Nourishing Skills for Flourishing Kids

Being a parent myself, I know how difficult it can be to introduce new foods to children. After a few years of teaching children about healthy diets and cookery I know a simple, but great way to overcome this challenge – get kids involved in the cooking process. They usually love getting their hands in bowls, mashing up ingredients and making a bit of a mess! Knowing that they contributed their cooking skills to create the dish makes it much more likely that they’ll be tempted to try it, not forgetting the valuable life skills that they’ll learn.

Saying this, it is important to remember how children’s taste buds and food habits vary. To make things a bit easier for parents and carers, over at Bread n Butter we’ve developed a library of simple recipes which continue to win over fussy eaters time and time again.

With both children and food waste in mind, here are two tasty recipes making the best of the humble carrot and other ingredients you may often need to use up.

Roasted Carrot Dip

(Serves 2-4)

Ingredients

• 500g carrots, washed and chopped into 1 inch pieces
• 1 heaped teaspoon cumin powder
• 3 tablespoons of olive oil
• 10-15 mint leaves, finely chopped
• Pinch of salt & pepper

Method

1. Preheat oven to 180°C.
2. Place the carrots on a baking tray and drizzle 1 tablespoon of oil on top.
3. Sprinkle over the cumin powder and a pinch a seasoning.
4. Shake the tray a little, ensuring the oil and seasoning is well distributed.
5. Roast in the oven for 30-40 minutes (The carrots are cooked when a sharp knife passes easily into the flesh).
6. Place the carrots in a bowl and add 2 tablespoons of olive oil and the chopped mint leaves. Blend using a hand blender.
7. Serve with freshly toasted pitta breads and sliced vegetables.

Apple & Carrot slaw

(Serves 2-4)

A fresh, vibrant and healthy salad that is great all year round as a side to any dish

Ingredients

• 3 carrots, peeled and grated
• 1 medium apple, grated
• 3 tablespoons of olive oil
• Juice of half a lemon
• A pinch of seasoning

Method

1. Grate the carrots and apple into a bowl.
2. Add the lemon juice, olive oil, and seasoning to the carrot/apple mixture. Mix well and serve.

Top tip: If you have any fresh herbs spare, adding a small chopped handful will lift the salad and add colour.

Our cookery and sustainability workshops and classes in schools across North and East London helped us secure the Super Social Enterprise award this past March at the 2019 Urban Food Awards. Head over to Urban Food Awards 2020 to nominate yourself or someone else for this year’s awards.

Bread n Butter is a social enterprise that teaches the basic life skills of cooking and healthy independent living. For more recipes and information head over to www.breadnbutter.org.uk or contact Natasha at natasha@breadnbutter.org.uk.