Cooking with Flavor

Jenny Stegall has traveled all around the world and back again with her little family.  I love her appreciation for the little things in life, especially food. Jenny had a catering company in San Francisco and worked as a personal chef before having three precious children. She now uses her skills, time, and energy to feed them, create with them, and make traditions with them. I also love Jenny's theory for cooking with flavor for her kids. She so kindly offered to let me share with you these ideas she wrote up for Bloesem {and a recipe!}. Here's what Jenny has to say...

"I like healthy food for kids, but I am not concerned with the occasional birthday cake, movie popcorn, or candy. All kids will reject some tastes and textures, but after a while, most flavors will grow on them. I don’t follow the no salt, no sugar, no butter rule for kids. If I am roasting vegetables for my kids, I make them taste good- a little (!!) olive oil, a little (!!) kosher salt, etc. I want food bursting with flavor and believe they do too. There are some easy foods to introduce flavors to kids. Don’t start by putting a bowl full of roasted beets in front of them; they might sit there until they get married. Instead, make some yummy Israeli couscous and start adding flavors to it one at a time: shallots, herbs, tomatoes, or beets, pine nuts, and feta cheese. Some other great dishes that are easy to introduce (not hide!!!) flavors in are:  rice salads, couscous, pastas, burgers, sandwiches, salads, and a personal favorite- pancakes. When my babies can eat small bites, I start making pancakes filled with grated vegetables- beets, zucchini, squash, carrots, etc. They end up being mostly vegetables with just the batter to hold them together. They love the batter/bread and without realizing it, are becoming aware of flavors that they will later enjoy in a more adult version.

We visited the San Francisco farmer’s market this morning with our kids. The food from the farmers makes me want to stay in my kitchen for weeks. It is also fun because the kids see the pride and beauty in the many stands of fresh, organic produce. If you find yourself with some extra root vegetables, try some of these yummy pancakes! Keep experimenting with flavors. I think you will be pleased with the results."

What you will need: ( I never measure these, but these measurements will get you started)
1 cups Grated Vegetables or Fruits (carrots, zucchini, beet root, apples)
 1 cup Flour
1 Egg
1 _ cup Milk
1 tsp Baking powder

To do: 
1.) Mix all ingredients
2.) Heat nonstick skillet over medium heat
3.) Coat with cooking spray or a small amount of oil or butter
4.) Drop by spoonfuls or _ cup heaps
5.) When bubbles appear on top, flip and finish cooking until golden in color
*These are great to take as snacks or on road-trips. They also freeze well. If they eat enough of these…