Snail Salad: Introducing New Foods in Fun Ways

Do snails love snail salad? We know of one who does! Escargot is the funny French snail who is the star of our Grandpa Goff Bug Club’s module on snails. As you will learn when you read the book, Escargot loves croutons and you will too. He’s not too crazy about carrots, however. That’s a problem we are going to try to solve. We’ll add some fun shapes to our salad using a few Bento Box-style cookie cutters*, to see if we can make it a little more appealing.

 

snail salad bento box cutters

Create Croutons

Escargot loves snail salad with “croutons and a light vinaigrette,” so the first thing we need to make for our snail salad would be some tasty croutons.

 

  1. Preheat your oven to 375 degrees
  2. Help your child cut sliced bread into desired shapes using the mini cookie cutters
  3. Place the bread cubes in a bowl and shake on some favorite seasonings. For 1 cup of bread cubes, try adding 1/8 teaspoon salt, 1/8 teaspoon garlic salt, a dash of ground pepper, 2 teaspoons of grated Parmesan cheese, and 1 Tablespoon olive oil.
  4. Have your child stir the bread cubes together with the seasonings until all of the bread shapes are well-coated.
  5. Spread the croutons on a cookie sheet and bake for about 10 minutes, or until the bread shapes turn golden brown and crispy. Remove from oven and cool.
  6. Store in a tightly sealed container until you are ready to use them in your Snail Salad.

Make Snail Salad

Escargot loves salad and croutons but he isn’t crazy about carrots–so this book creates an opportunity for you to talk with your child about what it is like to try new foods.

snail salad food tasting
A food in a fun shape may be a little less intimidating to taste.

Depending on your child’s food preferences, a green salad like the one Escargot plans to eat may not be a big hit. “A light vinaigrette” is also an acquired taste–even for an adult. But if you can select a few fruits and vegetables you know your child does enjoy, many of them can be cut into bite-sized shapes just like your shaped croutons.

Cheese, strawberries, apples, cucumbers, melon, strawberries and kiwi are all examples of foods that can be cut into shapes–even by tiny hands. Toss them into a bowl together and you’ll have a salad fit for a snail–with or without lettuce.

Visit our Snail Safari page for more fun ideas to try as you learn all about snails.

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