Our family enjoys cooking shows. We usually watch them during dinner as we eat our feast expertly created by my wife, who is a chef. Colleen and I loved cooking shows before we adopted, watching several seasons of ‘Top Chef’ and we passed that love of these show onto our kids, Rosielin (8 yrs. old) and YuYu (10 yrs. old). From ‘The Great British Bake-off’ to ‘Zumbo’s Just Desserts’ and ‘Chopped’ we sit picnic style with our meal and try to figure out who will be eliminated and why and ‘oooh’ and ‘ahhhh’ at some of the amazing dishes these amateurs and professionals create.
‘Chopped’ was a favorite because there were just so many seasons, so we have watched tons of these episodes and there are still so many more we must watch. Our kids enjoy helping my wife with any cooking or baking for special occasions, so we have made jiaozi for Chinese New Year, cupcakes for birthdays, or just scones and cookies for company. I have never been much of a cook, but my baking skills have increased ever since my wife and I started our catering company.
One day, our kids were playing pretend restaurant on their own in our living room. The idea hit me, I would create a ‘Chopped’ experience for the kids and immediately started looking up recipes that the kids could create. I came across a spring quinoa salad that had strawberries, asparagus, garlic, peas, parsley, lemon juice, etc. and thought that would be perfect. I mysteriously told Colleen that I had to go out and get some materials and headed out the door on my own secret mission. After getting construction paper, tape, markers, and ingredients, I was ready to put all the pieces together for a fun family endeavor. The girls had a wooden crate they used to store some of their toys, so first thing I did was to create the ‘Chopped’ basket complete with tape handles that they could open just like the show. Next up, had to get the ingredients set up in the basket and around the kitchen as well as create a ‘KIDS Chopped’ sign. All the while I was doing this, the kids were looking up with curiosity as to what I was doing as I was running up and down the stairs trying to keep my endeavor a secret as long as I could. When I was finally ready, I presented the ‘KIDS Chopped’ show to them and their eyes lit up. They couldn’t believe that they would be doing the same thing as their favorite show. I videoed them as I played the Ted Allen part as host. They had thirty minutes to create a dish from the ingredients provided. I also provided a recipe for them to follow so they could learn about following directions, measurements, and teamwork while they were having fun creating the meal. Chef YuYu and Sous Chef RosieLin worked well together as they scurried around the kitchen looking for items that were not a part of the basket. As I counted down the final seconds, they rushed to get everything on their plate and finished in the nick of time. Now came the tasting. Colleen and I were the judges and we tasted their food and told them we needed to discuss it before coming up with a decision. We put the food under a dish towel and told the kids that if their food was under the towel, then they were the winner, if there was nothing under it, then they did not win. When it was revealed that the girls’ dish was the winner they squealed with delight. But the big winner was us, as we saw them work together to create a dish and learn everything that goes along with it and feel proud of a job well done. Colleen and I both enjoyed the salad so much that we decided to make it part of our sellable goods for farmer’s markets and retail sales. We call it ‘Two Sisters Quinoa Salad’.
We still watch ‘Chopped’ at dinner and every once in awhile I break out our basket and we have another episode of ‘KIDS Chopped.’
Here is the recipe that they created.
Two Sisters Quinoa
Vegan, gluten-free, nut-free, soy-free
Yield: 4 servings
Ingredients:
- 1 cup uncooked quinoa (or try speltberries, but note they are not GF)
- 1/2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1 leek, sliced into rounds or half moons
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 bunch asparagus, ends broken off and chopped into 1-inch pieces
- 1 cup diced strawberries (optional)
- 3/4 cup fresh or frozen peas
- 1 cup fresh parsley, roughly chopped
- 2-3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil, to taste
- 3 tbsp fresh lemon juice
- 1/2 tbsp pure maple syrup (or other sweetener)
- 1/4 tsp fine grain sea salt & lots of pepper, to taste
- lemon zest, for garnish
1. Rinse quinoa in a fine mesh strainer and place into a medium pot. Add 1.5 cups vegetable broth (or water) and bring to a low boil. Reduce heat to low-medium, cover with tight-fitting lid, and cook for 15-17 minutes, or until fluffy and all the water is absorbed. Fluff with fork, remove from heat, and let sit covered for 5 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, grab a very large skillet or wok. Sauté the leek and garlic in the oil for about 5 minutes over medium heat. Season generously with salt and pepper. Add in the asparagus and sauté for another 5-10 minutes or until the asparagus is just tender, but still a bit crisp. Stir in the strawberries (optional), peas, and parsley. Heat for a few minutes and then remove from heat.
3. Whisk together the dressing ingredients (olive oil, lemon juice, maple syrup, and 1/4 tsp fine grain sea salt) to taste. Pour dressing onto skillet mixture and stir in the cooked quinoa. Season to taste with salt and pepper & enjoy! This would also be lovely with nuts or seeds sprinkled on top.
- Steve Willett, 2x Gladney dad
