Our five-year-old son, Nicholas, is not a picky eater, but he tries his darnedest to stay away from green vegetables. Sometimes I'm able to sneak them in, as you can see in a couple of the pasta recipes below. What kid doesn't like the sound of Green Pasta? All the recipes below have received his approval. Hope your kids like them too!

• Banana Smoothie
• Bean Empanadas
• Chilled Strawberry Soup
• Homemade Crispy Chicken Strips
• Grandma's Secret Salad
• Mamma's Broccolini and Ricotta Pasta
• Pasta with Smoked Mozzarella and Broccoli Rabe
• Put Everything In It Mexican Surprise
• Sweetnicks Fruit Salad
• Tomato and Mozzarella Quesadillas with Basil

Would you like to print these recipes? You can download each recipe in PDF format by clicking on the icon at the left of each recipe title.

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Banana Smoothie

• 1 cup sliced banana
• 1 cup ice
• 1 cup milk

Blend and enjoy.

Bean Empanadas
Yield: Makes 6 servings Real Simple, SEPTEMBER 2005

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 package refrigerated pie crust
• Flour for the work surface
• 1 16-ounce can refried beans
• 1 1-pint container fresh salsa
• 1 8-ounce package shredded Cheddar
• Sour cream (optional)

Heat oven to 400°F. Spread 1 teaspoon of the oil on a baking sheet. Cut each piecrust into 3 equal portions. On each cut piece, spread some of the beans, then top with 1 1/2 tablespoons of the salsa and 2 tablespoons of the cheese. Fold over the other half of each piecrust piece, covering the filling, and press the curved edge with your thumb to seal. Lightly brush the tops of the empanadas with the remaining oil, then transfer to the baking sheet. Bake for 12 to 15 minutes or until golden. Serve with a dollop of sour cream, if desired.

Sweetnicks Note: Nicholas loved these too. He really likes black beans, so once I explained that these have beans in them too, and they're pink beans, Mommy's favorite color, he ate up!

Chilled Strawberry Soup
Yield: 2 servings

• 1 pint fresh strawberries, hulled or one 1-lb bag of frozen strawberries, thawed
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 1/3 cup white wine or white grape juice

In a food processor or blender, combine all of the ingredients; cover and process for 30 seconds or until smooth. Pour into a bowl. Refrigerate until chilled.

Homemade Crispy Chicken Strips

• 3/4 pound boneless skinless chicken breasts
• 1/2 cup mashed potato flakes
• 1/2 cup seasoned bread crumbs
• 2 eggs, beaten
• 2 tablespoons olive or vegetable oil, more as needed

Flatten chicken to 1/2-in. thickness; cut into 1-in. strips. In a shallow bowl, combine the potato flakes and bread crumbs. Dip chicken in beaten eggs, then in potato mixture. In a skillet, cook chicken in oil for 4-5 minutes or until golden. Yield: 3 servings.

Grandma's Secret Salad
Compliments of Lynne Conway, Renton, WA

Sweetnicks' Note: All below notes are Lynne's.

• 1 head of romaine lettuce, cleaned and torn into bits
• 3-4 teaspoon A-1 sauce
• 1 red onion, thinly sliced
• 1 avocado, cut into small pieces
• 1 large tomato, cut into pieces
• red wine vinegar
• good olive oil
• salt and pepper
• 2-3 cloves of garlic
• two clean hands

To prepare the red onion, marinate the slices for at least half an hour (longer is better) in a small bowl in red wine vinegar to cover. They will become very soft. To prepare the salad bowl, use a garlic press to mash the garlic into the bottom of the bowl. Add the A-1 sauce (do not substitute). Using your hands, rub the garlic and A-1 well all over the inside of the bowl. When you are ready to mix the salad, kick everyone out of the kitchen. Place the lettuce, avocado, tomato and red onions in the bowl. Season with a liberal sprinkling of pepper; salt to taste. Pour about one part red wine vinegar and three parts olive oil over the salad. With your hands (do not use tongs!) mix the salad thoroughly, making sure to incorporate the garlic and A1. Invite one of your favorite relatives to come in and test it for you! Enjoy!

