Kids in the Kitchen: Move over Nigella!

In the past few years, British chefs, from Nigella Lawson to Jamie Oliver, have become popular in the U.S. The latest chef and cookbook author to cross the pond is Annabel Karmel, a mother of three, who has written 12 bestselling books on healthy, child-friendly eating. With her three teens and a panel of child-testers, Karmel has created 150 recipes that focus on speed, health and flavor, in her latest book, Favorite Family Meals (Atria Books, $22.95).

With a nod to the obesity epidemic, some of the recipes are low-fat — like lettuce cups filled with chicken and mango, or shrimp and watercress. The pasta recipes are loaded with vegetables and Karmel has some sneaky ways to add veggies to a kid’s diet: potatoes mashed with carrots, or zucchini fritters. There are also tasty vegetarian sausages made with carrot, zucchini and cheese. Of course, if you are making these recipes with your kids, you can’t exactly hide the vegetables, but there are so many simple, appealing recipes that even the fussiest eater is sure to find a favorite.

Karmel, who feels that children should not be fed separate meals from adults, got involved in cooking for kids and nutrition after her first child died, and her second child was, she said, ‘a bad eater’. Not wanting to lose another child, she made it her mission in life to offer healthy, delicious food to her kids. Her children, Nicholas, Lara and Scarlet, are all adventurous eaters and Karmel credits her insistence on “training them early” to eat well. She notes that when kids are raised on a diet of sweet and salty foods, “it is hard to get them back on track.”

This is not to say that the book is a study in deprivation. There are desserts — from cookies and cheesecake to funny face cupcakes. But there are also apple and carrot muffins and berries with hot chocolate sauce — both quick, delicious and healthier than processed fare.