Kid-Friendly “Little Chef” Salad

I often joke that a year ago we could have been considered the “Mc Talty” family for all the times we would frequent McDonald’s. My then two year old was so familiar with the place that he felt compelled to point it out whenever we passed one in our travels. We’ve made a complete turn around since then, thanks in large part to our oldest son’s diagnosis of a chronic tic disorder and our subsequent discovery that he is allergic to wheat and corn and highly sensitive to gluten– three foods we since eliminated and made all the difference for him in his recovery.

This recipe is unique. What makes it special? It is not so much about the ingredients as it is about the preparation. You see, this Little Chef Salad is literally a salad made by my little chef, age 3, a former chicken nugget man turned foodie, a fella not diagnosed, but gluten free through association, and loving it.

I learned a very powerful lesson this month, thanks in large part to our ingenious decision to TIVO Ratatouille on pay per view. I learned that with a little prompting, a lot of patience, and some open mindedness, Chef Gusteau’s famous line, “Anyone Can Cook” is absolutely true, all the way down to my pint-sized eager eater, my curious and determined three-year-old son. His eagerness in the kitchen has worked wonders on his appetite in the dining room. Any parent struggling to get their preschooler to eat their vegetables must see this movie and take it into the kitchen afterwards. It got my little guy eating raw spinach within his own creative salad, minus the unhealthy dressing and with a smile on his face no less!

Ingredients:

2 cups of mixed lettuce (we got the kind with red cabbage and carrot slivers)

1 cup spinach

6 slices of cooked bacon

2 large McIntosh Apples (It is very important that you use sweet, ripe apples, as they are the main flavor in the salad)

1 lemon (or orange, or lime)- This is the salad ‘dressing’ that helps to keep the apples from browning

Directions:

Take one cup of the mixed lettuce and chop it in a mini food processor. Empty it into a large bowl and add another cup of mixed lettuce. Chop the spinach in the mini food processor and add that to the bowl. Next, peel two large apples, core and chop them. (Little Chef did a great job peeling, big chef used the knife.) Place the bacon into the mini food processor and pulse until it is chopped into large pieces. Add that to your salad and toss. Finally, slice the tip off of your lemon and using a strainer, squeeze the juice out onto the salad. Toss again, and serve to your guests.

Tip: The bacon and apples were chosen ingredients by my little chef. Your little chef can use any of his or her favorites in his/or her salad. Anything goes, as long as the little chef is happy and willing to eat their masterpiece when they are done! (Left-over grilled chicken, nuts, raisins, sliced grapes, etc…..)

Tags: Activity, Casein-free, Children, Corn-free, Feingold Diet, Gluten-free, Kid-Friendly, Kids, Little Chef, Maize-free, Ratatouille, Recipe, Salad

Printer friendly version

Related Articles:

• Kid-Friendly St. Paddy’s Day Shamrock Pancakes
• Kid-Friendly Sweet Asparagus Spears
• Salad Nicoise
• Kid-friendly Super Green Salad
• Flourless Coconutty Fruit Cookies

Meet the Author

Caryn Talty

The editor of Healthy-family.org has a master's degree in English from Northern Illinois University and a bachelor of science degree in special education. She has taught students from early elementary school through college freshman level. Today she enjoys reading and writing about both hot topics and those not so commonly discussed on other websites. Most of her days are spent playing all kinds of make-believe with her three very young and active sons. | All articles by Caryn Talty.

You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.