How I Got My Kids To Love Food From Around The World

As I have said many times before “when it comes to food both John and I love trying something new, fresh, colourful and full of flavour and we are lovers of world dishes”. That’s nothing out of the ordinary, it’s something that the majority of adult couples enjoy, however, kids quickly change that.

When they’re really young, you can carry on enjoying your favourite foods with no problems, it’s when they get to their toddler years that things get interesting, or so they say. Proudly, we managed to combat the fussy stage by introducing a variety of foods and worldly cuisines early on in our children’s lives. We wanted our kids to be open minded about all new experiences, especially food, because experiencing new food is one of life’s great pleasures and it’s healthy too.

I recently read an article suggesting that children who are fussy eaters have often become so because they’ve picked up the idea from adults. This is something that, scientifically, I can’t comment on, but as we’re not fussy eaters in the slightest and we make an occasion of our mealtimes, I can only conclude that there may be something in it.

I know it’s alright me writing to you telling you that you can make meal times easy just by getting your kids to love the same foods as you, you need to know how though, right? Well the three recipes below are exactly where we started and they’re the perfect beginning for a lifetime of culinary adventure and are a huge hit in our household.


Veggie Samosa – A healthy Indian snack

 Image: BigStock

Ingredients

2 and a half cups of flour
1 cup warm water
Quarter tsp salt
2 tbsp. oil
2 potatoes
1 cup cubed cauliflower
1 cup peas
1 cup cubed squash
1 can sweetcorn
1 clove of garlic
Quarter tsp cumin seeds, ground coriander, turmeric and minced ginger
2 tbsp. vegetable oil

Method

1. Blend the vegetable oil and the flour and gradually add the salted water.
2. Knead the dough and then leave it to rest in a plastic bag for twenty minutes before kneading it again.
3. While the dough is resting, heat the oil and fry the cumin, coriander, turmeric, ginger and garlic for about thirty seconds.
4. Add the cauliflower, squash and potatoes and simmer on a low heat for fifteen minutes.
5. Allow the mixture to cool and add the peas and sweetcorn and season to taste.
6. Roll the dough into five inch circles, cut in half and fold to create a triangle which is open at the end. Use water to seal the edges.
7. Fill and seal the samosas.
8. Bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for ten minutes on each side.


Easy Chinese Noodles

Image: BigStock

Ingredients

200g egg noodles
2 spring onions, sliced
1 carrot, grated
50g peas
A handful of beansprouts
A small quantity of cooked chicken or Quorn/Vegan pieces
1 diced garlic clove
2tsp groundnut oil
Juice of half a lemon
2 tsp honey
1 tbsp. low salt soy sauce
1 tsp ketchup

Method 

1. Cook the noodles, drain and rinse.
2. Heat the oil in a wok and add the garlic, carrot, onions, peas and chicken.
3. Mix together the soy, honey, ketchup and lemon juice and add to the stir fry after three minutes.
4. Add the cooked noodles and beansprouts, heat and serve.



Kids’ Bruschetta – a tasty Italian snack

Ingredients

1 loaf of day old bread
2 cups of diced tomatoes
1 diced garlic clove
Quarter cup of olive oil
Quarter cup of basil
Half tsp of salt

Method 

1. Mix together the olive oil, tomatoes, garlic and salt.
2. Slice the bread into fingers, brush with oil and fry on both sides.
3. Add the tomato topping and serve immediately.


Once you’ve mastered these three recipes and the kids love your worldly creations, you can move on to other things because they’ll be happy to try them. If you’re still unsure about cooking up a family meal through fears they’ll refuse, let them dig into your Friday night takeaway, there are so many to choose from and foods available from all over the world, they could try a new cuisine every week – find your local here to open up their foodie horizons. With these simple tips, it doesn’t matter if you’re staying in or eating out, family meal times will become so much easier. Nowadays our kids will eat literally anything, they’re even being invited to try out new kid’s menus at local restaurants, take a look here.

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