The kids have been BIG helpers in the kitchen lately. With the oldest off to kindergarten this week and our schedule a little rushed at times, there are a lot of nights where I haven't have dinner planned. I have our usual supply of ingredients in the fridge but no real idea what to do with them, so I ask the boys what they feel like and we roll with that.
This concoction was a result of me being in the mood for Thai and the boys being in the mood for cereal. “You should make a Thai cereal, mom!”
Well, okay then.
We've been working with got milk? and I figured this gave us a great opportunity to create another sponsored recipe for them. I love it when work and dinner collide!
Crunchy Ginger-Coconut Lime Chex
As with most of my favorite Thai dishes, lemongrass is the big key here for tons of zesty taste.
Ingredients
- 5 cups Chex mix
- 1.5 cups oats
- 1.5 cups sliced almonds
- 1.5 cup coconut flakes
- 6 Tbsp butter
- 4- inch piece of ginger, skin removed and thinly-sliced
- 2 stalks lemongrass, outer leaves removed and inner leaves bruised and thinly-sliced
- 1/2 tsp cayenne
- 1 tsp onion powder
- 3 Tbsp lime juice
- 1 tbsp honey
- Dried cilantro for seasoning
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 275 degrees F.
- In a large roasting pan, melt butter in the oven.
- Stir in ginger, lemongrass, cayenne, onion powder, lime juice and honey.
- Stir in Chex mix, oats, almonds and coconut flakes.
- Bake for 1 hour, stirring every 15 minutes.
- Sprinkle with dried cilantro and serve with milk.
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
10Serving Size:
1 cupAmount Per Serving: Calories: 405Total Fat: 22gSaturated Fat: 9gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 12gCholesterol: 18mgSodium: 397mgCarbohydrates: 46gFiber: 6gSugar: 9gProtein: 8g
As with most of my favorite Thai dishes, lemongrass is the big key here for tons of zesty taste. Slice it fine – really fine – so the flavor infuses every bite.
The ginger also packed a punch in our final bowls. It took a few tweaks to get the recipe right because it didn't feel like we were using enough spice for that much cereal, but the Chex really absorbs the seasoning well. With Thai flavors, a little goes a long way.
I wasn't sure how a savory cereal would go over at our dinner table, but the kids doused it with tons of milk and gobbled it up and declared that it tasted like Tom Kha. Success!
I love letting them take the lead in recipe creation and seeing the creative ideas they come up with. Some Boy decided to add a nutritional punch to our meal with coconut flakes, which crisped up to a nice, crunchy consistency in the oven.
Sidekick, little nut that he is, wanted to add almonds for protein!
The fact that this can be made in a single dish is a total win for weeknights, too.
Nate's schedule has felt a little like sliding doors with us lately, with him generally going to work just after I pick the boys up for school and us sometimes even passing on the road.
On this particular day we jetted home early enough to pop this in the oven and offer him a few bites on his way out the door. The boys were SO very proud to present their tasty idea to Dada!
Have you ever tried your hand at a savory cereal?