I know this is a family "dinner" blog, but I have to give myself quick props for my family breakfast. Astrid decided that 5:45 a.m. would be a good time to wake up today (a Saturday, for Christ's sake!). Rather than grousing about it or lying in bed hoping that the baby would give up and go back to sleep, I decided to be productive and make breakfast. A somewhat difficult task since grocery shopping day is tomorrow and my kitchen is . . . um . . . sort of empty. We do have whole wheat bread and eggs (free range), so I opted for french toast. But I fancied it up with a splash of vanilla and topped it with sauteed organic bananas and pears. Then I toasted some (organic) pumpkin seeds and sprinkled them on top. I cooked everything in coconut oil because it is supposed to be super-healthy. When all was said and done, I had (in my humble opinion) a spa-worthy breakfast. Only 333 calories, but almost 7 grams of fiber and 11 grams of protein. And yummy to boot. Annika devoured hers, but not before announcing that she doesn't like pumpkin seeds. It's always something with that one (she actually loves pumpkin seeds and ate them all). If you have an extra five minutes, it is completely worth it to toast your own nuts and seeds (just toast them on a pan over medium heat for a couple minutes, stirring so they toast evenly). When they're freshly toasted, they are fragrant, much more flavorful, and really pep up the dish.
On to dinner. The best way to get a four-year old to eat dinner is to let her pick it and make it. Allowing Annika to cook, however, automatically doubles the prep time for food. It is really only a weekend option. For Christmas, we got Annika a kids' cookbook from Williams Sonoma. I let her pick a recipe for dinner tonight. She chose sesame fish sticks. My husband, Swede, tried to talk her into something more palatable like hummus or rosemary chicken (both of which are recipes in the book). Annika resisted and won. I did insist that she choose a vegetable to accompany her creation. Annika informed me that she would spell the color of her favorite vegetable for me. Not the most efficient way to communicate, but hey, it's Saturday and I have no life. I expected to hear o-r-a-n-g-e. Don't all kids love carrots? Instead, Annika (relishing the spotlight) slowly spelled out g-r-e-e-n. Oh, your favorite vegetable is green; thanks for narrowing it down. When I pointed out that peas, lettuce, spinach, kale, and arugula were all green, Annika informed me she was referring to broccoli. I am somewhat proud that my four-year old will admit to loving broccoli!
After a quick trip to Whole Foods, we were ready to cook. Annika sliced the cod fillets into fish sticks (okay, I admit that I did the big lengthwise slices, but Annika did the rest). Next, she poured flour into one bowl, two beaten eggs into another bowl, and sesame seeds into a third bowl. Then we dredged each fish stick into the flour, egg, and sesame seeds - in that order. The dredging was messy but easy, perfect for children! Annika measured oil (only a quarter cup - no deep-frying) to put in the saute pan and we heated it to medium-high heat. Once hot, we dropped the fish sticks into the pan. Yes, I let her work around hot oil under my supervision. Children are capable of a lot more than we ("we" being my husband) think. She did it perfectly without burning the house down or splattering hot oil onto her face. By that time, her attention span was maxed out and I let her go play while I finished.
I cooked the fish sticks until they were golden brown on each side. While that was happening, I mixed up the broccoli with some olive oil, salt, and pepper and threw it in the 400-degree broiler. Once the broccoli was tender/crisp (the edges brown a bit), it took it out and gave it a healthy drizzle of balsamic vinegar. This is a slightly-modified version of a recipe by Peter Berley - I love his food. I sent Annika and Swede out to our lemon tree to pick a couple of lemons and then served dinner (with lemon wedges for the fish sticks and lemon slices for the pitcher of water).
Dinner was a hit! Nothing like the frozen fish sticks you probably thought of when I said we were having fish sticks for dinner. Much more sophisticated than Gorton's They had a slight sesame flavor and were not "fishy" at all. The flour/egg/sesame coating was very crisp without being greasy and the fish tender and flaky on the inside. Even Swede admitted that the fish sticks were good - suitable for grown ups, in fact. Kudos to Williams Sonoma for putting out a kids' cookbook that is not full of "kids' food." The broccoli, as always, was great. The olive oil and balsamic really pop and almost make you forget you're eating health food. Annika proudly ate her fish sticks, but not before declaring that she didn't like them. Really, the kid MUST complain about something at every meal. Her "dislike" was belied by the fact that she cleaned her plate in record time. She even ate the broccoli without protest. In true Annika fashion, she elected to eat her lemon wedge instead of squeeze it over her food. Weird kid. To top it off, Astrid napped through the entire dinner. As close to a perfect family dinner as I could imagine. I declare success - no doubt to be followed by some meal-related catastrophe tomorrow. So it goes.
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