:: Healthy Dinners:: The story of a Pizza thats Amore

Pizza is a fairly regular meal choice in our home – which you may think is a strange choice for someone who supposedly encourages a healthy lifestyle. I actually think that Pizza done well is an excellent and wholesome meal. Let me elaborate further.

When you make your own pizza from scratch or you purchase it from someone else who you know also makes their pizzas in a traditional manner and from scratch, using fresh ingredients – you can usually find that particular pizza is full of fresh goodness. Whole foods and the absolute freshest ingredients are key. As is making your dough from scratch. And not using TOO much cheese.

I really enjoy the whole process of the pizza coming together. Making Pizza dough – like bread is a bit of an art and every recipe you find seems to be slightly different. Also like bread, it does take a little practice before you begin to get the feel for the dough.

This dough is so needy!

Kneading the dough in itself can be a challenge sometimes – it is always a balance between the stickiness of the dough before the gluten starts to take effect and makes it become all stretch and smooth and lovely and not using too much flour on your hads to stop the said stick doug from, well… sticking.

Then you walk away and let all that yeasty goodness do it’s work.

Dough Rising

I actually drove all the way over to the other side of town to pick something up while this dough was rising! Talk about multitasking!

Punch it down, give it another knead, lightly spray some oil on the pizza tray and the roll and stretch out the dough to fit. I just love the organic-ness of homemade Pizza dough.

Rolled and Ready

Add your toppings of choice – a good guide is a little meat and a lot of vege! Then a smattering of cheese (I *may* have had more than a smattering here given that bocconcini was one of my toppings.)

Nearly Ready

We did have a slight pause at this point as I discovered that while I thought I had turned the oven on, the little munchkin had actually pre-programmed it by randomly pressing buttons and it hadn’t preheated at all. So 45 minutes and a little bit of gardening later, here you have it!

Yum!

xxAndj

What is your favourite sometimes food dinner?

Kitchen Failure Does not mean YOU are a Failure

Overcooked and falling apart

Not all that long ago I used to equate the failure of a prepared meal like a failure of my being. Being the perfectionist that I am, the dish needed to look exactly like the photograph – or it just wasn’t good enough. Clearly the one above did not look like the photograph. It was meant to be a pecan pie but I left it in the oven just a little too long and then it was an overcooked pecan pie. It was hardly even worth eating.

I find myself getting tied up in the things I cook – I invest so much energy in them – I want them to be perfect. If they don’t, I feel let down and am severe with myself.

The thing is – this all goes hand in hand with my black and white thinking.

So what if it turns out looking like a dog’s breakfast – if no one in the house likes the dinner you slaved over for 3 hours – if the whole fish you cooked has still got scales because the dud in the fish shop didn’t clean it properly – none of this is really about you or the way you are in life. I don’t know about anyone else but I tend to personalise many many things as an attack on me – when it is nothing of the sort and simply life!

The other thing is – that it is OK to fail at something – it just means that you will do a better job next time!

A win in the kitchen: Chicken and Mango Salad (Wraps)

Part of the reason for my lack of blogging recently has been that my children decided to stop eating. The two who would normally eat anything that was placed in front of them suddenly refused anything that was put in front of them. Given that I wanted this blog to be about feeding kids in a way that enabled working mums to make just one meal at dinner time – this provided me with quite a challenge – as you might imagine.

The other reason is that my husband has been working away and I have been doing the single mum thing – it is incredibly hard just to get the everyday done in these circumstances so I haven’t worried too much and have just been feeding them ravioli and veggie laden pasta sauce, the ‘hidden veggie’ sausages that one of our local butchers does and toasted sandwiches.

However I was trawling through some of my old cooking magazine during the week which often has a cooking with kids section – and it got me thinking. I decided that I wanted to have this yum looking Mango Chicken Salad during the week – but I knew that telling them we were having salad would go down like a lead balloon.

Mango Chicken Salad

How could I market it to them as something they might like to eat????

Then it came to me….. put it in a wrap.

