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Archive for the ‘Kid Friendly’ Category
Monday, January 18th, 2010 by urban foodie
 If there’s one thing I love about winter it’s the squash, coming in all shapes and sizes and adding some much needed colour to the veg box.
They look great before you cook them and taste utterly divine cooked, all that melty sweetness. There is a simple formula with squash, match it with butter, bacon, onions or a combination of all 3. I chose to leave out the bacon and use feta instead (it’s the saltiness that works, you see) in this simple supper dish that I’ll certainly be making again.
I used a squash from my aunt-in-law’s allotment, not sure what kind, a sort of long gourd with pale yellow skin and a thick green pinstripe, you can use whatever squash is to hand. I’m of the school who doesn’t like to eat the skin but I know there are those that do, if you are one - go for it!
Allow for one medium-ish squash per person for a main course or 1 between 2 for a tasty side to a simple grill of meat.
Ingredients
Makes 1 main course/2 sides
1 medium squash
1 small onion
3 cloves garlic
big knob butter (30-40g)
100g feta (1/2 packet)
Rosemary and thyme
S&P
- Heat the oven to 190 C
- Cut squash in half, scoop out all seeds and fibres, squash garlic cloves a bit to split skin (leave on) and put in each cavity with butter and a sprig of rosemary, S&P
- Put in oven and roast for 50 minutes
- 15 minutes before end chop onion and fry gently in olive oil with a little salt
- When squash is done take out of oven, discard rosemary branch, squeeze out garlic cloves and scoop flesh into a bowl (keeping shells intact)
- Mash lightly with fork, crumble feta into bowl with rosemary and onions
- Scoop back into shells and back into oven for 15 minutes until lightly browned on top (use the grill if you are impatient to eat, as I was!)
- Serve with rice (I like brown) and a green salad
Tags: baked squash, stuffed squash, vegetarian recipe
Posted in Kid Friendly, Recipes, Uncategorized | No Comments »
Monday, November 30th, 2009 by urban foodie
 Now that the MA is done I find myself with *gasp* a bit of actual free time. I’ve been trying to put it to good use and so have been reading lots of my fellow food bloggers’ missives. They are a great bunch (see Blaggers Banquet and WMPC for validation) and love to share their recipes.
I have also developed a soup addiction, since the massage. It’s just so easy, you make soup for lunch on the weekend, freeze 4 portions and that’s your lunch for the week. Simply reheat in the work microwave. I’ve been doing it for a few weeks now and have enough random batches to have a different soup every day!
Anyway whether you are cooking for the week or just fancy a home made, delicately spiced and sweetly flavoured lunch this is a great one, that I discovered on The Food Urchin’s excellent blog, from the delightful Moro Cookbook. It is so good that I think I’ll get off the laptop and make some more…
Ingredients
Serves 4
4 tbs olive oil
half a large onion, sliced
2 garlic gloves, thinly sliced
1 rounded tsp black cumin or normal cumin seeds
750g raw beetroot
1 large potato
1.25 ltrs of cold water
3 tbs of red wine vinegar
1 small bunch fresh parsley
100g Greek yoghurt, thinned with milk and seasoned with crushed garlic
sea salt and black pepper
- Slice onion and heat oil in a large saucepan over a medium heat
- Add the onion and a pinch of salt, cook for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the onion begins to colour
- Meanwhile thinly slice garlic, peel and dice beetroot and potato
- Add garlic and cumin to pan, cook for 2 more minutes to release their flavour, followed by the beetroot and potato
- Pour in the water, bring to a gentle simmer and cook until soft, about 15 minutes
- Roughly chop parsley, put the vegetables and cooking liquid in a blender or whizz with a blender stick until just smooth. If using blender you can just scoop out and blend the solids, returning to the pan once done
- Add the vinegar, half the parsley and salt and pepper to taste. You may need more salt than you think to balance the acidity of the vinegar. Serve with a little yoghurt on top, the rest of the parsley and an extra drizzle of olive oil
Tags: beetroot soup, lunch idea, Moro cookbook
Posted in Kid Friendly, Recipes | 2 Comments »
Tuesday, November 17th, 2009 by urban foodie
Now that the MA is done I find myself with *gasp* a bit of actual free time. I’ve been trying to put it to good use and so have been reading lots of my fellow food bloggers’ missives. They are a great bunch (see Blaggers Banquet and WMPC for validation) and love to share their recipes.
I have also developed a soup addiction, since the massage. It’s just so easy, you make soup for lunch on the weekend, freeze 4 portions and that’s your lunch for the week. Simply reheat in the work microwave. I’ve been doing it for a few weeks now and have enough random batches to have a different soup every day!
