Contains Gluten Archives | Page 5 of 33

Sweet chilli rolls

Ingredients

2 frozen puff pastry sheets
500g pork mince
1 lge carrot, grated (approx. 1 cup)
1 small brown onion, finely diced
1 tablespoon basil, finely chopped (optional)
1 teaspoon fish sauce
1 ½ tablespoon sweet chilli sauce
2 eggs

Method

Place frozen pastry sheets on kitchen bench to defrost and preheat oven to 200° C.

In a large bowl add pork mince, grated carrot, diced onion, basil (if using), fish sauce, sweet chilli and one egg. Combine ingredients until well mixed.

In a small dish, make an egg wash by cracking the second egg and lightly whisking with a fork.

Place pastry sheets in front of you and cut through the middle horizontally creating two equal halves.

Take about ¾ cup of pork mixture and form it into a sausage shape and place it along the top of the pastry sheet. With a pastry brush (or finger), wipe egg wash below the meat to secure the ends.

Roll the pastry and mix into a firm log shape making sure the pastry at the bottom overlaps each other at the egg wash. Repeat until you have 4 logs.

Once they’re all rolled, remove the plastic wrap backing the pastry, wipe over the top with egg wash and cut each log into 5 equal pieces.

Place on a tray lined with a baking mat or baking paper and bake in preheated oven for 35 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from oven, cool on wire rack and serve as is or with the kid’s favourite- tomato sauce.

Notes

I like to keep the plastic of the pastry on when rolling these up. It keeps the pastry firm and neat. You just need to lift it at the end when you are sticking the ends together.
While you’re waiting for the remaining logs to be rolled, place the existing ones in the freezer. They will firm up and be easier to handle.
These freeze very well once cooked, so if you need to make them ahead of time, just reheat at 180° C for 20 minutes.
If you don’t like basil, parsley works very well or they can be made without any green for kids who aren’t interested in the colour green!
Recipe created by Camilla Baker for Kidspot, New Zealand’s best recipe finder.

Serving Suggestions

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Lemon and sugar pancakes

Ingredients

2 cups plain flour
3 tsp baking powder
2 tbsp caster sugar
1 1/2 cups milk
2 eggs
60g butter, melted, cooled
extra butter melted, for cooking
lemon wedges and sugar to serve

Method

Sift flour and baking powder into a large bowl. Stir in caster sugar and make a well in the centre.

Whisk the milk, eggs and butter together.

Add the milk mixture to the flour mixture, stirring gradually with a wooden spoon to form a smooth batter.

Cover and set aside for 10 minutes.

Heat a small non-stick frying pan over medium heat. Brush the base of the pan with a little of the extra melted butter.

Pour 1/3 cup of the batter into the pan. Use a spoon to spread out slightly. Reduce heat to low. Cook for 2-3 minutes or until bubbles appear on the surface. Turn and cook a further 2 minutes or until cooked through. Transfer to a plate.

Cover to keep warm. Repeat with the remaining pancake batter, greasing the pan between each pancake.
Serve warm with lemon and sugar.

Serving Suggestions

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How to cook the perfect pasta

Pasta is one of the quickest and easiest starches to serve at dinner time – but considering how simple it should be to make, it is surprisingly easy to cook it badly so that instead of ‘al dente’ pasta, you end up with a soggy pile of water-logged pasta.

Pasta is unleavened dough made with flour and water that sometimes has other ingredients added such as olive oil, eggs and vegetable extracts. There are two basic types of pasta – fresh and dried. While fresh pasta keeps for a few days in the refrigerator after being made, dried pasta can be stored for up to two years.

How to cook pasta

Bring a large pot of water to the boil. You will need one litre per 100g of pasta.
Add 1 teaspoon of salt per salt per litre. Return the water to the boil.
Add pasta to the boiling water. Cooking times depend on the type of pasta you are cooking. For dried pasta, refer to the package for a guide. Fresh pasta requires 2-4 minutes. Some pasta such as gnocchi and ravioli are considered to be cooked as they rise to the surface of rapidly boiling water.
Test the pasta by eating a piece – if it soft but gives a little resistance when chewed, it is ready. This is referred to in Italian as ‘al dente’, which means ‘to the tooth’.
As soon as the pasta is cooked, the cooking water should be drained to stop the cooking process.

