Shepherds pie
Serves:
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 onion, chopped
- 2 medium carrots, chopped
- 600g beef mince (we like heart-smart)
- 3 rashers short cut bacon, chopped
- 8 button mushrooms, wiped and halved
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 400g can peeled tomatoes
- 1 cup beef stock
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano or mixed herbs
- 1 cup frozen peas
Potato mash
- 1kg potatoes, peeled and chopped
- 50g butter
- 1/4 cup milk
- 1/4 cup finely grated parmesan cheese
Method
Preheat the oven to 180C. Heat the oil in a large saucepan over medium heat and cook the onion and carrot for five minutes or until soft. Add the mince, bacon and mushrooms and cook for three minutes or until mince is browned. Stir through the tomato paste, tomatoes, stock and herbs. Cover and simmer for 15 minutes, then uncover, and simmer for a further 15 minutes until most of the liquid has evaporated. Add the peas and cook for another couple of minutes.
To make the potato topping, boil the potatoes in water until soft. Drain well and mash with butter, milk and parmesan.
Pour the meat mixture into a 1L capacity ovenproof dish and top with the mash. Bake for 35 minutes or until the potato topping is golden brown.
Notes:
- I try to be organised and make the meat sauce the night before I want to serve the Shepherd’s pie. You can have it simmering away while you cook today’s meal, then tomorrow all you have to do is prepare the mash and heat in the oven.
- My baking dish was piled high and looked fantastic, but did overflow a bit in the oven, so perhaps put the baking dish on a tray to avoid everyone’s least favourite kitchen job – oven cleaning.
- To avoid the disgusted cry from the children “Mum, it’s got green/orange bits in it!” you can always puree the veggies and stir through when you add the tomatoes.
- Recipe created by Melissa Hughes for Kidspot.
Serving Suggestions
Note
Veggie cream cheese spread pressed sandwiches
Ingredients
- 100gm of cream cheese
- Teaspoon of mayonnaise
- Teaspoon of finely chopped red onion
- 3 slices of carrot
- 5 baby spinach leaves
- Pepper to taste
- 2 slices of bread
Method
For the cream cheese spread
Combine about 100gm of your kids’ favourite cream cheese with a little mayo. Then very finely chop a small amount of red onion, 3 slices of carrot and about five baby spinach leaves and mix into the mayonnaise and cream cheese. Add pepper to taste.
To make the pressed sandwich
Take two slices of bread, setting one aside and gently placing a glass or bowl (whatever fits best) on top of one slice. Don’t press down at this stage. Carefully cut away the crusts of the bread about 1/2 cm from the edge of the glass (to make a cat, cut the top corners of the bread on an angle and set aside). Do the same to the second slice of bread. Spread your filling on one round of bread and top with the second round. Put the glass/bowl back on top and this time press down gently but firmly, sealing the edges. Done!
To make the cat
Put the pressed sandwich into the lunchbox and add the crust corners for ears. Slice six fine slices from a carrot and place as whiskers. Add a raspberry (or blueberry) for a nose. Cut two slice of cucumber and add as eyes. Meow.
Note
- Add ham, chicken, salad or cheese for extra oomph.
- This recipe was created by Bronwyn Mandile for Kidspot.co.nz,åÊNew Zealand’s best recipe finder.
Easy peanut brittle
Serves:
Ingredients
- 375g unsalted peanuts
- 4 cups (880g) caster sugar
- 2 cups (500ml) water
- 150g butter, chilled and cubed
Method
Step 1.Line 2 slice trays (28 x 18cm) with baking paper. Spread half of the peanuts in each tray and set aside.
Step 2. Place the castor sugar and water in a heavy-based saucepan over a medium heat and whisk together until the sugar is dissolved. Bring to the boil and continue to boil for 25 minutes until the sugar mixture is a light golden brown.
Step 3. Use a wet pastry brush to brush down the sides of the pan and then remove from heat and quickly whisk in butter.
Step 4. Pour half of the mixture into each tray and rotate so all of the peanuts are covered. Leave to set. Break into shards and serve.
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Serving Suggestions
Note
- I like to give the baking paper a spray with canola oil so it doesn’t stick at all.
