Equipment: Kids' Tools in the Kitchen

I've been getting a lot of questions about how to get kids involved in the kitchen. What's safe? What's fun? What do you do?

Here are some great tools to make meal prep a fun, safe + family friendly affair!

Cutting = scary! However, there are 2 tools that can make it a bit safer for the little ones.

1) Pumpkin Carving Knife: yes, that one from the kit! It has a safety blade that isn't as sharp as a regular knife, and  is just right for little hands. Great for slicing vegetables + fruits.

2) Zyliss Pizza Wheel: I've written about this before, and it's still a great choice. The handheld wheel gives kids more control over their motion, and keeps their little fingers out of the way. Great for cutting pizza (of course), slicing lunchmeat, chopping herbs, cutting hard veggies (carrots)

Of course, always make sure an adult is supervising any cutting by a child. 

A few ways kids can get involved in meal prep:

• cutting
• measuring (AJ loves to measure anything)
• stirring
• shaking (place dry ingredient in a plastic bag, seal and have them shake)
• pushing buttons (on your food processor, mixer, etc.)
• washing (give them a sink full of soapy water and let 'em go...just no breakable items)

Have fun!

Recipe: Black Tea Spiced Pork Tenderloin + Roasted Pears and Carrots

A Gourmet Meal for 4 that's under $20? Yep. Super tasty, too! (if the video is not visible, click here)

Black Tea Spiced Pork Tenderloin

serves 4

2-pound pork tenderloin

5T black tea leaves

1T mild curry powder

2t ground cumin

1/2t ground anise

1t ground cayenne

1T fresh ginger, chopped

-in a spice grinder, add tea, spices and fresh ginger and grind until finely ground; add a little olive oil to thin into a paste

-season pork with salt + pepper

-rub pork with paste on all sides and let rest in refrigerator for 20 minutes

-pre-heat oven to 400˚F

-roast pork until done, about 20-30 minutes

-let rest 10 minutes, then slice and serve over Cumin Rice

Roasted Pears & Carrots 

serves 4

4 carrots, peeled, halved and cut into sticks 

2 pears, halved cored and cut into small wedges 

olive oil 

salt & pepper 

balsamic vinegar

-Pre heat oven to 400F 

-line a baking sheet with aluminum foil 

-place pears & carrots on baking sheet 

-drizzle with olive oil and a splash or two of balsamic vinegar 

-season with salt & pepper -toss to coat thoroughly 

-spread evenly into a single layer on baking sheet 

-roast in oven until carrots are tender and pears are still firm, about 20 minutes, turning once halfway through cooking 

-serve warm or room temp

Note: this dish is easy to make into a more grown-up side or salad for entertaining by adding some crumbled bleu cheese and/or toasted walnuts!

Recipe: Spring Rolls...with an accent

A Minnesota accent to be precise.

FOX 9 had me in their kitchen on Saturday morning to make something healthy for the New Year. My first thought...Spring Rolls! Believe it or not, they are super easy to make, are low carb, gluten-free and can go from vegan to meat-eater in nothing flat.

So what gave our Spring Rolls a Minnesota accent? Local pork, roasted butternut squash and sauteed Brussels Sprouts. Seriously. It. Is. Really. Good.

Here's some instructions on how to make your own Spring Rolls [use whatever ingredients you like], followed by recipes for two whip-it-together sauces. Family dinner just got a lot more healthy + fun, and a lot less complicated.

Spring Roll How To:

1 Package spring roll wrappers (found in Asian section of most grocery stores)

Vegetables, Herbs, Tofu + Meats of choice to fill

[carrots, arugula, cucumber, cilantro, mint, butternut squash, brussels sprouts, kale, etc]

Large pie plate or sheet pan with hot tap water

Damp tea towel

Place spring roll wrapper in hot water until pliable

Gently place on damp towel (to prevent sticking)

Blot wrapper with dry paper towel until wrapper is slightly sticky

Place fillings of choice on bottom 1/3 of wrapper

Fold bottom over fillings

Fold sides over fillings to form a 'burrito shape'

Neatly roll up rest of wrapper

Serve immediatley with your favorite dipping sauces

Asian Fridge Sauce

makes approx. 1/2C

2T orange marmalade

1 1/2T tamari (or more to taste)

1T water

juice of 1/2 a lime

1/2t real maple syrup (optional)

Whisk all ingredients together until combined. Use immediately or refrigerate covered

for up to 3 days.

Sunny Sauce

makes approx. 1/2 C

2T Sunbutter (sunflower seed butter) or peanut butter

1T tamari

2t rice vinegar

1T ketchup

2T water

juice of 1/2 lime (or more to taste)

drizzle of toasted sesame oil (optional)

Sriracha or other chili-garlic sauce to taste (optional)

1T fresh cilantro, finely chopped (optional)

In a medium bowl, add first 6 ingredients and whisk until smooth. Add optional

ingredients, if desired and whisk until combined. Use immediately or refrigerate covered

for up to 3 days.

Video to come....