Asian Twist on Spaghetti for Kids!

It’s not always easy when you get home from work, are tired and have to come up with something quick and easy for your family and loved ones for dinner. Why not put a fun twist on spaghetti by adding peanut sauce! See the below recipe!

For a quick Asian sauce that takes almost no time to prepare, mix together peanut butter, soy sauce, rice vinegar, and sugar!

ASIAN SPAGHETTI RECIPE

Prep Time: 15 minutes
Total Time: 20 minutes

INGREDIENTS:

• 8 ounces whole-wheat spaghetti
• Coarse salt and ground pepper
• 4 ounces snow peas, tough strings removed
• 3 medium carrots, halved, and shaved with a vegetable peeler
• 1 container (14 ounces) firm tofu, drained and cut into 1-inch cubes
• 3 tablespoons smooth peanut butter
• 2 tablespoons soy sauce
• 2 tablespoons rice vinegar
• 2 tablespoons light-brown sugar

DIRECTIONS:

1.   Cook pasta in a large pot of boiling salted water until al dente, according to package instructions. Reserve 1/2 cup pasta water. Add snow peas, carrots, and tofu to pot; immediately drain pasta mixture, and set aside.

2.   In pasta pot, stir together peanut butter, soy sauce, vinegar, and sugar. Add reserved pasta mixture; toss gently, adding reserved pasta water a little at a time to create a thin sauce that coats spaghetti (you may not need all the water). Season as desired with salt and pepper. Serve.

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Sushi good for kids?

I started eating sushi when I was a toddler – yes, I am half Chinese, so perhaps the concept of rice that I was accustomed to made sushi more appealing, but I do remember LOVING tuna!! Especially dousing it in soy sauce (not so healthy – ha!). Many parents are skeptical about sushi because of the mercury content in tuna and other fish, but as long as it is in moderation and from a safe/clean restaurant or from a clean grocery store that sells “sushi grade” tuna, I think you and your children are fine. The Environmental Protection Agency reports that fish and shellfish under 12 oz. per week are an important part of a healthy diet for children and pregnant or nursing women. I see sushi as a great way to incorporate a more international diet palate for your child, and also can be quite healthy!

19% of all children are classified as obese, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. It seems as though children are always hungry, but turn their noses up at healthier food and opt for greasy (French fries / burgers / chicken tenders) or sugary foods instead. Not quite ready to give your kids raw fish? You can always use cooked food such as shrimp tempura or even making sandwiches look like sushi!

Disguising healthy foods by using fun ways of making nutritious snacks for children can take the focus on the ingredients and make healthy snacking an interesting part of your child’s day.

Sandwich Sushi
Sandwiches can be made nutritious with whole wheat bread and lean meat ingredients, but they might not always be attractive to children who’d rather have a peanut butter and jelly on white. Making sandwiches into sushi shapes and allowing kids to eat with chopsticks make it more fun. Make your sandwiches with ingredients that can be easily rolled, including meat and cheese. Then, flatten the sandwich and roll tightly. Slice the roll into half-inch thick pieces and offer with chopsticks.

Snack Art
Cut up a variety of foods, such as fruits, vegetables, cheese and lean meat, into bite-sized squares, triangles and circles. Have your child wash her hands, and then set out a clean plate for her to make nutritious snack art using the shapes available. She’ll be enjoying making faces and pictures so much that she’ll hardly even notice as she pops a few pieces into her mouth for sampling. Once the picture is done, challenge her to eat everything on her plate.

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Viva New York!

Table-Side Guacamole Maker

A few weeks ago we had a successful and exciting start to our Spring 2010 season at the Children’s Club Show in New York!  The le•top team, exhausted but happy, was rewarded each evening by the wonderful restaurants that populate New York – we do have a reward besides the satisfaction of happy customers!

Eating is always one of the highlights of our trip, since we LOVE good food!  We have our favorite places, including Gotham Bar and Grill (beautiful, and just FEELS like New York,) Il Cantinori (great Italian with lots of ‘celebrity spotting’) and  Parma (a REALLY OLD favorite – in every way!)  By the way…New York has FABULOUS Italian food, and always seems different than what is available here in California (because New York is closer to Italy than we are???)

The le•top crew (Californians all!) decided to break it up a little and sample some cuisine native to our area at Rosa Mexicano, an energetic and happening restaurant with 3 locations in Manhattan.  We hit the location at Union Square that features architectural accents inspired by the late, famed Mexican architect, Luis Barragan, including an illuminated electric-blue tiled water wall featuring cliff diver figurines and candles within the cascading water – very cool!  We jumped at experiencing the table-side guacamole, both spicy and mild …then just had to order a third bowl!  Honestly, this is the best guacamole!  We enjoyed all Rosa’s menu items, including enchilada suisas, chicken flautas and tortilla soup – and of course treated ourselves to some fabulous Margaritas!  After indulging we were spiced up and eager for another great day at the Children’s Club Show!

If you are ever in Manhattan and want a taste of Mexico, be sure to visit any of Rosa Mexicano’s three locations, you won’t be disappointed!  Ole’!

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Le Top Office Party: Cookies, Candy and Craziness!

This past Friday was our annual employee potluck at Le Top – a tradition that manages to ring up more calories in a single day than ANYONE needs to consume (everyone brings in a favorite dish), but also rings up a lot of laughter! – we “work” in the morning (yeah, right…) and then gather for the feast.

Let the feast commence!

You hear comments like, “I hope Christopher brought in the salmon” (he did!) and “Yeah! Linda made her divine divinity!” We have a very diverse staff (One day, I counted the languages spoken here – I think it was around 10?!?), so it is really fun (and sometimes quite interesting) to try everyone’s ‘regional’ cuisine. Our international menu included good ole’ American (mac n’ cheese), Chinese (roast duck and noodles), Mexican and South American (pass the hot sauce!) and German (great potato salad!).

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