- If you have macadamia nuts they can be used as a luxurious substitution for the peanuts.
- This recipe was created by Jennifer Cheung for Kidspot, New Zealand’s best recipe finder.
Mini frittata
Serves:
Ingredients
- vegetable oil spray
- 1-2 large zucchini, sliced into 5mm ribbons
- 8 large eggs, lightly beaten
- 60ml low fat milk
- 1/2 cup finely sliced basil leaves
- 50g feta, crumbled
Method
Heat oven to 200ºC conventional (180ºC fan-forced).
Spray a 12 cavity muffin tray with oil spray and line the sides of each one with zucchini ribbons.
Mix eggs, milk and basil leaves together and season well.
Spoon egg mixture into each cavity, top with feta and place in oven.
Bake for 15-18 minutes or until cooked.
Remove from oven and allow to sit for a couple of minutes before carefully removing each one.
Related vegetarian recipes
Serving Suggestions
Note
- To slice zucchini, you can use a mandolin, potato slicer or a sharp knife.
- Make sure you grease the muffin cavities well so the frittatas are easy to remove.
- I’ve used zucchini wraps for these frittata but you could just as easily use bacon, ham, prosciutto or even some smoked salmon. You could also leave out the wraps altogether and just have frittata – so versatile!
- This recipe was created by Jay Rogers for Kidspot, New Zealand's best recipe finder. You can follow Jay at The Moodie Foodie and on Facebook, Twitter or Pinterest.
Easy spaghetti puttanesca
Serves:
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
- 1 cup pitted and stuffed green olives, sliced
- 1 cup semi-dried tomatoes, sliced
- 2 tbsp salted capers, rinsed and drained
- 1 x 800g tin tomatoes
- 1 cup basil leaves
- 1/2 cup chopped flat-leaf parsley
- 400g spaghetti
- freshly grated parmesan, cheese to serve
Method
Heat a medium-sized saucepan over medium heat. Add the olive oil and the garlic, being careful not to let the garlic burn. When the garlic becomes fragrant, add the olives, semi-dried tomatoes and capers.
Stir until fragrant then add the tinned tomatoes. Simmer for 20 minutes then add the basil and parsley and stir until softened.
Meanwhile, heat a large saucepan of water over high heat. When boiling, add 1 tsp salt and the pasta. Cook until al dente.
Serve pasta in warmed bowls topped with sauce and finished off with some parmesan cheese.
Notes:
- Make sure you don’t let that garlic burn because if it does you will need to throw it out and start again.
- Al dente pasta still has a bit of body and bite to it.
- This recipe was created by Charlie Louie from Hotly Spiced.
Serving Suggestions
Note
Spring minestrone
Serves:
Serves 4-6
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 medium brown onion, peeled and diced
- 200g pancetta, cut into 1cm-square cubes (or thereabouts)
- 2 garlic cloves, peeled and finely chopped
- 1 medium carrot, peeled and cubed
- 1 medium turnip, peeled and cubed
- 1 cup pumpkin, cubed
- 2 tbsp thyme leaves
- 1/2 savoy cabbage, very finely sliced
- One parmesan rind
- 3 cups (750ml) vegetable stock
- 1 1/2 cups small maccheroni pasta
- Extra parmesan cheese, grated, to serve
Method
Heat olive oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion and pancetta and cook, stirring often, for five minutes.
Add the garlic, carrot, turnip and thyme and cook for a further five minutes, stirring often. Now add the cabbage, parmesan rind, 2 cups of water and the stock and bring to the boil.
Reduce heat to a simmer and cook for 20 minutes. Add the maccheroni and cook for eight minutes or until al dente. Serve soup in bowls with crusty bread, extra parmesan and a drizzle of olive oil.
Find related soup recipes
Serving Suggestions
Note
Healthy chocolate brownie
Serves:
Makes 9
Ingredients
- 350-400g pumpkin, skin on and roughly chopped
- 2/3 cup (100g) plain flour
- 1 tsp baking powder
- pinch salt
- 1/3 cup Dutch cocoa
- 1 tbsp butter
- 1/4 cup (55g) dark chocolate chips
- 2 large eggs
- 2/3 cup (160ml) agave nectar
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
Method
Pre-heat oven to 180°C (160°C fan-forced). Line a 20cm x 20cm baking pan with baking paper an set aside.
