Cooking for a child with Autism is a not a very easy thing to do.
Most kids have things they prefer and foods they dislike, but for some reason children on the spectrum are really tough to figure out. Through trial and error we have learned that our child likes (Kraft) Mac and Cheese, (Kraft singles) Grilled Cheeses, and Captain Crunch cereal. But let’s be honest… How many times a day do you want to make a box mac and cheese.
Frankly, the hardest part for me and my husband is the fact that we both have culinary degrees. We can spend hours preparing a meal and plating it beautifully, but at the end of the day my son will smell it and with one whiff… *BAM* a nose snub, and he isn’t eating.
What do you do? Well we can give up and settle for processed mac and cheese or processed grilled cheese, or we can be creative and take the foods he loves to a higher level! So with alot of practice and a lot of let downs we have created versions of our son’s food that meet not only his qualifications, but allows us to creatively be involved in his diet again! Woohoo, Yay Us!
Here is our version of Alex’s Grilled Cheese.
Ingredients:
Hawaiian Bread
Havarti Cheese
Coconut Oil
Apricot Preserves:(courtesy the unconventional baker)
3 cups dried apricots
¾ cup agave syrup
1½ tbsp lemon juice {or a big dash of salt}
Place apricots in a glass bowl. Cover with hot water and let soak for a few hours to soften up {or for a quick version, cover with boiling water and let stand 15 minutes}.
Strain apricots and place in a blender or small food processor. Add sweetener and lemon juice and blend into a smooth consistency. Taste and add a bit more lemon juice if you like your jam tart.. If your blender is struggling to blend, add a little bit of water {I didn't, but I use a Vitamix, which can handle blending things better}. Enjoy!
Spread Apricot jam evenly over 1 side of bread slices. Layer each with Apricot Jam and Finlandia Havarti Cheese. Place remaining bread slices on top. Brush both sides of each sandwich with coconut oil. Cook sandwiches in a nonstick skillet or griddle 2-3 minutes per side or until golden and cheese is melted.