Quinoa stir-fry

Jul 31, 2015Aug 4, 2015 ~ cocoandlentil ~ 10 Comments

I really like this healthy, but tasty stir-fry and better still it’s quick and easy to make. We hope you love it too!

I’ve become a big fan of quinoa recently and luckily the kids seem to like it too. It’s a great source of protein and really easy to cook. As such a small grain it’s also great to use in weaning recipes, particularly if little ones have few teeth and are only getting used to managing solids!

Makes 2 large portions and 1 small portion

The what:

120g quinoa

100g Edamme beans

a bunch of spring onions

1cm ginger

handful of coriander

2 baby pak choi

5 baby corn

juice of 1/2 lime

small handful sesame seeds

1/2 tbsp sunflower oil

For the sauce:

1 tbsp sesame oil

1/2 tbsp rice vinegar

1 tbsp Oyster sauce

The how:

Cook the quinoa according to instructions on the packet.

To make the sauce mix together all the ingredients.

Heat the sunflower oil in a large saute pan and saute the onions, garlic and ginger. Remove and set aside. Add all the other vegetables to the pan and cook for 2 minutes. Then add the sauce and cook for a further 2-3 depending on how crunchy you like your vegetables. Stir in the onions, garlic, ginger and quinoa. Sprinkle over the sesame seeds and coriander and serve.

Chickpea, Orka and Sweet Potato Curry

Jul 6, 2015Aug 4, 2015 ~ cocoandlentil ~ Leave a comment

We got a little peckish while at Kew Gardens (so beautiful!) recently and headed to the Pavilion expecting to tuck into one of their summer favourites from the grill and barbecue. But despite the warm English sunshine there was sadly no barbecue. We didn’t go hungry though: Peyton and Byrne’s indoor restaurant was serving. I went for the Indian veggie curry, which was really quite delicious and inspired me to try out my own. My version has more of a Thai than Indian influence, but its quick and easy to make. I’ll have to go back for the Full of Spice festival for further inspiration!

As well as being beautiful and great for picnics in this weather, there is also lots of fun for the kids. Following lunch we wandered along the Xstrata Treetop Walkway to view all the trees from above. A small warning: the walkway does sway quite a bit in the breeze so probably best avoided by those with Acrophobia! Next we headed to the Treehouse Towers playground: Lentil had a swell time climbing, sliding, walking ropes and of course getting very dirty in the process. Thank goodness for washing machines!

Anyway, back to the curry……here is my veggie version:

The what:

400g chickpeas, rinsed and drained

2 medium-sized sweet potatoes, peeled and chopped

80g peas

80g okra

4 shallots, peeled and sliced

1 garlic clove, finely chopped

400ml coconut milk

1 tsp ground coriander

1/2 tsp cumin seeds

1 tsp garam masala

1/2 tsp turmeric

1cm ginger, finely chopped

200ml stock

For the Riata:

1/2 cucumber, peeled, seeded and chopped

1 slice pineapple, chopped

4 tbsp natural / greek style yoghurt

1/4 tsp of ground cumin (optional)

a handful of mint, finely chopped

The how:

Heat the oil in a heavy-based saucepan and saute the cumin seeds, onion and garlic for a minute. Then add the remaining spices except the turmeric and cook on medium heat for about 5 minutes. Stir in the coconut milk, turmeric and sweet potato, cover and simmer for 20 minutes until the sweet potato is cooked. Add the chickpeas, peas and okra and cook for about 5 minutes until the vegetables are cooked, but still have a bite to them.

To make the Riata:

Put the cucumber, pineapple and mint in a food processor and pulse a couple of times so you have small chunks. Transfer to a bowl and mix in the yoghurt and cumin.

Serve the curry and Riata with some rice. I used brown basmati and wild rice, which works well, but any rice will do.

Enjoy!

Spinach and butter bean burgers

Jun 15, 2015Aug 4, 2015 ~ cocoandlentil ~ Leave a comment

It is thanks to Lorraine Pascal that we first ate homemade veggie burgers in our house. Her Spicy been burgers are full of flavour and really quite substantial: “meaty” springs to mind, although obviously they are entirely meat-free! We try to have a couple of meat-free days a week and as Lorraine’s burgers are a tried and tested formula we make them quite regularly. To mix things up a little I decided, last week, to try out a few combinations of my own. I was really chuffed that my first creation was an instant success: we all loved them, little Coco included! I’ve decided it’s probably very difficult to go wrong with veggie burgers. I haven’t suddenly acquired that illusive culinary goodness status, there is simply a fantastic range of fresh veg available these days, it’s hard to go wrong!

Makes 2 large and 2-3 small burgers

The what:

160g sweetcorn (frozen, or of course fresh). If using frozen, cook for 2-3 minutes.

60g spinach leaves

100g feta cheese

400g butter beans

3 large spring onions, chopped

a handful (ca. 1 tbsp) basil, chopped

1 clove of garlic, finely chopped

1 tbsp fresh coriander, finely chopped

1 tbsp parsley, finely chopped

50g panko (or fresh breadcrumbs if you don’t have panko)

1 egg, lightly beaten

1 tbsp olive oil

Tip: As we were making these for Coco and her three teeth too, I blended all of the ingredients in blender. It makes the burgers a little wet, so you need to fry them lightly in the pan before baking so they don’t fall apart. But for more texture mash the butter beans and mix in the beans, feta and the sweetcorn after you have blended the other ingredients.

The how:

In a food processor combine the basil, coriander, parsley and spinach and garlic. Next add the butter beans, spring onions, sweetcorn and pulse a little further. Finally add the feta, egg and panko and blend to combine. Season with a little pepper.

For more texture (see tip above) just blend the basil, coriander, parsley, spinach and garlic. Mash the butter beans and add along with the sweetcorn, spring onions, feta, panko and mix well. Beat the egg, pour into the mixture and stir well to combine. Season with pepper.

Shape the mixture into the burgers.

Either grill the burgers on each side until lightly browning and cooked through or fry on each side in a little olive oil. Serve with some cream fraiche and a salad.

Enjoy!

Beef stir-fry

May 6, 2015Aug 4, 2015 ~ cocoandlentil ~ Leave a comment

This tasty little dish provides a gentle introduction to some oriental flavours, helped along by the novelty of eating with chop sticks or “chip chops” as Lentil calls them! There are loads of different types of toddler training chop sticks available online or in some high street stores.

The what:

300g rump steak

70g green beans, trimmed and chopped in half / three

1cm fresh ginger, finely chopped

1 clove of garlic, finely chopped

80g bean sprouts

small handful of coriander, finely chopped

4 spring onions, sliced

1 tbsp olive oil

Noodles / rice to serve

Tip:

If meat is tough it takes too long for kids to chew with their little milk teeth. They soon get bored and lose their appetite, or they just spit it out! So if your meat is a little on the tough side, cut it into smaller pieces and cook for a little longer to tenderise.

The how:

Heat the olive oil in a heavy-based frying pan. Add the garlic, beef and ginger and cook over a high heat until the meat is browned. Next add the green beans, spring onions, beansprouts and cook for a further 5 minutes until the meat is cooked through and the beans have a bit to them. Take off the heat and sprinkle with the coriander.

Serve with rice or mashed potato and don’t forget the “chip chops”!