Recently, the teen was visiting and we had the opportunity to cook. His diet is less than stellar living with his mom, not exactly what I call balanced. What’s worse, when out and about, he is quick to grab a “Large” McDouble Meal with HiC and two apple pies. Just dreadful! Thank goodness he is ridiculously athletic and can burn off that crap. I attempt to sneak in as much unprocessed food as possible when he and I hang out. It’s not easy. His palate is trashed and he isn’t in the mindset to want to train his taste buds any differently.
This week, I told him his role would be a guinea pig for some Super Bowl eats I wanted bring to the party his mom asked me to join. The catch? I wanted to incorporate some of the Wasa Flatbreads I received into a meal. Extremely familiar with Wasa, my mother has been a long-time consumer and first introduced me to the crackers. From there, I became a fan of their Whole Grain and Light Rye crisps. But, I usually just top a cracker with some type of preserves. For the days I decide to live life on the edge, I might add a smear of cream cheese or mascarpone. Enjoyable, but…boring!
Think, Chris, think! Do something different. If he was going to eat, I knew I would have to be flexible with my almost completely meat-free diet. Getting him to consume fish (that doesn’t have the words “Filet-O-” as its prefix), tofu or bean-based anything would take an act of Congress. And, we know how well they are working together. So, I chose wings and meatballs.
Adding the flatbread in my food processor, I decided to transform the cracker into bread crumbs. Smart, right? The Sesame Flatbread-crumbs, when combined with a little fine sea salt and homemade Chinese Five Spice, rocked out a pretty succulent baked chicken wing. I was pleased how the crumb mixture, when dredged with an egg mixture, baked onto the wings. The Asian-infused flavor added an unexpected flare to an old classic.
The Rosemary Flatbread-crumbs, added an additional layer of flavor when mixed into a meatball mixture while also binding the meat well to help the balls hold up while cooking. (I baked the cocktail meatballs so the flavor didn’t vanish in the fryer.)
Wasa’s role as a double agent worked like a charm. While G tore up the meatballs, barely breathing in between bites, he curiously ate the wings. He made a valiant effort with the unfamiliar flavors and did better than I thought. He tried, and I count that as a win.
The experiments he didn’t get to try were the pieces of toffee bark I prepared for a colleague with the Light Rye Crisps. Good stuff. Addictive. Truly. The sweet crunch of the cracker, with the toasted pecans, would satisfy any craving. Sprinkling of Maldon’s Sea Salt Flakes sealed the deal.
Do you use crackers in an out of the box way? How? Do you eat Wasa? Want to?
Wasa is offering one of my readers a sample pack that includes:
- Cooking with Crispbread cookbook
- A sample of Wasa Products
- Wasa pen and booklet
- Wasa drawstring bag
How to Enter (Giveaway Window Has Closed)
There are six (6) changes to enter!
- (Required Main Entry): Leave a Comment (Required Main Entry): Offer one suggestion on how I can re-teach the teen’s good eating habits, when he is not with me all the time.(For additional chances)
- Like Mele Cotte on Facebook
- Follow Mele Cotte on Twitter
- Tweet about the giveaway: Visit @Mele_Cotte for a WASA GIVEAWAY from @wasa_na #WasAmazing http://bit.ly/zDip9q
- Like WASA on Twitter
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And…you can check out my other Wasa friends and their creative eats:
Bell’Alimento
Bran Appetit
DoughMessTic
Hungry Housewife
Mele Cotte
Novice Chef
The Need-To-Knows
- This Giveaway closes on
Monday, February 6, 2012 at midnight EST. - There will only be one winner of (1) Wasa Swag Bag as described above.
- Contest open to US residents only.
- Winner will be chosen using random.org.
- Leave a separate comment on this post for EACH entry to make all of your entries count.
- The prize winner will be contacted by email and the prize must be claimed within 48 hours or it will be forfeited and an alternate winner will be selected.
- No purchase necessary to enter or win.
- Disclosure: I received samples of Wasa’s flatbreads/crispbreads, but I was not compensated in any other way. I was not obligated to complete this post and all thoughts and opinions are my own.
