Deep fried wontons are a great appetiser and kids love their crunchy texture. These have a tasty pork and prawn centre in a crispy coating.
Whip up a plate of these, add some dipping sauces, and dig in!
More recipes from Kidspot Kitchen:
Allergen: Contains Gluten
Cheesy Bites
These savoury bites loaded with cheese are a delicious way to eat your greens! They make a great snack or appetizer.
Cheesy Broccoli Fingers
Thanks a brunch! A super tasty recipe that is so versatile and perfect for any time of day. This is a really interesting Italian inspired dish that a can be adapted to suit your taste.
Recipe provided by NZ Eggs
See more
Tuna Tortilla Bake
A delicious new idea using tortillas for the base and a cheesy tasty tuna and egg middle.
Recipe provided by NZ Eggs
See more recipes:
Favourite Family Pie
This pie will quickly become a family favourite served warm, with a crisp green side salad. For a vegetarian version, leave out the bacon.
Recipe provided by NZ Eggs
See more recipes:
Easy Spinach and Feta Bake
Perfect for a simply delicious healthy dinner, this tasty bake serves 5 people. That’s Dinner Cracked (excuse the pun!)
Recipe provided by NZ Eggs
See more recipes:
Berry Dutch Baby
It’s amazing how something as simple as eggs, flour and milk can puff up in the oven into the most gorgeous looking dish. A Dutch Baby is like a pancake crossed with a yorkshire pudding. It can be served for breakfast but they make a delicious dessert too.
Honey Oyster BBQ Pork Skewers
Perfect for a BBQ, picnic or even in school lunch boxes.
So simple and fun to make – you could even ask the kids to help thread the pork and veges on to the skewers.
This recipe was supplied by Lee Kum Kee. For more great recipes like this visit them online
See more Lee Kum Kee recipes on Kidspot:
Stir-Fried Pork with Green Pepper
So quick and easy, you can enjoy this on noodles or rice.
Although this recipe uses pork, you could also use chicken or beef. Change up the green pepper for red, or mix it up for more colour.
This recipe was supplied by Lee Kum Kee. For more great recipes like this visit them online
See more Lee Kum Kee recipes on Kidspot:
Braised Chicken with Oyster Sauce
Nothing beats a quick and easy dinner after a long , hard, day so why not give this chicken dish a try!
Made with a few simple ingredients and packed full of flavour, you can whip this dish up in no time and serve with either noodles or rice.
This recipe was supplied by Lee Kum Kee. For more great recipes like this visit them online
See more Lee Kum Kee recipes on Kidspot:
Sausage sizzle rules
In one of the week’s lighter news stories, it seems that we now have rules for sausage sizzles. More specifically the good old Bunnings sausage sizzle – basically the bribery you use to stop the kids moaning when you need to nip to the hardware store on the weekend.
Bread, onion, sausage, sauce … what?!
Bunnings have reportedly given those running the sausage sizzle fundraisers recommendations on how to put together the bread, sausage, onion and sauce after an Australian man slipped on a piece of onion at a Bunnings store. The recommendation is that onions be placed on the bread, under the sausage, in order to help contain spillage. I got news for you Bunnings – my kids can make a mess with any food, no matter how it’s put together!
FRANKly, we think this may be the WURST idea since, well … sliced bread! The onion goes on top of the sausage, then the sauce – end of story.
These versatile snarlers have been a family favourite for years. So in defence of the sausage sizzle, flick through our slideshow of some of our favourite sausage recipes from the Kidspot Kitchen.
Scroll through our slideshow of top sausage recipes
How do you take yours? What’s your favourite way to enjoy sausages?
This article was written by Julie Scanlon, Editor for Kidspot NZ.
Veal schnitzel
Veal schnitzel or Wiener schnitzel as it is known in Europe is a classic dish. Escallopes of veal are given a light crumb coating, fried and served with lemon wedges. It’s delicious no matter what you call it.
Ingredients
- 4 slices veal
- 1/2 cup plain flour
- 1 egg
- 1/2 cup milk
- salt and pepper
- 1 1/2 cup bread crumbs
- 50g butter
- 1/4 cup vegetable oil
- 1 lemon, quartered
Veal schnitzel recipe
Using a meat mallet, pound the veal slices until thin and equal in thickness.
Set up your crumbing station by laying out the flour on a dinner plate. Lightly whisk the egg with the milk in a bowl. Place the breadcrumbs on a plate.
