Cooking with kids: crunchy carrot pittas

It’s easy to think of carrots as a bit boring, but kids love them, and with a bit of imagination they can be really versatile.

Food Revolution Day 2014 was all about getting kids excited about food. We wanted everyone to get cooking, sharing their love of food and inspiring others to get excited too.

Food Revolution Day was a global day of action to highlight the importance of teaching our children where their food comes from, how to cook it and how it affects their bodies. But it wasn't just about one day; it was also about ensuring our kids learn good eating habits for life, by getting them cooking at home. The Food Revolution Day recipes were all specially designed to be cooked with young ones, and one of our favourites is the Crunchy carrot pittas recipe.

It’s easy to think of carrots as a bit boring - usually just boiled or steamed with a Sunday roast - but kids love them, and with a bit of imagination they can be really versatile. This recipe is a perfect example of how you can create a delicious and nutritious meal from a few simple ingredients – with the carrot being the star!

Get your kids to scrub the carrots until they are nice and clean, then peel them carefully using a Y-shaped peeler. There are lots of fun facts you can tell them about carrots while they are preparing them: did you know that when carrots were first grown they were purple, not orange? You can also find yellow, pink, white, red and even black carrots too! Or, did you know that carrots are high in vitamin A, which helps us to see in the dark? Our favourite fact is that wild carrots are called “Queen Anne’s Lace”, because they produce beautiful flowers that look like the intricate lace she would have sewn!

Being careful of little fingers, help children to grate the carrots coarsely using a box grater –one with a nice firm grip at the top and a non-slip base is best for kids so they can hold it firm and avoid it slipping. Meanwhile, you can toast the seeds and put the pittas into an oven to warm up.

The citrus dressing is great fun for kids to get involved with too; squeezing oranges and lemons to get as much juice out of them as possible, and carefully measuring out the oil. Sometimes children find it difficult to hold a spoon and pour into it at the same time, so help them out by holding the spoon for them. Mix the dressing up with the carrots, coriander and seeds, and voila your delicious salad is ready. Make sure an adult takes the pitta breads out of the oven and cuts them open because they can release really hot steam when cut into. You can serve your carrot pittas as a light lunch with some homemade hummus, or make it a more substantial meal but adding some grilled chicken and feta cheese. Either way, have a go with your kids and keep the revolution going!