Types of pasta

Pasta comes in many different shapes and sizes – each one perfectly suited to a particular use. Take the time to choose pasta carefully so that you match the variety of pasta with the dish you are going to serve.

Long pasta

Includes spaghetti, linguine, fettucine, capellini, spaghettini, vermicelli, bucatini, maccheroncini, ziti, bavettine, bavette, canalini, spaghetti alla chitarra, spaghetti rigati, bigoli, lasagne.

Short pasta

Includes penne rigate, penne, fusilli, tortigloni, macaroni, rigatoni, penne lisce, canneroni, fusilli, farfalle, spiralle, ricolli di Sfoglia, garganelli, torchietti, campanelle, gemelli, casarecce, gnocchi, castellane, radiortori, fiscarmoniche, riccoli, pipe rigate, conchigli rigate, orecchiette, ruote, spighe, pasta mista, ricciutelle, maltagliati.

Minute pasta

Includes lancette, farfalline, soprese, soprese lisce, quadretti, coralline, ditalini rigati, anellini, stelline, gratini, grattoni, tempestine, puntine, risi, midolline, risoni.

Egg pasta

Includes tagliolini, tagliatelle, paglia e fieno, tagliatelle con spinachi, parpardelle, parpardelle all’uovo.

Fresh pasta

Includes gnocchi.

Filled pasta

Includes agnolotti, ravioli, tortellini and cannelloni.

Pasta for baking

lasagne, cannelloni, conchiglioni, reginette.

Which pasta for which sauce?

While there are no hard and fast rules about which pasta goes with which sauce, as a general rule:

Thin delicate pastas require light sauces such as a pesto or light tomato sauce.
Thicker pasta like fettucine, bavette and linguine work well with heavier sauces like ragout (bolognaise) and carbonara.
Sauce with chunky ingredients such as mushrooms, bacon and vegetables are suited to spiral and tubular pastas that hold the sauce along the ridges of the pasta.
Lasagne sheets, penne, cannelloni tubes and macaroni are great for use in baking as they won’t collapse easily under high heat.
Tiny pasta such as like risoni and stelline(stars) work well in soups.

Tips for cooking perfect pasta

Plenty of rapidly boiling water is essential for fresh, clean tasting pasta.
Don’t be tempted to omit the salt when cooking pasta – you will end up with bland pasta. The salt also aids the pasta in absorbing water in the cooking process.
Some people like to add oil to the cooking water to stop the pasta sticking together but what it really does is stop the sauce sticking to the pasta.
Rinsing pasta after it’s cooked is of no real benefit unless you have cooked it in too little water and the pasta is a starchy mess.
If you are cooking pasta for pasta salad, make sure you remove it from the cooking water immediately and run it under cold water so the pasta stops cooking and retains its bite.
Do not break pasta that is too long for the pot. Just sit it in and let the heat ‘melt’ it down until it’s under the surface of the water.

Pastitsio

Ingredients

2 tbsp olive oil
1 onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, crushed
750g beef mince
400g can diced tomatoes
½ cup beef stock
½ cup water
1/3 cup tomato paste
¼ cup white wine
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 egg, lightly beaten

Macaroni base

250g macaroni pasta
3/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
2 eggs, lightly beaten

Cheese sauce

90g butter, chopped
½ cup plain flour
3½ cups milk
1 cup grated parmesan cheese
2 egg yolks
¼ tsp nutmeg
2 tbsp dry breadcrumbs

Method

Preheat oven to moderate, 180C. Lightly grease 6-8 ramekins or a large ovenproof dish.

Heat oil in a large frying pan on high. Saute onions and garlic for 2-3 minutes until tender.

Add mince. Cook, stirring, for 4-5 minutes until browned.

