Cold Recipes for Children

Cold recipes are essential in any kitchen. They let children enjoy snacks at school, picnics or at home, especially during the summer.

Salads, soups, dips and cold sandwiches are healthy options that provide nutrients that children need in order to grow up healthy. Cold recipes also favor children’s independence at mealtimes without exposing them to the risk of burns.

Cold recipes for children

Gazpacho

Gazpacho can be prepared in the traditional way or with fruit. Here is a basic recipe:

Ingredients

• 1 cucumber
• Salt, to taste
• 1 lb of tomatoes 
• 1 green pepper
• 1 clove garlic
• 3 tbsp vinegar
• 1 cup water
• 1 cup olive oil

Preparation

To prepare gazpacho, chop the cucumber, pepper, garlic and tomato into small pieces. Then, place the pieces in a blender along with the other ingredients. Blend it all until you get a homogeneous mixture.

Once the mixture is ready, you must pass it through a fine sieve to separate the remains of seeds and shells from the liquid. Put the liquid in the refrigerator and serve when chilled. 

A very refreshing option that children also really like is to add 1 lb of strawberries to the blender before liquefying everything. You can also substitute watermelon, cherries or peach slices. This gazpacho will have a sweet taste, which is very refreshing in the heat.

Greek salad

International cuisine offers possibilities that adapt very well to the dinner table. An example of this is Greek salad. Children can appreciate other cultures while they eat delicious and nutritious food.

Ingredients and preparation

• Cut the following into small pieces: 4 tomatoes, 1 onion, 1 cucumber, 4.5 oz feta cheese
• Mix all ingredients in a bowl
• Add 1 cup of black or green olives and a handful of capers. You can also add natural yogurt.
• Garnish with oregano, salt and oil to taste.
• Serve and enjoy.

Caprese salad

Caprese salad is an excellent option for children because it is much more attractive than a green salad, especially because it contains cheese.

The presentation can be really fun if, for example, you shape the cheese into stars, animals, dinosaurs, etc.

Ingredients and preparation

• Cut the following into thin slices: 2 large tomatoes, 2 balls of mozzarella cheese
• Add chopped basil and arugula, although children sometimes don’t like the latter because of its bitter taste.
• Garnish with salt and olive oil to taste.

Tuna sandwich

A tuna sandwich is rich, healthy, nutritious and practical. In addition, it is very useful because it allows you to incorporate fish into your child’s diet. It can be prepared in a few minutes and enjoyed anywhere.

Ingredients: 

• 1 hard boiled egg
• 1 tomato
• 1 or 2 pieces of lettuce
• Sandwich bread
• 1 can natural tuna
• 1 tablespoon mayonnaise
• 1 tablespoon ketchup

Preparation:

• Chop the boiled egg into slices
• Prepare the pink sauce by mixing mayonnaise and ketchip
• Mix the tuna with the sauce
• Spread a good layer of sauce over one of the slices of bread
• Add the chopped hard-boiled egg.
• Cover with lettuce and tomato if desired.
• Close the sandwich with the other slice of bread and enjoy.

Prawn cocktail

Although you’ll need to use heat to prepare this dish, prawns only take 2 minutes to boil. The rest of the process continues without heat, both in the preparation and in the final presentation.

Ingredients:

• 1/2 head of lettuce
• Coarse salt to taste
• 1 lb of prawns
• 1/2 cup of mayonnaise
• 2 tablespoons of ketchup

Preparation:

• Cook the 1 lb of prawns for 2 minutes in boiling water with a handful of coarse salt.
• At the end of the cooking process, rinse the prawns with cold water.
• Peel the prawns
• In a separate bowl, mix 1/2 cup of mayonnaise and 2 tablespoons of ketchup to make the pink sauce.
• Mix the peeled prawns with the pink sauce.
• Line the serving dish with lettuce leaves.
• Add prawns and garnish to taste.

Stuffed eggs

Children generally love hard boiled eggs. This stuffed egg recipe allows you to combine the benefits of eggs with the nutrition found in the filling. It also turns into a dish with a very pleasing presentation.

Ingredients and preparation

• Cook 6 eggs in boiling water for 10 minutes
• Rinse them in cold water to cool
• Peel and cut them in half
• Remove the yolks and save them in a separate container
• Mix the yolks with tuna or sauteed prawns until a paste forms
• You can add mayonnaise or cream cheese
• Fill the egg whites with this paste
• Garnish with olives or with pieces of tomato or pepper

There are many other cold recipes for children that you can prepare together. All of them allow you to be creative. Enjoy!