Cooking with Kids: “Cheesy” Cauliflower Popcorn

Encouraging Speech & Creating Yum! “Cheesy” Cauliflower Popcorn

For your next Movie night or Game night, instead of fixing a bowl of buttery popcorn, try this kid-friendly veggie snack. It tastes so good that kids will think it’s popcorn. Plus, there are so many benefits to serving Cauliflower; it is loaded with nutrients including vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, and other phytochemicals. To add to the fun we served our “cheesy” cauliflower Popcorn in dollar store popcorn containers.

Ingredients

• 1 medium cauliflower head, cored and broken into bite-sized florets
• 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 2 tablespoons nutritional yeast (powder, not flakes, is optional and adds cheesy flavor!).
• 1/2 teaspoon sea salt (or more to taste)
• 1/2 cup parmesan cheese (we eyeballed ours) (you can skip this if you’re dairy-free).
• Complete Seasoning by Badia (to taste)

Instructions/Prepration

Parent: Preheat the oven to 425ºF. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

Parent/Kiddo: Rinse cauliflower and dry with paper towel. This helps it get crispy.

Parent: Core cauliflower and break up into sections

Kiddo: Break cauliflower into bite-size florets about the size of popcorn.

Kiddo: Mist the oil and sprinkle in the ingredients, or mix everything together! In a large bowl, toss the cauliflower with the following ingredients:  

– Olive oil  

– Salt  

– All-purpose seasoning  

– Half of the nutritional yeast  

– Parmesan cheese (if using)  

Make sure the cauliflower is well-coated.

Parent/Kiddo: Spread cauliflower out evenly onto the parchment-lined baking sheet.

Parent: . Bake for 40-50 minutes. Flip the cauliflower halfway through (about 20-25 minutes in). Want it extra crispy? Turn the heat up to 425°F for the last 10 minutes! 

Sprinkle more cheese! When it’s hot out of the oven, add: – the rest of the Parmesan – and/or nutritional yeast (if using) for that cheesy flavor!

Let it cool a little. It gets crunchier as it cools—then it’s ready to snack on! Be prepared to be addicted!

P.S. It won’t be as crunchy as popcorn, but it is delicious.

Eat! Talk! Enjoy!

Language Time:

Cooking with your child can be an ideal time to facilitate language! Before even beginning this recipe, talk about the different ingredients you are using. Does your child know what cauliflower is? My kids tend to get cauliflower and broccoli mixed up. If you have another vegetable on hand, discuss the differences between the cauliflower and other vegetable.

A creative way to facilitate language for this recipe is exploring different types of cauliflower. Right now, both orange and purple head cauliflower are in season which makes it a perfect opportunity to discuss the differences in color and texture. Encourage your child to use descriptive words such as “bumpy,” “rough,” “white,” etc. When exploring the rest of the ingredients label for the ingredients, take some quick pictures with your phone or camera. These pictures can be used when you are finished with the recipe and will help your child recall what ingredients you used in the recipe.

Let your child wash the cauliflower and break the pieces up. This can be a great sensory experience and also help get your child involved in the process. There is no perfect way to break up cauliflower so it’s easy for a child to help. This can also be a great opportunity to label “big” versus “small.” Label the actions as you are making the cauliflower popcorn (e.g. wash, dry, core, break, spread, sprinkle, etc.). Ask your child to recall the most recent step which can help your child recall recent information and improve sequencing skills. Take some pictures of each step to help your child recall the steps to the recipe when you are done. When complete with one step, ask your child what you should do next. This can help build prediction skills and improve overall sequencing. Use simple language as you are cooking (e.g. “Let’s break up the cauliflower”). Give choices throughout the recipe together (e.g. “Do you want to sprinkle the cheese or the yeast?”). When you are adding the ingredients to the cauliflower, discuss the differences between the salt, cheese and yeast. Does it smell different? Does it feel different? This is a perfect opportunity to build language and vocabulary!

When you are done with this cheesy cauliflower popcorn, read some picture books together! Some picture recommendation includes The Popcorn Book by Tomie DePaola and Popcorn by Frank Asch. While you are eating this popcorn together, encourage your child to tell you what the popcorn tastes like (e.g. crunchy, salty, cheesy, etc.). As you’re reviewing the recipe, show your child the pictures that you took as visual cues to help recall the steps of the recipe. Enjoy!

Becca Eisenberg is a mother of two young children and a speech-language pathologist, author, and instructor. On her website, www.lifeskills2learn.com, she writes children’s book recommendations, app recommendations, and teaches life skills for children.

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This post originally appeared on our July/August 2014 Magazine