Stir in tomatoes, stock, water, tomato paste, wine and cinnamon. Bring to boil.

Reduce heat, simmer for 20-25 minutes until liquid has almost evaporated. Remove from heat and cool.

Stir in egg and season to taste.

For the macaroni base, cook pasta according to packet instructions. Drain well.

In a large bowl, combine pasta, cheese and egg.

To make the cheese sauce, melt the butter in saucepan on medium heat. Blend in flour. Cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Remove from heat.

Gradually stir in milk until smooth. Return to heat and cook, stirring, for 1-2 minutes until mixture boils and thickens. Simmer for 3 minutes. Cool slightly.

Stir in cheese, egg yolks and nutmeg.

Press pasta into base of prepared dishes.

Top with meat sauce. Spread cheese sauce over. Sprinkle with breadcrumbs.

Bake 25-30 minutes (ramekins) or 50-60 minutes (large dish) until firm and lightly browned. Stand for 5 minutes before serving.

Notes:

Feel free to vary the type of pasta used, I like to buy lots of penne to keep on hand since my family likes penne the best, but be sure to choose a pasta with a hole in it so the meat and sauce goes inside.
This recipe is even better the day after!
A really smart idea is to make this in the little ramekins at the beginning of a busy week so you can pull them out of the fridge and pop them straight into the oven on one of those nights when you just can’t face cooking.

Serving Suggestions

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Ham and Pineapple Melt

Ingredients

1 loaf Turkish, focaccia, or your favourite bread
2 tsp red pepper pesto or relish
250 g mozzarella, sliced thinly
8 slices shaved ham
1 red onion, sliced
½ fresh pineapple, cut into wedges
basil leaves for garnish

Method

Cut the bread into large pieces; then cut each piece in half.

Place cut side up under a preheated grill and grill until golden brown.

Spread each piece with red pepper pesto or relish. Top with mozzarella, ham, red onion slices, and pineapple wedges. Place another slice of mozzarella on top of the pineapple.

Grill until the cheese has melted and is slightly golden.

Garnish with basil leaves and serve immediately.

Serving Suggestions

Note

This recipe was bought to you by Dole.

Easy Teriyaki Beef

Ingredients

500g rump steak, thinly sliced and fat removed
1 tablespoon ginger, minced
1 teaspoon garlic, minced
2 teaspoons soy sauce
3 teaspoons mirin seasoning (available in the international section of supermarkets)
2 teaspoons sesame oil
2 teaspoons brown sugar
1 tablespoon oil
1 medium brown onion, sliced
1 cup capsicum, chopped
2 cups Chinese broccoli (regular broccoli will be fine it just needs to be cooked a little longer)

Serve with:

Boiled rice

Method

In a small bowl combine the ginger, garlic, soy sauce, mirin, sesame oil and brown sugar, stir to combine then put to one side.

Heat wok on high heat until very hot.

In two batches, add onions and beef strips to the wok together with oil. Sprinkle with salt and pepper, toss to combine then sear in wok until meat is brown.

Once all the meat is browned, reheat wok until very hot and add vegetables, saute with lid on until wilted, tossing occasionally.

Add meat and onions followed by the sauce mixture. Stir to combine, pop the lid back on and simmer for 2-3 minutes over a medium heat, tossing to combine.

Remove from heat and serve with boiled rice.

Notes

There is something about greens and ginger that make me feel good inside.
This is a fast and tasty recipe you can whip up on a cool evening. Its even better if you follow it up with the Lemon delicious pudding!
Recipe created by Camilla Baker for Kidspot, New Zealands best recipe finder.

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Lulu’s cheese puffs

Ingredients

1 cup of self-raising flour
2 cups of grated cheese, any sort of hard cheese
1 egg beaten
1/2 cup of milk

Method

Preheat oven to 180C. Sift flour into a large bowl.

Mix in all other ingredients using a wooden spoon, adding the milk last to bind.

Mix well to ensure even combination, particularly the flour and milk to the mixture should be quite sticky.