Anyway whether you are cooking for the week or just fancy a home made, delicately spiced and sweetly flavoured lunch this is a great one, that I discovered on The Food Urchin’s excellent blog, from the delightful Moro Cookbook. It is so good that I think I’ll get off the laptop and make some more…
Ingredients
Serves 4
4 tbs olive oil
half a large onion, sliced
2 garlic gloves, thinly sliced
1 rounded tsp black cumin or normal cumin seeds
750g raw beetroot
1 large potato
1.25 ltrs of cold water
3 tbs of red wine vinegar
1 small bunch fresh parsley
100g Greek yoghurt, thinned with milk and seasoned with crushed garlic
sea salt and black pepper
- Slice onion and heat oil in a large saucepan over a medium heat
- Add the onion and a pinch of salt, cook for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the onion begins to colour
- Meanwhile thinly slice garlic, peel and dice beetroot and potato
- Add garlic and cumin to pan, cook for 2 more minutes to release their flavour, followed by the beetroot and potato
- Pour in the water, bring to a gentle simmer and cook until soft, about 15 minutes
- Roughly chop parsley, put the vegetables and cooking liquid in a blender or whizz with a blender stick until just smooth. If using blender you can just scoop out and blend the solids, returning to the pan once done
- Add the vinegar, half the parsley and salt and pepper to taste. You may need more salt than you think to balance the acidity of the vinegar. Serve with a little yoghurt on top, the rest of the parsley and an extra drizzle of olive oil
Tags: beetroot soup, Moro cookbook, tasty lunch idea
Posted in Kid Friendly, Recipes | No Comments »
Sunday, October 18th, 2009 by urban foodie
 On this grey Sunday morning, ever so slightly the worse for wear after a fun Sat night out on the town I want something filling but healthy - and sweet, definitely sweet.
Bran muffins it is then, NY style bran muffins have been a favourite since I first tasted them (what feels like) a hundred years ago in the old Big Apple and there is nothing quite like the smell of baking to warm a house right through.
These muffins are by Allegra McEvedy, Leon founder, they have them in the restaurant and in the excellent recipe book. These bran type muffins are a real delight, a great balance of goodness (bran, apple, banana) and naughtiness (syrup and sugar).
Baking, I’m told, is an exact science - however, muffins, I have found, are not. You can really mix and match as you need to with muffin recipes - as you’ll see that I have below, so long as you get the proportions right you’re good to go.
Ingredients
2 eggs
90ml sunflower oil (I used groundnut)
3 heaped teaspoons apple sauce or stewed apple (I chopped up an apple finely)
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 ripe banana, mashed with a fork
4 tablespoons maple syrup (I used golden syrup)
200g wholewheat flour
6 tablespoons soft brown sugar
1 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
4 tablespoons bran
A big handful of chopped pecans
Scattering of oats, pumpkin or sunflower seeds for the tops
Makes 8 big muffins (I made 12 smaller ones and reduced cooking time by 10 mins)
1 Heat the oven to 180 C.
2 Whisk eggs in a bowl, beat in oil, apple, vanilla, banana and syrup
3 In a separate bowl combine dry ingredients: flour, sugar, bicarbonate of soda, baking powder, cinnamon and bran.
4 Mix dry bowl into the wet one, stir in pecans
5 Spoon into muffin cases (I only had fairy cake ones, hence making 12 instead of 8), sprinkle with oats, pumpkin or sunflower seeds
6 Bake for 30 mins (20 mins if making small ones - you can test if they are ready by inserting a skewer/fork, it should come out clean)
Allegra says that they should create proper muffin tops, mine just made tidy domes but were none the worse for it. She also says you can pour extra maple syrup on them for a teatime treat. I say bake them with the kids, they’ll love it!
Tags: bran muffins, easy baking
Posted in Kid Friendly, Recipes | No Comments »
Wednesday, September 2nd, 2009 by urban foodie
 Missing the summer sun? Either because you haven’t been away, or if you have and are now pining.
