How do you get kids to eat and like Brussels Sprouts? Let your kids help cook them! Little Bird has enjoyed cooking since she was a baby. Last night was no exception. Together we tried out a recipe from the Nom Nom Paleo book that was featured on the Good Food Blog, “Cavolini Al Forno,” a warm Brussels Sprouts salad with a mustard vinaigrette, topped with prosciutto crisps (we used bacon) and crumbled egg.
You can find the full, delicious recipe here. The only substitution we made was bacon for the crispy prosciutto.
Little Bird is only 2 1/2 but there were many, many steps of this recipe that she was able to do:
- Wash the Brussels Sprouts
- Move the Brussels from the colander in the sink to the cutting board
- Move the trimmed ends and loose leaves into the compost
- Salt and pepper the Brussels
- Massage the sprouts with oil
- Pour olive oil from the measuring cup into a jar
- Place the chopped shallots in the jar
- Put mustard into the jar
- Shakey, shakey, shake the jar of salad dressing
- Carefully put raw eggs into a pan
- Peel hardboiled eggs
- Crumble bacon
- Stir the salad together
Basically, she did everything but the knife skills and taking things in and out of the oven. To me it is just common sense: kids enjoy eating things they make! Her Papa loved the dish, too, and she just shone watching him enjoy it.
You can find more recipes to make with small children here:
Making Cheese with Kids — Chèvre is fun to make, like a science project.
Making Cheese with Kids Part Two — Kids love rolling and shaping logs and adding their favorite toppings, like cranberries.
Easy Homemade Kale Chips “Kale Crunchies” — Another great way to get greens in their diet, Plus who doesn’t enjoy shaking the bag?
Baby Bird’s Applesauce — Recipe for the youngest of babes, 6 months old and up.
Raw Energy Bites — Includes tactile fun and licking sticky hands.
