Name: Kid friendly curry paste thermocook method
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 5 min
Total time: 10 min
Yield: 8 tbsps
Cuisine: kid friendly indian
Ingredients: 1 tbsp cumin seeds; 1 tbsp coriander seeds; 1/3 cup raw cashews; 3 tbsps tomato paste; 1/4 cup chopped coriander (stalks and leaves); 2 cloves garlic; 2 teaspoons grated ginger; 1/3 cup desiccated coconut; 1 tbsp garam masala; 1 tsp sweet paprika; 2 teaspoons ground tyrmeric; 1/3 cup peanut oil

Kid friendly curry paste traditional and thermocook methods

February 13, 2017 By kidgredients 1 Comment

So…let’s talk about curry. This is a really important thing to talk about. Why? Because, if you don’t get in early with your kids and curry, they might never start eating it! I love curries and they are such an easy thing to make and there are so many flavour options. But the main thing you need, is a kid friendly curry paste. Then, you’re set! You can use this paste in so many dishes…plus it goes in the freezer!

Why kid friendly curry paste? Because, the curry paste that you use determines the taste, heat and instensity of the flavours in your curry. By all means, if your kids love chilli, you can pile it into this. Or if they have nut allergies, switch out the nuts for extra coconut.

The key to a good curry paste is fresh herbs and spices and making it up in a big batch. I make a big batch and freeze it in appropriate portions so that when we need to curry, we can curry quickly and easily. This is probably against all rules for authentic curry cooking, but it doesn’t loose flavour and it makes dinner time easier and therefore that is a serious win for me.

What are your options for using the kid friendly curry paste? Well, this mango chicken curry, this sweet potato and chicken curry, and a super way to use it that is mega quick: use 2 tbsps of peanut oil, fry half an onion sliced up in the oil until soft, dump in 3 chopped chicken breasts, add 2 tbsps curry paste, fry until aromatic…then add 1 can coconut milk. Bring to the boil and add in green veggies, cook until they are cooked how you want them…instant dinner!

Kid friendly curry paste thermocook method

Prep 5 mins

Cook 5 mins

Total 10 mins

Author Kylie Archer - Kidgredients

Yield 8 tbsps

This awesome kid friendly curry paste can be used in all types of meals.

Ingredients

1 tbsp cumin seeds
1 tbsp coriander seeds
1/3 cup raw cashews
3 tbsps tomato paste
1/4 cup chopped coriander (stalks and leaves)
2 cloves garlic
2 teaspoons grated ginger
1/3 cup desiccated coconut
1 tbsp garam masala
1 tsp sweet paprika
2 teaspoons ground tyrmeric
1/3 cup peanut oil

Instructions

Place the cumin and coriander seeds into the bowl of the thermocook, set to 80 degrees, 2 minutes, speed 2 with the processing blade.
Allow to cool.
Add the other ingredients except the oil and chop, speed 10 for 1 minute.
Add the oil and chop speed 10 for 3 minutes.

Notes

This paste freezes well, so use what you need and freeze the rest!

Courses Dinner

Cuisine kid friendly indian

Kid friendly curry paste traditional method

Prep 5 mins

Cook 5 mins

Total 10 mins

Author Kylie Archer - Kidgredients

Yield 8 tbsps

This curry paste is the perfect base for many meals

Ingredients

• 1 tbsp cumin seeds • 1 tbsp coriander seeds • 1/3 cup raw cashews • 3 tbsps tomato paste • 1/4 cup chopped coriander (stalks and leaves) • 2 cloves garlic • 2 teaspoons grated ginger • 1/3 cup desiccated coconut • 1 tbsp garam masala • 1 tsp sweet paprika • 2 teaspoons ground tyrmeric • 1/3 cup peanut oil

Instructions

Place the cumin and coriander seeds into a dry frypan over medium heat. cook until they are cracking and popping and filling the room with their aroma.
Add the seeds and all other ingredients except the oil to a blender and blitz until chopped.
Add the oil and blitz until you have a smooth paste.

