Food Explorers Club - Mexican Food

As part of our weekly Food Explorers Club Class, our theme was Mexican Food. The kids made Guacamole with black bean and corn salad, along with baked tortilla chips and quesadillas.

Culinary Skill- As part of this class, Kids got introduced to the portable electric burner to make quesadillas. We discussed kitchen safety rules before using stove and small oven. Each kid cooked quesadillas filled with black bean salad, guacamole and cheese. The kids felt so confident and happy after cooking this dish. They practiced their knife skills by cutting tomatoes and onions and used the kitchen scissors to cut coriander leaves (Cilantro). Finally, they learnt how to scoop out Avocados from the skin and mash it with the fork.

Nutrition Education- Kids learnt about avocado, the most nutritious fruit which is loaded with good fat. We discussed the different ways to eat avocado in our meals such as pasta, sandwiches, plain toast and adding them in smoothies. Our next main ingredient was Black bean, which can be in either vegetable group or protein group. Black beans are an excellent source of protein for vegetarians, and is very commonly used in Mexican cuisines. We discussed the most popular herbs used in Mexican cuisines such as coriander leaves. Kids were asked to smell and taste coriander leaves and then we spent time to discuss about it. As expected, some kids were hesitant to smell Coriander leaves but did not complain when mixed in the salad and guacamole in small quantity.

Working as Team- Tips and Tricks - Do not get disappointed if your child refuses to eat certain healthy food that you hoped they would like. Offer them the healthy food choices cooked in different ways/styles. Every ingredient can be cooked in different ways. For Ex: Avocado can be added in pasta, sandwiches or just added in smoothies to enhance taste. The key here is to understand the texture and smell that your kids prefer. Few of us like to eat vegetables raw (Ex: Salads), whereas some of us prefer them cooked as stir fry, boiled or roasted. Eating should be a fun and joyful activity for kids and adults. Providing a positive meal time for kids is very important to encourage kids to eat healthy foods.