Side
vegetarian
Ginger Sesame Dressing
From a young age my son, who’s now 13, has been a picky eater. He enjoyed the standards like pizza and burgers, but to get him to eat vegetables, I had to serve them with a Thai peanut sauce from our local grocery store. He was eating veggies, but I had created a monster.
Once I began packing lunches to go to kindergarten, I couldn’t send peanut sauce due to allergy concerns. So I started making my own version using tahini or sesame butter. (And you can make this kid-approved sauce with really any nut or seed butter, including sunflower seed butter, which is usually school-lunch-safe.) These days, my kids are better at eating veggies, but they still prefer them dipped in this tangy, rich sauce that’s packed with protein, fiber, and healthy fats. That’s fine by me.
2 mins
SERVES 3-4
INGREDIENTS
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tablespoon fresh ginger, grated
- 1/2 cup vegetable or olive oil
- 1/4 cup Shaoxing rice wine vinegar or other mild vinegar (or lime juice for more tang)
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce
- 3 tablespoons brown sugar or honey
- 2 tablespoons tahini (or whatever nut or seed butter you prefer)
- 1/2 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
- ¼ cup cilantro leaves (optional)
- Salt to taste
DIRECTIONS
Throw everything in the blender or food processor, or use an immersion blender to blend until the mixture is smooth and creamy. Add a little water if you’d like to use it as a dressing for greens.
COOKING TOGETHER
Kids Can:
- Smell the different ingredients (they might be new to them!)
- Measure and help blend
Grown-ups Can:
- Start a discussion about trying new foods. Keep it positive! Tell a story about something you didn’t prefer as a child but now you love.
- Talk about how we can politely say “no” to foods we don’t wish to eat.
Breakfast
- Waffle Sandwich
- Carrot Cake Pancakes
- Sweet or Savory Crepes
- Breakfast Frittata
- Banana Akara: African Banana Fritter
see all 8 recipes
see fewer recipes
Lunch
Dinner
- Colcannon Soup
- Chili Mac
- French Loaf Pizza
- Sweet Potato Skillet
- Chicken Broccoli Casserole
- Tapas Night
- Chana Masala
- Ricotta Gnocchi
- Potsticker Party
- Potato Latkes
- Burrito Night
- Samosadillas
- Butternut Squash Mac 'n' Cheese
- Black Bean + Cheese Empanadas with Easy Pantry Salsa
- Veggie Fried Rice
- Homemade Tomato Soup
- Personal Pizza Pot Pies
- Easy Parm + Pepper Pasta
see all 23 recipes
see fewer recipes
Side
- Loaded Japanese Sweet Potatoes
- Broccoli Bites
- Tuscan Roasted Carrots
- Cilantro Lime Slaw
- Citrus Spritzers
- Homemade Naan
- Simple Tomato Sauce
- Ginger Soy Dipping Sauce
- Chunky Applesauce
- DIY Hummus
- Focaccia Art
- Pan Roasted Veggies
- Ginger Sesame Dressing
see all 13 recipes
see fewer recipes