Notes

This freezes well, so freeze what you don't use in the recipe for up to 3 months

Courses dinner

Cuisine kid friendly indian

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Bulgogi style beef with noodles and veggies

December 30, 2016 By kidgredients 3 Comments

Really, what is she doing combining bulgogi beef and noodles? Well, effectively bulgogi is just a marinade and I love marinated beef. It then makes for a really yummy noodle dish when you pump it up with veggies and noodles. It’s the perfect noodle dish for kids too, as the flavours aren’t too overpowering or too spicy. This bulgogi style beef with noodles and veggies is the perfect summer meal.

Seriously, find me a kid that doesn’t love noodles, and at least with these you know that you’re getting veggies in with the noodles, which is definitely a plus!

The secret to these noodles is the super cheap sizzle steak that you use and the marinating that makes it soft and tender unlike the strips usually used in stirfries and noodle dishes. I really think those beef strips are not at all good for quick cooking. If you don’t believe that sizzle steak can get you an awesome noodle stirfry, then I beg you…try it this once, then judge away!

Maybe you’re looking at this dish and thinking “my kids won’t eat those veggies”? Well if that’s the case, sub them with ones they will eat, like baby corn, green beans, whatever tickles their fancy, as this really is a versatile dish.

You need at least an hour to marinate the sizzle steak, as the marinating means that the steak is tenderised and the sinew in the meat is broken down. With only 400 grams of sizzle steak used in the recipe, it’s quite a cheap meal, and you can customise your veggies to be what’s in season. Even the fussiest eater is catered for with this Bulgogi style beef with noodles and veggies. This one pan meal could become your new weekday go-to!

Bulgogi style beef with noodles and veggies

Prep 60 mins

Cook 15 mins

Total 75 mins

This Bulgogi style beef with noodles and veggies are sure to please even the fussiest eater. This one pot, easy to make recipe is super versatile too, switch the veggies to suit what's in season and you've got a yummy, budget meal the whole family can enjoy!

Ingredients

Beef marinade

400 grams sizzle steak
2 tbsps sesame seeds
2 tbsps sesame oil
4.5 tbsps soy sauce
1 clove garlic, minced
1 tsp minced ginger
2 tbsps raw sugar

Noodles and veggies

1 tbsp peanut oil
1/2 onion sliced
1 bunch broccolini, trimmed
2 carrots, peeled, cut into batons
hokkien noodles, 400 grams
150 grams snow peas, topped and tailed and halved.

Instructions

Combine the sesame seeds, sesame oil, soy sauce, garlic, ginger and raw sugar in a jug and mix well.

Pour over the beef and refrigerate for at least an hour to marinate.

Heat the peanut oil over high heat in a wok and fry the onion until soft.

Add the carrots and cook for 4 minutes.

Add the beef , reserving the marinade.

Cook quickly until the beef is brown, then add the noodles to the wok and the reserved marinade.

Cook for 5 minutes or until the noodles are softened.

Add the broccolini and snow peas to the wok and cook for 4 minutes more.

Serve hot.

Notes

This is best served fresh, I don't recommend freezing hokkien noodles. However it is still yummy the next day as lunch!

Courses Dinner

Cuisine Modern asian

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6 yummy ways with Christmas leftovers

December 21, 2016 By kidgredients Leave a Comment

You know how it is, best of intentions, there will be no leftovers, right? NEVER has that been true at my place. And to be honest the leftovers are great on the 26th. Awesome on the 27th. Then they wear very thin from there on in. But have no fear! Here are 6 yummy ways with Christmas leftovers that will make sure you gobble them all up!

Chicken and asparagus pastries (use turkey!)

In first place, I have to call on these Chicken and Asparagus Pastries and the reason for that? Well, they are freezable! You can use leftover turkey to replace the chicken and they taste just amazing! Make a batch of these and you’ve effectively bought yourself another month the get that turkey gobbled up.

