While the sun beats down on the beautiful beaches of the Caribbean, those crafty vegetables have been busy. We’ve heard they have set up their base in the Caribbean. It’s time, time they felt the heat. Find them, say “feel the heat”, then eat them and defeat them.
Feel the heat veggies!
Tea-time adventures make meals fun, turning eating into a game. It’s not just about the recipe—it’s about getting kids excited to eat their food. Caribbean Challenge is just a fun name for chicken, rice and peas. We have suggested a recipe with jerk chicken and both beans and peas with the rice, but you can do it any way you wish. The key is using chunky vegetables. Avoid hiding or finely chopping the veg—presenting it in larger pieces gives your child control, allowing them to decide when or if they want to eat it. This sense of control encourages them to give it a try.
Join the “Eat Them to Defeat Them” challenge and watch the video together. Get the kids pumped up with the rally cry, “Feel the heat veggies!” as you prep the meal. Keep it fun and light-hearted—ask the kids if they want to help Chef Andrew to “defeat” the veggies without pressure, maybe throwing in fun phrases like “you’re going down veggies” or “let’s defeat them!”.
After the meal, praise, praise, praise – celebrate every win, big or small, like a sniff, a lick or a nibble, and try to steer away from talking about health or nutrition. Praise their efforts with a “Well done, we defeated the veggies!” and add a sticker to their Eat Them To Defeat Them wall chart (you can download one here). Ask if they’d like to try another challenge, and keep the veggie fun going!
Serves: 4
Prep time: 15 mins
Cook time: 45 mins
Ingredients:
Jerk chicken:
2 tbsp oil
1 onion, diced
200g chicken (boneless, skinless thigh or breast) or veggie alternative, diced
1 tsp garlic puree or 2 finely sliced garlic cloves (optional)
200g sweet potato, diced (frozen pre-diced sweet potato or squash is fine)
2 carrots, diced
150ml water
1 tsp vinegar
1 tbsp jerk seasoning
2 tbsp brown sugar
1 red pepper, diced
400g tomatoes, chopped (or use 1 400g tin chopped tomatoes)
1 veg stock cube (optional)
1 tbsp tomato puree
Juice of ½ lemon
¼ tsp black pepper
2 tsp cornflour or tapioca starch mixed with 2 tsp water to make a paste
2 spring onions, sliced (optional)
Rice & peas:
1 mug rice (ideally basmati, but you can use others and just check package instructions for how long it takes to cook)
2 mugs water
1 400g tin kidney beans
50ml coconut milk (optional)
100g peas (frozen is fine)
1 veg stock cube (optional)
Veg Portions / Serving: 2.5
Here’s our recommended recipe, or you can simply adapt your own recipe – just keep the veg chunky and serve with a reminder to the children to Eat Them to Defeat Them and say “Feel the heat veggies!”
Method:
Heat the oil in a large frying pan over medium heat and add the diced chicken and onion. Cook for about 5 mins, until the chicken begins to colour. If using veggie alternative, check the instructions on the packet, but most can be added into the pan with the veg later as they cook quickly.
Add the garlic, sweet potato, carrot, and water to the pan and continue to cook until the sweet potato begins to soften, about 10 mins.
Add the vinegar, jerk seasoning, brown sugar, red pepper, tomatoes (and veggie alternative, if using) to the pan, reduce the heat to low, and allow to cook slowly until the sauce begins to thicken, about 5-10 mins. Add the veg stock cube, if using, tomato puree, lemon juice and black pepper to the pan, stir well, then pour in the cornflour paste and stir thoroughly, continuing to cook for 5-10 minutes until it thickens slightly before adding the sliced spring onion, if using.
For the rice and peas, add the rice and water to a saucepan and bring to the boil, then turn down the heat to leave it simmering until the rice is soft and tender and the water is nearly absorbed (check packet instructions to know how long this will be). At this point, add the kidney beans, coconut milk if using, peas and veg stock cube if using, cover the pan and continue to cook for a few more mins until the rice is tender, light and fluffy.
Remove from the heat and serve with the Caribbean Jerk Chicken.
Have the kids help you measure and weigh ingredients, fill the mug for the rice with rice and water, and stir things together (show them how to safely stir over the heat and keep a close eye on them). For more tips on cooking with kids check out Kids in the Kitchen.
