Take Your Taste Buds on a Vacation

Written by ATCO Blue Flame Kitchen; Photo: Courtesy of ATCO Blue Flame Kitchen

Not everyone can take a yearly vacation to a faraway place. Everything is more complicated (and costly) when you’re traveling with kids, and taking a few weeks off from a job to explore overseas may simply not be an option.

One of the reasons why people love to travel, and why families like to take their kids on trips abroad, is that it allows them to introduce kids to new sights, sounds, languages and flavors. In the absence of a trip, try a theme weekend or two over the summer, where food is from a country or culture your kids have never visited before. Look up information about the country online together, watch some videos, browse photos and learn about the local cuisine. Whether you draw inspiration from Mexico, Thailand, Morocco, France, Italy or any other country of your choosing, you’ll find yummy ideas for international meals your kids will love.

If you’re not sure where to start, our Chicken Sate with Peanut Sauce turns kid-friendly ingredients like chicken breasts and peanut butter into something exotic and interesting. If you’re lucky, they’ll learn a new appreciation for foods they otherwise wouldn’t have thought to try.

Even if you can’t always travel the world, there’s no reason why you can’t take your child’s taste buds on a global adventure!

Chicken Sate with Peanut Sauce

• Bamboo skewers

• 1 clove garlic, crushed

• ¼ cup (50 mL) soy sauce

• 2 Tbsp. (25 mL) lemon juice

• 1 tsp. (5 mL) curry powder

• ½ tsp. (2 mL) freshly ground pepper

• 2 boneless skinless chicken breasts,  cut into 1-inch (2.5 cm) pieces

Peanut Sauce (recipe follows)

Soak bamboo skewers in hot water for 30 minutes. Combine garlic, soy sauce, lemon juice, curry and pepper in a double plastic bag. Add chicken and squeeze bag to coat chicken with marinade; seal bag. Let stand 20 to 30 minutes. Remove chicken from marinade and thread onto soaked skewers; discard marinade. Grill chicken over medium heat on a natural gas barbecue, turning occasionally, for 8 to 10 minutes or until chicken is cooked through. Serve with Peanut Sauce. Serves 2 to 3.

Peanut Sauce

•  ¼ cup (50 mL) finely chopped onion

•  1 tsp. (5 mL) grated fresh ginger

•  ½ tsp. (2 mL) cayenne pepper

•  1 tsp. (5 mL) oil

•  ½ cup (125 mL) peanut butter

•  1 cup (250 mL) water

•  1 Tbsp. (15 mL) soy sauce

•  ¼ tsp. (1 mL) salt

In a small saucepan on a side burner of a natural gas barbecue, cook onion, ginger and cayenne in oil for 2 minutes. Stir in peanut butter. Gradually stir in water, soy sauce and salt; bring to a boil. Reduce heat and cook, stirring constantly until thickened, about 5 minutes.

For tips on energy safety, food or household matters, call ATCO Blue Flame Kitchen’s Answer Line at 1-877-420-9090, visit www.atcoblueflamekitchen.com or email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. For more great barbecue cooking ideas to feed your hungry family, look for our brand new From the Grill cookbook, available at the ATCO Blue Flame Kitchen Calgary Learning Centre, Calgary Co-op, Safeway and Chapters stores, as well as online at www.amazon.ca and www.chapters.indigo.ca, or by calling 1-800-840-3393.