Easiest ever ham and cheese scrolls

Easiest ever ham and cheese pizza scrolls are an important second place, they are freezable, they are delicious and best of all, they are perfect to take to a New Years Eve Party without looking like leftovers! Now that’s versatile!

Beef and veggie noodle salad (use turkey instead!)

In third place, I find that this noodle salad is amazing with leftover turkey! Just mix and load with veggies and you’ve got the perfect dinner for hot weather. The turkey basically replaces any protein, you could use this salad with leftover chicken too, it’s really versatile, so don’t let the name fool you.

Ham and green veg fritters

These ham and veggie fritters were designed last year with Christmas leftovers in mind, and are ideal for ham. If your kids struggle with veggies, then these are an awesome way to hide some in their dinner.

Basil chicken pasta sauce (use your turkey!)

This super sneaky chicken and basil pasta sauce recipe is just as good with turkey as it is with chicken. it’s a veggie smuggler and a delicious one at that. We love this sauce and the kids have never noticed the spinach that is well disguised by the basil in the dish.

Sweet potato, bacon and leek quiche

I know ham and bacon are different things, but subbing leftover chopped up Christmas ham in this sweet potato, bacon and leek quiche means it won’t even taste like christmas ham. So this dish is ideal for when you’re already sick of the ham! Make this quiche and you can freeze any extra for about a month, or longer if vacuum sealed in slices. Perfect for the next month when you need an easy dinner.

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Slow cooker mexican chicken thighs

December 13, 2016 By kidgredients 7 Comments

The goal of this recipe? To help fill up your freezer with some stuff that can be grab, defrost, reheat and go! This recipe for slow cooker mexican chicken thighs is exactly what you need for Taco Tuesday. It’s simple, contains no nasties and is sooooo easy to make.

You can use your cooked thighs in tacos, tortillas, pizzas, pastries, whatever takes your fancy and pair them with fresh salsa, or guacamole…and even make your own tortillas! Our favourite way to do Mexican is to put all the fillings out on the table and choose our own. As long as everything is cut up and ready to go and there are enough utensils, everyone can help themselves and create their own mexican adventure.

Let’s be honest, these slow cooker mexican chicken thighs aren’t traditional mexican fare and I’m not mexican…but they are yummy and have all the flavours of mexican food. I have to admit, these are a go-to over summer as they are easy to make, don’t make my house boiling hot and can be popped in the slow cooker in the morning and left to cook, meaning you can swim, play, go to the beach, whatever…while dinner cooks itself.

These slow cooker mexican chicken thighs work really well with the crunch of the tacos. The also work really well in a salad with crunchy tortilla strips.

Looking for more mexican ideas? Try our homemade mexican fiesta!

Slow cooker mexican chicken thighs

Prep 5 mins

Cook 8 hours

Total 8 hours, 5 mins

Author kidgredients

Ingredients

1.4 kgs chicken thighs, quartered
½ tsp paprika
½ tsp oregano (dried)
½ tsp chilli powder
½ tsp salt
½ tsp pepper
½ tsp cumin (ground)
200 mls passata
3 spring onions, chopped
juice of one lemon
1/2 bunch of coriander, leaves only, chopped

Instructions

Combine all of the ingredients except the coriander in the bowl of the slow cooker and cook for 8 hours on low.
Remove from the heat, shred the chicken with forks, then mix through the sauce.
Top with coriander.
Serve with tortillas, fresh salsa, sour cream and guacamole.

Crunchy panko polenta fish fingers a yummy way to try fish

November 21, 2016 By kidgredients 3 Comments

My daughter had fish fingers in hospital after her operation and declared she loved them, so I decided to make them for her at home in the hope that she would eat them at home too. Surprisingly they ended up a favourite with Master 4 and the rest of us enjoyed them too! These crunchy panko polenta fish fingers are really yummy!

