Whats for Dinner? Getting Kids to try new things.

I just did a cooking camp with kids from ages 10-14 called “Whats for Dinner” and found that they really liked asparagus and cauliflower with it fixed this way.  See recipes below.  Most of them did not like asparagus in ways they had tried it before and only liked cauliflower raw.   I had recently tried cooking it this way at my house with my husband (who did not care for asparagus nor did my son) until I tried it this way.  Roasting any vegetables in the oven or on the grill makes them taste sweeter.  I have tried many new things this way and my family absolutely loves any vegetable roasted in the oven now.

Roasted Asparagus with Parmesan

Ingredients

• olive oil cooking spray
• 1 pound fresh asparagus, tough ends trimmed
• 1/4 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
• 1 teaspoon sea salt
• 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder, or to taste

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).
2. Spray the inside of a 9x13 casserole dish with olive oil cooking spray. Place asparagus in the dish and lightly spray spears with cooking spray.
3. Sprinkle asparagus with Parmesan cheese, sea salt, and garlic powder.
4. Roast in preheated oven until fork easily punctures thickest part of stem, about 12 minutes.

Roasted Cauliflower Snowflakes

Ingredients:

1. head cauliflower (about 2 1/2 pounds)
2. 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil, divided
3. Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
4. 1/2 cup panko breadcrumbs
5. 1/2 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 425°.
2. Remove the leaves and trim the stem of the cauliflower, but leave the core intact. With a sharp knife, cut the whole cauliflower in large (1/2-inch-thick) slices. Don't worry if the slices fall apart; they'll look like snowflakes.
3. Place the cauliflower on a sheet pan, drizzle with 3 tablespoons of olive oil, and sprinkle with 3/4 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Roast the cauliflower for 15 minutes.
4. Toss the panko with 1 tablespoon of olive oil, sprinkle on the cauliflower, and roast for another 10 to 15 minutes, until tender and browned. Sprinkle with the parmesan and roast for another minute or two. Immediately, scrape the pan with a metal spatula and toss the cauliflower and parmesan. Serve hot or at room temperature.

This can be done with any vegetable you like too.

Another recipe I recently tried that incorporates vegetables into our daily foods is this wonderful Carrot Apple and Zucchini Bread recipe I found on pinterest too.  The only thing I am not crazy about in the recipe is that it contains 2 cups of sugar but you could cut back to 1 ½ cup and use a half cup of applesauce to cut down on sugar some and the cream cheese frosting is not needed but it sure does taste good with it too.

Carrot Apple and Zucchini Bread

Ingredients

• 1 cup unsalted butter, melted
• 2 cups granulated sugar
• 3 eggs, room temperature
• ¼ cup fresh orange juice
• 1 tbsp vanilla extract
• 3¼ cups all-purpose flour
• ½ tsp salt
• 2½ tsp baking powder
• ¾ tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• pinch of ground cloves
• pinch of ground nutmeg
• 2 cups shredded carrots
• 1 cup shredded zucchini
• 1 cup diced, peeled apple (Granny Smith, Fuji, whatever you have on hand)
• ½ cup pecans, chopped

Cream Cheese Glaze/Frosting

• ½ cup cream cheese, softened
• ¼ cup butter, softened
• 2 - 3 cups powdered sugar
• 1-3 tbsp orange juice as needed

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
2. Grease and flour two 8x4 inch loaf pans. Line with parchment paper and set aside. (I use the baking spray with flour in it.)
3. Place zucchini in a large kitchen towel. Bring up the four corners and twist. Squeeze the towel to extract all the liquid from the zucchini, or as much as you can. Set aside.
4. In a large bowl, whisk together flour, salt, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, cloves, and nutmeg together. Set aside.
5. In a separate large bowl, whisk together the butter and sugar.
6. Add eggs, orange juice, and vanilla and whisk until combined.
7. Fold dry ingredients into wet ingredients along with the shredded carrots, shredded zucchini, apples, and pecans.
8. Pour into prepared pans.
9. Bake until golden brown, 55 to 60 minutes, or until loaves spring back when gently pressed with fingers.
10. Let cool completely before icing.

Cream Cheese Glaze/Frosting

1. Cream together cream cheese and butter with a hand mixer.
2. Add in 2 cups of powdered sugar and continue mixing. Drizzle in orange juice until desired consistency is achieved.
3. Frost bread and enjoy!

Notes

The carrots and zucchini in this recipe are interchangeable. Feel free to use less or more of each. You just want three cups total.

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