Vegie Smugglers

My pledge to you (and the business of cookbooks)

October 20, 2011 · Filed under News, Vegie smuggling techniques · Tagged feeding the family

The ‘oh, is that the time! I didn’t expect you so soon’ cover.

After bringing up the irritating topic of Tania Ramsay earlier this week, I’ve been dwelling on the formulaic cookbooks that get shoved onto the bookstore shelves each week. Be prepared for an onslaught – Christmas is coming.

And I’m caught up in it. I’ve got a long delay on my reprint of Vegie Smugglers 1 (sorry, folks, it’s almost sold out and there’s going to be a big gap in availability) since the Hong Kong printing presses are going crazy to produce title after title of celebrity/chef after interchangeable celebrity/chef in time for the December rush.

Does it bug you, the way they’re produced to such a regular standard? I’m starting to wonder if the large publishers don’t think we’re all a bit dim-witted and don’t notice that book after book is basically the same.

The covers are my most favourite part. Especially the ‘oh! I didn’t notice there was a photographer, lighting, make up person, stylist & art director in the room!’ shot. You know, like we’ve just walked in on them casually whipping up a feast for their fabulous friends or well behaved children. If they’re super famous, or someone we trust, then we’re allowed to make eye contact. The others will be smiling winningly whilst gazing just slightly over our shoulders. Apparently we like the men to be looking down or to our left, the women are all looking to our right, dreaming off towards a better future (true – design psychology). And of course, the teeth. Don’t get me started on the teeth. When a friend of ours was editing Delicious magazine, we’d dare her to find a shot of Jill Dupleix with her mouth shut. No teeth! Please! Just once! Never happened.

Anyway, I admit to being seduced by these covers myself, the relaxed kitchen settings, the soft focus, the food just moments away.

How many of them do you own? I own stacks of them. I remember reading that the average person makes about 3 recipes from each cookbook before they get bored and head back to the shops and get seduced by some other title. Do you think that’s right? I hope you make more than that from the fabulously different Vegie Smugglers cookbooks!

I really try to make my books about you and your families and not about me at all. Finally after much urging, I did put a tiny photo of myself into the second book. But I felt like a goose.

So here’s my pledge to you about my cookbooks (past, present and future)…
1. Every recipe has been given the seal of approval from my fussy children and I’m confident you’ll be able to cook it and serve it to yours, and
2. You will NEVER see a picture of my teeth or me on the cover of any of my books. Ever.

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Spice is nice (except on your tongue – apparently)

October 18, 2011 · Filed under All recipes, Chicken, Vegie smuggling techniques · Tagged chicken, feeding the family, parenting, recipe, vegetables

After four years of vegie-smuggling, I think I now have a way to get almost any vegie into my kids. Obviously some dishes are more popular than others, but my kids also realize each night that what you get is what you get and if you’re hungry then you just have to eat, since having a whinge and complain isn’t going to get you anywhere.

So what I’m working on now is pushing the boundaries on the spice front. Mr Meat & Potatoes is no problem at all. I can already see him as a drunken young adult ordering a curry or kebab with chilli sauce. Miss Fruitarian, however, is another story. She just can’t handle anything too spicy on her tongue. This is a bummer, since you can’t really hide spice, can you? Something is either spicy or it isn’t.

Usually I just make dishes like the pho that I can just add heat or extra spice to after I’ve served out the kid’s portions, but I’m also on a mission to get her to suck it up and handle of bit more flavour and heat. My starting places are mild tandoori chicken dishes and coconut cream curries. But to be honest, I get to add such insipid amounts of curry paste that my best friend and I are never too awestruck by these culinary adventures.

I do like this chicken curry recipe though. It’s based on one in Bill Granger’s Everyday cookbook. I like his family cooking. Unlike the boring-as-hell Tania Ramsey books, which are full of smiling photos of… err…. Tania and the odd recipe that my kids would just NEVER eat, you get the feeling that Bill actually DOES cook for his kids and isn’t just cashing in on a safe market.