With eat first with our eyes, right? If that’s really the case and you’re trying to make healthier swaps for your kids, then you need to first appeal to their eyes, because they determine what will make it into their mouths. The first step for doing that with fish fingers? Choose and strong white fish that will flake and that can be cut into strips without breaking up. I used hoki for these fish fingers, and it tasted awesome!

To get the golden colour, these use polenta because it gives the bright yellow needed to make these look like storebought fish fingers. When added to the panko, it gives a golden colour and helps to add to the crunch too.

These are nothing like the storebought fish fingers that I grew up on, they actually taste and look like fish and are yummy! They are such a good starting point for kids who won’t eat fish. Really, if you need too, you could cut these like nuggets and say they are chicken!

Crunchy panko polenta fish fingers

Prep 10 mins

Cook 30 mins

Total 40 mins

Author kidgredients

Yield 16 fish fingers

Ingredients

400 grams hoki fillets, cut into strips for fish fingers
1 cup plain flour
1 egg, whisked with 1/2 cup water
1 cup panko
1 cup polenta
olive oil for drizzling

Instructions

Preheat oven to 180 degrees.
mix the panko and polenta together in a bowl.
Coat the fish in flour (I do this in a ziploc bag...just pop it in and shake).
Dip each strip individually in the egg and water mix then coat in the panko polenta mix.
Place each strip on a lined oven tray.
Drizzle the strips with olive oil and bake for 30 minutes at 180 degrees.

Courses fish, dinner

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Not your mum’s slow cooker apricot chicken

November 14, 2016 By kidgredients 15 Comments

Apricot chicken. It’s one of those meals that people like me who grew up in the eighties had regularly and it was a “busy mum meal” i.e. buy a whole heap of packets of things and whack it in the microwave. But I don’t work like that. And that’s why this slow cooker apricot chicken is different. If you’re used to the one your Mum used to cook, this won’t have the exact same flavour, but it’s healthier, has better ingredients and basically tastes amazing.

Now apricot chicken is apparently a winter food, but I don’t agree, somethings that you can make in the slow cooker are perfect at anytime of year and the fruitier, the better if you’re trying to slip this into summer eating habits. The benefit of using the slow cooker in summer- no oven heating up the entire house!

The flavours of this are delicious and it is perfect for weeknights or week days when you are home, but want to get dinner over and done with earlier…at lunch time! Because it’s using chicken breast, this would dry out with longer cooking. If you wanted to put it on in the morning for dinner, just swap the chicken breast for the same weight of chicken thighs.

Now I’m going to answer a question that many of you are thinking but too scared to ask…why would I bother with this version when the french onion soup version I make is just fine? Well, this has wholefood ingredients and nothing nasty, so you can be assured that you are making the best effort to feed your family good food. Plus to be entirely honest, it doesn’t take that much longer! This slow cooker apricot chicken will give you one family meal for tonight and one to freeze, so in my books, that’s super efficient.

And as an interesting aside, my grandmother hand stitched the napkin in the photos, with painstakingly small cross stitches that make my eyes water just looking at them. She was a needlework teacher and and was amazing at doing things like that!

Not your Mum's slow cooker apricot chicken

Prep 15 mins

Cook 5 hours

Total 5 hours, 15 mins

Author kidgredients

Yield 2 family serves

Ingredients

1 kg chicken breast (if you want to cook for 8 hours or more swap for the same amount of thighs)
1 large brown onion, diced
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp ground coriander
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp dried ginger
1 425ml can apricot nectar
1 tin water
1 tbsp honey
2 tbsps cornflour
350 grams dried apricots, chopped
1 cup frozen peas

Instructions

Chop the chicken breast into chunks.
Put the chicken breast into the slow cooker bowl with all the spices and the onion, massage the spices through the chicken to make sure it is well coated.
In a jug combine the apricot nectar, water, honey and cornflour together and whisk until smooth. Add the dried, chopped apricots
Pour over the chicken in the slow cooker bowl. Put the lid on and cook for 4 hours on low.
After 4 hours, remove the lid, add the frozen peas and keep the lid off to thicken the sauce for one more hour.
Serve with rice and veggies.

