vegetables | Vegie Smugglers

Posts tagged vegetables

Strange, funny & healthy: Find out what gets searched for on Vegie Smugglers

July 12, 2011 · Filed under All recipes, News · Tagged Chinese, craft, feeding the family, ideas, parenting, recipe, vegetables

The MOST searched for recipe - lentil sausage rolls...

With just over a year’s stats to trawl over, it seems like time for an EXPOSE (News of the World Style) of what does and doesn’t get searched for on the Vegie Smugglers blog.

Despite all the word combinations in the world, there are some definite patterns that emerge every week. Without fail, you are all trying to feed your kids sausage rolls, and preferably with lentils. You also like shepherd’s pie, lamb meatballs and recently there’s been a new wave of beetroot meatloaf fans. They are all great recipes – I hope you’re enjoying them!

...and the most downloaded craft worksheet...

Another search term that comes up regularly are ‘healthy worksheets’ and ‘kid’s shopping lists’ which link through to my visual shopping list. It is downloaded ALL THE TIME along with the plate worksheet. Other craft stuff that does well are the spaceship dashboard, the shoebox dollhouse and all of the loo-roll projects, in particular the snake and pirate Steve and wench Wendy. I promise to get back onto some more craft sheets soon.

...followed closely by pirate Steve and wench Wendy...

More bewildering was the search for ‘puff pastry toilet seat’, which I try not to ponder too long and since my post on wavy chips, I’ve gotten a few hits for ‘wiggly choppers’. You are a strange lot! More hilariously, I get a stack of hits from stoned teens in Mexico wondering how to ‘smuggle shrooms’ back over the US border. I adore the idea of them in their holiday accommodation trying to whip up my vegie slice. Let’s hope they include all of the grated vegetables.

...a dish favoured by stoned teens...

And the things that no one searches for that I wish they would? Well, the Ma Po Dofu probably doesn’t jump immediately to mind as a family classic, but if your kids like Asian flavours, I URGE you to try it. And the vegetable lasagne is truly tastier than any meat version you will try.

... and the dish that doesn't get searched (but really should)...

And what have been my most popular posts? Well, no matter how healthy we are, it seems we all love chocolate. You all visited the chocolate slice post last week, and similarly, the beetroot brownie last year was another crowd pleaser! Everything in moderation afterall!

..and there's always room for chocolate.

Thanks for all of your visits over the past year – and thanks to to my subscribers and those who join in both here and on Facebook. There’s a stack of new recipes around the corner as ‘Vegie Smugglers 2’ hits the streets and I’ll have a new batch of craft ideas too. Stay tuned.

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Because we all feed our kids sausages

June 30, 2011 · Filed under All recipes, Food experiences, Ham/pork · Tagged feeding the family, recipe, vegetables

Perhaps you’re a bit posh and they’re lamb & mint, garlic and beef or the good old mystery-meat-who-cares-just-chuck-them-on-the-bbq variety, but chances are your kids eat sausages. Up to 70% of Australian households eat them once a week (or so says a highly credible internet post) including mine. They are Mr Meat & Potatoes’ favourite dish.

I’ve got no great problem with this. I like everything in moderation, including my health food and my junk food. And it’s because I cram as many vegies into the kids as I can most of the time, that I’m not too fussed when they like to eat something for enjoyment rather than nutrition.

But a plain banger on a plate can be a little boring, so here’s my suggestion for a top-aussie bastardised dish that combines the lure of a chopped-up sausage with some vegies and rice. Make it Jasmine rice. Even though it’s the bad choice in terms of GI – we’re living DANGEROUSLY tonight.

Diffuse the sausages in this dish that packs in some vegies too.

Sausage fried rice

4 good-quality fresh sausages (such as gourmet beef & garlic)
1 tbsp peanut oil
6 spring onions,
thinly sliced
½ red capsicum, seeded, finely diced
1 carrot, peeled, grated
¾ cup frozen peas
125g can corn kernels, drained
3 cups cooked rice (any type will do but jasmine or long grain is best)
3 tbsp soy sauce

Preheat oven to 180°C. Line a baking tray with baking paper. Place the sausages on the tray and bake for 25 minutes or until cooked through, turning halfway through cooking. Set aside. When cool enough to handle, slice in half lengthwise then cut across to make half-moons.

Heat the oil in a large wok or frying pan over medium–high heat. Add the spring onion and cook for 1–2 minutes, stirring constantly. Add the capsicum, carrot, peas and corn and cook for another 2 minutes.

Add the sausage, rice and soy sauce and stir-fry until piping hot.

