Spinach, Chick Pea Thai Curry

Spinach was the vegetable on sale today at the store so my thoughts turned to what to do with it all. It wasn't until I actually had the vegetables frying in the pan that I finally decided on having a Thai coconut curry.
serves 2-3
20 minutes

• 1 onion, cut into strips
• 1 red pepper, cut into strips
• 1 carrot, cut into thin slices
• 3 cloves garlic, cut into thin slices
• 3 cups of rinsed spinach
• 1/2 cup of cooked chick peas
  
• 1 1/2 Tbsp Thai curry paste (red, yellow or green)
• 1 can of coconut milk
  
• fish sauce
• chili pepper
  
• half a lime

1. Fry onion, red pepper and carrot in a small amount of oil in a pan at medium high until vegetables start to brown.
2. Add garlic, spinach, chick peas and a small amount of water. Cover the pan and let simmer for 5 minutes.
3. Add the curry paste and mix with the vegetables.
4. Add the can of coconut milk and mix in well with the vegetables.
5. Simmer for a further 5 minutes.
   
6. Serve with juice from a quarter lime, fish sauce and cayenne into individual bowls.
7. I didn't have cilantro but this would have been added had I had some.
   

Vegetable wrap

Today's lunch for the boys were some flax meal chapatis filled with some veggies from the fridge. S. had already had a plain warm chapati with butter and was just about to eat another (see the bite) when I told him that I wanted him to eat some veggies as well. I always ask the kids what they want so that they feel like they are in charge. For this wrap S. choose red pepper, grated carrots, and cilantro. Later on he had one with ketchup, red pepper, grated carrot, and spinach. Roll them up and eat them fresh. Hard to beat.

These chapatis follow my standard recipe (April 4, 2008), except that in this batch I added 3 Tbps of flax meal to the flour instead of the previous seed mixture.

Kids can cook

S. cutting up some arugula, chives, cress, and spinach - all from the window sill.

S. cutting up the vegetables for his stew.

When you cut with knives you need to be careful. One Batman bandage later and S. was cutting again.

Stew made by a 5 year old.
Serves 4-5
Takes as long as it takes

• 1 or more kids
• 1 sweet potato
• 1 red pepper
• 1 onion
• 1 stalk of broccoli
• 3 carrots
• chives, arugula, cress, and spinach
• left over pasta from night before
  

1. Have a trusted child cut up all the greens in a bowl with a pair of sissors.
2. Have same child cut up vegetables with a serrated edged knife (it's a little safer).
3. Put everything, including pasta, in a colorful pot with some olive oil.
4. Saute everything in the pot at medium low for about 10 minutes.
5. Add 6 cups of water and once it comes to a boil, turn down to low and let simmer for up to one hour.
6. Serve with soy sauce.
   

Hummus

Another favorite of the kids is simple to make hummus. Eaten with carrots, celery, cucumber, peppers, etc., it ensures that they are eating something good. It's never the same recipe twice so use this as a starting of point to do your own thing. This recipe is for this particular batch.

serves a family
5 minutes

• 1 1/2 cup chick peas
• 1/2 large lime or lemon
• 1 small carrot, finely grated
  
• 2 Tbsp tahini paste
• 1-3 cloves garlic, finely minced
• olive oil
  
• a handful of chives and garden cress

1. Mix first 6 ingredients in a blender and puree. Use enough olive oil to get the consistency you like. I like mine slightly on the chunky side.
2. When pureed, add the chive and cress and blend them into the mix.