Dinnertime Doesn’t Always Go The Way You Planned
September 04, 2009 | Written By: Healthy Schools Campaign
By Mark Bishop, Deputy Director
I decided to make a light veggie dinner the other night, and I needed something that Henry would eat for sure. I thought I had the greatest idea. I made spinach tacos, an item that has been can’t-miss in the past, and, I thought this was ingenious, I made pepper boats.
You see, when you slice off the top and bottom of a bell pepper, you end up with a ring that can be separated into small sections, each of which can be filled with something. So I filled them with leftover galactic green sauce, hummus, and a few raisins — figuring we can have a simple counting lesson too. I thought it was perfect.
Henry wouldn’t touch them.
But he devoured what I made for Jill and me, zucchini ribbons.
Ingredients
- 2 medium zucchini, cut into strips with a carrot peeler — don’t use the core of the zucchini
- 1 diced onion
- 4 cloves of garlic
- 1/2 red and 1/2 yellow pepper, sliced
- 1 tablespoon of olive oil
- Salt and pepper to taste
Caramelize onions and garlic in the oil. Add the peppers and allow to soften. Then add the zucchini and allow to soften a bit.
It’s a great side dish, presents really well, and by stripping the zucchini with a peeler makes a fun pasta-like shape. Good for both big and little kids.
Note in this photo that Henry is ignoring his plate and going straight for the zucchini.
Jill and I ate the pepper boats, Henry counted the raisins, sucked down a bunch of zucchini and all was well at the dinner table.