SERVES 2 ADULTS & 2 KIDS

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Lunchbox planner for term 3 – on sale NOW!

June 28, 2011 · Filed under All recipes, News, Vegie smuggling techniques · Tagged feeding the family, ideas, parenting, recipe, vegetables

As modern as tomorrow - I've got an E-book!

Dear fellow Smugglers…

There’s a new Vegie Smugglers product in the stable. My first e-book – and it’s a cracker! Welcome to ‘Lunchbox Inspiration for Term 3’, designed to ease the grind of the daily lunchbox routine and keep you inspired throughout next term.

Knowing myself the time constraints and drudgery of lunch preparation, I’ve aimed to provide easy ideas and recipes that will actually be do-able in your household, with the limited time that you have. Rather than asking too much of mums already bogged down in the zillion things that we do, I’ve gone for seasonal and simple.

The e-book is 25 pages, with a recipe a week. It’s deliberately quick and easy and designed to give a bit of variety without too much effort. Even better, some weeks you can make double batches and you’ve got dinner under control too.

I've tried to do the thinking FOR you!

Each week there’s also a lunch plan, with a shopping list and tips to help out too! So much! And only $4.95!

The file itself is 4.8mb and is delivered to you via email within 8 hours of your purchase.

The Vegie Smugglers business is a tiny one, with fabulous plans that can only eventuate with continued sales and support. Now you all know I’m not greedy – I give away most of my recipes for free, so if you enjoy the freebies, maybe take the time to also enjoy my paid products too.

You can view a sample here, or just go along and buy here.

I’m really proud of it and hope that you all enjoy it too.

thanks so much,
Wendy

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Meat-free Monday

June 19, 2011 · Filed under All recipes, Food experiences, Vegetarian · Tagged feeding the family, pasta, recipe, vegetables, vegetarian

Paranoid about protein, I eat a lot more meat now that I’m a parent than I ever did in my dink-chardonnay-socialist-vegetarian-exept-for-bacon-and-a-really-good-bit-of-sirloin days.

Luckily my vegetarian phase didn’t last long and mainly coincided with living in the UK where meat is not only expensive but vaguely tainted with the whole mad-cow thing. I was swayed too by a stint at an ashram where I attended endless lectures about the wholeness of everything and that when we kill creatures we are actually killing ourselves. Ommmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm. Besides, the astonishingly creative and good vegetarian food there was quite a revelation.

But being a pragmatist, the main things that really convince me to be meat free more often are the environmental arguments and the hideous statistics about the wastage that occurs in order to raise animals for us to slaughter and eat. There’s a quick rundown here on “10 reasons why it’s green to go veggie”.

Which is all good, but raising vegetarian kids who are already fussy eaters can be a tricky business. Getting the nutritional balance right for them is tough (there’s a Vic health article here) and I think most of us who are toying with the whole thing give it a miss as soon as our tantruming-toddlers are silenced by a cutlet.

So perhaps now is a nice chance to join the meat-free Monday movement and help our health, the environment, and the universe… man. Peace.

This is a simple one-pot pasta sauce that not only hides veg but IS all veg.

Vegetarian bolognaise

A stick blender is entirely useful to get a convincing consistency for this dish.

800g can chopped tomatoes
1 red onion, finely diced
4 mushrooms, diced
1 cup broccoli florets
½ red capsicum, seeded, diced
310g can chickpeas, rinsed, drained
½ cup red wine (optional, but recommended)
2 tbsp sun-dried tomatoes in oil, sliced
1 tsp minced garlic
1 tbsp sugar
2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
2 tbsp finely chopped herbs (try basil or parsley)
1 bay leaf
Cooked fettuccine, to serve

Place a large saucepan over medium heat. Add all of the ingredients except the pasta. Bring to the boil, then lower to a simmer and leave it bubbling away for 30–40 minutes or until everything is tender.

Remove from the heat and discard the bay leaf. Use a stick blender to whizz the sauce it until you have a texture to suit your family. I keep small chunks in mine so that it looks like regular bolognaise.

Taste and season with salt and oodles of black pepper. Serve with fettuccine (or pasta of your choice).

SERVES 2 ADULTS & 3 KIDS

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Controlling, fat and unnecessary

June 13, 2011 · Filed under All recipes, Food experiences, Vegetarian, Vegie smuggling techniques · Tagged cooking techniques, feeding the family, mealtime, vegetables

Aren’t commas great? They make a mundane, uptight phrase so much more interesting.

You see, “controlling fat and unnecessary additives” should really be today’s headline, but it’s a bit dry, isn’t it. I much prefer ‘controlling, fat and unnecessary’, which sounds much more salacious and intriguing. You read that and think, “Is she talking about herself, her mother-in-law, who else?”

