Kwanzaa Recipes and Snack Ideas for Preschool

Kwanzaa recipes for cooking and making snacks with preschoolers help them to develop their math skills and helps them to learn how to follow directions. These snack ideas will also allows for some great conversation!

Ask many questions while cooking with your children to encourage conversation! Be sure to ask specific Kwanzaa activities themed questions while making these fun snacks!

Fried Bananas

You will need: bananas, lemon juice, cinnamon, butter/margarine

Have children help you to slice bananas and sprinkle with lemon juice.
Then then sprinkle some cinnamon on top.
Have an adult fry them in butter.
Cool and enjoy!

Banana Kinara

You will need: bananas, pretzel sticks, strawberries, grapes, blueberry

Have the children help you to slice the bananas in half, lengthwise.
Have them help you to cut the grapes and strawberries in half.
The children put together their kinara. You can set this up assembly line style.

Place banana, slices part down, on plate.
Count out 7 pretezel sticks.
Place a grape on 3 of the pretzel sticks and place them on the right side of the banana.
Place a sliced strawberry on 3 of the pretzel sticks and place them on the left side of the banana.
Place a blueberry on 1 pretzel stick and place that in the middle.
Enjoy! Yum!

Hot Cocoa

Cocoa comes from Cacao Trees found in the Rain Forests of Africa.

You will need a large bowl, measuring cups, 1/3 c cocoa, 1 c sugar mix, 3 qt milk and a pan to heat the milk.

Have the children help you to measure the cocoal and sugar into a bowl and take turns stirring them up.
Have the children help you to measure the milk into a pan.
Have an adult heat the milk and add the dry mix till hot. (serves 16)

African Vegetarian Stew

You will need:

4 sm kohlrabies, peeled & cut into chunks
1/2 c couscous or bulgar wheat
1 lg onion, chopped
1/4 c raisins, dark or golden
2 sweet potatoes, peeled &cut into chunks
1 tsp ground coriander
1/2 tsp ground turmeric

2 zucchini, sliced thick
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
5 tomatoes, fresh or a 16 oz can tomatoes
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1/4 tsp ground cumin
15 oz can garbanzo beans
3 c water

Do you best to set up this activity so that the children help you with each step that they can.

When cooking, I usually do this in small groups of 8 children each. Each group makes half the recipe and we combine it all into the same pan.

Combine all the ingredients in a large saucepan. Bring to a boil, lower heat, and simmer until the vegetables are tender, about 30 minutes. I usually put it in a crockpot on high after bringing to a boil in the pan.

Serve the couscous separately, if desired. You can use parsnips instead of kohlrabi.

Yield: 8 servings, but will be enough for a small bowl for 15 children.

Cornbread Recipe

You may have your own favorite recipe. Here is my favorite from my Betty Crocker cookbook!

You will need:

Cooking spray to grease pan
1/4 cup butter or margarine (1/2 stick)
1 cup milk
1 large egg

1 1/4 cups yellow, white or blue cornmeal
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt

Have the children help you with every step of this as possible!

Heat oven to 400°F. Spray the bottom and sides of an 8-inch square or 9-inch round cake pan with the cooking spray.
Heat the butter over low heat until melted in a sauce pan.
In a bowl, beat the melted butter, milk and egg with a large fork.
Add the cornmeal, flour, sugar, baking powder and salt all at once. Stir until the flour is moistened (batter will be lumpy).
Pour batter into the pan. Spread evenly.
Bake 20 to 25 minutes or until golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.