Grease a muffin tin, or baking sheet and set aside.

Use a tablespoon to pop golf ball-sized amounts into the tin or onto the sheet.

Bake for approx. 10 minutes.

Cool in tray for five minutes then pop out separating edges of each puff with knife from tray. Serve immediately.

Notes:

These puffs are divine with parmesan, tasty cheese and a glass of red wine.
You can serve the puffs with butter as well.
Feel free to add a small tin of corn kernels or even chopped chili to this recipe for a different flavour.

Serving Suggestions

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Apple and hazelnut crumble

Ingredients

8 Granny Smith apples
1 tsp cinnamon
4 tbsp caster sugar
juice of one lemon
1/2 cup brown sugar
125g butter, softened
1 1/3 cup plain flour
1/2 cup roasted hazelnuts, roughly chopped

Method

Preheat oven to 180°C or 160°C fan-forced. Grease an ovenproof dish and set aside.

Peel and core the apples. Place in a saucepan with the cinnamon, caster sugar and lemon juice and stir well. Cook over medium for ten minutes, stirring regularly until the apple pieces have softened but still keep their shape.

To make the crumble, mix the brown sugar, butter and flour together with your fingers, working the ingredients into a fine sand-like mixture (this is a great job for the kids to do). Stir through the hazelnuts.

Pour the apples into a baking dish, top with the crumble mixture and bake for 30 minutes or until the crumble is golden. Serve with ice cream and/or vanilla custard.

Notes:

You can double the crumble mixture and stash half in a resealable bag in the freezer. It’s a great shortcut to an easy dessert as you can just tip the crumbs (straight from the freezer) over any fruit you have handy. We had this with plain custard.
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.

Find more crumble recipes:

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Hazelnut buttermilk and banana bread

Ingredients

1/3 cup (75g) butter, room temperature
1/2 cup (100g) brown sugar
1/3 cup (75g) fresh hazelnut butter
2 large free range eggs
2 cups (300g) wholemeal self-raising flour
4 tbsp raw cacao powder (or cocoa powder)
3 bananas, mashed
1/2 cup (125ml) buttermilk

Method

Preheat oven to 180°C conventional (160°C fan-forced) and line a loaf tin with baking paper.

Cream butter and sugar together until pale and fluffy, add the hazelnut butter and beat a couple of minutes more.

Then add the eggs, one at a time, incorporating the first one well before adding the second.

Fold through the flour and cacao powder then the bananas and buttermilk.

Mix gently until just combined, then spoon into the loaf tin and bake for 40 minutes or until cooked through.

Find more bread recipes

Serving Suggestions

Note

You can find hazelnut butter at your local health food store.
Hazelnut butter may be swapped with almond butter or good quality peanut butter.
You can push a skewer into the centre to test if this loaf is done. If the skewer comes out clean, it's ready.
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.

Sausage kebabs

Makes 8

Ingredients

1 small red onion
1 medium zucchini
500g chipolata sausages (approx. 16)
8 cherry tomatoes
2 tsp olive oil

Method

Preheat oven to 200å¡C (180å¡C fan-forced).

Peel onion and slice into 8 wedges. Cut zucchini into 8 thick rounds. Thread a wedge of onion and a round of zucchini onto 8 bamboo skewers. Next, thread 2 chipolatas, bending them so the skewer pierces both ends of each sausage. Finally, top with a cherry tomato.

Lay the kebabs on an oven tray lined with baking paper. Brush or drizzle over olive oil and season well. Bake for 20 minutes, turning halfway through to ensure they are browned all over.

Serve with salad and some tomato sauce or chutney on the side.

Find related sausage recipes

Serving Suggestions

Note

Choose whatever veggies you like for these kebabs. Capsicum, eggplant or sweet corn on the cob would all be great.
You could cook these on the barbecue if you prefer. It would be best to soak the skewers for 20 minutes in water if you are going to cook these on the barbecue so the skewers don’t catch alight.
This recipe was created for Kidspot, New ZealandÛªsåÊbest recipe finderåÊby Greer Worsley, who blogs atåÊTypically Red.

