We have been grilling a lot of vegetables this summer! Recently we enjoyed a meal with pan-fried tilapia with a few grilled vegetables and basmati rice.

Ingredients

• 2-3 fillets of tilapia
• 2-3 Portabella mushroom tops
• 1 cup sweet peppers
• 2-3 tomatoes, cut in half
• 1/2 cup seafood fry mix (we used McCormick Golden Dipt)
• 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil

Pour seafood fry mix in a bowl or a plastic bag. Wash tilapia fillets with water, shake off excess. Coat evenly with the fry mix. Let stand for 5 minutes and remove to a second dish. Pan fry in olive oil on medium heat turning once to brown evenly. Cook until fish is golden brown and flakes easily with a fork.

Lightly brush vegetables with olive oil before grilling. Apply oil to the surface of a grilling pan (we use a mesh grill pan from Williams Sonoma) and place over the grill while it is still cold. Fire up the grill to high and add vegetables to the grill pan when it has stopped smoking. Grill over medium heat until vegetables are cooked, turning a few times for even cooking.

Serve with basmati rice.

If you have a favorite recipe you want to share on our blog, send me a note via our Contact Us form.

©2010 Littlestomaks.com

Last week we got a fresh stock of Turkish groceries from tulumba.com, a specialty online store for products from Turkey. One of our favorites is bulgur, which is essentially like cracked wheat except that it is parboiled before use. It is  a low glycemic index, high fiber, protein-rich grain of much higher nutritious value than rice or couscous. We like to substitute it for rice as a side dish with our main meal.

Ingredients

Bulgur

• 1 cup bulgur
• 1 small onion, finely chopped or crushed in a food processor
• 2 medium tomatoes, finely chopped or crushed
• 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 1 – 2 cups warm water

Tilapia

• 2 medium tilapia fillet, cut into halves
• 1 cup plain bread crumbs
• 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

Salad

• Salad greens, strawberries, blueberries, cucumbers, green onions
• Walnuts
• 2 tbsp lemon juice
• 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

Method

Saute onions with tomatoes in olive oil in a small saucepan over low-medium heat until soft. Add bulgur, mix well and add enough warm water to cover the bulgur inside the pan and bring to a boil. Lower heat, cover and cook for about 5-10 minutes. When completely cooked, bulgur should be soft and fluffy.

Cover tilapia fillets with bread crumbs and pan fry in remaining olive oil until crispy brown on the outside and soft inside.

Make a salad with greens, strawberries, blueberries, cucumbers and green onions. Add walnuts. Our regular dressing is a mix of freshly squeezed lemon juice and olive oil.

Serve with steamed asparagus.

©2010 Littlestomaks.com

Ask The Expert is a weekly column on Littlestomaks.com. The idea is to have a reader-submitted question answered by a nutrition expert or a pediatrician. Feel free to submit your question in the comments section below.

Thinking about introducing your little one to fish and other seafood but worried about food allergy? Check out these handy tips from Registered Dietitian Keri Gans!

Question: We want to introduce our 2 year old to fish and other seafood. What should we be worried about? Are there any safe seafood we can try first?

Answer:

The good news is that as of January 2008 the American Academy of Pediatrics declared that there is no convincing evidence that delaying any food beyond 4 to 6 months reduces the risk of developing an allergy to it. So even though fish is one of the top eight allergenic foods, no need to worry, it is definitely time for your 2-year old to start enjoying it.

What is important to remember is that fish and shellfish are an important part of a healthy diet. They contain high quality protein and other essential nutrients that are low in saturated fat. The Omega 3 fatty acids found in fish are considered beneficial for cardiovascular health and preliminary research suggest they can enhance brain development and improve learning, behavior and vision. The American Heart Association currently recommends recommending two servings 2-3 ounces of fish a week for children as an early prevention of cardiovascular disease.

Follow these recommendations for your young child:

1. Do not serve shark, swordfish, king mackerel or tilefish because they contain high levels of mercury.
2. Ok for your child to eat up to 12 ounces a week of a variety of fish and shellfish that are lower in mercury, such as shrimp, canned light tuna, salmon, pollock and catfish.
3. Serve no more than 6 ounces of fresh or canned albacore (white) tuna. They have more mercury than light tuna.
   Make sure your fish is thoroughly cooked to avoid food borne bacteria and viruses.
4. Buy fish from reputable sources.
5. Introduce only one type of fish at a time.