So it was a Bill’s recipe where I saw this slightly unexpected mix of Indian and Asian flavours that results in something mild enough for fussy kids but interesting enough for the grown ups (especially with some coriander over the top). And of course it doesn’t hurt to serve this with pappadums – another lure ingredient.

I’m on the lookout for recipes to move onto after this one – ones that push the boundaries just a little further. Make sure you let me know if you’ve got any you enjoy.

Passing on a love of curry comfort

Gentle chicken curry

1 tbsp olive oil
1 brown onion, finely diced
1–2 tsp cumin powder
1–2 tsp coriander powder
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tsp ginger, minced
500g chicken thigh fillets, trimmed, cubed
1 cup finely diced pumpkin (little 5mm cubes)
1 zucchini, finely diced (peeled first if you prefer)
400g can chopped tomatoes
¼ cup water
2 tsp brown sugar
Juice of ½ lime
Handful green beans, ends trimmed, sliced

To serve
Steamed rice
Cooked pappadums
Chopped coriander (optional)

Heat the oil in a large saucepan over medium heat.

Fry the onion for 4–5 minutes until soft. Use a quantity of spice that will suit your family. Add the spices, garlic and ginger for a minute before adding the chicken. Stir and brown for 2 minutes then add the pumpkin and zucchini and continue stirring for another 3 minutes until the chicken is brown and the vegies are starting to soften.

Add the tomatoes and water. Cover and bring to a simmer, lower the heat and simmer away for 15 minutes until the chicken is cooked through.

Add the sugar, lime juice and beans and stir through for a minute or so (I like my beans nice and crunchy). Serve with rice and pappadums. Sprinkle with coriander (if using).

SERVES 2 ADULTS & 2 KIDS

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How to have them begging for zucchini (in their lunchbox)

October 12, 2011 · Filed under All recipes, News, Vegetarian, Vegie smuggling techniques · Tagged cooking techniques, feeding the family, lunchbox, parenting, recipe

Now I don’t like to brag, and I generally am a very self-effacing person, but I’m going to go out on a limb here and say that this recipe is possibly the most genius recipe I have ever formulated! It is just SO good. When my kids see me making these, they start JUMPING AROUND.

It meets all of my usual vegie-smuggling criteria – easy to make, full of all sorts of good ingredients, stores well and is tasty enough for kids and adults alike. You can eat them hot or cold – so whip up some for a side dish for tonight’s dinner and then pop the rest into tomorrow’s lunchboxes.

Did I mention that this recipe is from the complete Vegie Smugglers lunchbox planner? I like to give one recipe away for free (last term was the easy beetroot dip/sandwich spread). I know I’m banging on about the planner, but without a few sales here and there, the Vegie Smugglers blog ends up being a time-consuming and rewarding passion that I have to squeeze in between my other money-making commitments. But nearly every mum I talk to has some intriguing online venture going on, so you all know what I’m saying.

Anyway, enough blatant spamming. Here’s the recipe to enjoy.

Delicious. Yum. Easy. Yum. Lunchboxes. Yum.

Cheese Puffs

½ cup milk (soy is fine)
1 egg
½ tsp smoked paprika
1 zucchini, grated (peeled first if your kids hate green)
2 spring onions, finely chopped
2 cups grated cheese (cheddar is best)
1 cup self-raising flour

Preheat the oven to 190C. Line a baking tray.

In a large bowl, whisk together the milk and egg. Add the paprika, zucchini, spring onions and cheese.

Sift over the flour. Mix well (it becomes a thick paste). Dollop out portions. Bake for 20-25 minutes until deep golden brown and cooked through.

Store in the fridge in an airtight container for several days.

