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 Judges confir on merits of Tofu Noodle Salad. |
Meals Kids Might Eat:
Salads for Summer
by Judy Sobeloff, Newsletter Volunteer, from the July 2007 newsletter
This month, in my quest for healthy quick eats and other mysteries of the universe, I ask: Do children have certain times of the month when they are more prone to eat or not eat vegetables, affected, perhaps, by hormonal fluctuations, lunar phase, sunspots, radio frequencies, insert-your-theory here? And, if so, how can we best operate within these constraints for maximum nutritional benefit? Are there monitors or other devices they can wear that will emit a strange phosphorescent glow during those times when parental culinary efforts are likely to meet with success? While this month’s article will not, in fact, answer these questions, I do hope to serve humanity by at least raising them.
Seeing as it’s summer here, I decided to try out two salads recommended by mom friends, Nancy’s Tofu Noodle Salad and the Co-op’s Bok Choy Salad. While my own children did not rise to any of the vegetable-oriented bait, some of their friends and all of the parents did.
Tofu Noodle Salad seems to have it all in terms of ease, nutrition and child engagement. Nancy, creator of this recipe, reports that her kids, ages four and six, love to help make it because they’re “always begging me to cut things,” and this recipe allows them both to chop tofu with a butter knife and to grate carrots and zucchini (two vegetables which “they can hold way back and avoid shredding fingers”).
Despite this enticing description, our six child testers, ranging in age from 21 months to six, were less Tom Sawyerish about this project than anticipated. My 3-year-old went so far as to sleep through the entire chopping and grating phase.
On the plus side, as Nancy predicted, the tofu, sprinkled with toasted sesame oil and tamari, was “instant gratification” for children and adults alike.
In addition to the grated zucchini and carrots, Nancy suggests “really finely chopped broccoli, because then they don’t notice it and they don’t mind it.” This tactic, however, was ineffective with the children we assembled: While one guest, She Who Loves Vegetables, did in fact love these vegetables, her brother, He Who Does Not Eat Green, would not eat green, and the others followed suit. I’m still trying to put out of my mind the minutes I spent picking veggie particles off my younger child’s plate.
We used a mix of soba and udon noodles, which we ended up serving à la carte along with the tofu and veggies. (Six children, six idiosyncrasies.) While Nancy recommends rice vinegar because it’s sweeter than other vinegar, test-dad David also enjoyed the “really light, nice, fragile, delicate flavor.” Nonetheless, he and the other adults enjoyed the dish even more with hot pepper sesame oil added, which gave it more zip.
In spite of general unwillingness to eat vegetables, all the kids enjoyed the tofu and the noodles. Meanwhile, the adults — and who, really, are we catering to here? — all raved about the complete dish, ranging from the “nice, noisy, communal time preparing it” to the color scheme, which reminded Huckleberry of carpet pads. David particularly liked the mixed veggies with the mixed noodles: “I can’t stop eating it! The texture and flavor are just right on!” Overall, Tofu Noodle Salad scored high for ease, nutrition and appeal, and we look forward to the kids making it again. As Fred said, “this recipe is so easy you can just chill out while the kids make dinner. You just boil the water for the noodles and set some band-aids on the counter for the grated fingers.”
Next up, my friend Lahde, former Co-op produce manager, suggested an adaptation of the Co-op’s Bok Choy Salad. Her own kids, ages 3 1/2 and 5 1/2, she said, “don’t normally eat vegetables and salads, but this is the one they’ll eat.” While my 3 and 5-year-old refused even to taste Bok Choy Salad, I was gratified by the response of our two teen guests, who both ate big platefuls without prompting. Sam, 13, said he liked it because “none of it’s cooked. I don’t like the flavors of cooked vegetables.” An important clue, no doubt, and I look forward to uncovering more.
1 block tofu
toasted sesame oil (must be toasted)
tamari
1 zucchini
2-4 large carrots
1 head broccoli, finely chopped
extra virgin olive oil
brown rice vinegar
green onions, chopped (OPTIONAL)
Soba noodles
OPTIONAL, for adults: hot pepper sesame oil
Cut tofu into cubes and sprinkle with toasted sesame oil (go easy on oil) and tamari to taste, then set aside. (Kids can cut tofu with a butter knife and then spread on the sprinkled oil and tamari.) Grate zucchini and carrots and mix with chopped broccoli and optional green onions. Sprinkle with olive oil and rice vinegar in equal amounts, to taste.
Cook up soba noodles and mix with vegetables and tofu. For adults, consider adding optional hot pepper sesame oil, to taste.
Bok Choy Salad (adapted from The Co-op Cookbook)
½ cup almonds
1 head bok choy, large, chopped
1 cup red cabbage, chopped
1 red bell pepper, chopped
1 yellow bell pepper, chopped
¼ cup apple cider vinegar
¼ cup canola oil
¼ cup tamari
¼ cup brown sugar
Toast almonds on cookie sheet in 350 degree F oven for 5-8 minutes. Combine last four ingredients in large bowl and whisk well. Combine all other ingredients in large bowl, toss, and serve.
LAHDE’S SUGGESTED VARIATIONS: Try honey rather than brown sugar. To keep costs down, use toasted sunflower or other seeds rather than almonds, and skip the peppers.
OTHER IDEAS: Add toasted sesame seeds and scallions, or buckwheat noodles with a little vinegar and tamari.
Judy Sobeloff thanks her friends and relations for their contributions to these articles and other mysteries of the universe.
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