It's all in a name

When he was just a toddler, my youngest son had a habit of wandering up to men in the park and grabbing hold of their hand, hugging them, or even climbing on to their laps. At the time, in my awkward embarrassment, I used to joke with the unwitting recipient of said attention that "I think he's looking for a better family to adopt him!". Unfortunately, not all the confused grandfathers and horrified fathers were well versed in the value of sarcasm, but fortunately none of them had CPS on speed-dial. Thus my son is still 'stuck with' us.

I used to think that if I served up salad for dinner, my children might well clamor to be adopted by a more nutritiously filling household. "What do you mean "salad"? Salad with what?" they would cry, their poor under-filled stomachs grumbling in unison? Then, in my wild imagination, they would trawl parks, find warm laps to climb on to, and whisper in unsuspecting (but hopefully well-fed) ears "What is the food like in your house?" or "Do you get French fries where you live?".

Fortunately, I discovered that with a bit of creative descripting and accessorizing, salad can be a main course or entrée. Let me demonstrate:

"What's for dinner?"
"Salad"
= sulky huff, slammed doors and parental divorce proceedings instigated at earliest convenience

"What's for dinner?"
"Chipotle Chicken with Romaine, Tomatoes and Avocado" {NB only insert latter vegetable in cases where child does not consider avocado the food of the devil}
"Wow - that sounds great. Can I lay the table for you, or otherwise help in any way?"

And if you want to take things to the next level, then accessorizing is key:

"What's for dinner?"
"Chipotle Chicken with Romaine, Tomatoes and Avocado and a side of Refried Bean Nachos"
"Have I told you lately how awesome you are, mummy dearest? Why, I feel sorry for the children I meet in the park. All they get is French fries... Oh, and by the way, after dinner, is it OK if I tidy my room?"

See? Now we're talking!

Chipotle Chicken with Romaine, Tomatoes and Avocado
adapted from Cooking Light
Serves 6 as a main dish

Dressing:
2/3 cup chopped fresh cilantro/coriander leaves
1 1/3 cups sour cream
1 TBSP minced chipotle chile in adobo sauce
2 tsp ground cumin
2 tsp chili powder
2 1/2 TBSP lime juice
1/2 tsp salt

Salad:
6-8 cups shredded romaine lettuce
3-4 chicken breasts
2 cups halved cherry/grape tomatoes
1 cup diced peeled avocado
2 15oz cans black beans, drained and rinsed
1 1/2 cups shredded cheddar/Mexican cheese blend

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Roast chicken breasts on pan coated with cooking spray. Set aside to cool, then shred/chop.
2. Prepare dressing by whisking all ingredients together in a bowl. Taste. If you like it spicier, then add a little of the adobo sauce from the can, or more chili powder.
3. In a large bowl, combine lettuce, cooled shredded chicken, tomatoes, avocado and black beans. Toss with dressing, then sprinkle cheese over top. NB this recipe makes more dressing than you will need, but the remainder will keep in the fridge for a couple of days.

Refried Bean Nachos
Serves 6 as an 'accessory'

3/4 of a large 12 oz bag of tortilla chips
1 15 oz can refried beans
1 1/2 pt carton of pico de gallo
2 cups Mexican blend cheese (or cheddar)

1. Spread tortilla chips over the base of an ovenproof dish (mine is 12" diameter)
2. Use two spoons to drop spoonfuls of refried beans over the chips, then spread them lightly over the top, so that every visible chip has at least a bit of the beans on it.
3. Use a slotted spoon to distribute the pico de gallo over the top (you don't want too much liquid, so you may have to squeeze the pico de gallo a little bit to extract much of it. Otherwise your chips will go soggy (and your children may threaten to leave home))
4. Sprinkle cheese evenly over the top.
5. Preheat the broiler (or grill, if you are in Europe), and broil/grill for 10 minutes until cheese is melted and bubbly.