Well, this dish is full of Mediterranean sunshine and, as ever, really easy to rustle up. You’ll need a griddle pan (frying just isn’t the same) and, be warned, there will be lots of smoke so shut the kitchen door and open all the windows. The trick with griddling is get the griddle really really hot - leave it for at least 7 minutes on the heat before you put anything in there, and brush the veg with oil rather than oiling the pan - although this second one isn’t a law that can’t be broken if the going gets frantic…
Ingredients
1 medium aubergine
1 big red pepper (or two small red/yellow/orange in combination)
10 (approx) cherry toms
1 packet haloumi
1 tablespoon harissa
150-200g couscous
olive oil
balsamic vinegar
1 lemon
Serves 2-3
1 Put the griddle pan on to heat
2 Chop up aubergine, pepper(s) into 5cm chunks and mix with cherry toms, harissa, a glug of olive oil and the same of vinegar, salt and peper and set aside
3 Put the kettle on and soak the couscous as per instructions
4 Start griddling the veg in batches, no need to oil them as the marinade does that job for you. I put in enough to cover bottom of griddle pan and leave for a good few minutes until the underside is stripily scorched. When one batch is ready keep it warm in a bowl covered by a plate (this is a dish best eaten luke hot not piping)
5 Whilst the veg is cooking slice the haloumi into thick slices and then griddle last, once veg is all done
6 Whilst the haloumi is griddling go back to the couscous and add a good glug of olive oil, the juice of the lemon and S&P, mix well
7 Turn the haloumi, when it is ready add veg on top of couscous and then the haloumi and serve with a good table wine, in the evening sun, if there is any. If you want a side dish a little dressed green rocket/watercress salad is all you’ll need. Also great for lunch as leftovers, if there is any left.
N.B. This is also a great vegetarian bbq option, just cut the veg and haloumi to suit your bbq grill.
Tags: barbeque
Posted in Kid Friendly, Recipes | No Comments »
Sunday, August 23rd, 2009 by urban foodie
 Unless its a weekend or you live a charmed life, breakfast is usually a purely functional affair. That doesn’t mean it has to be a tasteless one.
In the winter nothing is quite as good as a bowl of steaming porridge with banana and brown sugar for setting you up all cosy for the day, worth getting up 10 minutes early to make, but in the summer something all together cooler is in order.
This smoothie has no added sugar, 1.5 of you 5 a day and a good dose of your fibre - not to mention slow release energy and the goodness of milk. Plus, I love it because if you use mostly cherries as the berry ingredient it tastes like ice cream. Great for kids big and small.
A hand blender whizzes it up in just a jiffy.
Ingredients
1 handful frozen berries (any you like, cherries and blueberries are a great combo)
1/2 handful oats
1/2 banana (put the other half in the fridge for tomorrow)
250ml milk (or to taste)
2 tablespoons yogurt (optional)
1 Put all ingredients into the tall jug of a hand blender
2 Whizz for about 10 seconds, enjoy the cool drink immediately for top refreshment
Tags: easy breakfast, healthy breakfast
Posted in Kid Friendly, Recipes | No Comments »
Saturday, August 15th, 2009 by urban foodie
 This is a realy quick and easy pasta sauce, a variation of an easy pasta dish I made earlier. The tomato sauce is big and sweet, garlicky with just the hint of warmth from the chilli. It’s a great base to add to, here I have used some chorizo that was lingering in the fridge, the other version is a veggie one with very young, soft goat’s cheese, the kind that doesn’t have a skin yet.
Ingredients
1 tin whole tomatoes
3 cloves garlic
1 capful balsamic vinegar
1/2 teaspoon chilli flakes or a whole red chilli
2 big handfuls spinach (approx 200g)
20cm chorizo or 100g young, fresh goat’s cheese
Basil/oregano
S&P, olive oil
1 Crush/chop the garlic and fry gently in olive oil for a minute, add tinned toms (don’t break them up), chilli (the powder or the pepper kept whole) and balsamic plus oregano - if using - cover and simmer for 20 minutes, cover and simmer for 20 minutes
2 After 10 minutes put pasta on to boil
3 After 20 mins break up the toms with your spoon and add washed spinach (and basil, if using), cover to wilt
4 Once wilted, add goats cheese or lightly fried chorizo with it’s pan juices (no need to use any oil in your pan the sausage has plenty)
5 That’s it! Mix in the pasta and enjoy, dinner in 30 minutes
Tags: easy supper, mmm pasta
Posted in Kid Friendly, Recipes | No Comments »
Saturday, August 8th, 2009 by urban foodie
 I know my title is controversial and will cause a lot of debate. I mean, of course, my perfect bacon and eggs. I much prefer poached eggs to fried, demand fresh tomatoes on the side (ketchup or tinned can be nice but are no substitute) and I think that unless you have a tip top baker, muffins are consistently the best bread option for this breakfast. They are fuller than sliced white toast but less overwhelming than a doorstep slab.
As far as bacon goes, I was a committed unsmoked back bacon girl until recently whence I have also developed a little soft spot for smoky streaky - the choice is yours, but free range only for both eggs and bacon please.