Place pumpkin into a steamer and steam for about 20 minutes until soft. Remove pumpkin from steamer and cool slightly. Scoop out pumpkin flesh and puree using a stick blender or food processor – you should have 1/2 cup of puree.
Sift flour, baking powder, salt and cocoa together in a bowl. Place butter and chocolate into a small non-stick saucepan and melt gently on a low heat. Remove from heat.
Whisk eggs well and add agave nectar and vanilla. Add pumpkin puree and chocolate mixture. Stir to combine and fold through dry ingredients until just combined and pour into baking pan.
Bake for about 25 minutes – until cake skewer comes out with slightly moist crumbs. The outside should be firm and the inside shouldn’t be wobbly but still soft.
Remove from oven and allow to sit for 2-3 minutes before transferring brownies to a wire rack to cool completely.
Find more healthier sweet treats
Serving Suggestions
Note
- Adding a little pumpkin puree to your baking gives mucho moisture and fabulous fibre without the pumpkin taste. It’s a baking tip that’s popular in America and one I was dying to try. Trust me, it works! So not only do you get a beautifully moist brownie, it’s packed with fibre, too.
- If you want to use sugar, use 1 cup white sugar.
- Brownies will keep for about 2-3 days in an airtight container and freeze well too.
- This recipe was created by Jay Rogers for Kidspot, New Zealand's best recipe finder. You can follow Jay at The Moodie Foodie and on Facebook, Twitter or Pinterest.
Apple and worm cupcakes
Serves:
Ingredients
Method
Step 1. Make up the vanilla cupcakes as per the recipe.
Step 2. Bake as directed.
Step 3. Make your buttercream icing and add a few drops of colouring at a time until you have a rosy, apple red colour. Spread buttercream icing on cooled cupcakes.
Step 4. Push a piece of broken pretzel into the cupcake to resemble a stalk. Push the plastic straw in to make a hole and poke one end of the Gummi Worm inside so it looks like it is emerging from the apple. Add a mint leaf either side of the pretzel to create leaves.
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Serving Suggestions
Note
- If you want to make this these cupcakes but need a quick shortcut then you can use a packet mix of vanilla cupcakes with icing included and then tint the included icing.
- If red apples aren’t your favourite you can use green food colouring to make green apples.
- This recipe was created by Jennifer Cheung for Kidspot,New Zealand's best recipe finder.
Ham and pesto crepes
Serves:
Ingredients
- 1 x packet ready made frozen crepes or you can make your own
- 1 cup (around 190g) good quality pesto
- 10 slices ham
- 1/2 cup (40g) parmesan cheese, finely grated
- 1 tsp canola oil
Method
Spread the crepes with pesto, place a slice of ham on each and sprinkle with the cheese. Fold in half.
Heat the oil in a frying pan on medium-high heat and lightly pan-fry the filled/folded crepes for a minute or so on each side until golden. The idea is to just heat through the fillings.
Serving Suggestions
Note
- You don’t really need to heat the crepes up, it just makes them that little bit more yummy!
- Spread crepes with honey-sweetened ricotta and stuff with fresh berries.
- Spread with creme cheese and fill with shredded barbecue chicken, grated carrot and some butter lettuce.
- Or go with the classic and spread with Nutella and top with thinly sliced banana or poached peaches or other fruit before folding.
- This recipe was created by Sophie Hansen for Kidspot, New Zealand’s best recipe finder:
Pancakes and Crepes
Serves:
8 pancakes or crepes
Ingredients
115g (4oz) plain flour
pinch of salt
1 egg
280ml (. pint) milk
a little oil, for frying
Method
Tools: Kenwood Kitchen Machine
Place the flour and salt in the Kenwood Bowl.
Add the egg and a quarter of the milk. Using the whisk at speed 1, mix until smooth.
Gradually whisk in the remaining milk to make a smooth batter.
Pour into a jug, cover and leave to stand for 30 minutes to allow the starch grains time to swell and soften and produce a lighter batter.
Heat the minimum of oil in a 20cm (8 inch) heavy based frying pan or pancake pan.