Looking for other slow cooker ideas? Try some of these!

Sticky chicky wings

Moroccan lamb

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Chicken campagnola – chicken with spinach, cheese and a tomato sugo

October 17, 2016 By kidgredients 5 Comments

I make no secret of the fact that I love cheese. So it should come as no shock to you that my kids also love cheese. This dish- chicken campagnola is combines chicken with spinach, cheese and a tomato sugo to make the most perfect of dinners. I’ve been making it for as long as I can remember. I had it for the first time in a restaurant in the south of Italy in Sorrento, where they called it chicken campagnola. That basically means countryside chicken. I’ve been wanting to try this out on the kids, but haven’t until now…and I’m kicking myself….because they loved it!

Chicken campagnola is such a simple, yet very effective way of getting a delicious one pot chicken dish to the table, without too many complications, which when you have kids…is exactly what you need. i don’t know why I was so sure they wouldn’t like it…what is there not to like about chicken with spinach, cheese and a tomato sugo? If you’re wondering what I’m talking about when I say sugo, you can check out this post where I talk about the sugo that I make and fill my freezer with which is perfect for this recipe. You could also cheat and use a basil and tomato pasta sauce.

Why is this dish so yummy? I think it’s the simplicity of the flavours and the fact that it’s got stretchy mozzarella on top. I love stretchy mozzarella. You don’t have to buy a fresh mozzarella, in fact it’s kind of wasted on this dish, so get the yellow pear shaped ball instead.

Being done in one pot on the stove means that all you need to do to get dinner ready is steam some veggies and you’re good to go! You can also cook rice if you want to absorb the sugo, or just use some crusty bread. I have to admit I love me a one pot stove top meal…because I hate clean up!

Chicken campagnola- chicken with spinach, cheese and a tomato sugo

Prep 5 mins

Cook 25 mins

Total 30 mins

Author kidgredients

Ingredients

3 tbsps olive oil
3 chicken breasts, each one cut through the middle to make 2 pieces of equal thickness
1 250 gram pack chopped frozen spinach, defrosted or use fresh baby spinach and blanch and chop
1 250g ball mozzarella, cut into .5cm thick slices
2 cups sugo or basil tomato pasta sauce/ passata

Instructions

Heat the olive oil in the pan over medium heat
Cook the chicken breasts until golden on both sides.
Top with the spinach and mozzarella.
Pour the sauce around the chicken breasts, so it is just touching the mozzarella, for presentations sake, try not to get any sugo on top!
Put a lid on the pan and cook for 15 minutes or until the mozzarella is completely melted.
Serve from the pan with extra sauce poured around for dipping bread into it.

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Simple Satay

October 11, 2016 By kidgredients 10 Comments

Another post for the Ditch the Packets Series. So…I got a lot of interest in a satay recipe and I think I’ve pulled out all the stops for this one. Satay is a firm favourite in our house and I was keen to try and make my own version of this yummy sauce after having a little investigation at the supermarket. This simple satay recipe? Well, it’s two parts….but you could skip the first bit and just make the sauce, especially if you are making a stirfry etc.

And this is the part where I have to confess, I made Miss 4 peel the peanuts. Please, don’t be like me and buy raw peanuts. Buy roasted but unsalted ones. I couldn’t find any yesterday at the shops and so I bought raw peanuts. And roasted them. Then peeled them then allowed them to cool before chopping them in the food processor and to be honest it was a bit of an ordeal. Save yourself the trouble and get roasted, unsalted peanuts. Or don’t. And get the kids to peel them.

And if you’re thinking I’m mad giving my kids peanuts…well they’re now recommending peanuts to babies at risk of developing severe peanut allergies before the age of one. Be warned. This recipe does contain nuts.

I served the satay sticks with a veggie packed fried rice. If you’re looking to use it for a stirfry, use coconut milk instead of the the coconut cream as it will make the sauce thinner.

