Caribbean Food For Kids

Sponsored Post From Sugar Beach Luxury Caribbean Real Estate and properties in St Lucia.

If you enjoy cooking tasty spicy food, then you’ll want to share it with the whole family and that includes the children. There’s no reason why kids shouldn’t enjoy food from the Caribbean, after all spicy food isn’t just about heat it's also about flavour.

Children love fruit and Caribbean food is packed with exotic fruits such as Mangos, Coconuts and Star Fruits, to name but a few. And, what child doesn’t like rice? It is so easy to introduce your child to Caribbean cooking.

  

Start as you mean to go on- It is said that if you eat spicy foods whilst you are pregnant, or while breast feeding, your child will become accustomed to the spicy taste. Once a baby has reached twelve months of age, you should be able to try small quantities of food that has been mildly spiced and by the time your child is two, they should be able to eat milder versions of the stews and curries you love.

Teaching your child to try new and different food is an important lesson and will mean that they don’t become fussy eaters with a restricted diet.

Rice and Peas, sweet potatoes and mashed pumpkin are perfect for young children. They are easy to eat with a spoon and they are colourful as well as flavourful. Desserts can include fruit salads and rice pudding. Get your child to watch while you cut up a star fruit, they will be fascinated by the star like shape and they will soon want to pick up a slice and eat it.  Then you have crossed the first hurdle, and they have tried something different.

Older children will enjoy jerk chicken and you can get them to eat vegetables by making a delicious curry using sweet potato, aubergines, ladies fingers and peas. Most Caribbean curries contain fruit such as banana or coconut, which will appeal to children who like a hint of sweetness.

Another food children sometimes don’t like to eat is fish and Caribbean recipes with their mix of fruit and spices make fish an inviting prospect. Try spicy fish tacos or salmon with pineapple and mango.

Ribs are a tasty way to eat meat, make a tasty Barbecue sauce and serve them on a bed of crisp green lettuce. Desserts can be as simple as a coconut cake, or something a bit more complicated like a mango puff pastry turnovers.

If you do have a child that doesn’t like to taste new foods, invite your child and a friend to help you make a simple dish like chicken, rice and peas, with a dessert of coconut kisses. They are bound to want to taste their own cooking and it is a good way to explain how herbs and spices can enhance a meal. 

During the summer you could let the children have a Caribbean themed party. Stick a paddling pool in the garden, get them to wear straw hats and paper garlands and set the table with Pirates of the Caribbean plates and cups. Put out spicy chicken drumsticks, pork, pineapple and pepper kebabs, rice and salad and finish off with some refreshing mango ice cream. Play some lively steel band music and send them on a hunt for hidden treasure!

Older children might enjoy making a chicken curry and a really simple recipe is the one below. It doesn’t take a lot of work and it’s a good meal for teenagers to enjoy whilst watching a film.

·         Chicken thighs (2 for each person)

·         1 diced onion

·         Red pepper, chopped

·         1 tablespoon of curry powder

·         2 gloves of crushed garlic.

·         2 or 3 chopped up potatoes

·         1/2 teaspoon of allspice

·         Salt & pepper

Make a marinade out of the spices, cover the chicken with the marinade and leave for an hour or two. Then remove the chicken and fry in oil for about 15 minutes. Add a cup of water to the marinade and pour into over the chicken. Lower the heat and simmer for just under an hour. Cook some long grained rice and either serve it separately, or add it to the pan with the chicken. 

A refreshing fruit salad makes a good desert, especially for teenagers who need the vitamins and goodness. Prepare and chop some kiwi, mango, pineapple, grapes and bananas and make a dressing of lime juice, coconut flakes and sour cream. Make plenty because they are sure to ask for seconds.

Most Caribbean recipes are based on fresh fish and meat, with spices to supply the flavour and fresh vegetables and fruit for added colour. They are a good healthy alternative to stodgy carbohydrates and they taste a whole lot better too.