Coat the veal pieces in the flour, dip in eggwash and coat in breadcrumbs.
Heat the oil and butter together in a frying pan and cook each piece for 3-4 mins each side. Drain on paper towels. Serve with lemon wedges.
Notes
- Veal is delicious but quite expensive so you can use beef slices as an alternative.
- You need to cook these over a medium heat so they cook inside as well as having a crunchy coating. You don’t want the outside to burn before the inside is cooked.
- This recipe was created by Jennifer Cheung for Kidspot.
The famous Hutt Hospital muesli recipe
(Image for illustration purposes only)
Do you want to know a secret? One that patients at Hutt Hospital in the lower North Island have been whispering about? One that has been sort-of-secret for over 30 years?!
Thanks to the power of social media, the secret is out – the much sought after recipe for Hutt Hospital’s delicious muesli breakfast mix is here (and you don’t have to be a patient to give it a try!).
Hutt Hospital muesli
Ingredients
For 10 servings
- 340g rolled oats
- 70g coconut
- 40g branflakes
- 50g pumpkin seeds
- 65ml oil
- 65g brown sugar
- 100g liquid honey
- 100g sultanas
Method
Mix the first four ingredients together.
Heat oil, brown sugar and honey in the microwave till sugar dissolves.
Pour over dry ingredients, mix thoroughly and spread in a roasting tray.
Dry out in oven (120-150 degrees) for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally until browned.
Add sultanas and mix through (use any other dried fruit if desired).
Allow to cool.
Store in an airtight container.
Thanks for sharing Hutt Valley District Health Board!
This article was written by Julie Scanlon, Editor for Kidspot NZ.
Slow cooker beef and barley soup
Ingredients
- 4 tbsp olive oil
- 500g chuck steak, cubed
- 2 sticks celery, sliced
- 1 swede, peeled and diced
- 1 parsnip, peeled and diced
- 2 carrots, peeled and chopped
- 1 Tbls paprika
- 8 cups chicken stock
- 1 cup pearl barley
Slow cooker beef and barley soup
In a frying pan, heat the oil and fry the chuck steak in small batches until browned. Place in the slow cooker.
Place the vegetables and paprika in the frying pan and cook for 5 minutes. Add the chicken stock and bring to the boil. Pour into the slow cooker.
Stir in the pearl barley and place on high until bubbling.
Skim the top of the soup, removing the grey matter and oil that is on the surface. Turn to low for 3-5 hours.
Season with salt and paper to taste.
Notes
- This one REALLY hearty soup that is perfect for a winters day.
- You can just grab one of those soup packs at the greengrocers and you will have all the vegetables you need for this recipe.
- Do not forget to season it at the end.
- This recipe was created by Jennifer Cheung for Kidspot, New Zealand’s best recipe finder.
Slow cooker taco soup
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp vegetable oil
- 500g minced beef
- 1 satchet Taco seasoning
- 4 cups water
- 1 tin (400g) red kidney beans
- 1 tin (400g) borlotti beans
- 1 tin (400g) corn kernals
- 2 tbsp Tabasco
Slow cooker taco soup
In a frying pan, heat the oil and brown the mince.
Add the Taco seasoning and cook for a few minutes. Pour in the 4 cups of water and mix well. Pour into slow cooker and add the beans, corn and Tabasco sauce.
Cook on high for 3 hours or low for 6 hours.
Notes
- You can double this recipe and it will fill the slow cooker to the brim. It’s great for parties or after footy snacks. I like to serve this with a generous grating of tasty cheese and a dollop of sour cream. You can also crunch up some corn chips and sprinkle them over.
- This recipe was created by Jennifer Cheung for Kidspot, New Zealand’s best recipe finder.
Cherry crumble
Ingredients
- 700g canned or bottled cherries, drained
- 100g butter, cubed
- 1 cup plain flour
- 1 cup rolled oats
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
Cherry crumble
Preheat oven to 200°C. Butter a small baking dish and set aside.
In a small bowl, combine the flour, oats and brown sugar.
Rub the butter through the mix with your fingertips until it resembles crumbs.
Spoon the cherries into the dish. Sprinkle the crumble mixture over the top.
Bake for 25 minutes or until golden.
Notes
- I went to buy a tin of cherries for this recipe but then found a jar that was double the weight for a few cents more. You can always use frozen cherries as well. Just give your crumble a few minutes more in the oven.
