I made this pasta sauce for Cooper and he loved it. I had to dip a spoon in to taste it of course, again and again. Just to make sure it was good enough for him you understand.
Roasted butternut squash and tomatoes are the base of this creamy sauce that will tempt children and adults alike.
Ingredients
a splosh of olive oil
½ butternut squash
4 tbsp tomato puree
4 tbsp Philadelphia Soft Cheese
¾ cup milk
freshy ground black pepper
a few leaves of fresh basil
Instructions
1. Preheat oven to 200c/180c fan/400f/gas 6.2. Slice the butternut squash in half lengthwise. Scoop out the seeds. Cut into half moon shapes about 2 cm. Toss in olive oil and season with black pepper.3. Roast in oven for about 20-25 minutes until soft and starting to brown at edges. Remove from the tray and leave to cool.4. Once cool pop the squash into a food processor with the tomato puree, soft cheese, basil and milk and whiz until smooth.5. Keep in fridge or freezer until ready to use.
Cooper made these this morning. He had a rare time and I took a wee video of him making them, unfortunately the memory card ran out half way through, so you only see the process until the mixing stage (video at end of post). Such a pity as Cooper progressed from smoothing down the treats in the brownie pan to scooping up big spoonfuls of the treats to eat. Tsk, tsk! I did get a photo though.
The video states 6 cups of rice krispies, but I have cut the quantity down to 5 cups in the printed recipe. They were very lightly coated in the peanut butter mix and I felt they could have had more topping.
Only make these for toddlers and children if you know they do not have a nut allergy and remember that honey is not suitable for babies until after the age of one.
Get into the kitchen with your children and have fun.
Light, tasty treat that are easy for wee ones to make themselves. Go on, get the kids in the kitchen.
Ingredients
½ cup crunchy or smooth peanut butter
½ cup honey
5 cups Rice Krispies
Instructions
1. Grease one or two brownie pans, depending on how thick you want the treats to be.2. Melt the peanut butter and honey in a small pan. Set aside to cool a little.3. Measure out the rice krispies into a large bowl,4. Pour the liquid over the rice krispies and mix well until well combined.5. Pour the mixture into on or two brownie pans and press down well.6. Leave in the fridge to cool and set before cutting into squares.
Details
Total time: Yield:16 or 32 squares depending on how thick you want to make them
This is Cooper's favourite pudding. Well, it's chocolate, isn't it? What he doesn't know is that it is super healthy! The tofu is packed with protein, iron, calcium, manganese, tryptophan, omega 3 fatty acids and so the list goes on and it is low in fat. It is also good for lowering cholesterol, which is good news for adults too. The bananas are full of vitamin c, potassium and vitamin B6. The chocolate, as well as being yummy, contains antioxidants.
And best of all this mousse is quick, tastes delicious and is a great way of using up ripe bananas.
My little boy loves this chocolate pudding and he thinks he is getting a treat, but I know I am filling him with protein, iron, calcium, vitamins and potassium. It's a win/win situation.
Ingredients
349g box firm silken tofu
2 large ripe bananas
3 heaped tsp good quality cocoa powder
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 square 70% dark chocolate
Instructions
1. Pop the bananas, tofu, cocoa and vanilla extract into a food processor and whizz until soft and well blended. If you don't have a food food processor, you can mash the bananas and tofu with a fork until really smooth, then add the other ingredients and mix well.2. Pour your mousse into a bowl, then grate the chocolate finely over the top.3. Chill until you are ready to serve. I haven't tried freezing this yet, but I imagine it would freeze well.
Details
Total time: Yield:6-8 portions
Sometime I add some philadelphia soft cheese to this mousse and sometime I add some avocado. You could change the flavour by adding some fresh mint or you could also add a little orange peel and orange juice to make a delicious chocolate orange mousse. It really is versatile. I do hope you try it, be it for children or adults.
12 months to adult
I am submitting this mousse to this month's You Should Cocoa which is hosted by Chele over at Chocolate Teapot this month. The topic this month is health conscious. Thanks to Janice for reminding me.
I am also entering it to New "U", a healthy food challenge for the new year which is being hosted over at Zesty Palette. It can be sweet, savory, etc., any part of the meal, any cuisine, any mode of cooking, basically anything vegetarian. (Eggs are allowed in baking.
I am going challenge crazy here and entering my mousse for Cook.Eat.Delicious - Desserts. The theme this month is fresh produce which my bananas fit into nicely. Veggie Platter is hosting this month, but the challenge is the brain-child of Cook.Eat.Delicious.
One last challenge. A new weekly challenge from Ren over at Fabulicious Food. Ren has come up with the idea of Family Friendly Fridays. Simply add your family meals to the linky each week.
I make these veggie burgers in my George Foreman grill, but they could be fried or baked. They are quick and easy to make and very tasty. The patties are a little wet, but don't worry as they dry out as they cook.
Simple & tasty veggie burgers. Rice, corn & green pepper with a hint of spice.
Ingredients
1 cup steamed white rice cooked & cooled
½ cup corn kernels
1 finely chopped green pepper
½ finely chopped white onion
1 heaped tsp ground cumin
1 tsp chilli powder (optional)
a good grinding of black peppercorns
1 tsp lemon juice
3 slices of wholemeal bread, whizzed into breadcrumbs
Instructions
1. In the bowl of a food processor, combine the rice, bread, corn, green pepper, onion, black pepper, lemon juice, cumin & chilli powder.2. Shape the vegetable-rice mixture into 4-6 patties and refrigerate for 2 hours. 3. Place three of the patties at a time on a pre-heated grill or frying pan for 6-8 minutes or until well browned. I used my George Foreman grill.4. Place the patties in the hamburger buns & top with your choice of accompaniments. I lightly toasted the rolls before filling them.
Details
Total time: (not including time to chill) Yield:4-6 burgers, depending on size
I am entering my Veggie burgers into Ren's new weekly blog challenge. Family Friendly Fridays. Ren will be collecting family friendly meals all week in a linky and then posting them after Friday.
Pin It This family favourite comes from Gwyneth Paltrow's Notes From My Kitchen Table. A lovely simple and nutritious soup. Great for these cold dark days. You can use any leftover cheese, but my little boy prefers cheddar.
Written by Jacqueline Meldrum with kind permission from Boxtree Publishers
January 02, 2012
A really comforting bowl of green, green soup finished off with cheddar or if you are more adventurous, crumbly and punchy stilton. Mmmmmmmm!
Ingredients
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
2 cloves garlic, peeled and thinly sliced
1 onion, peeled and roughly diced
2 large stalks broccoli, cut into small florets
1 litre vegetable stock
½ tsp coarse salt
¼ tsp freshly ground black pepper
40g rocket (or watercress)
30 - 60g crumbled strong assertive Stilton for the adults or grated cheddar for the kids
Instructions
Heat the olive oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the garlic and onion and saute for just a minute, or until fragrant. Add the broccoli and cook for 4 minutes, or until bright green. Add the stock, salt & pepper, bring to the boil, lower the heat and cover. Cook for 8 minutes, or until the broccoli is just tender. Pour the soup into a blender and puree with the rocket until quite smooth. Be very careful when blending hot liquids. Start slowly and work in batches is necessary. Pour the soup back into the pan, stir in 30g of the cheese, taste and add more if you'd like. Serve with black pepper and a drizzle of your best olive oil.
