3 Picky-Eater Approved Recipes
Picture it – you are standing in front of your refrigerator thinking of what to prepare for dinner. You start to grab a few ingredients to make a fun recipe, but then you remember one family member doesn’t like anything green, the other will only eat mac-and-cheese, and you will have to eat the leftovers everyone won’t eat.
However, integrating healthy ingredients and even vegetables so your family will eat them does not require you to have a degree from the best culinary institution. Check out these three recipes packed with wholesome ingredients that picky eaters can enjoy and even ask for seconds!
VEGGIE LASAGNA
8 SERVINGS
Ingredients:
- 14 lasagna noodles (ready to bake noodles) (2 extra for filling in holes).
- 1 large eggplant.
- 2 tablespoons canola oil.
- 1 yellow onion.
- 1 white onion.
- 1 tablespoon minced garlic, (3 cloves).
- 2 medium zucchinis, cut into 1/2-inch pieces.
- 2 medium yellow squash, cut into 1/2-inch pieces.
- One (12-ounce) jar roasted red peppers, drained, and cut into 1/2-inch pieces,1 heaping cup.
- 1 (28-ounce) can crushed tomatoes.
- 1 medium container of Mushrooms.
- One (15-ounce) container of ricotta cheese or cottage cheese
- 2 large eggs
- 2 cups parmesan cheese, grated.
- 2 tablespoons of ground oregano.
- 8 ounces(230 grams) low-moisture mozzarella cheese, shredded
- 1 (23 oz) jar marinara sauce divided into 2.
- Salt and fresh ground black pepper, to taste.
Directions:
- Pre-Heat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Lightly oil a 13-inch by 9-inch baking dish or spray with non-stick cooking spray.
- Peel and slice the eggplant and lay flat in a tray, sprinkle a thick layer of salt, and let sit for 1-2 hours. This will remove the bitter
- flavor of eggplant.
- Rinse eggplant with warm water and pat dry removing any excess liquid.
- Lightly sauté the eggplant in a hot pan for 1-2 min on each side, set aside to use later in building the lasagna.
- Finely chopped onions, zucchini, squash, and red bell peppers sauté until golden.
- Add mushrooms, eggplant, and canned tomatoes.
- While veggies are cooking, in a separate bowl mix ricotta cheese, eggs, oregano, and 1 cup of parmesan cheese.
- Poor into cooking veggies ½ of marinara sauce and mix well.
Assembly:
- From the remaining marinara sauce, divided into 2. Use one half to evenly coat the bottom of the baking dish.
- Lay out the first layer of ready to cook pasta noodles.
- Spoon in generously cooked vegetables and spread evenly throughout the baking dish.
- Add a generous layer of ricotta cheese mixture and spread evenly(as best as possible).
- Lay put next layer of noodles, with a spoon moisten them with some of the remaining marinara sauce. And repeat layering
- vegetables and ricotta cheese.
- Top layer, place noodles and moisten with remaining sauce and sprinkle a generous amount of mozzarella cheese and remaining
- parmesan cheese evenly over noodles.
- Lightly cover with aluminum foil and bake at 350 Fahrenheit for 20 minutes.
- Remove foil and continue baking for approx. 15 minutes or until the top layer is golden brown.
- Once removed from the oven allow to rest for 3 minutes before cutting and serving.
HOMEMADE GRANOLA
8 SERVINGS
Ingredients:
- 4 cups old-fashioned rolled oats
- 1 ½ cup raw nuts and/or seeds (flaxseed, chia seeds, etc.)
- 1 teaspoon fine-grain sea salt (if you’re using standard table salt, scale back to ¾ teaspoon)
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon cumin
- ½ cup melted coconut oil or olive oil
- ½ cup maple syrup or honey
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ⅔ cup dried fruit, chopped if large (apricots, dates, raisins, cranberries, etc.)
- Totally optional additional mix-ins: ½ cup chocolate chips or coconut flakes
Directions:
- In a large skillet toast oat, nuts/seeds, cinnamon, cumin, on a medium-low heat
- Slowly drizzle in olive oil or coconut oil and mix well
- Add honey or syrup and mix well
- Add chopped dried fruits and vanilla extract mix well
- Remove from heat and lay out on a baking sheet to let cool or press into a baking pan to shape. Allow cooling before storing in an airtight container.
- Granola kept in an airtight container at room temperature
- Can last up to 1 month. Frozen for up to 3 months.
5 DE MAYO BOWL
8 SERVINGS
Ingredients:
- 4 cups cooked rice
- 1 can sweetcorn
- 1 can of black beans
- 1 small red onion diced
- 3 bell pepper(red, green, orange)
- 2-3 Hass avocados
- 2 small garlic cloves
- 2 fresh limes
- 1 tbsp. olive oil
- 4 oz. fat-free sour cream
- 1 tbsp. sriracha sauce
- 1/4 cup fresh chopped cilantro
- Salt and pepper to taste
Directions:
- Drain and rinse black beans
- Roast corn and ½ of red onion on a gas burner stovetop
- Cut corn off the cob and dice the roasted onion
- Guacamole: In a bowl, mash avocados with a fork and squeeze one lime into avocado Mince garlic and combine with mashed avocado
- Mix sour cream and Sriracha
- Heat cooked rice thoroughly in a pan, add beans and heat through, toss in corn and roasted onion
- Pico de Gallo: rough chop the cilantro and small dice tomatoes.
- Add to chopped onion. Add olive oil, salt, and pepper to taste
- In a bowl, place rice & beans and top with Pico de Gallo, guacamole, sour cream, and lime.
Angela Maria Torres Ramirez RDN, LDN, MB-EAT-P | angela.torres@hcsgcorp.com
“Food has no morals. It is neither good nor bad; it is just energy waiting to be used. Thanks to nutrition, I can help individuals rediscover their love for food and find the balance between health and pleasure.”
Angela Torres is a Registered Dietitian with HCSG, providing nutrition services at a long-term care facility in South Carolina since November 2021. Angela is a Le Cordon Bleu (2011) and a Florida International University (2016) graduate, where she obtained her degrees in culinary and baking arts and Nutrition and Dietetics degrees.