- For special occasions I like to add a 1/4 cup of almond flakes to the crumble mix.
- This recipe was created by Jennifer Cheung for Kidspot, New Zealand’s best recipe finder.
Mini apple pies
Ingredients
Pastry:
- 1 cup self-raising flour
- 1 cup plain flour
- 1 cup (250g) butter
- 1 cup water
- ½ cup caster sugar
Apple Filling:
- 6 granny smith or bramley apples (I used 3 large bramleys and 1 granny smith)
- 2 tsp cinnamon
- 2 tbsp caster sugar
- 2 tbsp brown sugar
Mini apple pies
Mix flours together.
In a saucepan, place the butter, water and sugar, and place on stove and heat until butter is melted.
Slowly while beating, add the liquids to the flours, this will make it swell and fluff up a bit – you may need to add a few more tablespoons of flour to get it to the right consistency which would be a soft pliable dough.
Place dough in a zip lock bag or container and refrigerate until chilled (about 1 hour).
Roll out onto floured surface.
To make the filling, peel and dice roughly apples Place in mixing bowl with cinnamon and sugars and mix through until all apple is evenly covered.
To make the pies, grease 2 muffin tins with canola spray or butter.
Preheat oven to 200°C.
Press a small ball of dough into the bottom of the muffin tin and then press it around to the sides to ensure all the sides are covered by pastry up to the lip.
Spoon in the apple filling and make it fill the cup entirely and about 2cm over the top.
Roll out the pastry and cut out circles to make a lid for each.
Lay the pastry lid on top and pinch the top and bottom pieces of pastry together to close each pie.
Poke one or two slits in the top to vent the pies and then place in the oven for about 15-20 minutes until golden on top.
Notes
- Your kids’ little fingers will be perfect for the pressing out the dough job. And they’ll enjoy it so much more than you will.
- Last weekend we headed off to the country for some apple picking. We came home with 10kg of apples and I set myself the challenge of using every single one of them. Hence these apple pies!
- This is a new pastry recipe which was a total success and was easy to make (and remember) – I will be making it again!
- This recipe was created by Melissa Klemke for Kidspot, New Zealand’s best recipe finder.
Deli-style antipasto platter
Ingredients
- 100g mixed marinated olives
- 8 thin slices of prosciutto
- 8 thin slices of salami
- 8 thin slices of mortadella
- 8 thin slices of double smoked ham
- 100g marinated fetta, broken into bite size pieces
- 100g semi-dried tomatoes
- 100g Asiago cheese
- 100g Ashed goats cheese
- 100g Provolone cheese
- 1 pkt lavoche bread
- 100g mizuna lettuce
Deli-style antipasto platter
Arrange all items on a large serving platter.
Roll the meats and fan them out. Sit the olives and tomatoes on a little washed and dried mizuna lettuce for decoration.
Depending on how artistic you want to be, allow 15-30 minutes for arranging, as well as about 10 minutes for washing, peeling, chopping and slicing.
Serve with some sliced crusty bread or a crisp lavoche bread.
Notes
- Antipasto means before the meal and can encompass any number of different deli item.
- You can include any type of smoked or cured meats, mushrooms, artichoke hearts and roasted garlic.
- This platter is for a party but if it’s an intimate small gathering, I would never have more than 4 items on the plate.
- This recipe was created by Jennifer Cheung for Kidspot, New Zealand’s best recipe finder.
Allsort slice
Kids in the kitchen
I love to bake and the kids love to help. I also like the fact that as well as having a lot of fun baking, Miss4 is learning at the same time. She is learning science and chemistry by exploring the different textures of the ingredients and what happens when the different ingredients are mixed together and/or cooked. She is learning about measurement and volume and at the same time is gaining confidence and self esteem, by letting her attempt measurements etc herself. Miss4 also enjoys baking as she feels all grown up and just like mum. Baking is also a good time to teach children the importance about hygiene and food prep, which is the first step in our baking process.
Today we decided to try a new recipe –
Allsort slice
Ingredients
- 250gm packet malt biscuits
- 125gms butter (melted)
- 1/3-1/2 can sweetened condensed milk
- 125gm licorice allsorts, chopped into small pieces
- Half a cup of coconut (optional)
- 1 and a half cups of icing sugar
- 2 Tblsp cocoa
- 2 tsp melted butter
- 2-3 Tbsp hot water
Method
Crush the biscuits in a food processor (Miss4 enjoyed using a rolling pin to crush the biscuits). Pace crushed biscuits, melted butter, coconut (if using) and sweetened condensed milk into a bowl and mix well. Add licorice allsorts. Press mixture into a 30cm rectangular slice pan and allow to set before icing with chocolate icing. To make icing, combine icing sugar, cocoa, butter and hot water in a bowl and mix until smooth. Spread over slice.
