My kids are not opposed to vegetables. Sure, zucchini are not a favorite, and eggplant is an acquired taste I think. But I think they'll give anything a go if dressed up nicely. We got G to try broccoli and beans by dressing them in olive oil and vinegar and a sprinkle of sea salt. Now, its the only way we would have greens as a side with some grilled meat or fish. We then used the same trick with raw vegetables like capsicum and cucumber, but he still refuses to eat raw tomatoes. With or without olive oil.....
The other tasty way to get lots of veggies into our kids is with a stir-fry. They love the salty soy sauces, the ginger and garlic combo and even a bit of heat is well tolerated. Lucky us! Tofu is not a novelty anymore, and the crispy fried cubes are a very tasty finger food.
I can't even tell you what our standard stir-fry recipe is. We don't even have a wok... I always start off with the intention of following a recipe, but never have all the different sauces required... I usually use peanut and sesame oil for frying up the tofu cubes. The same oils then for the vegetables along with garlic and lots of fresh ginger. Then, I add some Tamari or soy sauce and some oyster sauce, one teaspoon of Chinese mixed spice (this is my only secret, if it is a secret at all) and some sugar.
This time I had some red cabbage and I was totally mesmerised by the color burst it gave to the normally brownish mix. When it comes to food, the eye really wants to be pleased too . If you present a dish beautifully on a plate, with splashes of color, a variety of textures, it makes it so much more appealing, and that goes especially for children.
So, here it is, our beautiful stir-fry with tofu. For the first time I also took the time to toast some sesame seeds before and sprinkle it over the vegetables. Truly glorious!
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