Fresh family food

I try but don’t always manage to keep Mondays meat free.  Time is very limited in our household on Monday so whatever we eat has to be quick and often has to be cooked in two sittings to fit around after school clubs, tennis lessons and homework.

Veggie Satay noodles work a treat because I can do most of the preparation before school pick up and the stir frying really takes no time at all.  The children eat happily and seem not to notice that there is no meat!

Ingredients

Pack of mini corn, cut in half length ways

1 red pepper sliced

half a head of broccoli cut into small florets

2 carrots cut into thin batons

1 tbs vegetable oil

4 egg noodle nests

Sauce

1 can full fat coconut milk

4 tbs peanut butter (crunchy or smooth)

5 cm grated ginger

4 garlic cloves grated

4 tbs sweet chilli sauce

4 tbs soy sauce

Method

1. Mix the sauce ingredients with 100 ml boiling water in a jug until combined.
2. Heat the oil in a wok until very hot and stir fry the vegetables for 4 minutes.
3. Cook the egg noodles according to the packet instructions
4. Pour the sauce over the vegetables and cook for 3 or so minutes until hot
5. Drain the noodles.  Splash with a little oil to stop sticking and split between 4 bowls.
6. Spoon over the vegetables and serve.

You can of course mix the noodles into the pan but I then find it very hard to divide the noodles equally.  This recipe serves 4.

Tuesday

Spinach and ricotta tart is lovely for a spring day.  There are many versions of this on line, I used the recipe at https://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/67606/crisp-spinach-tart-with-squash-wedges although I skipped the wedges part.  It was easy to do and again something that you can get ready ahead of time which is great when time is tight.

Wednesday

This is a very easy pasta sauce to make.  In fact it is pretty much the quickest thing I cook, you can have it on the table in under half an hour without any stress.  My children love it, I think that the crunchy breadcrumbs that I put on the top make all the difference although you can of course skip those if you don’t fancy the idea.  This will serve four with a hearty appetite.

Ingredients

4 cloves garlic chopped

2 cans chopped tomatoes

1 or more red chillies chopped (test for heat and adjust the amount of chilli accordingly)

2 tbs olive oil

2 slices bread

small bunch basil

Method

1. Heat the oven to 200C
2. Splash  a little olive oil in a pan, heat and fry 2 garlic cloves and the chilli for a couple of minutes.  Do not allow it to brown.
3. Tip in the tomatoes and cook down for 15 minutes
4. Whizz the bread in a food processor with 1 tbs of the oil, 2 cloves of garlic and basil
5. Spread the breadcrumbs on a baking tray and bake for 5 to 10 minutes until lightly toasted.  Keep an eye on them, you do not want them to catch.
6. Cook the spaghetti according to the packet instructions.
7. Toss the spaghetti in the sauce.  Sprinkle some breadcrumbs on the top and serve.

Thursday

Sausage Casserole

 

This is a lovely warming, filling dish, great for the cold weather we have been having.  I used Eadles spicy sausages which are lovely and I would highly recommend, of course you can use the sausages that you prefer or have to hand.  Eadles sausages are available from Berkhamsted market.  You can also change the beans, I have used cannelloni beans before and that was equally nice.  This is enough for 6 people and freezes well if you have leftovers.

Ingredients

2 tbs olive oil

2 packets spicy Eadles sausages

1 onion, finely chopped

2 cloves of garlic finely chopped

1 red pepper, finely chopped

3 sticks celery, finely chopped

2 cans black eyed beans drained and rinsed

2 cans tomatoes

1 tbs wholegrain mustard

1 tbs Worcester sauce or soy sauce

Parsley to garnish

Method

1. Heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Saute the onion, red pepper, garlic and celery for 5 minutes on a low heat.
2. Once the onions are translucent add the tomatoes and simmer for 20 minutes until the sauce starts to thicken.  Add the Worcester sauce.
3. Heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in the frying pan.  Brown the sausages and add to the saucepan.  You will probably have to do this is batches.  Add the sausages to the saucepan. Cook until the sausages are cooked and the sauce is thick, about 20 minutes..
4. Sprinkle with some chopped parsley.
5. Serve with crunchy bread to mop up the sauce.

Friday

Fish Tacos

Tacos are a favourite in our house, I think children always enjoy something that they can build and tailor to their personal taste. The recipe I used was from the new Thomasina Miers cook book , “Home Cook” which is full of lovely, tasty family food.  The recipe was easy to follow and the results were enjoyed by all.  No doubt I will cover other recipes of hers over the coming weeks.  Here are a couple of photos.

I hope you have enjoyed this weeks recipes.  Let me know what you think.

Thanks ChilternEats