But first, investigative journalism. There are so many packets of peanut satay at the supermarket! I would never have placed it as such a popular packet mix. The info as usual comes from the Additive Alert app.

If you just want the recipe…then skip the info below and move straight to the recipe. I found ten of these at the supermarket!

The one on the right- Passage Foods only contains caramel colour. The masterfoods (not shown), ayam (not shown) , kantong and passage foods were the best ones to buy if you really want to buy one instead of making my incredible recipe.

Maggi Stir Fry Creations Satay Chicken	Maggi Just one pan Satay chicken rice	Keens Curry satay Beef	Taylors Peanut Satay Simmer Sauce	KanTong Satay Chicken Cooking Sauce
water	water	dextrose	water	water
sugar	sugar	sugar	peanuts	coconut milk
soy sauce	vegetable oil	spices	sugar	maltodextrin
canola oil	soy sauce	keens traditional curry	coconut milk solids	sodium caseinate
salt	salt	salt	salt	peanuts
vinegar	thickeners (1442, 1450, 1422)	garlic	canola oil	onion
onion	coriander (contains wheat)	milk solid	garlic	sugar
thickeners (1422, 1440, 1442, 1450)	garlic	flavour	spices	golden syrup
Coriander (contains wheat)	cumin (contains wheat)	fish sauce powder	thickeners (1422, xanthan gum)	modified cornstarch
Garlic	lemongrass	lime leaves	food acids (lactic acetic)	lemongrass
cumin (contains wheat)	turmeric	soybean oil	chilli	salt
lemongrass	mineral salt (508)	anti caking agent (551)	milk solids	food acid
turmeric	flavour	vegetable gum (415)	natural flavour	garlic
mineral salt (508)	black pepper	spice extract	herbs	yeast extract
flavour (contains wheat)	chilli		honey powder	dessicated coconut
black pepper	spice extract (160c)		colour 160 B	sodium metabisulphite
chilli				coriander, cumin, cardamon, fenugreek, ginger, turmeric, chilli
spice extract (160c)				paprika oleoresin

So:

508 : (Potassium chloride)
Associated with gastric ulcers, circulatory collapse, nausea, liver toxicity. Should not be given to children.
1422 : (Acetylated distarch adipate)
Animal tests showed slowed groth rates and renal lesions
Annatto extracts : (160b)
Hypersensitivity, allergic reactions, skin irritations, linked to behaviour and learning problems. Concerns about toxicity still being evaluated by JECFA yet is still freely used

Simple Satay

Prep 20 mins

Cook 40 mins

Total 60 mins

Author kidgredients

Yield 2 batches

Ingredients

Marinade
2 tbsps tamarind paste mixed with ⅓ cup warm water to soften and break down
juice of 2 limes
2 tbsps coconut sugar
1 stalk of lemongrass (the white bit only and kind of crushed/broken up, bruised)
½ an onion, chopped finely
3 cloves garlic, curshed
2 tbsps soy sauce
stalks and roots of a bunch of lemon grass, finely chopped
3 chicken breasts, cut into 2.5 cm cubes
Satay Sauce
250 grams peanuts (roasted but not salted) or raw and bake at 200 degrees for 15 minutes then peel in a teatowel
⅓ cup coconut oil
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 tbsps tamarind pulp (mixed in ⅓ cup warm water to loosen and break up)
1 400 ml can coconut cream
⅓ cup coconut sugar

Instructions

Skewers
mix the tamarind paste, garlic, onion, lemon grass, coconut sugar, coriander stalks and roots and lime juice in a jug to combine.
Stir the chicken cubes through it.
Leave to marinate for at least an hour.
Soak 14 bamboo skewers (I used the shorter ones) in some water.
When the chicken is marinated, drain off the marinate and the bits and thread onto the skewers, grill in a hot pan until cooked through.
Satay sauce
Blitz the peanuts in a food processor until they are quite finely blitzed. Don't let them turn into a paste!
Heat the oil in a frypan and add the garlic, cooking until it is soft.
Add the sugar and nuts and stir through.
stir in the tamarind mix, and the coconut cream.
Simmer for 10 minutes over a medium heat.
Wait for the oil to separate from the mix and float on top. When it does, give it a final stir then cool.
Store in the fridge for up to 5 days. Or freeze half.
If you want to use the sauce for a stir fry, add coconut milk instead of cream as it will be thinner.

