By Request

By Betty Shimabukuro

Wednesday, May 30, 2001

CRAIG T. KOJIMA / STAR-BULLETIN
Worms in the Mud is a creepy, crawly concept.

---

Let kids make
their own snacks

Kids can be picky little creatures, so perhaps the best way to feed them is to let them feed themselves.

Such would appear to be the logic behind Pearlridge Center's Keiki Snack Attack contest. Kids were invited to submit recipes for snacks that could be prepared in 10 minutes without stovetops or ovens.

Dozens entered; eight came away winners with $25 gift certificates to the mall.

The criteria for judging: Uniqueness, affordability and ease of preparation.

Cindy Bares read about the contest winners, but said what she really wanted were the recipes. "A lot of us busy moms would love to have the kids' recipes," she said.

Some of the winning snacks are so simple, they don't really count as recipes. Mix ranch dressing with a can of tuna to make a dip. Decorate blueberry Jell-O with gummy fish candies to make "aquariums." Top graham crackers with marshmallow cream and chocolate chips to make quickie S'mores.

My personal favorite: Dig the core out of an apple and stuff it with peanut butter, honey and raisins. Slice the apple horizontally and you get crunchy apply doughnuts with peanut butter in the center. Of course you could slice the apples normally and just spread them with peanut butter, but would that be any fun?

The recipes that follow involve slightly more complex instructions, but they are still easy enough that kids can do them with minimal supervision (although perhaps maximum clean-up).

Several of the recipes will be demonstrated by the winning kid cooks on Tuesday and June 19 at Pearlridge Uptown. Chris da Clown will entertain.

The program is part of the mall's free Keiki Tuesdays, held weekly, 10:30 a.m. to noon. Call 488-0981 for more information.

Granola Surprise

Vanessa Kop
3-1/2 cups granola
1 cup ready-made vanilla frosting
1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips.
3/4 cup raisins

Place granola in a plastic bag and seal. Crush cereal with a rolling pin. Set aside 3 tablespoons for topping; put the rest in a bowl.

Add frosting to granola. Add chocolate chips and raisins and stir well. Pour mixture into an 8- or 9-inch square pan and press in place with the back of a spoon. Sprinkle with the reserved crushed cereal. Let sit at room temperature or refrigerate about 30 minutes. Cut into bars.

Approximate nutritional analysis, per bar: 165 calories, 8 g total fat, 2 g saturated fat, no cholesterol, 20 mg sodium, 23 g carbohydrate, 2.5 g protein.*

Chocolate and Peanut Butter Roll-ups

David Kop
4 flour tortillas
1/2 cup Nutella (chocolate/hazelnut spread, available in supermarkets near the peanut butter)
1/2 cup peanut butter
2 medium bananas, thinly sliced
1/4 cup granola

Place tortillas on wax paper. Spread each with 2 tablespoons of Nutella, then 2 tablespoons peanut butter. Place banana slices down the middle of each tortilla. Sprinkle with a tablespoon of granola. Roll up the tortillas. Serves 4.

Approximate nutritional analysis, per serving: 580 calories, 37 g total fat, 6.5 g saturated fat, no cholesterol, 400 mg sodium, 51 g carbohydrate, 18 g protein.*

Island Smoothie

Bryson Nakatani
1 tablespoon vanilla ice cream
1 tablespoon honey
2/3 cup whole milk
1/3 cup plain yogurt
1 tablespoon frozen lilikoi or guava concentrate
1/4 cup sliced bananas
3 strawberries
3 ice cubes

Put all ingredients into a blender and blend for 1 minute. Pour into tall glass. Serves 1.

Approximate nutritional analysis, per cup: 325 calories, 9.5 g total fat, 6 g saturated fat, 40 mg cholesterol, 125 mg sodium, 53 g carbohydrate, 10 g protein.*

Worms in the Mud

Alyson Rod
2 small packages low-fat pudding mix
3-1/2 cups 2 percent milk
1 tub of reduced-fat frozen whipped topping
10 reduced-fat Oreo cookies, crushed
21 gummy worm candies

Prepare pudding mix according to directions on the box, using low-fat milk. Fold in whipped topping.

Fill 8-10 clear plastic cups a quarter of the way with pudding mixture. Top with crushed cookies and gummy worms, more pudding and end with crushed cookies to look like dirt. Refrigerate at least one hour before serving.

Nutritional information unavailable.

Food Stuffs: Morsels

Send queries along with name and phone number to:
"By Request," Honolulu Star-Bulletin,
500 Ala Moana, No. 7-210, Honolulu 96813.
Or send e-mail to bshimabukuro@starbulletin.com

Asterisk (*) after nutritional analyses in the Body & Soul section indicates calculations by Joannie Dobbs of Exploring New Concepts, a nutritional consulting firm.