CONGRATULATIONS! Liz won the Wasa Sample Pack! Thanks to everyone for playing!
Gametime Toffee Bark
6-8 Wasa Crackers (like Lite Rye)
½ cup salted butter
1 cup packed light brown sugar
1 cup toasted pecans
1 10-oz bag bittersweet chocolate chips
Maldon’s Sea Salt Flakes, or fine sea salt
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a small baking sheet (about 9½” x 13″) with aluminum foil and spray with nonstick cooking spray. Arrange the crackers in a single layer on the baking sheet so there aren’t any spaces between the crackers. Set aside.
In a small saucepan over medium-high heat, melt the butter and brown sugar. Stir frequently to melt and bring to a rolling boil. Once boiling, carefully pour the mixture in an even layer over the crackers on the baking sheet, cover most of the crackers. Use an offset spatula to spread.
Bake for 10 minutes, until bubbling. Carefully remove from the oven and transfer to a wire rack. Immediately scatter the pecans over the toffee. Be careful of the hot toffee mixture. scatter the chocolate chips over the entire pan and return to the oven for one minute. Remove from the oven and transfer to a wire rack. Use an offset spatula to spread the melted chocolate in an even layer over the entire surface of the toffee. Sprinkle with salt flakes/salt.
Transfer to the refrigerator for about 30 minutes, or until the chocolate solidifies. Once set, break into small random pieces. Store in an airtight container for up to a week.
{ 29 comments… read them below or add one }
That’s a tough one. I guess you’re going to have to reteach him that healthy food tastes good. Given the chance, I think just about any kid would pick the non-nutritious stuff over the healthy stuff because it usually tastes better. So, if you can make healthy food taste as good as the bad stuff, you might have a believer.
Another idea would be to watch Forks Over Knives, or a similar food-related movie that highlights the importance of eating healthy.
Good luck!
Oh and I love Wasa crackers! Thanks for the chance to win (:
That’s a hard one as I have no children, but I heard it helps if you let them help you pick out foods and let them help you prepare it. Good luck!
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I LOVE the idea of the toffee bark!
I like Wasa… and have always used cracker (of some sort) crumbs in cooking. The Panko that’s all the rage in the US hasn’t made it here LOL
Thank you for this giveaway and the wonderful recipe!
The toffee bark is yum-diddly-umscious so my suggestion for converting the teen to a healthy eater is to keep the creative awesomeness coming and he will come around.
A good way to teach teens how to eat healthy is to take them to a farmers market. The buy some healthy ingredients and teach them how to make a meal for themselves!
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Random text messages reminding him of good eating habits!
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Mmm…I think I might try making that Toffee Bark! Looks so delicious!
I tweeted about the giveaway!
I’m all for a balanced diet, but sometimes it’s easier when you can have healthier versions of your favorite fast food fix.
Those meatballs will be made this weekend.
I remember wasa. My mom had that when we were kids. I would eat right out of box. The way she got us to wean ourselves off ground beef to turkey is to mix it then slowly put in more ground turkey. Never knew.
Suggest to him how much better his body will perform athletically if he eats healthy food instead of junk food, and just try to make fun foods instead of boring.
I like Mele Cotte on facebook
When he is with you involve him in the fun of “gathering” and/or “growing” food. For example, take him berry picking, teach him about gardening, show him how to grow herbs, go forage for wild food sources, bring him to farmer’s markets, visit nearby organic farms, etc. —and then be sure to use some of your “found” foods for your together-time meals.
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The gametime coffee bark was a big hit at our superbowl party!Even the little ones ate it! My suggestion for getting kids/teens to eat healtheir is to LIE. I tell my children that the spinach in the pasta sauce are special herbs and spices!
Never make comments about the foods you don’t like in front of your children from a young age. Always put what is prepared on their plates and ask that they try each food, even if it is something they tried before and didn’t particularly enjoy. Never force them to eat something remember sometimes it is not a taste thing it can be a texture thing and you have another issue of it own!
Never refer to food as adult food and kid food — children need to have healthy foods given to them from the time they start eating solid foods. This needs to be a life style for all family members!