Tips From the Moon

I haven't had the chance to try out these recipes yet, but they are definitely on my to-do list! I'm not one to make a totally separate meal for my toddler, so I love the recipes that I can make for everyone. Here's a few that I thought sounded good! These recipes are all from

Annabel Karmel's The Fussy Eaters' Recipe Book.

Annabel's Secret Tomato Sauce
1 T. olive oil
1 small red onion, chopped
1/2 leek, carefully washed and finely chopped
1 garlic clove, crushed
1/4 red bell pepper, chopped
1/2 medium carrot, chopped
1/2 medium zucchini, chopped
one 14.5-ounce can diced tomatoes
2/3 cup vegetable broth
3 T. tomato paste
1 t. superfine sugar
1 T. torn fresh basil leaves (optional)
salt and freshly ground black pepper, to season

Heat the oil in a pan and saute the onion and leek for approximately 3 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the garlic and saute for 1 minute. Add the bell pepper, carrot, and zucchini, and cook for another 3 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the tomatoes, broth, tomato paste, and sugar, and stir for approximately 1 minute. Simmer uncovered for 25 to 30 minutes, stirring occasionally, until thickened. Stir in the basil leaves, if using. Transfer to a blender and blitz the sauce to a puree. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Orzo Salad
1/3 cup orzo
2 T. peas, cooked from frozen
1/4 cup drained canned corn
1/2 cup cubed cooked chicken
Dressing
1 T. mayonnaise
1 T. sour cream or Greek-style yogurt
1 t. water
1/2 t. white wine vinegar
1 1/2 t. snipped fresh chives

Cook the orzo according to the package directions. Drain and mix with the peas, corn, and cooked chicken.
Whisk together all the ingredients for the dressing and toss with the salad.

Mummy's Ramen Noodles
2 1/2 ounces Chinese-style dried thin egg noodles (lo mein) or use bean thread (cellophane) noodles
1/2 cup chicken broth
1 1/2 t. soy sauce
1/3 cup frozen peas
1/2 cup drained canned corn or frozen corn
1/2 cup shredded cooked chicken
1/2 t. cornstarch
1 scallion, thinly sliced

Cook the noodles according to the package directions. Drain and set aside. Put the broth, soy sauce, peas, corn, and chicken in a pan over medium heat. Bring to a simmer and cook for 2 minutes.
In a small cup, mix the cornstarch with 1 teaspoon cold water and add to the contents of the pan, then cook, stirring, for another minute or until the liquid thickens slightly. Add the noodles and scallion and reheat briefly, stirring. Transfer to a bowl or small cup to serve.

Tips From the Moon

While we are waiting for "Tips from the Coop" to return...I thought perhaps we would like to hear a few "Tips from the Moon"...Moon being my sister Marianne...funny nickname, long story!

FUSSY EATERS

I have two fussy eaters...one is three years old, the other is eight months old. They are obviously fussy in different ways, but both often make eating time a bit difficult! I really tried to feed my three year-old a variety of things so she wouldn't be a fussy eater...either I didn't do a good enough job, or it just didn't work. She will not eat any fruit unless it's in the form of a fruit snack. She will eat some vegetables but is very picky. I continue to try to introduce/hide new foods to make her diet a bit more well-balanced, but it is not easy! My eight month-old has major texture aversion. I know that she is young and can grow out of it, but add to it that she has a very sensitive gag reflex, and I am dealing with a lot of throw up when I try to introduce chunkier foods. Hence, eating time is a bit difficult.

I just picked up a book from the library by Annabel Karmel called The Fussy Eaters' Recipe Book. I've only had it for a couple of days, but I like the information I've read thus far. Some of her tips that I think might work for me...

• Make healthy junk food. I've got a hot dog, corn dog, chicken nugget lovin' kid. This book has some great recipes for homemade pizzas, chicken nuggets, and even ramen noodles.
• "Disguise vegetables by blending them into a tomato sauce and serve with pasta. You can double-bluff by leaving a few chunky vegetables in the sauce for your child to pick out, then he'll never suspect that ther are still some in there." Brilliant!
  
• She says that the key to getting your child to like eating salad is to have a good dressing. There are some great dressing recipes that even sound good to me!
  
• "Children like eating with their fingers, so serve vegetables such as corn on the cob with melted butter, or baked potato wedges." That is so true about my child!
  
• Tying right in with the "being prepared" theme of this blog, she also recommends getting your kids involved in growing a garden as they may be more interested in eating foods that they watched grow. I've seen first-hand how Jac's kids are interested in the food from their garden!

As for my baby, I did have a small success the other day. Thanks to Jac's inspiration, I also make my own baby food. The purees are always a hit, so I ground up some cooked chicken and mixed it in with carrots and sweet potatoes and she had no idea that it was even there! I may get her to chew food without gagging yet!!

P.S. Annabel Karmel has some great baby food recipe books too, and I just saw a recipe for pureed lentils and vegetables that actually looked good. Yahoo for food storage and homemade baby food! I've never felt so resourceful!