Get those kids to the kitchen!
Children are a fussy lot. Some days they love veggies, the next day spinach is their mortal enemy. Nothing orange can touch their plates! Fish can swim in their tummies… They will find all kinds of reasons to fuss over their food. And then the battle with rice and curry every day! Just like we get bored with the same food every day, kids also get tired of the same old rice, curry and lentils on a daily basis.
Children also take more interest in the food if they help out in the preps and cooking. Get them in the kitchen with you and make them chop or mix and taste. The end result will be yummy food and an accomplishment that they would love to eat. Here are a few recipes – snacks and main meals that you can try with your kids.
PIZZA TOASTS
Everyone loves a slice of cheesy pizza. This is a quick everyday alternative to ordering in or making pizza from scratch. Pizza Toasts were our family favourite growing up. I have given a simple recipe here but you can go creative with the toppings and also let your child choose them. I have included a homemade pizza sauce recipe but you can also use a store bought one if you want.
Ingredients
Pizza Sauce (homemade or bottled)
4 sausages cut up in circles
2 cups grated Kissan/cheddar or mozzarella cheese
Tomato, thinly sliced
Green Capsicum, thinly sliced
Oregano
4 slices of bread - toasted
Method
Pre-heat the oven – if you have the grill option, use it. This mode gives the best results. Take a baking tray lined with baking sheet or foil. Place the toasts on the tray and put a big spoon of pizza sauce on the toast. Spread the sauce evenly all over the toast. Top the sauce with a layer of grated cheese. I like putting a lot of cheese and I love cheese! Then place the other toppings – sausage, tomato and capsicum. Sprinkle a big pinch of oregano over the toppings.Place in the oven for 10 to 15 minutes or until the cheese melts. Cut in half and serve.
Microwave version:
If you are strapped for time or do not have an oven at home you can easily make these toasts in the microwave. Follow all the steps as above, when you are done place the toasts in the microwave for 30 seconds on high.
Homemade Pizza Sauce
500g tomatoes, chopped or diced (can be replaced by canned tomatoes)
10 garlic cloves, finely chopped
5 garlic cloves, sliced
1 onion, diced
3 tbsp tomato puree
1 tsp dried basil
2 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp sugar
Salt and pepper to taste
½ cup olive oil
Method
Put a saucepan on the stove, and pour the olive oil and heat. Add the onions and garlic and cook till soft. Add the chopped tomatoes. Stir and mix in the tomato with 3 tablespoons of water. When the tomatoes start going soft, add the tomato puree. Stir and mix. Lower the heat to low and stew the tomatoes for half an hour. Check that it doesn't burn. Add basil, oregano, sugar, salt and pepper. Stir to mix. Simmer the sauce for another five minutes and take it off the heat
Cool and keep it in jars. You can use this sauce for 2 weeks.
SNEAKY HEALTHY CHICKEN NUGGETS
Getting children to eat healthy food is always a nightmare. A great way of getting veggies into their diet is to cleverly disguise them into their favourite food items.
Ingredients
500g minced chicken
1 cup carrots, grated
1 can corn, washed, drained and chopped into smaller pieces)
2 eggs
Salt to taste
Pepper
¼ cup fresh breadcrumbs for nugget mixture
2 cups fresh breadcrumbs for coating
Dried mixed herbs (oregano, thyme, basil etc)
½ tsp garlic powder
½ tsp paprika
Method
In a mixing bowl, add the chicken, carrots, corn, 1 egg, ¼ cup breadcrumbs and combine the ingredients. I use my hands to mix everything together.
Put the bread crumbs in a large plate. Add dried mixed herbs, garlic powder and paprika and toss the mixture till everything is well combined.
Take the other egg and beat it in a bowl.
Now take the chicken mixture and make it into small balls. Press each ball gently down to create the nugget shape.
Dip nugget into egg and then coat it with the breadcrumb mixture. Set aside.
These nuggets can be fried or baked. To shallow fry the nuggets till they turn crispy, place half a cup of oil in a pan and fry on medium heat. For oven baked version, you can brush the nuggets on both sides with some oil and place them on a lined baking sheet and bake for 20 to 30 minutes in the oven at 180° Celsius.