H Boy just loves eating taco’s or anything that comes packaged in a wrap. I was bang on – it worked a treat. He ate two whole wraps filled with salad and mango. He didn’t want any chicken – but that was fine – he ate and there was no tears.

That is a win in my book!

Mango Chicken Salad (Wraps)

adapted from Australian Healthy Food Guide March 2010 edition. Serves 4

Ingredients

400g Canned Mango slices in Juice

1 tsp Tamari soy sauce

1 Tblsp sweet chilli sauce

cooking oil spray

300 gram Skinless chicken breast fillet, cut into small strips

Cajun seasoning

1 baby cos lettuce – shredded

1 punnet cherry tomato – halved/quartered

red capsicum – diced

Cucumber – sliced thinly

Shredded Cheese

Wholegrain wraps

Method

1. Dice 1/4 of the mangoes. Set aside. In a food processor, process the remaining mango, sweet chilli sauce and soy sauce. Set aside.

2. Coat chicken in a dusting of the Cajun seasoning. Spray a pan with oil and cook chicken over medium – high heat  5 -6  mins or until cooked through.

3. Place all the salad ingredients on a platter.

4 Serve at the table as a  ‘serve yourself’ arrangement with the wraps, mango and sauce.

(For those 12wbt’s reading – this recipe is “Mish friendly” I didn’t have the wrap – I just had the meal as a Chicken and Mango salad with a small drizzle of the dressing and a very light sprinkle of the shredded cheese: Nutritional info, per serve: 270 Cal; 29g protein; 8g fat; 18g carbs)

Why I chose to have salad for dinner on the day it snowed in Canberra is beyond me!

Any tips for ‘marketing’ food to your kids?

Absence Makes the Heart Grow fonder?

 

Sorry for my absence this second half of the week – but what can I say? I have been off gallivanting in Melbourne at a work conference. Melbourne put on the best of the weather in the first day and then by the last day it was pouring and I understood the reason why Melbournians wear boots 🙂

A little bit of exciting news came through this week – I have been chosen as one of the bloggers to go through to the next round of the Gourmet Garden Blog Off/Cook Off.

If you click on the picture or the link about you can have a look at some of the other bloggers who will be progressing through to the next round.

So what does this mean for me? I have to spend the next month or so preparing a new tantalising dish to wow the judges at the Good Food and Wine show in Sydney at the end of June. I will be cooking off against another one of the winning bloggers at the Good Food and Wine Show to determine whether I go through to the final round.

I’m a bit excited to come up with something else that is within the ethos of my blog – something healthy and simple to put together on a week night after work that the entire family can eat – without me – the mama needing to make something entirely different for the kids!

It’s all about keeping this mama happy you see 🙂 Watch this space for more info and wish me luck – I have some pretty tough competition!

xxAndj

Divine MidWeek Treat: Blueberry Crumble Torte

A little sweet treat for your Wednesday night. This Cake is like a giant muffin to put together but has a gorgeous crunchy topping and is just perfect for an after dinner treat.

If fact it would also be perfect for an afternoon tea treat.

If you were being really naughty it could be breakfast…..Well it does have Blueberries in it!

Blueberry Crumble Torte

Serves 8 – 10 Preparation 15 mins Cooking 55 mins  (This is not in anyway allergy friendly – Sorry 😦 )

1 Cup Plain Flour

3/4 Cup Wholemeal plain Flour

1 Cup Caster Sugar

2 1/2 Tsp Baking Powder

1 Tsp Cinnamon

1 Cup Blueberries (frozen is fine)

1/3 Cup Vegetable Oil

3/4 Cup  Milk

1 Tsp Vanilla Extract

1 Tblsp Lemon Juice

1 Egg

For Crunchy Topping

1 cup Blueberries (frozen is fine)

1/4 Cup plain flour

1/3 Cup Sugar

2 Tblsp Oil

1/2 cup Pecans – Chopped

Method

Turn the oven to 190 Degrees Celsius and prepare a 20cm diameter cake tin (Springform is best for this one).