But actually, I’m talking about how just a little effort can go a long way toward improving your family’s diets.

Now, I’m as big a fan of convenience foods as the next stressed-out-over-scheduled parent, but there’s one mass selling processed food that I just don’t understand – frozen chips. And here’s why…

You have to preheat the oven to 200C. Open the packet; pour them onto an oven tray. Bake 10 minutes then turn and bake for another 10. And then you have a half soggy chip that has been processed in a factory and shipped in plastic, then bought (at a premium) by you and prepared.

Here’s what I do for my chips.

My new fav kitchen toy - makes vegies instantly more fun

I buy potatoes. Not in plastic. I preheat the oven to 200C. I peel my potatoes and chop them with my new favourite wiggly chopper. It takes about 3-4 minutes to do 3-4 potatoes. I put them on the tray, and toss them with olive oil, salt & pepper. After 10 minutes, I sprinkle over parmesan cheese and bake for another 10-15 minutes until they are golden and crunchy and delicious.

REALLY yum, REALLY easy.

So my total extra effort isn’t much. And the result is SO much better. You can control the amount of olive oil and salt that you use (remember that every teaspoon of olive oil contains 4.5g of fat – .621g of which is saturated).

Like my muesli bars and beetroot tzatziki, sometimes we can easily produce a better tasting, healthier version of ‘convenience’ foods at home. Just sayin’.

Comments (17) »

Yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, YES

June 5, 2011 · Filed under All recipes, Chicken, News · Tagged chicken, dinner, feeding the family, parenting, pasta, recipe, vegetables

It’s officially winter, so a ‘winter warmer’ must be in order. And since in winter I am generally grouchy and irritable, I need a dish that can please me on many levels. Perhaps you are the same, so I offer you this chicken & tarragon one-pot recipe to try.

Here are some of the reasons it makes me happy…
Chicken and pasta (kids favourites, so will be eaten without any objection at all), one pot (mummy’s favourite), vegie smuggled zucchini, carrot, onion and peas (for an uber-mummy moment), suits everyone (you can even blend it up for baby food), freezes well (for up to 2 months).

It contains wine too. I tell you not as a warning (since it cooks away for 20 minutes before serving, so you’re unlikely to intoxicate your kiddies), but to give you permission to open a bottle on a mid-week night when you wouldn’t normally feel it justified.

chicken and tarragon one pot winter warmer by vegie smuggers

Chicken, tick; pasta, tick; vegies, tick; one pot, tick.

Chicken & tarragon one-pot

1 tbsp olive oil
500g chicken thigh fillets, trimmed, cut into 2-3 even pieces
1 red onion, chopped
1 large carrot, peeled, chopped
1 large zucchini, chopped (peeled first, if your kids hate green)
2 garlic cloves, crushed
2 cups chicken stock
1 cup white wine
2x10cm peelings of orange zest (use a vegetable peeler to do this)
1 tbsp chopped tarragon
1 cup rissoni
¾ cup frozen peas

Heat the oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the chicken and brown for 2–3 minutes on each side to get golden patches. Remove and set aside.

Reheat the pan over medium heat and cook the onion and carrot for 2 minutes then add the zucchini. Cook for another couple of minutes until the vegies are softening then add the garlic for another minute.

Add the stock, wine, orange zest and tarragon. Season with black pepper. Bring to the boil, return the chicken to the pan, reduce the heat and simmer for 10 minutes. Add the pasta and peas and cook until the pasta is tender and the chicken is cooked through (about 8 minutes).

Remove and discard the orange zest before serving. Cut the chicken into pieces to suit your kids.

SERVES 2 ADULTS & 2 KIDS.

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Balayage and the freezer – (why neglect is a good thing)

May 31, 2011 · Filed under All recipes, News · Tagged feeding the family, freezer, recipe, vegetables

Did you know that there is a new hair trend at the moment called ‘balayage’? No, neither did I. But I found out about it at my most recent hair appointment. I like to pry ‘cool’ information out of my lovely hairdresser who is a whole 15 years younger than me. Being typically mum-busy, I rely on her to keep me up-to-date. You see, now that I AM a mum, I don’t really like LOOKING like a mum. Although the fact that I’m usually found in the school yard wearing a puffer vest is a bit of a giveaway (well it IS cold, and they ARE warm).

Anyhow, balayage, is a fancy French term for mega-long regrowth. WOW. And my hairdresser wanted me to PAY for that?

