How can I make vegetables look and taste interesting to my 5 year old kid?
(July 15, 2010)
Encouraging one’s family and especially one’s child to eat more vegetables is essential for their health and well being. There are various different ways to cook or present vegetables to make them more appetizing and appealing to your child. Here are some of the methods one can use to make vegetables more vibrant, appealing to eye, and tasty.
It is common knowledge that not everybody likes eating vegetables like cauliflower, broccoli, cabbage, radishes, onions and spinach. Hence one should try and make a variation when preparing these to make them taste good.
Preferably try not to serve vegetables like cauliflower or broccoli in the raw form as they are known to contain goitrogens. These are found to inhibit a person’s thyroid functioning and also the digestive enzymes. This can lead to bloating and gas. Start by cutting the vegetables into bite size bits or thin slices. Then proceed to cook them lightly in water that is boiling and lightly salted. Once done, put them in cold water to help retain the individual colors and to also prevent them from cooking further in their own heat. Next drain all the vegetables and dry them before serving them along with a salad or a dip. Always remember to put salt in the cooking water as this helps in creating osmotic pressure which helps in reducing the minerals that are lost from the vegetables into the water they are being cooked in. Try making a mixed vegetables dish from 2 to 3 large carrots which need to be peeled and diced. Also cut 1 medium sized cauliflower into florets and keep them aside. Take a pound of some asparagus and some broccoli and cut off the stems. Next take a medium red bell pepper that needs to be cored, seeded and diced into thin strips. Also take a yellow bell pepper and do the same. Then start by arranging all the different vegetables separately in a bowl. In a vessel boil about 3- 4 quarts of salted water. Place a pasta insert or a draining vessel into this dish. Then proceed to take each type of vegetable and cook them separately in this dish. Carrots need to be cooked for about 30 – 40 seconds, broccoli and cauliflower for about 2 to about 3 minutes, radish and asparagus for a couple of minutes and the peppers for 30 to 40 seconds. Avoid overcooking. Then drain the vegetables in the strainer and move the contents to a bowl of cold water. Drain the vegetables and serve them with a dip made of cheese and yogurt or you can even add some olive oil and pepper and toss it well.