MAKES 16

Comments (46) »

An easy bake for tomorrow’s lunchbox

October 9, 2011 · Filed under All recipes, News, Sweets & treats · Tagged lunchbox, parenting, recipe, treats

Back to school tomorrow. Usually by this stage of the holidays I am totally exasperated with the children, but these holidays have been smooth sailing. Managed to get the right mix of busy and quiet and I suspect I might actually miss them this week!

Miss F is feeling hesitant about returning to her new school tomorrow (she only moved 3 weeks before the holidays) so I’ve whipped up a treat ready to pop into her lunchbox – a bit of a cheer up for the middle of the day.

It’s nice to have something yummy ready to start the term. The new Term 4 planner starts with an Apricot muesli bar. You can buy your copy here. Or just whip up these oat and berry muffins. Keep the berries in the freezer until you’re ready to mix them in – avoids them totally tinting the mixture. Although, as you can see, mine did end up with a nice swirly berry imprint.

Ready for tomorrow (if there are any left)

Berry & oat muffins

1 1/2 cups self-raising flour
1 cup traditional oats
1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar
75g butter, melted
1 egg
1 cup milk (or buttermilk if you have some)
1 1/4 cup frozen mixed berries

Preheat the oven to 180C. Prepare your muffin trays (I use silicone, so just give them a super light spray of canola oil).

Sift the flour into a mixing bowl. Stir through the oats and sugar. Mix in the butter.

Whisk the egg and combine with the milk, then pour through the dry ingredients. Stir through the berries.

Divide evenly between your muffin holes and bake for 30 minutes or so, until springy.

MAKES 12

THIS RECIPE IS STILL IN DEVELOPMENT, LET ME KNOW ANY FEEDBACK – AFTER CHATS ON FACEBOOK, MAYBE TRY BAKING THESE FOR 35 MINUTES AS THE FROZEN BERRIES ADD ALOT OF MOISTURE – Wendy

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School holidays in the rain…

October 7, 2011 · Filed under Craft for non-crafty parents

Finding a good hairdresser is SO hard these days.

I’ve had a houseful of girls over the last two weeks as Miss Fruitarian shows off her new home to a variety visitors.

With all the bad weather (did you know statistically, it does rain more during school holidays), we’ve been indoors alot, back to the old faithfuls of craft and drawing. To keep things interesting (and offer some variety for our guests who are possibly a little bored by Miss F’s endless drawings of herself on the pony that Santa is apparently bringing this Christmas) I’ve got this hair doodle page. Inspired by reader Laura, who emailed me about a similar one she’d seen, you can draw, paste wool or paper into a variety of hairstyles for a bit of fun.

Don’t forget a few other craft sheets which can fill in a half hour here and there. Why not try the spaceship dashboard (I just had to print 3 of them) and the astronaut foil collage dude or the fairy mobile. For a bunch of quick project printables, check out my ‘Craft for non-crafty parents’ e-book. You can find it in my shop.

Enjoy.

Do you yell at your children?

October 4, 2011 · Filed under News · Tagged parenting

Cherished. Adored. And yelled at from time to time.

I’m got a confession to make… I yell at my children.

I’ve been putting off telling you all, since I know what the backlash will be. Some of you will write calm but vicious emails. Many of you will ‘unlike’ me on Facebook. But still, I feel the need to confess.

You see I’m concerned that society is getting awfully confused about anger and that we’re sending our kids such strange messages about how to handle it. So while we aim for aggression free homes, our kids are playing increasingly violent games and then heading out onto the streets as ‘youth’ (I love that word), getting drunk and beating the shit out of each other.

Let’s get this straight – under NO circumstance do I condone violence. I applaud public policy that tackles domestic violence. Everyone deserves the right to live in a non-abusive home.

And perhaps there lies the problem. We’re so focused on removing serious aggression from society that we’re now unable to freely discuss anger and parenting. It’s become totally taboo. If I admit that I can’t totally control my impulses and I do yell at my kids, I am a bad parent.

So do you yell at your kids?