Pour in just enough batter to thinly coat the base of the pan. Swirl the batter around to coat the pan.
Cook over a moderately high heat for about 1 minute, until light golden.
Turn or toss the pancake, cook for 30 seconds, or until golden. Transfer to a plate.
Repeat with the remaining batter to make 8 pancakes, stacking them on top of each other with greaseproof paper in between. Keep the pancakes warm in the oven whilst cooking the remainder if serving immediately.
Serving Suggestions
Serve sprinkled with sugar and lemon juice.
Note
Veal piccata
Ingredients
- 6 veal leg steaks
- 6 tbsp plain flour
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 125g butter
- 1/2 cup lemon juice
- 1/2 cup dry white wine
- 6 thin lemon slices
Method
Place veal steaks between 2 pieces of cling wrap and beat until very thin.
Dust veal in plain flour.
In a frying pan heat the olive oil and fry the veal steaks until cooked on both sides. They will take around 2 mins due to being so thin. Set aside in a warm place.
Heat the same frying pan and add the wine to deglaze the pan. Bring to the boil and add the lemon juice and butter and whisk together.
Return to the boil and pour over veal steaks on serving plates. Top each steak with lemon slices. Serve with steamed vegetables.
Notes
-
- This is a classic sauce that you may have seen served in Italian restaurants as Veal Limone.
- The sauce lends itself perfectly to the delicate flavour of the veal. It is very complimentary to steamed vegetables and great with asparagus .
- This recipe was created by Jennifer Cheung for Kidspot, New Zealand’s best recipe finder.
Upside-down banana bread
Serves:
10
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup (100g) brown sugar
- 3 tbsp butter, cut into small pieces
- 2-3 bananas, sliced into 1cm rounds
- 1 1/2 cup (225g) wholemeal flour
- 3/4 (180g) cup white sugar
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp bicarbonate soda
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1 cup mashed bananas
- 2 large eggs, lightly beaten
- 1/3 cup (80ml) vegetable oil
- 1/3 cup (80ml) buttermilk
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
For the caramel glaze:
- 2 tbsp butter
- 2 tbsp brown sugar
- 2 tbsp cream
Method
Step 1. Preheat oven to 180å¡C (160å¡C fan-forced). Line a loaf pan with baking paper and set aside. In a small saucepan, heat the butter and sugar together until melted and pour into loaf pan.
Step 2. Place sliced bananas, cut side down, into the pan on top of the caramel mixture.
Step 3. In a mixing bowl, combine all dry ingredients and add wet ingredients. Stir with a wooden spoon until the mixture is entirely wet and then pour into baking pan.
Step 4. Bake loaf for 45-50 minutes or until a skewer placed into the centre comes out clean. Leave in the pan to cool for 20 minutes before turning out onto a serving plate. Place all ingredients for the caramel glaze into a small saucepan. Heat over a medium heat, stirring continuously until all of the ingredients are melted and combined. Pour over the cake gently.
Notes:
- This upside-down banana bread is the most decadent version of banana bread that I have ever seen. It has all of that caramel glaze from the last step soaked into the actual bread. The end result is sticky and delicious and oh so good with ice cream.
- I made the glaze right after I made the first layer. The glaze is fine to stand until the bread is baked and cooled.
- It is best to use over-ripe bananas for the cup of mashed banana. A cup takes about two large bananas mashed.
- This recipe was created by Jennifer Cheung for Kidspot, New Zealand’s best recipe finder.
Slow cooker chicken casserole
Serves:
Ingredients
- 3 tbsp vegetable oil
- 1 kg chicken thighs or breast, cut into large chunks
- 1kg brushed potatoes, peeled and cut into chunks
- 2 x 420g tins Cream of chicken condensed soup
- 1 tbsp chicken stock powder
- 2 cup water
- 500g frozen chunky mix vegetable
- 1 cup parsley, chopped
Method
In a frying pan, heat the oil and fry the chicken pieces until golden on each side. You may have to do this in batches.
Place the chicken in the slow cooker with the potatoes, condensed soup, stock powder, water and vegetable mix. Combine well.
Cover and cook for 3 hours on HIGH or 6 hours on LOW.
