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Stew & Jollof Rice

Claire Wright

Effort:
Complexity:
Cost:

Serves: 4

Prep time: 20 mins

Cook time: 45 mins

Ingredients:

Stew:

1 tbsp oil

1 onion, diced

200g chicken or veggie alternative

1 400g tin chickpeas, drained and rinsed

250g sweet potatoes, peeled, diced (or use pre-diced frozen sweet potatoes or squash)

200ml water

400g tomatoes, chopped (or 1 400g tin chopped tomatoes)

1 tsp garlic puree or 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped (optional)

1 tsp cumin

1 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp paprika

1 veg stock cube (optional)

1 tbsp honey

30g sultanas (optional)

1 tbsp soy sauce

1 tbsp sweet chilli sauce

1⁄2 bunch coriander, finely chopped (optional)

Jollof rice:

1 tbsp oil

1⁄2 onion, diced

1 red pepper, diced

1 yellow pepper, diced

50g peas (frozen is fine)

1 mug rice (ideally basmati, but you can use others and just check package instructions for how long it takes to cook)

400g tomatoes, chopped (or 1 400g tin chopped tomatoes)

2 mugs vegetable stock or water

½ tsp cayenne pepper (optional)

1 tbsp curry powder

2 tbsp tomato puree

Veg Portions / Serving: 5

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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 “Let’s get ready to rumble!”

Method:

Place a saucepan on the stove over medium heat, add the oil and onion, and cook until the onion begins to soften (about 5-10 mins), then add the chicken and cook until browned, about another 5 mins. If using veggie alternative, check packet for instructions, but most cook quickly so add to the pan at the next stage.

Add the sweet potatoes, chickpeas and water, bring up to the boil and cook for 2-3 minutes before adding the tomatoes, garlic, cumin, cinnamon, paprika, vegetable stock cube (if using), honey, sultanas (if using), and soy sauce (and veggie alternative, if using). Reduce the heat to a simmer.

Add the sweet chilli sauce and chopped coriander (if using) to the pan and continue to cook gently until the sauce begins to thicken, about 5-10 mins.

Place another saucepan fitted with a lid on the stove to heat and add the oil, onion, peppers, and peas, continue to cook until the vegetables soften and begin to colour, about 5-10 mins. Stir the rice into the pan and add the chopped tomatoes, vegetable stock or water, cayenne pepper (if using), curry powder and tomato puree. Thoroughly mix the ingredients together, reduce heat and simmer for about 12-20 minutes or until the rice is tender and the liquid is absorbed (add an extra splash or water if it’s not cooked when water is all absorbed). Remove from the heat and serve.

Engaging Kids

Engaging Kids

Kids who engage regularly with veg through veg-themed activities, such as arts and crafts, sensory experiences, growing and cooking are shown to be more likely to eat the veg they engage with. Encouraging kids to engage and play with veg is the handy first step to them developing a good relationship with veg and life-long healthy eating.

Kids in the kitchen

Kids in the kitchen

Have the kids help you measure and weigh ingredients, fill the mug for the rice with rice and water, and stirring 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 on Simply Veg.

Activities

Activities

While getting kids to interact with veggies for real and using their senses to explore them is best, encouraging hands off activities like arts & crafts, puzzles & games or at-home science experiments can be a great start, particularly for those who are fussier eaters or struggle with anything too sensory. Use these veg-themed activities as a stepping stone to interacting with the veg themselves. We have loads of crafty downloads here, puzzles here, and quirky science with veg here.

Sensory

Sensory

Once you feel your child is ready to engage a little more, you can show them how to explore the veg you have on hand with their senses, coming up with playful silly descriptions of how a veg smells, feels, looks, sounds and perhaps even tastes. Find ideas, videos and some simple sensory education session ideas to get you started here.

Serving

Serving

The moments before food is offered can be a perfect opportunity for engagement that can help make it more likely a child will eat it! Giving children a sense of ownership in the meal can make a big difference to their feelings going into it and the pride they take in it. You know your child best, but if you aren’t sure where to start, we have some fun and simple ideas for easy roles you can give them in the serving process over here.

Claire Wright

Editor: After leaving Exeter University with a degree in English Literature, Claire worked in various fields ranging from youth work and charities to publishing, before starting up a food-focused website when her first child was born. After being asked to project manage the publication of Veg Power's Crowdfunder book, Claire came on board as a fully-fledged team member in 2018 to take on the role of Communications Manager, then Editor, looking after Veg Power's website, content, recipes and social media platforms.

addsomeveg.com/

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