5 minute read
Tastes
MAKE KID-FRIENDLY FARE HEALTHY
Experts offer secrets for upping the nutrition quotient on dishes your children will love.
The battle has long raged over what to serve your kids: the balanced nutrition they need, or taste treats they’ll actually eat? But now a novel Trojan-horse strategy may turn that conflict into a win-win. Here, BERGEN presents three recipes that are guaranteed hits with the young. Then, after each one, a local nutritionist sneaks in a few ideas for transforming the child-friendly meal into a truly healthy option—while it remains delicious enough to please the finickiest young taste buds.
HAM & CHEESE SLIDERS
Yields 12 servings
INGREDIENTS:
n 12 Hawaiian-style rolls cut in half crosswise (do not separate the rolls) n ¾ lb. deli ham, thinly sliced n ½ lb. Swiss cheese, sliced n 6 Tbs. butter, melted n 2 tsp. Dijon mustard n 2 tsp. poppy seeds n 1½ tsp. dried minced onion n 1 tsp. Worcestershire sauce n 1 Tbs. parsley, chopped n cooking spray
DIRECTIONS:
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Coat a sheet pan with cooking spray. Place the bottom half of the rolls on the pan.
Layer the ham on top of the rolls, then layer the cheese over the ham. Place the tops of the rolls over the cheese.
In a small bowl, whisk together the butter, mustard, poppy seeds, dried onion and Worcestershire sauce. Drizzle the butter mixture over the tops of the rolls.
Cover the sandwiches with foil and bake for 15 minutes or until cheese is melted. Uncover the rolls and bake for 3–5 minutes more until the tops of the rolls are lightly browned.
Sprinkle parsley over the top. Cut into individual sandwiches and serve immediately.
You can easily slim down these sliders, make them hearthealthy and keep the great taste. Swap in thin-sliced Jerseyfresh tomatoes for the deli-style ham, replace the butter with two tablespoons of olive oil and ditch the cooking spray for parchment paper when baking.”
SLOPPY JOES
Yields 6 sandwiches
INGREDIENTS:
n 1 Tbs. butter n 2 garlic cloves, minced n 1 onion, finely chopped n 1 green capsicum/bell pepper, diced n 1 lb. ground beef, minced n 1 Tbs. Dijon mustard (or 1 tsp. dry mustard) n 1½ Tbs. brown sugar n ½ cup ketchup n 14.1 oz. canned crushed tomato n 2 tsp. Worcestershire sauce n 1 Tbs. tomato paste n 1 beef bouillon cube, crumbled n ¼ tsp. black pepper
To serve:
n 5 to 6 soft rolls n cheese slices (optional)
DIRECTIONS:
Melt butter in a large pot over high heat. Add garlic and onion and cook for 2 minutes until onion is almost translucent.
Add capsicum and cook for 2 minutes until softened. Add beef and cook, breaking it up as you go, until it changes from red to brown.
Add remaining ingredients. Mix well, then turn heat down to medium low (or low for strong stoves).
Cover and cook for 30 minutes, stirring once or twice to make sure it doesn’t catch on the base. (If in a hurry, cook 15 minutes without lid.)
Remove lid and give it a good stir for a minute. Mixture should be thick, not runny and saucy. Adjust salt to taste.
Toast rolls. Butter if desired. Pile on lots of filling, immediately top with cheese (heat should semi-melt, otherwise pop under broiler/grill). Top with lid and serve immediately.
Go lean, reduce the sodium and boost the plant-based proteins by switching out the ground beef for a half-pound of lean ground turkey and 8 ounces of black beans (or pinto or cannellini beans). You can also replace the ketchup and boullion with an additional tablespoon of tomato paste and pinches of sea salt to give it more taste. Top with shredded romaine lettuce, cabbage or sliced tomatoes to up the veggie content.”
BACON BREAKFAST BURRITO
Yields 4 servings
INGREDIENTS:
n 6 eggs n 2–3 tsp. (or as needed) olive oil or butter n 4 oz. grated cheese (cheddar, pepper jack, Mexican blend) n 4 slices bacon (cooked until crispy) n 4 large “burrito-sized” flour tortillas n chipotle aioli, for drizzling n salt and pepper to taste
For the chipotle aioli:
n ½ cup all-natural mayonnaise n ½ lemon, juiced n 2 tsp. chipotle adobo sauce (or to taste) n 1/8 tsp. garlic powder n 1/8–¼ tsp. ground cayenne pepper plus extra to taste n 1/8 tsp. salt
DIRECTIONS:
To make the chipotle sauce, whisk together ingredients and set aside. Recipe yields approximately ½ cup of sauce.
Cook bacon via preferred method until crispy. Chop into bite-sized pieces and set aside.
Whisk eggs. Heat a pan with oil/butter to medium heat, add eggs and scramble until cooked through. Season with salt and pepper, to taste. Add eggs to a greased pan heated to medium heat and scramble until cooked through. Transfer cooked eggs to a large bowl.
For easy burrito assembly, warm each tortilla in the microwave for 20 seconds to steam it before filling/ rolling, as they’re easier to fold when warm.
For each burrito, warm tortilla and arrange eggs, bacon and cheese in the center of each tortilla. Drizzle with chipotle aioli. Fold and roll until sealed. Place seam-side down.
Bring a pan to medium heat with a little oil to prevent sticking. Once the pan is hot, add the burritos, seam side down and cook for about 3 minutes each side or until burritos are hot in the center and golden on the outside. Serve with additional chipotle sauce.