Stir through parsley just before serving.
Notes:
- If I am putting this on early in the morning, I sear the chicken pieces in a frying pan the night before and pop them into the fridge. That way the next day I can just throw all the ingredients into the slow cooker and set and forget without making too much mess.
- The chunky vegetable mix I used had beans, cauliflower and broccoli in it but you could use fresh vegetable or anything that is left over in your crisper.
- Bacon is a nice addition in this recipe. Fry it with the last batch of chicken, so its flavours are released into the dish.
- This recipe was created by Jennifer Cheung for Kidspot, New Zealand’s best recipe finder.
Find more slow cooker recipes:
Serving Suggestions
Note
Orange meringue
Serves:
Ingredients
- 4 egg whites
- 1 cup sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon vinegar
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
- 90g roasted hazelnuts, finely chopped
- 1 cup Dark CHOC BITS
- 2 oranges
- 1/2 cup orange juice
- 300ml cream
- 100g Cooking Chocolate
- 3/4 cup extra cream
Method
MERINGUE
Beat egg whites until peaks form, add sugar gradually, beat until thick and glossy and sugar has dissolved.
Beat in vinegar and vanilla, fold in hazelnuts and Dark Choc Bits.
Grease two oven trays, dust with cornflour.
Make a 20cm circle on each tray, spreading meringue mixture evenly into each circle.
Bake in 180°C oven 35 – 40 minutes until crisp. Remove from oven, cool.
CREAM
Peel oranges thinly, place orange peel in pan, cover with water. Bring to boil, drain.
Chop orange peel thinly and return to pan with orange juice, bring to boil, simmer until liquid has nearly absorbed, remove from heat.
Combine cream with cooled melted Cooking Chocolate, beat until thick.
Fold orange mixture through half of the chocolate cream.
Sandwich meringue layers together with chocolate orange cream.
If desired, spread remaining cream around sides of torte and spread top of torte with extra whipped cream.
Serving Suggestions
Note
Nutella pizza
Serves:
Ingredients
- 1 quantity of pizza dough, see Notes below
- 5 tbsp of Nutella
- 1 punnet of strawberries
- 1 tbsp icing sugar
- 1 tbsp butter or olive oil
Method
Pre-heat oven to 220°C.
Brush a pizza tray with olive oil.
Make one quantity of pizza dough. Roll out to fit a tray and prick surface all over with a fork.
Brush with olive oil or butter and bake for approx. 10 mins or until golden.
While warm spread with Nutella generously and top with fresh strawberries.
Sprinkle sifted icing sugar of the top and slice while warm.
Notes
- The base doesnt need sweetening because the Nutella is very sweet and you can roll the dough to whatever thickness you prefer.
- Find our pizza dough recipe here.
- Make sure you hide a piece for yourself because this disappears FAST!
- This recipe was created by Jennifer Cheung for Kidspot, New Zealand’s best recipe finder.
Serving Suggestions
Note
One bowl blueberry and coconut muffins
Serves:
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cup plain flour
- 1 cup brown sugar
- 1/2 cup rolled oats
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 1 pinch salt
- 2 eggs
- 1 1/2 cup milk
- 1/4 cup vegetable oil
- 1 tsp vanilla bean paste
- 1 cup frozen blueberries
- 1/2 cup coconut flakes
- 1 tbs demerara sugar (for dusting)
Method
Preheat the oven to 180°C (160°C fan-forced), and line a 12 hole muffin tin with paper cases. Place the flour, sugar, oats, baking powder and salt into a large mixing bowl.
Whisk together the eggs, milk, oil and vanilla in a small jug, and add to the bowl of dry ingredients.
Stir together until the mixture is almost combined, then add the blueberries and coconut and stir again, just until they are distributed – do not over-mix.
Divide the batter evenly between the muffin cases, and sprinkle with Demerara sugar, if desired.
Bake for 25-30 minutes, or until the muffins are golden brown and spring back when touched lightly. Remove from the tin and let cool on a wire rack.
Find more muffin recipes:
Serving Suggestions
Note
- These keep well for about 2 days, but wrapped well and individually they'll keep in the freezer for up to a month.
- Swap up to half the flour in this recipe for wholemeal flour, if desired.