Place all dry ingredients (Flours, baking powder, sugar, cinnamon) in a sifter and sift into a large mixing bowl ( I didn’t do this because my sifter is rubbish – I just put them all in there and gave it a good stir). Add the blueberries and stir to coat with the flour mixture.

Mix all the wet ingredients (egg, milk, oil, vanilla, lemon juice) together in a separate bowl.

Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and mix using a wooden spoon until just combined.

Pour this into the prepared cake tin.

To make the crumble topping; mix together the pecans, sugar and flour and spread evenly over the top of the cake mix prior to cooking. Drizzle the oil over the top of the crumble mix.

Place the cake in the oven for 55 min.

Serve with a nice dollop of heavy cream and enjoy your after  dinner anytime of day treat.

xxAndj

** This is a recipe adapted from the  Family Circle cookbook Baking: A common sense guide

Gourmet Garden: Greek Lamb Wraps

This little creation came together beautifully – again using the Gourmet Garden Herbs – I have so much left I need to use them up! LOL.

Beautifully simple and Baby Led Solids friendly, it is an easy Saturday night meal with minimal fuss.

Greek Lamb Wraps

Serves 2 Adults and 2 Children Preparation time 25 mins Cooking time 20 mins

500g Lamb mince (lean)

1 small onion – diced

1/2 cup fresh bread crumbs

1 egg – lightly beaten

1 Tsp Gourmet Garden Minced Garlic

1 Tsp Ground Cumin

1 Tblsp Lemon Juice + 1 Tblsp fined grated lemon zest

1 Tblsp Chopped Mint (Fresh or Gourmet Garden)

1 Tblsp Gourmet Garden Coriander

Salt and Pepper to taste

Lettuce, Cucumber, Tomato, Feta, Kalamata Olives to serve; Greek Yoghurt to serve

Tortilla or Wraps to serve – the ones I used were a wholewheat Barley blend and they were delish!

Method

Prepare the Meatballs ahead of time. I did mine about 2 hours before I needed to cook them but you could do it the night before if you needed to.

Mix together the Lamb, Onion, Egg, Breadcrumbs, Coriander, Garlic, Cumin, Lemon and Mint in a bowl. Take tablespoon amounts of mixture and roll into balls. Place these on a plate and put them into the fridge to chill for at least 2 hours.

Chop up all of your salad ingredients and place on a serving plate.

Preheat the oven to 180 degrees Celcius. Spray a pan with oil and cook the meatballs over a gentle heat, being careful not to burn. Cook until browned and then place onto a baking tray. Place the meatballs in the oven to cook through for around 10 minutes.

Serve with the salad in a wrap drizzled with Greek yoghurt. Yum!

Hope that you are all having a lovely weekend!

xxAndj

Gourmet Garden: Fast Friday Fettuccine

Friday nights are our ‘fast food’ night – but ‘fast food doesn’t always have to mean takeaway! By Friday I find I am just entirely over cooking and washing up!   It is day 4 of the Gourmet Garden Blog Off and having herbs in the fridge on a day like today is very handy!

I grabbed a cooked chicken today so I could add it to some creamy sauce and fettucine and dinner would be done in minutes!

Creamy Chicken Fettuccine with Broccoli and Peas

Serves 2 Adults and 2 Children  Prep and Cook time 20 mins

1 Chicken breast from a pre-cooked store bought chicken – skin removed and separated into pieces

1 Leek – white part sliced thinly

1 Head of Broccoli cut into florets

1/2 cup frozen peas

1 tblsp honey wholegrain mustard

1 tsp Gourmet Garden  Garlic

1 tsp Gourmet Garden Thyme

300ml Light pouring cream

Fettuccine enough for 4 (I use the one that comes in the polystyrene tray and just use the whole lot)

Method

Heat some olive oil in a pan and cook the leek until it has softened. Add the Garlic and stir through. Add the mustard and stir through. Add the cream and Thyme and put on a low simmer for 10 minutes.

Meanwhile lightly steam the broccoli. Once this has been cooked lightly add this to the cream mix. Also add the chicken pieces and frozen peas. Turn the heat right down and leave to simmer on the stove while the pasta cooks.