We enjoyed making this recipe as it had an added bonus of being preschooler safe as there was no need to use a hot oven. Miss4 also enjoyed crushing the biscuits with a rolling pin instead of using a food processor. For a smaller child it is useful to use a stool or chair like we did to bring them up to a good height for the bench.
I chopped the licorice allsorts into small pieces as we only had a very sharp pair of kitchen scissors which I wasn’t too keen on letting Miss4 use. However if you think your preschooler is quite capable, or you have some blunt scissors your preschooler could possibly attempt this step.
Miss4 helped to poor the ingredients into the bowl and then mixed the ingredients all together. She then helped to press the mixture into the prepared pan.
Miss4 then placed the slice in the fridge to set. When set Miss4 helped to make the icing by helping to measure the ingredients and mixing it together. She then spread it on the slice and again she had to practice her patient’s skills as we waited a while for this to set.
Once set we cut the slice into pieces. Once daddy arrived home Miss4 was as pleased as punch to show him her achievement and offered him a piece, and as you can see even Big Hugs Elmo Enjoyed his piece of Licorice allsort slice.
In addition to baking and cooking being a great learning experience for your toddler or preschooler, I have also found that if you have a fussy eater, getting them involved with the baking and cooking process increases the likelihood of the child tasting and eating the end product and extending their palate.
This blog was written by Phillipa McNeish for the Kidspot Hasbro Month of Play promotion.
Homemade stir-fry sauce
Ingredients
- 1 cup white sugar
- ½ cup fish sauce
- ½ cup soy sauce
- 1 tsp ground white pepper
- 4 cups water
Homemade stir-fry sauce
In a small saucepan, place all ingredients and stir continuously until the sugar is dissolved. Bring to the boil, remove from heat and cool.
Keep refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 1 month.
Notes
- You will need to keep watch that this doesn’t burn on the stove or it will make your house smell awful and you will be scrubbing that pan forever.
- I like to triple this recipe and use it often. It is so much cheaper than buying a ready-made stir-fry sauce.
- To spice it up, add some chili and garlic by lightly frying them in the pan before adding the rest of the ingredients.
- This recipe was created by Jennifer Cheung for Kidspot.
Prawns with snow peas
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp vegetable oil
- 500g green king prawns, peeled, de-veined and tails intact
- 4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
- ½ cup Homemade stir-fry sauce
- 300g snow peas, blanched
Prawns with snow peas
In a wok, heat the oil until very hot. Add the prawns and chopped garlic. Stir-fry for 2 minutes until the prawns are almost cooked. Add the snow peas and stir-fry for a further 2 minutes. Pour over the stir-fry sauce and toss until hot and well-coated.
Season with black pepper and serve with boiled rice.
Notes
- Sometimes the prawns used in this recipe are sold as prawn “cutlets”.
- Make sure that you don’t overcook these prawns so they still have some crunch.
- Blanch the snow peas by trimming off the ends, removing the string, and standing them in boiling water for 5 minutes.
- This recipe was created by Jennifer Cheung for Kidspot.
Quick Chicken Casserole
Looking a quick and easy recipe that the whole family will enjoy? Look no further, check out this delicious Chicken Casserole.
Rissoles
Ingredients
- 500g beef mince
- 1 onion, diced
- 1/2 cup breadcrumbs
- 1 egg, lightly beaten
- salt and pepper
- 2 cloves garlic, crushed
- 1 cup plain flour
- 1/2 cup vegetable oil
- 1 onion, sliced
- 1 tin tomatoes
- 2 heaped tbsps gravy mix
- 2 cups water
Budget-friendly rissoles recipe
In a bowl, combine the diced onion, mince, egg, breadcrumbs and salt and pepper.
Shake the flour over the bench and turn the mince mixture out.
Form into a large flat patty and use a scone cutter to cut rounds out. Coat each patty in the flour.
Fry in the vegetable oil on a medium heat to ensure they are cooked through.
Set aside and keep warm when done.
