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In the past 1 year I’ve been a part of a wonderful project – Around the World in 12 Dishes, initiated by Glittering Muffins and over 12 participants, most of whom are fellow MKB members. I joined for the 2nd season and the 3rd one is about to take off! I really enjoyed cooking with my girls in the past 12 months and exploring different countries. So, when I signed up to write the Multicultural Meal Plan again for MKB, I thought I could suggest some of the dishes that were cooked by different bloggers (not only the participants) during season 1 and season 2 of ATWITD project.
So, here you are – enjoy Five Days in Five Countries: simple and delicious dishes you can make at home and explore the world with your little ones!
Monday:
Since I am from Russia, I’ll start with some of the recipes from my home land.
Breakfast – Russian Potato Pancakes (from Creative Family Fun). They are similar to Potato Latkes so well known in Polish cuisine. Usually they are eaten with some sour cream or … jam! Tea or coffee are the choices of drinks, even for children.
Lunch – Borscht (by yours truly for Kid World Citizen). Since most of the families cook it with a lot of meat, it is sufficient as a meal itself, eaten with pieces of white or rye bread, a drop of sour cream or mayo. Tea with milk is a choice of drink. But some people just drink water.
Dinner – Usually dinner is the heaviest meal as people come back home from long day at work and want to eat well. So, something Beef Stroganoff (from Adventures in Mommydom) with simple macaroni or mashed potatoes (sometimes rice), left overs of borscht from lunch, some bread and chopped up fresh veges with a bit of sunflower oil – and you have your dinner.
Russians don’t really have snack time. We have tea time. And tea time can last all day long between meals. We eat teacakes (as described over at Mummy, Mummy, Mum!), piroshki (a recipe from Juggling with Kids); we also eat cookies and sandwiches; or fruit, yogurt or kefir instead of drinking tea.
Tuesday:
Let’s travel to France!
Breakfast – Croissants and crepes are common in France as breakfast or snack food (correct me if I am wrong!). These Chocolate Hazelnut Cream Crepes from Juggling with Kids are how I would imagine my French breakfast! If you want something faster and easier to make, then this French Omelet recipe from yours truly is the way to go.
Lunch – I remember a French friend of mine telling me that she was used to light lunches in France that would normally consist of a soup and/or salad and some dessert. It may not be true for all French, but French salads can be whole meals by themselves enough to satisfy one’s appetite. Here are the recipes of Salade Nicoise and Coconut Macaroons from Kid World Citizen.
Dinner – This Boeuf Bourguinon from Glittering Muffins looks like a great dinner option! Or you can go with this Ratatouille recipe from Here Come the Girls.
French are known for their delicious bread, pastry and cheese. Here are a couple recipes to help you introduce more of the French cuisine into your meal times: French bread by Glittering Muffins and Apple Galette from Kitchen Counter Chronicles.
Wednesday:
A leap to India!
Breakfast – Indians eat toasts (regular and stuffed), dosas (savory crepes with spicy sauce to go with it) and upma (a mix of bread and spices – a recipe from Padhu’s Kitchen) for breakfast. Samosas ( a recipe from The Educator’s Spin On It) are also eaten as breakfast in some families.
Lunch – Indian meal time is usually presented with several dishes that are shared among the family. You can try making this children-friendly Curry from The Usual Mayhem, Slow Cooked Butter Chicken from Juggling with Kids, Murgh Makhani (Butter Chicken) from Glittering Muffins. You can also add some Raita (plain yogurt), usually mixed with some chopped up vegetables (onions, tomatoes, cucumbers, parsley, coriander) which helps reduce the burning from all the spices and gives an additional flavour to the meal.
Dinner – It wouldn’t be much different from lunch and you can probably use any of the left-overs!
Indians like fruit and eat it in between meals, which is considered as snack food. Plus they have Mixes (fried vermicelli with spices, peas and other goodies) which they eat. And of course – Masala Chai (Milk tea with spices, usually turmeric, cardamom and others). Chai is inseparable part of the Indian culture.
Other choice of drink which is loved by Indians and foreigners is Lassi – a drink based on yogurt and fruit. Here’s a recipe of Mango Lassi from Creative Family Fun which you and your children might like!
Thursday:
Another leap – now to Kenya! My husband grew up in Tanzania, so the cuisine is very similar and I can personally relate to it.
Breakfast – Kenyan breakfast is usually very simple and easy to make. Some people like to eat Ugali (kind of corn-meal porridge) which is eaten with eggs and Chai (Kenya has a lot of Indian influence in its cuisine, so you will find a lot of food is similar to Indian cuisine!). Some like a typical English breakfast (British influence) that consists of fried eggs, sausages, beans and toast.
Lunch – Food is often served with Naan (a recipe from Glittering Muffins) or rice, often made in a form of Pilau (a recipe from Kitchen Counter Chronicles). You can try making these Kenya Inspired Beans from yours truly and there is a recipe for chapatis in there! Dry Potato and Peak Sak from Mermaid’s Creation will be a good addition to your lunch fest as well.
Dinner – again, it won’t be much different from lunch. So, why not have left-overs and add Mandazi (a recipe from Crafty Moms Share) and then Mango Ice Cream (a recipe from All Done Monkey) for dessert?!
For snack you can offer some samosas or fruit.
Friday:
Last leap of the week – New Zealand.
Breakfast – just as Australians, New Zealanders love Vegemite. It is an acquired taste, I personally could never get used to it! Other than that, New Zealanders eat typical English breakfast and especially enjoy an oat porridge in winter to keep warm. You could try this recipe of New Zealand Pikelets by yours truly (and learn what Pikelets are!).
Lunch – try making this Potato and Bacon bake from Mermaid’s Creations, Maori Fried Bread from Kid World Citizen and for dessert – New Zealand Kiwi Chocolate Cake from Glittering Muffins.
Dinner – Lamb Chops and Potatoes from Afterschool from Smarty Pants seems like a simple and great dinner choice! Or these Rosemary Lamb Chops from Adventures in Mommydom.
For snack and tea time, try these Anzac Biscuits from Kid World Citizen, Kiwi and Ginger cake from Crafty Moms Share, and children will especially appreciate Milo (a recipe from A Little Delightful).
I hope you enjoyed this week’s Multicultural Meal Plan! It is of course entirely up to you whether you choose to cook every day to explore a different country’s cuisine, or dedicate the whole week enjoying the variety of recipes and flavours of the regions of the world.
Visit Around The World In 12 Dishes Facebook Page to get more updates and ideas on what recipes and activities you can easily adapt for your household and how to introduce countries and regions to your children!
Varya blogs at Creative World of Varya. She is a mom to 2 girls, and a baby on the way, early development specialist, baby massage and perinatal fitness instructor, breastfeeding consultant. Varya has been living in China for the past 13 years working and raising her multicultural family.
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Varya
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Jody says
February 24, 2014 at 11:21 amSo many lovely links and recipes to explore! Thank you so much for this Varya – I’ve been needing some culinary inspiration!
Marie-Claude says
February 25, 2014 at 4:30 pmWhat a great way of rounding up the different dishes from Around the World! I love how you pulled it all together, and wrote about the food culture in each country. I am very tempted to try the Russian day’s menu…
Valerie @Glittering Muffins says
February 26, 2014 at 7:26 amAwesome idea to use dishes from our side project, I loved the idea of an around the world week meal plan too, SO much fun! Thanks for including our dishes too 🙂
kat says
February 27, 2014 at 9:40 pmAll these recipes are making me hungry! Thank you so much for making this round up 🙂 I love the idea of a multicultural meal plan!!