We are finally getting some winter weather, and I haven't been able to photograph some of the projects I've been working on for Tu B'Shevat, so I thought I'd share with you some of my creative adventures in the kitchen! (This photo was taken very quickly on the sill outside my kitchen window as the clouds parted for just a few minutes.....)
I have always been a firm believer in the necessity of teaching children the importance of making healthy food choices and in following through on that with what I serve my family. Recently though, I've decided to try and include more grains, beans and greens into our daily diet. With children (and even husbands), you just never know what will go over well and what will not, but I'd say a little perseverance and belief in the importance of what you're doing, and there truly is light at the end of the tunnel! Go for it. Oh, and of course, you have to set the example by eating healthy yourself.
So last week I tried quinoa, with mixed results, though no one really noticed it when I mixed it in with the tofu vegetable stir fry! I tried hot quinoa breakfast cereal myself, and well, it was okay, but I didn't run to make it again. And yesterday I tried millet. First I made millet "muffins" by baking a similar mixture to the recipe below in a muffin tin. My daughter ate three. But at dinner she didn't touch the casserole. Hmmm. My husband and 7 year old ate one nice sized slice with no comments, though they didn't ask for more. I thought it was pretty good, I think they're just not used to the consistency. So give it a try and adjust the ingredients to suit your family, and if it doesn't go over well, at least you'll have some leftovers to eat yourself for a few lunches! And in any case, just keep trying and maybe have a word privately with your husband and teenage/adult children about how great it would be if they could encourage your endeavors!
Millet Quinoa Casserole
- 3 cups cooked millet (soak millet for a few hours and then brown in a skillet before cooking)
- 1 cup cooked quinoa (honestly threw this in to use it up, but it's a nice healthful addition)
- 3 eggs
- 1/2 cup whole wheat flour, or bread crumbs
- 1/3 cup oil
- l large onion, finely chopped
- 1/2 cup chopped celery (optional, can also use green pepper)
- 2 medium sized potatoes, grated
- 1 sweet potato, grated
- 1 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp pepper
- sesame seeds
Combine ingredients, sprinkle top with sesame seeds, and bake in a casserole dish or cake pan until browned. You can certainly add more potato and less millet the first time as a trial run, just don't tell your family that it's an "experiment", tell them it's a great new recipe that a you got from a friend! We are "friends" right? That's why I hope you'll take some new steps with me in the direction of feeding our families healthful meals.
