With this panzanella for kids, I solved, at least for today, my daily problem, which as you know is: kids + vegetables = trouble. 😅
In these days off (or rather, mentally detached from work) we… Mmm, can I open a parenthesis? A spontaneous question arose: what is your concept of “being on vacation”?
Actually, I have two more questions, 1: can you relax and rest while staying at home? and 2: do you think the best way to recover from a whole year’s fatigue is to go on a real “vacation,” or does the mere suspension of work make you feel like you’re on holiday?
Personally, I must admit, I believe the best way to relax is to get away from classic household chores (laundry, ironing, floors), but also from some of my vacation nightmares like:
1) I-have-to-defrost-the-freezer-!
2) I-have-to-go-grocery-shopping-again-!
3) I-have-to-unpack-the-groceries-and-put-away-all-this-stuff-!
4) kids-you-need-to-start-I-said-start-!-the-holiday-homework-!:
5) ahhh-I-will-never-manage-to-defrost-that-freezer-!
Sometimes I just need a few days away from it all (the famous “unplugging”!) to achieve significant beneficial effects. So I really hope these few days of peace materialize soon! 😎
In the meantime, we are spending these “home vacation” days as vacation-like as possible. One of the vacation-style things we do most often during this period is to eat out, whether it’s at restaurants, pizzerias, diners, or even just having a toast at a bar, the important thing for us is to “be out and about”.
Then, the second meal of the day, the one at home, because we really can’t eat out twice a day, it’s not good for our health!, of course, has to be in style, so it should preferably be a single dish, fresh, quick, possibly light, with a summery taste and appearance, and most importantly, it must make do with the ingredients left in the fridge or pantry if my nightmare number 2 (I-have-to-go-grocery-shopping-again-!) hasn’t been resolved.
So, the preamble was long and winding but aimed to tell you this: and that is, in these days I often prepare a quintessential summer dish, panzanella, and now you know why. Because every time I decide to do the shopping and buy fresh bread… we end up going to the pizzeria one too many times and the bread becomes stale! 😃
However, panzanella at our house has a problem: it always brings up the issue of kids-vegetables, because among all the ingredients of panzanella, the only one my kids accept to eat… is the bread. 🙄
So every time I have to cook two different things, and sometimes I just don’t feel like having to cook two different things!
Yes, one day I did it, I seasoned only the bread with oil (and a dash of vinegar) and told my daughter: today you two are eating this. But a mother’s eyes can’t see a child having just bread for lunch while the parents are eating a tasty and well-assorted dish!
And so I tried. I took the usual and indispensable carrots, added the peas, thankfully they eat those, and obtained this alternative panzanella: a panzanella for kids – but also good for adults – that solved today’s dilemma of vegetables-for-the-kids. 💪😃
Obviously, the kids liked it since it practically contains the only vegetables they don’t dispute, but… what a wonder to hear my daughter say “mom make it again because it’s good”! 🥳
Moral: you can’t live on just carrots, or just peas, but fortunately, they exist!
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Looking for more kids’ recipes? Here they are! 👇
- Difficulty: Very Easy
- Cost: Economical
- Preparation time: 10 Minutes
- Portions: 2
- Cooking methods: No Cooking
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: All Seasons
Ingredients
- 3 slices stale bread
- 1 carrot
- 1 jar peas, canned, drained
- 3 tablespoons sweet corn, canned, drained
- 2.8 oz emmental cheese (approximate weight)
- green olives (to taste)
- oregano
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- vinegar (just a little)
Tools
- Vegetable Peeler
- Salad Bowl
- Colander
Steps
Place the bread in a bowl or small salad bowl and moisten it with a little cold water.
Peel the carrot and cut it into pieces.
Drain the peas and corn and rinse them under running water.
Cut the moistened bread into cubes.
👉 If the bread is too wet, squeeze it to remove excess water. As I’ve already explained in the previous recipe for panzanella, I don’t soak the bread too much because I prefer the pieces to remain intact and the bread not to crumble too much.
Mix bread and vegetables.
Add the cheese cut into cubes and season with oil, a little vinegar (if the kids like vinegar and if they’re older), parsley, and oregano.
😊 In my daughter’s plate, and only in hers because Fabrizio doesn’t like it (did you have any doubts? 😃), I also added a few celery pieces. But I didn’t indicate it in the ingredients because it was really in minimal quantity. If your kids like it, I recommend taking advantage of it and adding it in quantity.
I served this panzanella for kids, which adults also like, at room temperature, but it can also be served cold after a couple of hours of resting in the fridge.
And finally… Enjoy your meal to your kids! And to you too! Because if you’ve read this far… maybe now you’re hungry! 😅
Salt-Free Tips
I remind you that I cook without added salt (for everyone in the family, including kids). 😉
If you are interested in reducing or eliminating salt, always remember to:
■ Gradually decrease the salt; the palate needs to get used to it gradually and should not notice the progressive reduction.
■ Use spices. Chili, pepper, curry, nutmeg, cinnamon, cloves, cumin…
■ Use aromatic herbs. Basil, parsley, oregano, thyme, sage, marjoram, rosemary, mint…
■ Use seeds. Sesame, pine nuts, almonds, walnuts…
■ Use spicy vegetables or fruit. Garlic, onion, lemon, orange…
■ Use my salt-free vegetable granules and gomasio.
■ Prefer fresh foods.
■ Avoid cooking in water; prefer cooking methods that don’t disperse flavors (grilling, en papillote, steaming, microwave)
■ Avoid bringing the salt shaker to the table!
■ Occasionally allow yourself a break from the rule. It lifts the mood and helps you persevere.
If you do not want, or cannot, give up salt:
■ You can still try my recipes by salting according to your habits.
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On the WhatsApp channel and on Instagram, on the Facebook page, on Pinterest, in my two groups: Catia’s Group, in the Kitchen and Beyond and Exactly What I Was Looking For! and if you want… subscribe to my Newsletter