I seriously ‘lose it’ about once a month. It’s never for no reason. It’s after the kids have been requested and warned. Then warned again. And then yet again they are still not doing as I asked. And what I’m asking is reasonable. And they’re still not doing it despite my best and calmest efforts. And I lose it.

I don’t use swear words. I don’t call them demeaning names or degrade them. I don’t hit them. But I yell and let them know that they have pushed me beyond my limits.

Sound familiar?

I was raised in a really happy and loving home with a glorious mother who had some fairly volatile moments. I remember them. They terrified me. But I learnt to behave myself and learnt to respect that all humans, no matter how much you love them and they love you, have limits. You can only push so far. She’d warn us if she was having a ‘bad day’ and we would tred carefully. I find myself doing this with my own kids – “you know what kids – some days, you can get away with getting paint on the carpet. But not today. Don’t try it today.”

I’m wondering what’s so bad about teaching kids the skill of ‘reading’ people. Of understanding that the world isn’t sanitized. You can’t always predict people. You need emotional perception in order to develop skills to successfully negotiate school, work, public transport, life.

I’m not sure how much a totally calm home environment helps. Because we all feel anger. And whether we like it or not, anger gets expressed in a variety of ways. Surely it’s good to understand it. Know what it feels like. Know when it’s safe to express it and when it’s not. Know how to love and respect people. Know when you can and can’t push them.

What do you think?

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My top five ‘go-to’ dinners

September 27, 2011 · Filed under All recipes, Food experiences, News, Vegie smuggling techniques · Tagged dinner, feeding the family, freezer, recipe, vegetables

The other day on talkback radio the topic of discussion was how few dishes you could actually cook. The winner was some dad, who could cook 1 dish. And he’d been cooking it for 30 years without variation.

Apparently there was some study that the average person is able to cook only five dinners. Although I’ve just done some web searching and haven’t managed to find details of the study. Do you think it’s a myth?

A while back I remember reading on Lymes and Lycopene a post about this topic, and it linked to this interesting 2009 study which listed the nine most eaten meals in British households. All the regulars are there – spag bol, roasts, pasta etc etc. I suspect the Australian list would be pretty similar. Probably with a chicken stir-fry and Thai green curry to reflect our geography.

Sounds dull, but it’s no surprise that busy parents go back to the same meals each week.
1. You know you can cook them quickly.
2. You know the kids will eat them.
3. You’ve probably got all of the pantry items you need.

I wouldn’t dare interfere and say that this is wrong, but will point out that if you can manage to mix in a couple of ‘new’ recipes each week, your kids will be much more comfortable about leaving their food comfort zones and you’ll avoid a lot of the ‘I don’t eat that’ food battles.

So for inspiration, here’s a list of my five meals that I resort to often. I promise you that they are quick, easy to make and after a quick shop, you’ll have all of these ingredients in your pantry too, meaning that your ‘go-to’ list of easy dinners is now, instantly, 10.

Use up whatever is in your fridge or pantry in an easy fried rice

1. FRIED RICE
Even if you don’t have the ingredients for this exact recipe, a bit of egg omelette (just a whisked egg, fried), leftover rice and whatever canned or fresh vegies you have can be a delicious fried rice. Keep your flavourings simple – my kids are always happy with just a splash of soy sauce and mirin.
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A light summer meal that comes (mostly) from the freezer

2. FAJITAS
I’ve usually got a packet of tortillas in the cupboard, and some (slightly soggy) cucumber and tomato. And I always have a small container of this beef & lentil fajita mix in the freezer. It’s a great recipe for summer when you want to convenience of freezer meals, but are looking for a lighter option.

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Leave out whatever ingredients you don't have on hand

3. QUESADILLAS
And on the nights that are going so badly that even the freezer is bare, grab a tin of tuna and corn and you’ll have these quesadillas ready in a jiffy.

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Another flexible freezer winner

4. MEATBALLS
These oven-baked meatballs are easy to make ahead and taste great (to key to them is to make them with crumbly, not mushy feta). They are yum on pasta as the recipe suggests, but we ate them last week in tortillas (I’m seeing a theme here) with tomato chutney, diced fresh tomato, avocado and capsicum. Yum.

