peanut butter to hold it all together. The rolls were a little unwieldy for their little fingers, but this is food I was happy to have them play with.
The thing about kids is this: if you let participate, they are very willing to partake, and so when our bright green, raw, vegetable laden treats were wrapped and ready, they ate with pride and enjoyed every bite. Interactive cooking (and creating) is a big part of cooking with kids, and over the next few weeks we will continue to explore lots of ways you can allow your children to get dirty in the kitchen in our series, “Chefing with Kids”. Come and cook with us!
Come and Cook with Us 