Place the pasta in boiling water and cook until al dente.

Drain the pasta and then place in a bowl big enough to toss through the sauce. Add the sauce to the pasta and toss to coat with a set of tongs.

Serve immediately!

Look – there is even evidence that the 3 year CAN eat dinner!!

3 year old eats his dinner!

xx Andj

Gourmet Garden: Tomato Basil and Bacon Tri-Colour Pasta

Night two for the Gourmet Garden Blog Off !

Tonight’s offering is a simple yet tasty pasta dish with just a smattering of hidden vegetables. This dish – as you will see is also baby friendly!

In this Tomato, Basil and Bacon Tri Colour Pasta I have used  the Gourmet Garden Basil and Garlic. I have added some *hidden* vegetables to get some veggies into those tiny tummies. We have a daily dinnertime fight with the 3 year old about eating dinner at all – but pasta usually isn’t a problem – so if he eats the Vege without even knowing – that’s a bonus!

Tomato, Basil and Bacon Tri Colour Pasta

serves 4 – 6 Cooking time approx 40 mins Preparation Time Approx 20 mins

Ingredients

Spray Oil

5 – 6 Rashers of Short Cut Bacon ( I like to use short cut bacon to keep the fat content down)

2 Tsp Gourmet Garden Garlic

3 Tblsp Gourmet Garden Basil

1 700g Jar Passata

1 Tin Crushed Tomato

1 Onion – Diced

1 medium Carrot – grated with a small grater

1 medium Zucchini – grated with a small grater

1/2 cup steamed and blended Cauliflower. (Optional)

Method

Place the diced bacon in a frypan spayed with oil to brown and crisp slightly – then remove from pan and set aside once cooked.

Place the chopped onion in the frypan and cook gently for about 5 minutes or until onion has softened. Add the Gourmet Garden Garlic and cook for a further minute. Add the Tomato and Passata, Carrot, Zucchini and Cauliflower (If you are using it) to the pan. Season with salt and Pepper to taste and add the Basil. Stir through the turn the heat down and simmer for 30 minutes or until sauce has thickened slightly. Add the bacon back into the pan when there is around 10 minutes to go.

I used a tri colour pasta for this dish because it appeals to my children – however and large pasta such as Rigatoni or Penne would work just as well.  Put the pasta onto boil after you have added the bacon into the sauce and cook until al dente. Drain the pasta.

Place a serve of pasta in a bowl and pour a good dollop of sauce over the top – serve sprinkled with Parmesan cheese.

This dish was thoroughly enjoyed by the smallest member of our house – he just loves anything he can get into with his hands. The chunky pasta pieces are the perfect size for grabbing. Perfect Baby Led Solids food!

Gourmet Garden: Chinese Five Spice Noodle Soup

Welcome to Day 1 of my recipe contribution to the Gourmet Garden Blog Off/Cook Off Competition.

The Herbs arrived safely last week via Courier in these cute little cooler bags packed with ice – protecting the goodness inside. I received Basil, Coriander, Chilli, Garlic, Thyme, and Thai  Seasoning  in my package.

Over this week I will use all of them in a variety of recipes that all focus on putting a wide variety of veggies into our meals.

I really hope that you try the recipes yourself and see what you think!

This soup is one of my favourite Winter warmers – you can use whatever veggies you have in the fridge and once you have cut them up it takes about 15 minutes before you have tasty steaming hot soup on the table!

Chinese Chicken Five Spice Soup

Serves 4 – 6      Preparation time 15 min  Cooking time 10 mins. *Gluten Free* *Dairy Free*

1 Chicken Breast (around 300g) Chopped into bite sized pieces

1 Tablespoon Rice Bran Oil or any lightly flavoured oil

1 Tablespoon Gourmet Garden Minced Garlic

1/2 Tablespoon Gourmet Garden Chilli

1 Tablespoon Gourmet Garden Thai Seasoning

1 L Salt reduced Chicken Stock

1 cup Water

Any combination of the following vegetables cut into julienne slices – Carrot, Cabbage (Purple Cabbage looks great!), Capsicum, Shallots, Zucchini, Bok Choy – or any others you think you might like – Snow Peas are good too!