Mamma's Broccolini and Ricotta Pasta
Recipe courtesy of Rachael Ray.
Feeds 4-6

• 2 bundles (3 cups) chopped broccolini florets or 2 heads of broccoli rabe tops, chopped
• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 1 pound skinless, boneless chicken breasts, diced
• 4 garlic gloves, minced
• 1 pound rigatoni, cooked until al dente, 1 cup of boiling water reserved
• 2 cups (1 pound) part-skim ricotta cheese
• 6-8 sprigs fresh thyme, leaves stripped from stem and chopped
• a couple pinches of ground nutmeg
• coarse salt and pepper to taste

Simmer broccolini in a cup of water, covered, for 5 minutes, then drain. If using broccoli rabe, simmer for 8-10 minutes to extract bitterness. Drain well. Heat oil in a big, deep skillet over medium heat. Add chicken and garlic. Cook for 5-8 minutes or until chicken is cooked through. Add broccolini or rabe, pasta, ricotta, the 1 cup cooking water from pasta, thyme, nutmeg, and salt and pepper to the pan. Toss until creamy, then transfer to a serving platter. Serve with a tomato and onion salad and crusty bread.

Sweetnicks' Notes: This is a kid-approved one, Nicholas loves it.

Pasta with Smoked Mozzarella and Broccoli Rabe
Recipe courtesy of Cooking Light
Yield: 4 servings (serving size: 1 cup)

Broccoli rabe resembles tiny clusters of broccoli florets amid bunches of leaves. You can substitute kale or spinach in this recipe and get equally delicious results.

• 1 teaspoon olive oil
• 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 4 cups chopped broccoli rabe
• 1/2 cup vegetable broth
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 4 cups hot cooked orecchiette (about 8 ounces uncooked small ear-shaped pasta)
• 1/2 cup (2 ounces) shredded smoked mozzarella or smoked gouda cheese

Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add pepper and garlic; cook 1 minute or until garlic begins to brown. Stir in broccoli rabe; cook for 1 minute. Add broth and salt; cover and cook for 5 minutes or until tender. Stir in pasta and cheese. Serve immediately.

Sweetnicks' Notes: Kid-Approved - Nicholas loves this one!

Sweetnicks' Fruit Salad

• 1 cup vanilla yogurt
• 2 tablespoons honey
• squirt of lime juice
• 2 cans pineapple chunks, drained
• 1 cup orange sections (about 2 oranges)
• 2 red grapefruit, sectioned
• 2 medium bananas, sliced

Combine yogurt, honey and lime juice in a small bowl. Add in all fruit, adding banana last.

Tomato and Mozzarella Quesadillas with Basil
Yield: Makes 4 servings Real Simple, SEPTEMBER 2005

• 8 8-inch flour tortillas
• 12 ounces grated or sliced mozzarella
• 2 tomatoes, cut into 1/4-inch-thick slices
• 1/2 teaspoon plus 1/8 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1 bunch fresh basil, leaves picked
• 1/4 cup pine nuts, toasted
• 4 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil

Heat grill to medium. Arrange 4 of the tortillas on a cutting board. Arrange the mozzarella and tomatoes on the tortillas, leaving a 1-inch border empty. Season with 1/2 teaspoon of the salt and the pepper and top with the remaining tortillas. In a medium bowl, combine the basil, pine nuts, oil, and the remaining salt; set aside. Cook the quesadillas around the perimeter of the grill until the cheese melts and the tortillas are crisp and golden, about 2 minutes per side. Immediately cut the quesadillas into wedges and serve with the basil salad.

Sweetnicks' Notes: Instead of grilling these, I put them in a frying pan with a little olive oil and cooked both sides until golden brown. They could also be baked on a greased baking sheet as well. Also, I excluded the pine nuts and just put the basil inside the quesadillas. Nicholas ate half a quesadilla by himself. Yummy stuff.

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