Sambosa

Cute Creative Lunches For Kids

Cute Creative Lunches For Kids Make Stay-At-Home Mommy A Star

Samantha Lee, a stay-at-home mom with no culinary class experience, rocketed to internet fame with a blog highlighting the delightfully creative bento lunches she creates for her young daughters. She creates pop culture and storybook icons for her daughters to eat and, as she continues making them, she keeps getting better at it. And more famous.

Pesto with Deviled Eggs

Mujaddara (مجدرة)

Ingredients:

3/4 cup long-grain white rice
1 cup brown lentils, rinsed
3 cups onions, roughly chopped
1/3 cup olive oil
1/4 tsp ground cumin
salt and pepper

Method:

Cook rice by sauteeing in a teaspoon of oil, adding a teaspoon of salt, then just covering with boiled water.
Bring to the boil, immediately cover the pot and reduce heat to low and let simmer 20 minutes until cooked.
When rice is done, cover and keep warm until you add it to the lentils.

While the rice is cooking, rinse lentils, then place in heavy pot with a tight fitting lid, cover with three times the volume of water, and let lentils simmer over very low heat uncovered until they are soft about 20-30 minutes.
When lentils are cooked, remove from heat, cover and set aside to let them absorb any leftover water.

While lentils cook, chop onions roughly.
Heat olive oil in heavy frying pan, then add onions, reduce heat to medium-low and start to brown onions, stirring every few minutes.
Continue to cook onions, stirring often, until they are deeply browned and caramelized, about 20-25 minutes.
Don't rush this step; the onions will be bitter if they're cooked at high heat.

When onions are browned, remove half the onions to drain on a paper towel to crisp.
Sprinkle 1/4 tsp cumin into the rest of the onions in the pan and saute 1-2 minutes.

Use a slotted spoon to transfer the cooked lentils to the pan with the onions, leaving behind any water that's not absorbed.
Gently mix cooked rice into the lentils and caramelized onions, heating for a minute or two if the rice is not hot.
Adjust the seasoning with salt and pepper, if necessary.
Put Mujadarra on a serving dish, top with crispy caramelized onions, and serve hot or warm.

Parmesan-Crusted Tilapia

Ingredients
1/2 cup panko (Japanese breadcrumbs)
2 ounces grated fresh Parmesan cheese (about 1/2 cup)
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
4 (6-ounce) tilapia fillets
2 tablespoons canola oil, divided
8 lemon wedges
Preparation

1. Combine first 4 ingredients in a shallow dish; place eggs in another shallow dish. Rinse fillets; pat dry with paper towels. Dip fillets in egg; dredge in panko mixture.
2. Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add 1 tablespoon oil; swirl to coat. Add half of fillets to pan; cook 2 to 3 minutes on each side or until fish flakes easily when tested with a fork. Wipe pan with paper towels. Repeat procedure with remaining oil and fillets. Serve with lemon wedges.
Kids Can Help: Let the kids dip the fish in the eggs and then into the panko mixture. It's messy, but fun!
Note:
MyRecipes is working with Let's Move!, the Partnership for a Healthier America, and USDA's MyPlate to give anyone looking for healthier options access to a trove of recipes that will help them create healthy, tasty plates. For more information about creating a healthy plate