1 Tablespoon Light Soy Sauce

1/2 Tablespoon Fish sauce

2  Shakes of Chinese Five Spice Blend.

Bean Shoots for crunch and Fresh Coriander to garnish

Dried Egg Noodles or Thick rice noodles (For GF/DF)

Method

Prepare the vegetables by chopping them into Julienne slices. Prepare the Chicken Breast by Chopping into bite size pieces. Prepare the noodles according to the packet instructions.

Put oil into a wok or large saucepan to heat through. Place Minced Garlic, Chilli and Thai Seasoning into the Wok and gook gently until fragrant. Add the stock and water and bring to the boil.

Turn the heat down a little and add the chicken – once you add the chicken you want to cook it for just the right amount of time so that the chicken is nice and tender. Add the Soy sauce and Fish sauce, and the julienne vegetables. Allow to cook on a slow boil for around 2 minutes.

Drain the noodles and add to the pot. Cook for another minute or two.

Shake the Chinese Five spice into the Wok and give the whole soup a stir.

Serve the soup into bowls and sprinkle bean shoots and Coriander over the top.

Serve while steamy!

Chinese Five Spice Soup

Gourmet Garden: Chinese Five Spice Noodle Soup

Welcome to Day 1 of my recipe contribution to the Gourmet Garden Blog Off/Cook Off Competition.

The Herbs arrived safely last week via Courier in these cute little cooler bags packed with ice – protecting the goodness inside. I received Basil, Coriander, Chilli, Garlic, Thyme, and Thai  Seasoning  in my package.

Over this week I will use all of them in a variety of recipes that all focus on putting a wide variety of veggies into our meals.

I really hope that you try the recipes yourself and see what you think!

This soup is one of my favourite Winter warmers – you can use whatever veggies you have in the fridge and once you have cut them up it takes about 15 minutes before you have tasty steaming hot soup on the table!

Chinese Chicken Five Spice Soup

Serves 4 – 6      Preparation time 15 min  Cooking time 10 mins. *Gluten Free* *Dairy Free*

1 Chicken Breast (around 300g) Chopped into bite sized pieces

1 Tablespoon Rice Bran Oil or any lightly flavoured oil

1 Tablespoon Gourmet Garden Minced Garlic

1/2 Tablespoon Gourmet Garden Chilli

1 Tablespoon Gourmet Garden Thai Seasoning

1 L Salt reduced Chicken Stock

1 cup Water

Any combination of the following vegetables cut into julienne slices – Carrot, Cabbage (Purple Cabbage looks great!), Capsicum, Shallots, Zucchini, Bok Choy – or any others you think you might like – Snow Peas are good too!

1 Tablespoon Light Soy Sauce

1/2 Tablespoon Fish sauce

2  Shakes of Chinese Five Spice Blend.

Bean Shoots for crunch and Fresh Coriander to garnish

Dried Egg Noodles or Thick rice noodles (For GF/DF)

Method

Prepare the vegetables by chopping them into Julienne slices. Prepare the Chicken Breast by Chopping into bite size pieces. Prepare the noodles according to the packet instructions.

Put oil into a wok or large saucepan to heat through. Place Minced Garlic, Chilli and Thai Seasoning into the Wok and gook gently until fragrant. Add the stock and water and bring to the boil.

Turn the heat down a little and add the chicken – once you add the chicken you want to cook it for just the right amount of time so that the chicken is nice and tender. Add the Soy sauce and Fish sauce, and the julienne vegetables. Allow to cook on a slow boil for around 2 minutes.

Drain the noodles and add to the pot. Cook for another minute or two.

Shake the Chinese Five spice into the Wok and give the whole soup a stir.

Serve the soup into bowls and sprinkle bean shoots and Coriander over the top.

Serve while steamy!

Chinese Five Spice Soup