Child-Friendly Recipes

By Wendy Gordon

My eight year old son dislikes raw tomatoes, but loves this tomato-rich tortilla soup. He even requests it in a thermos for school. This is a flexible recipe, so use the brands of roasted peppers and salsa you like, and don't worry about a few ounces difference in jar sizes.

Tortilla Soup

• 1 medium onion, diced
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 lb boneless, skinless chicken thighs
• 1 16 oz can fire-roasted tomatoes
• 1 jar roasted red peppers, drained and chopped
• 1 jar good quality salsa verde
• 2 T chili powder, or to taste
• 4-5 cups chicken broth, depending on desired thickness
• 1 T dried oregano
• 2 T olive oil
• Toasted corn tortillas, grated cheddar cheese, diced avocado

Sauté chicken thighs in a large saucepan in 1 T of the olive oil until cooked through. (It is okay if they are slightly underdone).

Meanwhile sauté the onion and garlic in the rest of the olive oil until softened and fragrant (a large Dutch Oven works well for this purpose). Add the red peppers and tomatoes and cook another couple minutes, add salsa, chili powder, oregano, and broth. Cook for about twenty minutes to thicken and meld flavors.

Remove from heat and puree the soup. ( I find an immersion blender invaluable for this purpose but you can also use a food processor).

Add the chicken and cook for another few minutes. Adjust for seasoning.

Serve with toasted tortillas, grated cheese, and diced avocado.

Broccoli seems so much more appealing when mixed with pasta. The cheese doesn't hurt either. You can skip the anchovies but they add kick and my children like them fine.

Pasta with Garlic Braised Broccoli

• 1 large bunch broccoli
• 3 T extra-virgin olive oil
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/3 cup chicken or vegetable broth
• 4 flat anchovy fillets, drained and minced
• 1 pound penne or other pasta
• One-half cup freshly grated parmasan cheese
• Dash cayenne pepper
• Salt and black pepper to taste

Trim the broccoli stalks. Cut stems into bite size pieces and break apart florets. Steam or cook in the microwave until partly tenderized, about 2 minutes.

Meanwhile, bring water to a boil in pasta pot.

In a heavy saucepan sauté the garlic and broccoli in the olive oil. You may want to add the stems a couple minutes ahead of the florets. Add broth and simmer until just tender. Add anchovies until they have melted into the sauce.

When water is boiling add penne and cook until al dente.

Combine broccoli and pasta in large serving bowl. Add cheese and toss.

Note: You can play with this recipe, adding diced ham instead of anchovies, or adding additional vegetables such as cauliflower and/or red pepper.

The following is one of my most requested recipes, and I apologize if I've included it in a column before. People who "hate zucchini" love it this way, and it makes a terrific vegetarian entrée. This recipe can be readily doubled.

Zucchini Corn Cakes with Cilantro

• 3/4 cup all purpose flour
• 2 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1 T granulated sugar
• 1 cup yellow cornmeal
• 3/4 tsp salt
• 1/4 cup onion, finely chopped
• 1 egg
• 1 cup milk
• 2 T olive oil
• 1 cup shredded zucchini
• 2 ears fresh corn, cut from cob, or 1 cup frozen corn
• 1/4 cup fresh cilantro, minced
• Salsa, plain yogurt

In a medium bowl, mix together flour, baking powder, sugar, cornmeal and salt.

In another bowl, combine egg, milk, and oil.

Add zucchini, corn, and cilantro to the flour mixture. Pour the egg/milk mixture over it and mix just until the flour is incorporated.

Preheat griddle or skillet over medium high heat. Coat griddle or pan lightly with oil. Ladle batter in three-inch circles, and cook on both sides until golden brown.

Serve with salsa and yogurt.