Pour excess oil from the pan and fry the sliced onion and garlic until soft and add the tomatoes.
Dissolve the gravy mix into the cold water and add to the pan. Stir until thickened.
Add the rissoles back into the gravy to reheat and serve.
Notes
You can just form these into a block and cut square rissoles if you like.
If they are getting too burnt on the outside, just remember they will cook a little further if you simmer them in the gravy.
This recipe was created by Jennifer Cheung for Kidspot, New Zealand’s best recipe finder.
Stuck on snack ideas for kids?
Katie from Busy Happy Kids knows how challenging it can be to come up with snack ideas for the kids. Not only do we need some nutritious goodies to pack into the lunch boxes, but often the after school munchies have the kids reaching for a snack too.
Easy snacks for kids
In order to help you avoid the pitfalls of processed and often unhealthy snacks, Katie has created a handy list of some superb snack ideas that the kids will love. If you would like to order a fridge magnet of the list, pop on over to her Facebook page, Busy Happy Kids NZ and drop her a message – they’re just $5 incl P&P!
To help you out we’ve even included some Kidspot recipes below for those that require a little bit of preparation. Happy snacking!
Recipes from the Kidspot Kitchen
Corn fritters
Pop the homemade tomato relish in a little leakproof tub and don’t expect any leftovers! Get the recipe for Sweetcorn fritters with tomato relish
Hummus
Perfect for an after-school snack, toasty dippers are the perfect partner for homemade hummus. Get the recipe for Hummus with toasty dippers
Sandwich roll ups
The trick to a great sandwich roll up is choosing fresh, tasty bread that the kids like – otherwise they will never even consider trying the filling. Get the recipe for turkey pest roll-ups
Mini frittatas
These little frittatas are made with bacon and peas but you can substitute these for other cooked deli meats or veggies. Try diced capsicum. leftover roast pumpkin or kumara, or grated zucchini. Get the recipe for Mini bacon and pea frittatas
Boost balls
Boost or protein balls come in many different forms. This recipe uses dates, peanut butter, raw cacao powder and almonds. Get the recipe for chocolate nut balls
Weet-Bix slice
A Kiwi kids classic. We’ve topped our version with a lemon icing which can be drizzled over the top. Get the recipe for Weet-Bix slice with lemon icing
Pikelets
We totally didn’t sneak in some veggies … or did we? Get the recipe for veggie pikelets
From Katie at Busy Happy Kids:
I started Busy Happy Kids to share activities and ideas on how parents can encourage their children to be active and get outdoors. I was a Physical Education and Health teacher prior to having children and really love encouraging other families to be active. I progressed into sharing recipes and shopping lists/menus to teach parents how to shop on a small budget.
Visit the Busy Happy Kids website for more food ideas, recipe and fun activities to do with the kids.
Homemade Tim Tams
Serves: 8
Ingredients
Biscuit
- 100g unsalted butter, softened
- 1/3 cup Natvia
- 1 egg
- ¼ cup raw cacao powder
- 150g plain flour
- ½ tsp sea salt
- ¼ tsp baking powder
Filling
- 100g unsalted butter
- ¼ cup Natvia
- 1 heaped tbs FANGKS Chocolate powder, or other sugar-free chocolate powder
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
Method
- Preheat oven to 170C
- Beat the butter and Natvia until light and creamy. Add the egg and beat until incorporated. Sift in the cacao, flour and baking powder and add the salt. Stir with a spatula until combined.
- Turn the dough out onto the bench and lightly knead until it is smooth. Roll out in between 2 pieces of baking paper until it is about 2cm thick. Freeze for 20 minutes. Remove and slice into 16 small rectangles.
- Bake in the oven for 18-20 minutes. Remove from the oven and carefully place on a wire rack to cool completely.
- Beat the cream and Natvia until creamy. Add the cacao powder and vanilla bean paste and beat until combined. Smear onto the back of one of the cookies and sandwich together with another cookie. Repeat until all are sandwiched together.
- Place in the refrigerator to set.
- Melt the chocolate in the microwave. Stir through the coconut oil until melted. Using two forks dip the tim tams into the chocolate and place on a baking paper. Place in the fridge for 15 minutes to set.
Find more sugar-free recipes at Natvia
Southwest Turkey & Salsa Salad
Tomato & Cherry Kale Salad with Lemon Vinaigrette
This recipe is bought to you by Taylor Farms New Zealand