Armed with my new knowledge of ‘what’s cool’, I’ve managed to produce my very own balayage by avoiding the salon for 3 months and utilising that mummy beauty secret – NEGLECT. If only it worked as well on leg-hairs and fingernails.

So with neglect on my mind, let’s eat from the freezer this week – I’m far too busy growing my regrowth to possibly cook.

Freeze these lentil patties individually, wrapped in cling wrap.

I freeze this, pasta and all, in kid-sized serves

Rissoles with yummy stuff smuggled inside!

These lamb patties will freeze well for 2-3 months

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A spoonful of sugar (or croutons) helps the vegies go down

May 15, 2011 · Filed under All recipes, Food experiences, Vegetarian, Vegie smuggling techniques · Tagged feeding the family, mealtime, parenting, recipe, vegetables, vegetarian

A big fat yummy bowl of witches' stew

Last week I served up an aesthetically challenged split pea soup that could best be visually compared to a bowl of snot. Full of vegetables and lacking in glamour, there was little chance of the little lovelies voluntarily hoeing in. Which is a shame, since it was absolutely delicious.

In these situations it’s important to remember the Vegie-Smuggling philosophy of sugar coating meals – that is, finding lures that will be irresistible to your kids that will ensure certain success with a risky dinner. For me, these include dollops of tomato sauce, mayonnaise and with soups, croutons.

There’s something FUN about discovering a crunchy delight in a thick soup and it works on my kids without fail.

I dump a load of them into a bowl and ladle the soup over. The first crouton goes in, coated in soup and the kids realise that the flavour is good and then they go back for more. I PROMISE you, that both the kids ate up full bowls of this soup and said they’d happily eat it again. We even had a laugh about the ugly look of it. Once the croutons were submerged, Miss Fruitarian renamed it ‘Witches stew’, which I think is a title just as enticing to kids as the oily, garlic bread.

This is an advanced Vegie Smuggling dish – if your kids aren’t used to soup, try my Chicken & pasta recipe instead, but if your kids are used to a nice thick hearty texture (and like peas), try this out. It’s not my recipe (it’s from Gateway Gourmet), I’ve only added the croutons and made minimal changes, which is why it’s not in the cookbook, only online.

Witches stew

2 tbsp olive oil
1 white onion, diced
1 carrot, peeled, diced
3 celery sticks, diced
1 parsnip, peeled, diced
1 ¼ cups green split peas, rinsed, picked over
4 cups vegetable stock
1 bay leaf
Half a bunch fresh thyme leaves (remove stalks)
Salt & pepper

Heat the olive oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the vegies and cook, stirring often for 8-10 minutes to soften. Add the split peas, stock, herbs and some seasoning.

Bring to the boil, cover and simmer for 1-1¼ hours. Remove the bay leaf. Use a stick blender to process until smooth. Add 1/4-1/2 cup extra water if the texture is too thick. Season further to taste.

Serve over croutons.

Not healthy, but will make the rest of it magically disappear

Croutons

Preheat oven to 200C. Line oven tray with baking paper.

Slice 1 small breadstick into cubes. Scatter on tray.

Combine 2-3 tbsp olive oil with 2 cloves garlic and 1 tsp Italian herbs. Mix well. Pour over bread and toss to coat.

Bake 10-15 minutes until as golden as you like.

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The best way to smuggle… cauliflower

May 3, 2011 · Filed under All recipes, Fish, Food experiences, The best way to smuggle..., Vegie smuggling techniques · Tagged dinner, feeding the family, parenting, recipe, tips, vegetables

I was always a good eater as a kid, but cauliflower was one of the few vegies that made my tastebuds recoil. My recollection is that we ate the drab thing a lot – but perhaps that’s just me unfairly forgetting the 6 nights a week that we ate stuff that I really loved (my mum is a great cook).

Funny how the food aversions stick around. I talk to parents all the time who worry about their kid’s eating habits, only to confess mid-conversation that they are themselves modelling the fussy-food behaviour. And I realise that cauliflower is the vegetable that I don’t buy as often as I should (since it’s full of fibre, vitamins and anti-cancer compounds). I use all sorts of excuses in the supermarket – it’s expensive and the kid’s don’t like it… but hang on a minute – that’s not actually true… I never expect the kids to like it but actually my kids DO like it (particularly smothered gratin-style in a cheese sauce and baked).

Recently I bought a chunk of it and served little florets along with broccoli simply microwaved and drizzled with lemon juice – the kids were excited and ate it all up (I think I even heard ‘yay! cauliflower!). Just goes to show what a bit of variety can achieve.

So my lessons learned were..
1. Don’t pass my food aversions onto my children.
2. Don’t assume anything about what they will and won’t like.
3. Keep the vegies served on a regular rotation (absence does seem to make the heart grow fonder).