Ingredients - PP
3 rashers bacon
2 eggs
1 muffin
1 handful toms (cherry/mini plums for preference, if not 1 or 2 whole ones)
1/4 capful balsamic
S&P, olive oil, groundnut/sunflower oil
white vinegar for poaching
Serves 1
1 Start by heating the oven to 200 degrees and tossing the toms in olive oil, balsamic, S&P
2 When oven is hot pop the toms in there, you can put the kettle on now, you’ve 10 mins grace
3 Heat the grill up, pop the kettle on again and put the bacon under the hot grill
4 When the bacon is nearly done (one side cooked, the second side halfway there) cut the muffin in half and pour the boiling water into a frying pan, deep as it will comfortably take (you don’t want it swishing over the side!) and add a heafty glug of white vinegar
5 When the water is simmering gently but with a decent swell break the eggs carefully into the pan - max 4 in one pan. Put the muffins on in the toaster
6 When it pops take them out and butter them swiftly - no rush, but no dawdling either - your eggs are now ready so lift them gently from the water with a slotted spoon onto the muffins, add the bacon and tomatoes to the plate and serve with a nice cup of tea and a glass of juice and the paper
Tags: birthday breakfast, saturday breakfast, sunday breakfast
Posted in Kid Friendly, Recipes | No Comments »
Thursday, July 30th, 2009 by urban foodie
 As the beetroot season (July-Jan) gets well underway again make the most of this regal root in a tasty lunch or light evening supper.
Beetroot is best slow roasted where it’s sweet flavour is much enhanced, you can do this well before you need it so put them on whenever you’ll be in the house for a few hours with a free oven and keep in the fridge until needed. I love this pairing of sweet beetroot with earthy lentils and sharp, fresh goat’s cheese.
Ingredients
2/3 small to medium beetroots
200g puy lentils (the little greeny-blue ones)
100g soft goat’s cheese
1 handful fresh basil, thyme, parsley or any combination of the three
olive oil, balsamic vinegar and dijon mustard
S&P
Serves 2
1 Wash the beetroots, trim off all but an inch of their tops, leave the skin and root intact and wrap in foil, roast in a 150 degree oven for 2.5 hours
2 Remove the foil and slip off the skins with your fingers (wait until they have cooled to warm and wear surgical gloves if possible). Store in the fridge if not using immediately
3 Rinse the raw lentils under the tap and cook in boiling water for 30 minutes
4 Whilst the lentils are cooking make the dressing - a forkful of mustard, oil and vinegar to taste (2 to 1 approx) then S&P
5 Chop herbs and slice the goat’s cheese and beetroots
6 When the lentils are cooked rinse under cold tap to cool to warm and mix in all but the goat’s cheese, laying this last on top of the salad. Serve with a hunk of bread
N.B Great to take to work or on a picnic, you can assemble the night before and just dress before you leave the house.
Tags: picnic salad, work lunch
Posted in Kid Friendly, Recipes | No Comments »
Thursday, July 9th, 2009 by urban foodie
 Some evenings you just haven’t got time to cook but you don’t fancy a ready meal or a takeaway. There’s only one thing for it - stir-fry.
All you need is a couple of different vegetables, a type of onion (spring is best but any will do), ginger, garlic and chili and a protein and you’re away. Dinner in 20 minutes, sooner if you’re a fast chopper!
This is beef one is one of my favourites, you don’t need much meat with stir-fry so you can afford a really good cut. You marinade for just a few minutes whilst you prepare the rest, but with delicate meat or fish that is plenty, I’m not that up on cooking with tofu but I’m pretty sure that the same principles will apply here too.
serves 2
Ingredients
200g highest quality lean beef steak
1 carrot
2 small heads pak choi
2 or 3 spring onions
small thumb of ginger
1 chilli (I like a big red one)
1 fat clove garlic
glug of soy sauce
glug of dry sherry
splash of seasame oil
glug groundnut (or other flavourless) oil, for cooking
1 Cut steak into very fine strips, chop garlic, ginger and chili finely - if you’re having rice I’d put it on now too
2 Mix in beef strips with garlic, ginger, chili, seasame oil, sherry and soy sauce, leave to marinade whilst you prepare veg
3 Wash and chop veg into bite size strips
4 Heat the groundnut oil in a wok until very hot, swirl round to cover the whole of the wok
5 Open some windows, its about to get smoky - add spring onions and carrots to the pan cook for 30 seconds
6 Add pak choi and then 15 seconds later the beef with its marinade
7 Cook until beef is just no longer pink, serve with rice and chopsticks - they’re much more fun than forks
Tags: beef stir-fry, Quick Supper
Posted in Kid Friendly, Recipes | No Comments »
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