I recently was sent an Optimum thermocook to try, you can read all about it here. I decided it was time for the photos on this post to have a revisit, so I’ve done a thermocook version in the pictures you can see on the post now! Here’s the thermocook version of the recipe.

Simple Satay- thermocook sauce

Prep 1 min

Cook 25 mins

Total 26 mins

Author kidgredients

Yield 2 batches of sauce

Ingredients

Satay Sauce
250 grams peanuts (roasted but not salted) or raw and bake at 200 degrees for 15 minutes then peel in a teatowel
⅓ cup coconut oil
2 garlic cloves
2 tbsps tamarind pulp (mixed in ⅓ cup warm water to loosen and break up)
2 270ml ml cans coconut milk
⅓ cup coconut sugar

Instructions

Place the garlic and peanuts in the thermocook with the chopping blade and select chop, leave go for one minute.
Add the coconut oil, and coconut sugar. Turn the thermocook to speed three, 90 degrees burner instensity 4 for 10 minutes.
Add the tamarind paste and the coconut milk. Turn the thermocook to speed three, 90 degrees burner instensity 4 for 15 minutes.
Serve hot over the satay chicken sticks.

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The tastiest hidden veggie panko coated chicken nuggets ever

September 15, 2016 By kidgredients 2 Comments

So, I’m not really a veggie smuggler. I’m a veggie encourager. I encourage my kids to eat them. But every now and then I decide to get sneaky and mix up the situation. I live videoed my kids eating these on facebook last night and promised you all the recipe. If you haven’t seen the video, go and have a look as it gives you some funny serving tips. Anyway, these are the tastiest hidden veggie panko coated chicken nuggets ever and they are so awesome the kids won’t even suspect they are hiding veggies!

So these nuggets came about as I wanted to see how well I could hide veggies. I have to say, I have succeeded. It’s the panko. It hides anything. And in the case of these, it makes them crunchy and anything crunchy always works better than anything not crunchy (according to Miss 5). I’ve filled them with day-before-the-grocery-shop veggies, you could play around with what you put in them, but the texture of the cauliflower with the chicken mince helps to give them more of a nuggets feel.

You could just serve these with some sweet potato chippies, or even rice, because they do contain more veggies than the kids will probably offer to eat normally. But…and here’s the but…you want to make sure they don’t get suspicious. So serve them with veggies. Because you can make a big fuss about them eating the other veggies on the plate…and they’ll just eat the nuggets. GENIUS!

Give the kids some dipping sauce of your choice, we used mayonnaise at the taste test and homemamde bbq sauce when we had them for dinner. Dipping is such a great activity to include in dinner as it gives the control back to the kids. Plus they are less likely to spot any offending green or orange stuff in the nuggets if they are dipping. Because let’s be honest…kids double dip.

The tastiest hidden veggie panko coated chicken nuggets ever

Prep 5 mins

Cook 40 mins

Total 45 mins

Author kidgredients

Yield 24

Ingredients

Filling
300 grams chicken mince
1 egg
1/2 head caulifower, chopped into florets
1/2 head broccoli
2 carrots, grated
Coating
1 egg lightly whisked with 3/4 cup water
3/4 cup plain flour
1.5 cups panko crumbs

Instructions

Preheat oven to 180 degrees.
Combine the mince, egg, cauliflower, broccoli and carrots into a food processor.
Process until smooth and like a dough.
With wet hands, form tablespoonfuls into nugget shapes.
Coat in flour, then dip into the egg water then coat in the panko crumbs.
Space them out on a lined baking tray and drizzle with olive oil.
Bake for 20 minutes, then flip and bake for a further 20 minutes.