- Replace the blueberries with frozen raspberries, chunks of raw pear, or any dried fruit of your choice to change up the flavours.
Hot milk cake
Serves:
Serves 12
Ingredients
- 1 1/4 cups (210ml) milk
- 1/4 cup (120g) butter
- 4 eggs
- 1 1/2 cups (330g) caster sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 2 1/4 cups (340g) plain flour
- 2 tsp baking powder
Method
Preheat oven to 180°C (160°C fan-forced). Grease and line a large square cake tin.
Place milk and butter in a small saucepan and heat until just boiling and butter has melted. Set aside.
Beat eggs for 5 minutes until fluffy. With beaters running, gradually add sugar and continue beating until pale. Add vanilla, flour and baking powder and mix well. Pour in hot milk mixture and mix until smooth.
Pour into prepared tin and bake for 40-50 minutes until a skewer inserted in the centre comes out clean.
Serve with cream or custard and fresh fruit.
Find related cake recipes
Serving Suggestions
Note
- You could use a large rectangular baking dish to make a slab cake with this recipe. Note that it will take less time to cook as it won't be as thick.
- This recipe creates a firm cake, so it would be a good choice if you need to shape and carve a themed birthday cake.
- Recipe by Greer Worsley, who blogs at Typically Red.
Nutella popsicles
Serves:
Ingredients
- 1 cup full cream milk
- 1/3 cup Nutella
Method
Step 1: Gather all ingredients and popsicle moulds.
Step 2: Place the milk and Nutella in a blender and blend until thoroughly combined.
Step 3: Pour into a popsicle moulds.
Step 4: Freeze and serve
Find more frozen treat recipes:
Serving Suggestions
Note
- I used my Zoku pop maker because I was in a hurry to get these popsicles made. A Zoku will make you six popsicles in fourteen minutes.
- You could use a milk shaker canister and shake this mixture by hand if you don’t have a blender or stick mixer.
- Please ensure that you do not serve these around or directly to anyone with a nut allergy.
- You can use almond milk in place of the full cream milk in this recipe.
- This amount will make around six serves but this will depend on the size of your popsicle moulds.
- This recipe was created by Jennifer Cheung for Kidspot, New Zealand
Pirate ship birthday cake
Ingredients
- 4 x 340g packet cakes (any flavour will do)
- 4 eggs
- 4 x cup of milk
- Butter for greasing cake pan
- 1 cup jam
Frosting
- Meadow Lea or 250g softened butter
- 4 cups soft icing mixture
- 1 cup of cocoa
- half a cup milk
Decoration
- Licorice straps
- Chocolate wafer biscuits
- Smarties
- Skewers and paper cut into squares for sails
- Writing icing in red
- Pirates from the toy box and pirate themed candles
Method
Preheat oven to 180C. Grease and line a 35 x 25cm baking tray – this is a tray you use to roast vegetable in NOT a cake tin.
Prepare cake batter as per packet directions preparing two at a time. Pour each cake mix into the prepared tin so that you end up with all four batters in the one tin. Bake at 180C for 40 -45 mins or until a skewer comes out clean.
Cool cake and level the top with a sharp serrated knife. Cut into appropriate building blocks to create the shape of your pirate ship, using skewers and icing (see below) to anchor them together. Brush all cut cake sides with warm jam to seal.
Icing
Using an electric beater, cream butter until light, pale and fluffy. Slowly add sifted icing sugar and cocoa. Add the milk a tablespoon at a time until you reach desired consistency. Cover the entire cake with a generous coating of frosting.
Decorations
Thread paper onto sails and position. Edge all of the deck in wafer biscuits and use licorice to outline the deck. Highlight the deck with writing icing. Add Smarties to back and sides. Position your pirates!
Notes:
- The most important part of creating this cake is getting the right shape and then coating it generously with the frosting. To get a good finish, do a ‘crumb coat’ of icing first – this is where you apply a thin layer of icing over the cake to bind all the cake crumbs to the icing. Then when the icing has set, apply another more generous layer of icing – this will be your final coating and will be crumb-free.
- Another great icing tip is to have a glass of warm water nearby when you ice your cake. Dip your knife into the water as you work – this will ensure the icing is applied to the cake smoothly and you can easily work on getting a lovely finish.