Tip: Put the non-fried nuggets in zip lock freezer bags in the deep freezer. They will stay for 3 months.
STICKY HONEY ORANGE GLAZED CHICKEN DRUMSTICKS WITH CRISPY SMASHED POTATOES
This chicken recipe is simple yet it results in juicy, moist, and absolutely delicious finger smacking chicken. It's sweet and slightly tangy and will become a family favourite. These smashed potatoes taste like buttery French fries – fluffy on the inside but really crispy on the outside.
Ingredients
For chicken--
6 pieces of chicken drumsticks (I prefer with skin)
4 tbsp honey
½ cup orange juice
1 tsp garlic paste
3 tbsp soya sauce
1 tsp mustard sauce or dijon mustard (you can use kashundi)
2 tsp corn starch, Salt if needed
2 tbsp oil
Orange slices for garnish
For potato--
5 to 6 large potatoes
Dried oregano
Dried Basil, Dried Thyme
Garlic Powder
Salt and pepper to taste (rock saltworks best)
1 tbsp olive oil, 4 tbsp softened butter
Method
To make the chicken, mix the cornstarch with 2 tablespoons of water. In a small saucepan, mix orange juice, honey, garlic, soya sauce, mustard and corn starch mixture and mix all the ingredients.
Put the pan on the stove on medium heat and simmer. Take off the heat when it comes close to boiling. Taste the sauce and add salt if needed. Before we work with the chicken, turn the oven on to 180 degrees to pre-heat it.
Take the chicken drumsticks. Take another pan, add the oil and slide in the chicken drumsticks. Brown them and take the off the heat
Now take a baking dish and place the chicken drumsticks in it. Pour the sauce over the chicken. Make sure to coat the chicken well with the sauce. Put the dish in the oven for 45 to 50 minutes.
After 20 minutes, open the oven door and spoon the extra sauce in the pan over the chicken, so that it gets a nice glaze.
Garnish the chicken with orange slices.
For smashed potato, bring a pot of water to boil, and wash the potatoes (skin on) and put them in the boiling water. I prefer the skin on, if you think your children won't like it then you can peel the potatoes and boil. When the potatoes become soft, drain and let it cool for 10 mins. Take a potato masher or a round wooden spoon and squash the potato. It should look like an uneven disk. Don't worry if it breaks, the broken pieces are even crispier!
Take a baking tray and brush it with olive oil. Carefully place the smashed potatoes on the tray. Brush or smother the potatoes with butter. Sprinkle salt, garlic powder, and the dry herbs over the potatoes. Place the potatoes in the oven for 15 mins or till they become golden and crispy.
Note: you can replace the butter with extra virgin olive oil.
WATERMELON LEMONADE LOLLY
There is nothing like a healthy delicious cool lolly on a hot summer's day. I make these watermelon lemonade lollies at home as a treat when we have play dates or even for when our friends are over. It's a healthier alternative to store bought lollies. Sometimes I ditch freezing it and just serve the lemonade in glasses. So it's up to you how you want to serve the lemonade. I use homemade sugar syrup to sweeten the lemonade as I feel it really enhances the flavour of the drink.
Ingredients
½ cup fresh lemon juice
4 cups cubed watermelon
½ cup sugar, ½ cup drinking water
3 cups cold water
1 or 2 ice lolly moulds
Method
First make the sugar syrup. Place the sugar and half a cup of water in a small saucepan. And put it on the stove on medium heat. Stir and dissolve the sugar. It will take around 5 minutes. The sugar should not caramelise. Take it off the heat when all the sugar is dissolved. Set aside and let it cool.
Next take the watermelon, cut into pieces, and process into a smooth puree. Strain the juice using a sieve.
In a jug or mixing bowl, mix the watermelon juice, lemon juice, sugar syrup, and cold water. If you want to serve it as a drink, keep the juice in the refrigerator and serve cooled.
If you are making lollies, pour the juice into the moulds and freeze. Serve when the ice has formed.
Happy cooking!
Photo: Collected
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