And if you are nervous about introducing cauliflower to the family, try out this fish pie, which artfully smuggles both cauliflower and parsnip into the top layer. It’s a great recipe for autumn when cauliflower is just coming into season and the unaffordable excuse disappears too.

This is not the vegie of my childhood nightmares!

Family fish pie

Butter, for greasing
1 tbsp olive oil
1 onion, diced
1 clove garlic
1 carrot, peeled, grated
1 zucchini, grated (peel first if necessary)
400g white fish, cut into 2cm cubes
2 tbsp plain flour
1 cup milk, warmed (soy is fine)
¾ cup grated cheese
1 tbsp finely chopped chives and/or parsley
Juice of 1 lemon
2 tbsp white wine
Salt & black pepper
Canola oil cooking spray

Topping
4 medium potatoes, peeled, chopped
1 parsnip, peeled, chopped
1 cup cauliflower florets
25g butter
½ cup milk (soy is fine)
Preheat oven to 180C. Grease a lasagne or casserole dish.

Heat the olive oil in a non-stick frying pan over medium heat. Add the onion and cook until soft (but not brown). Add the garlic for 1 minute then add the carrot and zucchini. Cook for 2 minutes, stirring constantly. Add the fish and carefully mix through for 3-4 minutes.

Add the flour and milk and bring to the boil. Remove from the heat. Add the cheese, chives, lemon and wine. Mix through and season well.

Meanwhile, for the topping, bring a large saucepan of water to the boil. Add the potatoes, parsnip and cauliflower. Boil for 10-15 minutes. Test one of the largest pieces with a fork. If it skewers easily, drain the vegies into a colander, then return to the pan. Add butter and milk. Mash well. Taste and add more milk or butter if the mixture needs it.

Spread the fish mixture evenly over the bottom of the dish. Carefully put the potato layer over the top. Spray with cooking spray and bake for 20 minutes until golden.

SERVES 2 ADULTS & 3 KIDS

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Holiday hell-fryer (the curse of the dismal ‘kids menu’)

April 28, 2011 · Filed under All recipes, Food experiences, News · Tagged Fast food, feeding the family, parenting, recipe, vegetables

Mmmmmmmmmmmmm......

Here’s my post-holiday question to you all – why is it that kid’s restaurant menus are so universally crap?

The picture above beautifully illustrates the joys of it all. Doesn’t it look delicious! See how the fish & chips, calamari & chips and nuggets & chips are all so seductively similar. Just the shapes vary – the nuggets were even cleverly shaped like dinosaurs!

It may be the cheapest and most cheerful option for restaurants, but don’t you reckon that we should be trying just a little bit harder to feed the kids something that’s not golden? Don’t get me wrong, my kids can scoff a nugget as heartily as any child, but if you’re road-tripping about for several days then even the tin lids quickly reach their fried food limit.

I know I can get a side plate and give them a makeshift meal from the adult plates, but what I’d really love is the option of a small portion of something healthy that isn’t full of chemicals and soaked in fat.

I think food outlets Australia-wide should take note of these mince kebabs – they are cheap, inoffensive (no outlandish vegies on show), can be kept long term in the freezer, can be eaten without utensils and still offer kids some nutrition. I’m sure I’m not the only parent out there who thinks it’s not unreasonable for a kid’s menu to provide an option that requires the chef to do something more than tip the contents of a freezer into a deep fryer.

How about something like this?

Mince kebabs

If your kids are likely to use the sticks as weapons, just shape into rissoles or meatballs instead. Vary cooking times to suit.

1/3 cup cous cous
1/3 cup boiling water
1 brown onion, diced
1 bunch English spinach, chopped finely
3 cloves garlic, crushed
1 kg beef mince
Salt & pepper
2 eggs, lightly whisked

2 tbsp olive oil, for frying

Preheat oven to 180º. Soak 12 bamboo skewers in cold water for 15 minutes. Line an oven tray with baking paper.

In a bowl or jug, combine the cous cous and water, stir and cover with plastic wrap. Leave for 5 minutes then fluff with a fork.

Combine the rest of the meatball ingredients in a large bowl. Use your hands to combine the mixture, then roll golf-ball sized portions into sausages and slide them firmly onto a skewer. Heat oil in a large frying pan over medium heat and fry in the kebabs on all sides (4-5 minutes total), then transfer to a baking tray and bake for 10-15 minutes until cooked through.

Makes enough for 2 adults and 4 kids. Serve with the tomato relish pictured. Find the recipe in the Vegie Smugglers cookbook.