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And lastly? Here’a new recipe from Vegie Smugglers 2 – (have you bought your copy yet?) – that I just keep making and making. I find that I can drain off a fair bit of liquid and chop the meat up well (I cook up the kid’s portions then hack into them with kitchen scissors) and they happily slurp it all up. Then I can add chilli to the soup, leave it to brew for an hour or two until my best friend gets home and then he and I can chuck in our pre-prepared ingredients and enjoy a delicious adult, style dinner within minutes.

Prepare all this ahead, for days when your afternoon is going to be frantic

5. BEEF PHO

6 cups beef stock
2 tbsp fish sauce
4cm piece fresh ginger, peeled, cut into slices
2 star anise
1 cinnamon stick
1 tsp sugar
1 carrot, peeled, sliced into thin rounds
4 spring onions,
thinly sliced
400g lean beef (sirloin or rump), very thinly sliced – easily done with meat from the freezer
16 sugar snap peas
200g rice noodles
Bean sprouts

To serve:
Lime wedges
Coriander
Sliced spring onion
Fresh or dried chilli (optional)

In a large saucepan, combine the stock, fish sauce, ginger, star anise, cinnamon and sugar. Bring to the boil then simmer over low heat for 15 minutes (or up to an hour if you have time).

Add the carrot and cook for 2 minutes, then add the spring onion and beef for 2 minutes more. Finally, add the sugar snap peas and remove from the heat.

Prepare the noodles according to packet directions and divide between your bowls. Place the bean sprouts on top.

Ladle over the soup mixture. Top with lime, coriander, spring onion and chilli (if using).

SERVES 2 ADULTS & 2 KIDS

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Letters MNOPQR

September 22, 2011 · Filed under Craft for non-crafty parents · Tagged craft, educational, parenting

More letters for your pre-schoolers to enjoy.

I’ve been a bit slack on this old alphabet thing, haven’it I? So at the risk of your kids only being able to write words that contain letters between A-L, here’s the worksheets for the next set of letters.

Promise I’ll try to get around to finishing the rest soon.

Comments (1) »

Meringue-o-tangs (and other birthday party stuff)

September 19, 2011 · Filed under All recipes, Food experiences, Sweets & treats · Tagged celebrations, cooking techniques, family, ideas, kids, recipe

Yes, I know, the sheep has a moustache.

As if moving house and launching a new cookbook wasn’t enough, I’m rounding out my fortnight with Miss Fruitarian’s 7th birthday. With no chance of letting it slide by unnoticed (and fuelled on by guilt at moving the kids mid-term), I’ve had to bite the bullet and take on party hosting 2 weeks into a new home.

As regular readers will know, I love to try and keep party things pretty simple with small menus and a strict one-colour birthday cake policy. So you can image my horror when Miss F presented me with Annabel Karmel’s “My first cookbook” opened at farmyard cupcakes and an announcement that she’d happily forfeit a big cake in favour of these. Now I’m known to be generally undaunted by creative pursuits (being that I make a large proportion of my income as an illustrator) but even I was unprepared to take on the doggies, opting instead for these cute Betty Crocker chickens. They turned out well and the kids loved them.

Topping up the sugar, I also whipped up some swirly biscuits (also from Karmel’s book) and of course, a party isn’t a party without meringues. They cost bugger all to make, can be made a few days ahead and are SO pretty. Don’t be scared of them. Just remember – use eggs at room temperature, use a really clean (not plastic) bowl, NO YOLKS (not even a tiny bit), and cook without the fan-forced option.

So pretty! So cheap! So easy to make ahead!

These days I stick to a recipe from Stephanie Alexander’s bible, but increase the quantities a little.