After introducing any new food in your child’s diet wait 3 days until moving on to another food. Watch for signs of a food allergy, swelling of the tongue, lips or face, skin rash, wheezing, abdominal cramping, vomiting or diarrhea. If symptoms appear call your doctor right away.

Also remember that you are a food role model for you child. If they don’t see you eating fish they will not grow up eating fish. There is also no need to try and disguise the fish, by heavily breading and frying it. Serve it to them just as you would yourself, hopefully that is grilled, broiled or baked.  I remember when my niece was around 3 years old….she loved tilapia, but thought she was eating chicken.

Great resources on seafood:
Environmental Protection Agency
Seafood WATCH
Kid Safe Seafood

©2010 Littlestomaks.com. All Rights Reserved

Disclaimer – Information provided in Ask The Expert column on Littlestomaks.com is intended to give you general guidance on a question related to toddler nutrition. It is not meant to be treated as medical advice. You are welcome to contact this expert for a detailed consultation on your specific situation to determine what actions, if any, you should take regarding nutrition and health of your toddlers. We do not recommend you to take any action based solely on the information presented in this column. Experts have agreed to provide their professional opinion on toddler nutrition related questions on a voluntary basis and no compensation is offered to them by Littlestomaks.com.

8 Toddler Servings, 4 Adult Servings

This recipe was inspired by the Cookie magazine. We tried it over this weekend with minor changes.

Ingredients

1. 4 pieces of Tilapia (or another white fish ~ 1 lb), cut into small cubes
2. 2 medium sized tomatoes, diced
3. 1 small onion, finely chopped
4. 1 clove garlic, minced
5. 1/4 cup cilantro, finely chopped
6. 3 tbsp olive oil, extra virgin
7. 2 tbsp white wine vinegar
8. 2 cups warm water
9. Salt, pepper to taste

Method

Saute onions in olive oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add minced garlic to the mix and continue to saute until onions are golden brown. Add 1 cup warm water and stir in tomatoes. Add white wine vinegar and continue to cook for another 5 minutes. Cut fish into small cubes and add to the mix and cook for another 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper, continue to cook until fish is soft and cooked through. Add warm water if necessary to desired consistency. Add cilantro, remove from heat and let it sit covered for a few minutes before serving over Basmati rice or pasta.

Share and Enjoy:

]]> http://www.littlestomaks.com/2009/03/simple-recipes-fish-stew/feed/ 1 http://www.littlestomaks.com/2008/12/simple-recipes-fit-for-a-kid-fish-beds/ http://www.littlestomaks.com/2008/12/simple-recipes-fit-for-a-kid-fish-beds/#comments Fri, 12 Dec 2008 13:00:16 +0000 TwinToddlersDad http://www.littlestomaks.com/?p=605

This is a guest post by Jenna. At her blog food with kid appeal, she has great recipes and tips for eating healthy that will bring joy to the entire family. Not only does she have a great talent for cooking, she is also excellent at including her kids in the whole process of making a meal. Check out her blog for a wonderful collection of recipes and stories about the joy of cooking.

Our family “went organic” in February and with that came higher meat costs making fish affordable to eat regularly. Before the spring of this year I rarely prepared fish at home, and the boys had been offered fish only a handful of times. They had never really eaten it. I knew I’d have some work to do to get them on board with the new meat in the family. Drawing inspiration from an idea that turned up in my research for the nutrition class, I decided to use interesting plating to get the kids interested in fish.

On fish nights for the first couple months, I’d let the boys pile up their starchy side (rice, mashed potatoes, noodles), then flatten it out with a spoon, and lay some fish on top, in a bed. Then the veggies were trees (broccoli), or things in the fish’s room (green peas for balls) or covers (lay some green beans or wilted spinach on top). They got a kick out of putting their fish beds together. They didn’t complain about the meat interloper, but the first couple weeks they only tasted and nibbled the fish. By week three they were finishing a few bites of fish and in a couple months they would eat their serving. We don’t do fish beds anymore because they don’t need the extra encouragement. They usually gobble up their fish and ask for seconds before eating their starchy side or veggie. I’m about to the point where I need to fix each of them their own portion, instead of letting them share mine.