- If you don’t happen to have pirates in your toybox, visit your local $2 shop!
- This recipe was created by Jennifer Cheung for Kidspot, New Zealand’s best recipe finder.
Apple muffins
Serves:
Ingredients
- 2 cups self raising flour (for Gluten-free see notes below)
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- ½ cup caster sugar
- 1/3 cup (80mL) olive or vegetable oil
- 1 cup low fat natural yoghurt
- 2 eggs
- 1 red apple, grated
- ½ cup pecans, chopped (or walnuts or almonds)
- ½ cup dates, chopped
Method
Preheat oven to 180°C and place paper cases in muffin tray (12 large or 18 cupcake size).
Sift flour and cinnamon into large mixing bowl, add caster sugar.
In a glass jug, measure out oil (to 1/3 cup), add yoghurt (to 11/3 cup) and eggs, whisk to combine.
Pour liquid into dry ingredients and mix until just combined.
Stir in apple, pecans and dates.
Spoon mixture into paper cases.
Bake for 20-25 minutes until a skewer inserted into the muffin comes out clean.
Notes:
- If you need to hide the fruit, peel the apple before grating and puree the dates with some hot water to make a paste.
- The pecans add a lovely crunch to these muffins, but omit if you are a nut-free household.
- This is a great way to use up that challenging-tasting natural yoghurt that you bought in a healthy phase, but is now languishing at the back of the fridge!
- Make gluten-free by using gluten-free plain flour (e.g. Orgran) and 3 teaspoons gluten-free baking powder. A smidgeon (about 1/8 teaspoon) of xanthan gum (from health food shops and some supermarkets) gives the ‘gluten-like’ consistency.
- Recipe created by Melissa Hughes for Kidspot.
Find more:
Serving Suggestions
Note
Apple pie filling
Serves:
Ingredients
- 125g butter
- 1.5 kg apples, peeled, cored and sliced
- 2 tbsp lemon juice
- ½ tbsp cinnamon
- ½ tbsp nutmeg
- ½ tsp mixed spice
- ¾ cup sugar
- 4 tsp cornflour
Method
In a frying pan, melt the butter and add the apple and lemon juice.
Sprinkle over cinnamon, nutmeg, sugar and mixed spice.
Cover and simmer for 5 mins.
Add the sugar to the pan and cook for a further 2 mins.
Dissolve the cornflour in 1 cup cold water and stir into the apple mixture.
Stir continually until the mixture has thickened.
Cool and store in the fridge, ready for use. This will keep in the fridge for up to a week .
Notes:
- To prevent the apples going brown before cooking, I like to chop them into a bowl of water that has some lemon juice added (this is called acidulated water).
- You can use any type of apples that are in the fruit bowl for this recipe. If you use Granny Smith apples you may like to add an extra ¼ cup sugar to balance the tartness.
- These apples are a great base for apple crumble and you can make them on the weekend to create a fast mid-week dessert with little efforta
- You can use this recipe to fill our Apple pie, apple and hazelnut crumble or fill our fruit and custard turnovers.
- This recipe was created by Jennifer Cheung for Kidspot, New Zealand’s best recipe finder.
Serving Suggestions
Note
Spiced currant buns
Serves:
Makes about 12 buns
Ingredients
- 3 1/3 cups (500g) plain flour
- 2 tsp instant yeast
- 4 tbsp caster sugar
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 tsp mixed spice
- 1/2 cup currants, soaked for at least 30 minutes in orange juice
- 400ml milk
- 1 tbsp butter
For the glaze
- 1/4 cup (75ml) orange juice
- 2 tbsp caster sugar
- 1 tsp mixed spice
Method
Combine the flour with yeast, sugar, salt, spice and currants. Heat the milk and stir though the butter until it melts. Add the wet ingredients to dry and bring together until you have a wet dough.
Using the dough hook of an electric mixer or by hand, knead until you have a smooth dough.
Leave the dough to rest in a large, oiled bowl (covered with a damp tea towel) for about an hour or until doubled in size.