Malted honey and apricot smoothie

Ingredients

425ml canned apricot nectar
2 teaspoons honey
2 tablespoons Malted Milk Powder
2 scoops Vanilla ice cream
ice cubes

Method

Place all ingredients in a blender and blend until frothy.

Drink immediately.

Find more:

Chicken and snow pea stir-fry

Ingredients

2 teaspoons oil
500g chicken tenderloins
1 medium onion, halved and sliced
125g snow peas, sliced
half a cup cashews (100g)
2 tablespoons hoisin sauce

Method

Heat oil in a wok, add half the chicken. Stir fry until brown on all sides, then transfer to a plate. Cook the remaining chicken and transfer to the plate.

Stir-fry the onion for about 2 minutes until translucent, then add chicken, snowpeas and hoisin sauce. Stir until snow peas are bright green.

Serve with steamed rice and garnished with cashews.

Notes:

Chicken is relatively expensive, I bought tenderloins on special, but you could use thigh fillets for a cheaper option.
Add some carrots or capsicum to increase the vegetable content.
A combination of soy sauce, hoisin and sweet chilli sauce is also tasty.

Serving Suggestions

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Homemade Beef Cheeseburgers | Fakeaways

Make these homemade cheeseburgers for a fun family dinner that everyone will love! Adapt the fillings to your family’s tastes and maybe serve with some fries for your own homemade takeaway.

Ingredients

1 kg mince
half a cup cornflake crumbs
2 tablespoons tomato paste
2 tablespoons pesto
2 eggs
1 carrot, finely grated
10 slices cheese
100g mixed lettuce leaves
10 hamburger buns

Method

Place mince, cornflake crumbs, tomato paste, pesto, eggs and carrot in a bowl and mix well to combine.

If the mixture is a bit dry and not holding together, add a bit of cold water.

Divide mixture into 10 heaps and squish into hamburger shapes.

Now dont laugh, but I actually weigh out 120g mixture (60g for kids) and use this groovy 1970s hamburger press mum gave me hey presto, perfectly round, flat hamburgers the same size! But thats me.

Heat a non-stick frypan to a medium-high heat and cook your messy/neat burgers for about 5 minutes each side or until cooked through.

Turn heat down a bit if necessary to avoid the classic burnt burger.

You might need to do this in two batches.

Slice buns in half, top with lettuce, then cheese, then burger and your sauce of choice.

Notes:

Replace the cornflake crumbs with breadcrumbs if you prefer the crumbs keep moisture in the hamburgers.
Add a finely chopped onion if your family can cope with that!
Use a large scone cutter to cut smaller rounds from hamburger buns.
I make very, very flat hamburgers for my I dont do chewing child.
Added bonus is that they look like burgers from our dear friends at the golden arches.
Salad is almost blasphemy as far as my children are concerned, so I often sneak in a very finely grated zucchini as well as the carrot and then I am happy for them to win and have no lettuce.
Recipe created by Melissa Hughes for Kidspot.

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Chicken korma

Ingredients

1 cup Greek yoghurt
1/4 cup korma curry paste
500g chicken thigh fillets
20ml (1 tbsp) vegetable oil
1 brown onion, finely sliced
1 tin (400g) diced tomatoes
coriander, rice and naan bread, to serve

Method

Combine the yoghurt and curry paste in a bowl, spoon into a large plastic zip-lock bag and add the chicken, squishing it around so the yoghurt and curry paste cover the chicken entirely.

Place in the fridge for 30 minutes to 12 hours. Heat the vegetable oil in a wok, add the onion and cook for a couple of minutes, add the chicken, reduce heat and simmer for 15 minutes.

Add the tomatoes, stir well and cook for another 5 minutes.

Serve with coriander leaves, rice and warm naan bread.

Find more chicken recipes:

Serving Suggestions

Note

You can pop the chicken in the fridge to marinate before you head off to work and it'll be nicely marinated by the time you get home.
Korma curry paste can be found in any supermarket in the International food section.
Thigh fillets are the best chicken cut for this curry. They are flavoursome in comparison to the breast.
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.

