Meatless Monday has been difficult for us lately. Not only did we recently get a half a hog recently (we had the great excuse before this pickup of not having much meat in the house forcing us to find meatless alternatives), but we have also been in a bit of a rut cooking the same meatless dishes we know the kids will love (tofu stir-fry still seems to be the most popular - my kids both just love tofu).
That said - this week I will be attempting to make a quinoa salad that the family will actually eat. I'm going to cook the quinoa in vegetable broth and add in some sweet potato, corn, and black beans. For some folks this isn't too crazy of a recipe but for a family that hasn't had quinoa on the menu much this will probably be a funny face dinner night.
The main reason I'm adding quinoa to the menu is that my older daughters school has it on their weekly lunch menu and I have heard my daughter mention she doesn't like the "rice with squash" at school. I wanted to be sure to show her that her school menu and home menu are both similar in nature and that has a family we will all try new things together.
I should add that my daughter is very good (usually) about trying new foods. A few years back we used to use the phrase from Green Eggs and Ham "try them, try them and you may. Try then and you may I say." and the smiles were usually met with at least one bite going down. She is also terrific at actually saying she does in fact like something she whined about having to try - which I have to admit I never would have done as a kid ;)
Oh, and if you know of any other kid friendly quinoa recipes you want to share please do. Our adventures will begin one night this week.
I make a Greek quinoa salad that my family loves, including my 9-year-old son. There's no specific recipe, but generally I use a cup of uncooked quinoa (which leaves plenty of leftovers for me to nosh on afterwards) and add in any of the following to taste: garbanzos, cucumber, red onion, olives, parsley, cilantro, cherry tomatoes, artichoke hearts, feta... basically anything remotely Greek that's hanging out in my pantry. I leave the onion and feta out of my son's. Add in a dressing made of olive oil, apple cider vinegar, lemon juice, and garlic, and you're set. Yum!
ReplyDeleteUnfortunately recipe I tried didn't go over so well - so I'll be on the hunt for new ingredients to try next time!
ReplyDeleteThis sounds yummy (especially the dressing) - might have to have some at lunch with "Greek yogurt" :)
thanks for sharing!