Now is when you can get the kids really involved … Have them pull small pieces of dough off and roll into nuggets about the size of a golf ball. Place these about 2cm apart on a baking tray. Cover and leave for another 30 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 200°C (180°C fan-forced) and bake for about 10-15 minutes or until golden.
Heat the glaze ingredients together in a small saucepan over high heat. Bring to the boil then reduce heat and let bubble away for a couple of minutes.
Brush the rolls gently with this wash while still warm and sprinkle with the poppy seeds. Serve with butter jam.
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Note
- You can swap the currants with chocolate chips or leave them out entirely, if you prefer.
- For a more chocolate-y twist, add a few tablespoons of cocoa to the mixture (add just a touch less flour in this case).
- This recipe was created by Sophie Hansen for Kidspot, New Zealand’s best recipe finder: You can follow Sophie on Local is Lovely, Facebook, Twitter or Pinterest.
Halloween severed fingers
Serves:
Ingredients
- 100g almond flakes
- 2 tbsp red food colouring
- 125g butter, softened
- 1 whole egg + 1 egg yolk, lightly beaten
- ½ cup icing sugar, sifted
- 5 tbsp caster sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 pinch salt
- 1 2/3 cups plain flour
Method
Step 1. Place 24 fingernail-shaped almond flakes into a small bowl and pour over the food colouring. Leave to soak while you make the biscuit dough.
Step 2. To make the biscuit dough, using a mixer, cream the butter and eggs until combined. Beat in the icing sugar, caster sugar, vanilla and salt and mix until smooth and creamy (about 2 minutes).
Step 3. Still using the mixer, add the flour and mix until just combined. Form the dough into 2 disks and cover in cling film. Refrigerate for 20 mins.
Step 4.Preheat oven to 180°C or 160°C fan-forced. Line 2 baking trays with baking paper and set aside. Remove dough from refrigerator and roll 12 finger shapes from each disk. Use a sharp knife to cut knuckle ridges into the dough and pinch together for knuckles.
Step 5. Place an almond fingernail on each fingertip. Bake for 12 minutes.
Step 6. Remove from oven and dip each finger end into the food colouring.
Notes:
- These biscuits are firm on the outside and soft on the inside.
- You can serve these up in a little black pot to resemble a witch’s cauldron or just put them all in a large, clear airtight jar so it looks like you have a big jar of chopped fingers.
- I used tweezers to get the almond flakes out of the food colouring and just applied some pressure to the centre after laying them on top. They became very firmly attached during baking.
- This recipe was created by Jennifer Cheung for Kidspot, New Zealand’ best recipe finder.
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Healthy chicken pot pie
Serves:
Ingredients
- spray oil spray
- 2 tsp olive oil
- 400 g chicken breast (finely diced)
- 1 onion (medium, finely chopped)
- 2 celery stalk (finely chopped)
- 1 carrot (large, finely chopped)
- 1/2 cup frozen peas (thawed)
- 1 tsp sage
- 2 tbs wholemeal flour
- 1 cup chicken stock (liquid)
- 1 cup skim milk
- 6 sheet filo pastry sheets
Method
Heat oven to 200°C (180°C fan-forced) and add a baking tray (sometimes the pies dribble over the side so the baking tray is only there to keep your oven clean). Spray a shallow pie dish with cooking oil.
Heat a large non-stick frying pan to medium-high heat, add oil, chicken, onion, celery and carrot. Cook for 6-8 minutes until vegetables have softened.
Add peas, sage and flour and stir through to ensure flour has been incorporated.
Add stock and milk and simmer until sauce thickens (about 5 minutes).
Check for seasoning and transfer mixture to pie dish.
Spray filo pastry with oil and scrunch into balls, placing on top of chicken mixture.
Bake for 20-25 minutes until filo is golden brown.
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Note
- This lovely pie is creamy and filling yet light. The filling is packed with vegetables, lean chicken breast and a thick creamy sauce using low-fat milk – not a skerrick of cream in sight! The normal higher fat puff pastry or short crust pastry has been replaced with low-fat filo which is light, crispy and really tasty.
- Add chopped leeks and a little chopped ham to the chicken filling for a different flavour.
- This recipe was created by Jay Rogers for Kidspot, New Zealand’s best recipe finder.