One concern many first time parents and parents of beginning eaters have is whether or not their kids are getting enough protein. Meat is tricky to chew and swallow for young children, which makes fish the perfect animal protein for them. Fish has other nutritional benefits, which you can read about in my recent post 5 reasons your kids should be eating more fish. Now it’s time for you to get cooking and tuck in some fish to enjoy with the family!

Any fish is fine, I suggest salmon and halibut because they are high in Omega 3s and have many other health promoting benefits. I list tilapia because it is growing in popularity and is affordable compared to other fish. It also has a mild flavor those who don’t usually appreciate fish can tolerate. I prefer salmon but buy tilapia as often due to price. I consider fish night in the “simple supper” category because it cooks in minutes and doesn’t involve much prep work. I often wish it wasn’t such a crowd pleaser in the family; left overs would flake up nice in a salmon salad sandwich or over greens in a tossed salad.

How to prepare fish for beds

Photo by Jenna

Ingredients

1. Salmon, Tilapia or Halibut fillets or steaks (skin on or off, aim at 3-6 oz per adult)
2. ½ TBS Butter or olive/canola oil (just enough to coat bottom of non-stick pan, use more if not using non-stick pan).
3. Salt and Pepper to taste
4. Lemon wedges
5. Butter sauce (optional)

Method

Mix ½ TBS soft butter per person with some dried herbs (I like fennel), and a little lemon juice. Place butter mixture on a plate or plastic wrap into pats, pop it in the freezer while fish cooks. Place cold butter blobs on the fish after plating.

Time Saver Tip: You can make herbed butter in a large batch and freeze. Mix a stick of softened butter with lemon juice and your pick of dried or fresh chopped herbs and/or garlic. Form a log and wrap in wax paper. Put in freezer and slice off a couple pats with a sharp knife to add to steamed veggies or fish.

Heat pan on med-low, add butter/oil. Season fish with salt/pepper on both sides (if you’re not using the butter sauce, you can be more generous with salt/pepper). Place fish in pan and brown on one side. Check the thickness edge* of the fillet/steak for the “cooked” line to rise. The fish will change color losing it’s translucency as it cooks. Once it gets about half way, flip it. It won’t take long, a few minutes or more depending on how thick your cuts of fish are. Flip fish and brown on other side. 2^nd side will take less time, watch again for the “cooked” line to meet the first side’s line in the middle. If cooking with skin on, cook skin side first, and 2^nd side may take longer. If you’re new to cooking fish, here’s a tip. Fish is very delicate. It over cooks quickly, so pay attention when it’s in the pan. Your fish will be tender, tasty and flaky if you don’t over cook it. Remove to plate and let rest a few minutes before serving.

Serve butter pats and lemon wedges at the table for kids over 2. Kiddos love putting stuff on their food, let them squeeze the lemons, and place the butter pat on top.

Serve your choice of starchy side for the “bed” (mashed potatoes, noodles, rice,) and some steamed veggies (carrots, broccoli, green peas, sugar snap peas) to decorate the “room”. Let kids place fish on top of the starchy side and add the veggies. Help younger kids out by creating a story, ask older kids to use their imagination and tell you what the veggies represent.

Kid Appeal Tip If your kids are new to fish (or any protein source) don’t worry if they don’t go for it immediately. It often takes a dozen introductions for a new food to be adopted. Keep offering it, and each successive time you serve it, up the ante. For kids 2 and over, at first, ask them to taste/smell it. Next time your serve it ask them to taste it. Then ask them to finish a whole bite. Then a few bites. Then half their portion. Then all of it. Make it relevant by telling them fish builds strong muscles (protein) and grows brains (fat/omega 3). Illustrate why they want strong muscles (to run faster, to kick the soccer ball farther). Once they tolerate a bite of it, don’t offer more sides, dessert, after dinner snack, etc. until they’ve done some damage to their fish portion. In a few weeks or months you’ll have fish lovers!

*”thickness edge” is the not the top/bottom of the fish that touches the skillet but the side. You’ll see it without having to peek or lift up an edge of the fillet.