Sue’s meringues (excuse my paraphrasing)

3 egg whites
¾ cup caster sugar
½ tsp vanilla extract

Preheat the oven to 150, line two trays with baking paper. Beat the whites until stiff peak stage (the mixture stays standing upright when you pull out the beaters). Add the sugar gradually. Add the vanilla. Beat until the mixture is no longer grainy (rub it between your fingers to test).

Dollop amounts onto trays (they don’t spread, so load them up). Bake for 45 minutes. Turn off the heat, open the oven door slightly and leave them to cool completely.

Makes 36.

It’s worth buying one of the disposable piping bags and having a go. It’s really fun, you get a fantastic result and feel just a bit uber-parent when looking at the final product.

Like rolling a turd in glitter, a piped meringue will mesmerise, regardless.

And am I cheating with this photo of them all sitting there perfect and… raw? Well yes, but with a new oven that I’m still getting to know, it was inevitable that I’d burn a few.

Never fear, even a failed meringue is delicious crunched through yoghurt and chopped fruit.
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For other party food, try…
Chocolate nipple cakes
Fuss-free party cakes and mud-bread
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Suddenly ‘Better homes and gardens’ seems relevant

September 13, 2011 · Filed under All recipes, Chicken, News · Tagged chicken, feeding the family, parenting, recipe, vegetables

Once upon a time, Friday nights were all about cool bars and cocktails.

Remember when Friday nights were spent getting drunk at after work drinks? Tequila shots, inappropriate pashing and queues to use stinky blocked toilets? Aaaahhhh, the good old days.

These days I generally find myself spending Friday nights at home and Facebooking about wine. Gosh what an alco I must seem like (truly, I’m not, it’s just that by the end of the week, I am often very THIRSTY). Happily for a few months I can fill my nights with a Masterchef Masterclass and watch George and Gary make pretty piles of edible flowers, but with that gone, and Collectors a bit tainted after the whole kiddie-porn allegations, I find myself watching Better Homes and Gardens.

I can, of course, watch food being cooked until the cows come home, but all the other happy, cheery segments about making boat shaped bunk beds and fixing gout in canaries have glided over my head which is slightly addled after two glasses of wine. Last Friday night, however, there was a segment that had me all at attention… lawncare, that most riveting of subjects. But you see, for the first time, I have a lawn, and I was suddenly obsessively paying attention to the finer details of aeration and top dressing. You’ll be pleased to know that on Sunday morning I spent a good 10 minutes raking vigilantly until I got bored and wandered off for a cup of tea.

And who said the suburbs were dull?

Anyway, back to cooking and Karen Martini whipped up some chicken skewers that only required 47 ingredients and took 24 hours to prepare. They looked delicious. Although I think I’ll stick to my yakitori skewers, which (of course) include vegies. Serve them over a nice rice salad (you can find the recipe for that in the new Vegie Smugglers 2 cookbook – which is now on sale here) and voila!

Anyway, must dash, off to make a sensational chandelier out of corks and long-forgotten kitchen utensils. Thanks Friday night TV.

Food on sticks is always a winner.

Yakitori skewers

500g chicken thigh fillets, trimmed
3 tbsp soy sauce
3 tbsp mirin
1 tsp brown sugar
½ tsp minced ginger
1 small red onion, halved, quartered
1 red capsicum, seeded, cut into 2–3cm squares
1 zucchini, halved lengthwise, cut into 1–2cm half-moons

Soak 10 bamboo skewers in cold water for at least 10 minutes. Cut the chicken into small, even pieces. Place in a bowl with the soy sauce, mirin, sugar and ginger. Mix well.

Add the onion, capsicum and zucchini to the chicken and mix (hands work best). Cover and refrigerate for at least an hour (if you have time).

Thread the chicken and vegies alternately onto the skewers. Break the onion up a little so that it will cook through.

Heat a large frying pan (or barbecue hot plate) over low–medium heat. Cook the skewers for 15–20 minutes, turning regularly to cook on all sides. The low heat allows the chicken to cook through without burning.