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Basil chicken pasta sauce (with spinach they won’t notice)

September 5, 2016 By kidgredients 11 Comments

Pasta is such a go to in our house…we have it at least once a week, and Monday is becoming the day for it. Why? Because Miss 5 has piano, homework needs to get done and we need to make sure we’re on track for a good week. I’ve taking to roasting a chicken on a weekend with the sole purpose of it being available for meals later in the week. This is one of those meals, basil chicken pasta sauce (with spinach they won’t notice). This pasta dish never fails to appeal as the kids love it and gobble it all up.

I’ve made tonights version in my thermocook, but you could just as easily make it on the stove like I normally do and I’ll provide instructions for both. The great thing about this dish…the kids are none the wiser about the spinach. How? Well, little white lies I guess, to me, it’s more important that they eat well, so I may or may not pretend that the spinach (baby spinach at that so hardly offensive) is basil. Why do two children who do not eat baby spinach eat basil? It’s just crazy.

So: no added salt, no added nasties, and so easy to make, this pasta sauce ticks all the boxes for us. It also freezes well, and tastes seriously good. It’s not a traditional pasta sauce, but it’s one that makes me remember why I originally fell truly and madly in love with pasta over 25 years ago.

Would you believe that when I was ten I had never eaten real pasta? I don’t mean fresh pasta, I mean actual dried pasta, like barilla or san remo, or anything! My mum made an incarnation of pasta using a continental pasta packet that we ate with “chicken cacciatore” but, I’d never eaten real pasta. Then one night, my Sicilian neighbour (my second grandmother…and the one that had all the good food) brought over a bowl of plain cooked pasta. I’d never eaten it before. I took one mouthful, then ate the whole bowl in about 20 seconds. It was soooo good. It was dressed oil olive oil and a bit of parmesan cheese and it entirely changed my life for the better.

But this recipe, well, it’s going to change your leftovers for the better!

Basil chicken pasta sauce (with spinach they won't notice) stovetop method

Prep 5 mins

Cook 40 mins

Total 45 mins

Author kidgredients

Yield 6 serves

Ingredients

1 onion, diced
1 clove garlic, crushed
2 tbsps olive oil
3 basil leaves, torn
tomatoes, about 250 grams- whatever type you like, chopped
700 ml passata
10 basil leaves, torn
200 grams cooked chicken, thigh or breast, chopped
2 handfuls baby spinach

Instructions

Add the onion, garlic, olive oil and three bail leaves to the olive oil over medium heat. Add a lid and sweat for 5 minutes or until soft.
Add the chopped tomatoes and passata, and cook for 20 minutes, or until the sauce has thickened slightly.
Add the chicken, extra basil and baby spinach cook for 5 minutes until heated through.
Cook the pasta of your choice and add the sauce to it, serving hot.

Courses stovetop method

and the thermocook method:

Basil chicken pasta sauce (with spinach they won't notice) thermocook method

Prep 5 mins

Cook 20 mins

Total 25 mins

Author kidgredients

Yield 6 serves

Ingredients

1 onion quartered
1 clove garlic peeled
2 tbsps olive oil
3 basil leaves, torn
tomatoes, about 250 grams- whatever type you like, chopped
700 ml passata
10 basil leaves, torn
200 grams cooked chicken, thigh or breast, chopped
2 handfuls baby spinach

Instructions

Add the onion and the garlic to the thermocook with the chopping blade. Select Chop, and 30 seconds.
Add the olive oil and basil, select saute, 5 minutes.
Add the tomatoes and passata, select saute, 5 minutes.
Add the extra basil, select saute 5 minutes.
Add the chicken and baby spinach and select saute, 5 minutes.
Cook the pasta of your choice and add the sauce to it, serving hot.

Courses thermocook method

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