Jennifer John
Jennifer John, a trained home economist and a member of the Guild of Food Writers has been working with the Discover Great Veg campaign for many years, including, developing recipes.
Jennifer’s Mediterranean Spinach Rolls
Jennifer John
Effort:
Complexity:
Cost:
Serves: 4
Prep time: 10 mins
Cook time: 2 mins
Ingredients:
4 crusty bread rolls (250g)
260g bag spinach
280g jar chargrilled peppers in oil
1 courgette, halved then thinly sliced lengthways
2 tbsp chopped basil
125g light mozzarella, sliced
Veg Portions / Serving: 1
These spinach rolls are quick and easy to make and perfect for picnics, a light lunch or snack.
Method:
Cut the tops off the rolls to make lids and reserve. Scoop out the bread saving the shell of the roll.
Place the spinach in a large bowl, cover with clingfilm and microwave for 2 minutes, squeeze out the excess liquid.
Drain the peppers reserving the oil. Heat 1 tbsp of the oil and fry the courgettes for 2-3 minutes until softened and mix in the peppers and basil, season. Place half the courgette mixture in the base of the rolls, add the mozzarella and then the remaining courgette mixture, press in the spinach then top with the roll lid.
Serve halved with salad.
Cooks tip:
Make breadcrumbs with the bread from the rolls and freeze for later. Try using a large round loaf instead of rolls, great for picnics.
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
Get the kids to scoop out the bread filling while you cook the courgettes. Have them top the bread with the veg and mozzarella, and then with the extra bread slice.
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
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
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.
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Vic Borrill (Brighton & Hove Food Partnership)