Three-days-to-payday spicy mince pasties

Ingredients

1 small onion, finely chopped
500 beef mince
1pkt taco seasoning
1 cup of tomato puree
2 sheets frozen puff pastry
1 egg, beaten with a splash of milk

Method

Set the sheets of pastry aside to defrost.

Heat a non-stick frying pan and add the onion. Cook over medium heat until transluscent, about 5 mins. Add the mince and cook until browned.

Add the packet of taco seasoning and mix through the mince and onions until thoroughly combined.

Add the tomato puree and mix through. Turn down heat and allow to simmer, occasionally stirring, for 20 minutes.

Preheat oven to 180C.

Take out two baking trays and line with baking paper. Lie a sheet of pasty across each tray and remove the plastic backing sheet.

Remove the mince from the heat and even divide it between the two pasty sheets. Spoon the mince in a long thick sausage shape down the middle of the pasty sheet.

Take up the edges of the pasty and bring them together on top of the cooked mince to make a large sausage roll shape. Pinch together the ends of the roll and where the pasty meets in the middle.

Slash three air vents into the pastry and, using a pastry brush, paint with the egg wash.

Put in the oven to cook for approx. 20 mins or until the pastry has browned and puffed up. Remove from the oven, slice and serve immediately.

Notes:

I made this recipe up when I was first married and my teen-aged step-son was living with us. We were super-poor and I think I just couldn’t face another taco dinner. I looked at what I had in the pantry and came up with this. And it was delicious!
The tomato puree transforms this from being simply a large taco in pastry!
The spice in the taco mix in enough to give a little tang without being overwhelming. My kids have never had any trouble eating this dish and they aren’t much into spicy food.
The mince mixture shouldn’t be too wet when you add it to the pastry – if you have a lot of liquid in your mince, drain it off or you’ll end up with very soggy pastry!
This recipe was created by Ella Walsh for Kidspot, New Zealand’s best recipe finder.

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Snappy crab sandwich

Ingredients

1 slice of bread
1 slice of ham
peel of 1/2 small cucumber
1/2 small cucumber, unpeeled
2 carrots, peeled and sliced lengthways
2 raisins

Method

Using the photo as a guide, cut the crab shell from the bread and another crab shell shape from the ham.

Cut some thin strands of cucumber peel to make the eye stalks.

Form the carrot into shapes for the nippers and legs.

Assemble the crab on a large plate, attaching the raisin eyes to the stalks. Finally, cut out little fish shapes from the cucumber peel for the detail.

Find other cute sandwich recipes

Serving Suggestions

Note

Make a whole beach scene on the plate with other fruit and veggies such as celery, sliced mushrooms or cherry tomatoes.
Create a few more cute little cucumber ‘under-the-sea’ friends to keep your snappy crab company.
This recipe was created by Pip Lincolne for Kidspot, New Zealand’s best recipe finder.

Hamburger on sourdough

Ingredients

2 spanish onions
2 tbsp olive oil
2 tsbp balsamic vinegar
1 tbsp brown sugar
500g beef mince
1/2 white onion, finely diced
1 egg
150g cheddar cheese, grated
2 tomatoes, sliced
1 small tin beetroot, drained
1 avocado
1 loaf sourdough bread

Method

In a small saucepan, heat the olive oil.

Once hot, add the spanish onion and cook for a minute or two. Turn the heat down and add the balsamic vinegar and brown sugar and combine.

Simmer on a low heat for 15 mins, stirring occasionally. Once the onions have become very soft and dark, tip into a small serving bowl.

Meanwhile, combine the mince, egg and diced white onion in a bowl.

Once combined, shape the mixture into small rissoles.

Heat a littl oil in a frying pan and once hot, place the rissoles in the pan.

Cook over a medium heat, turning once.

Remove from pan.
Serve with the caramelised onions, sourdough bread, tomatoes, beetroot, avocado and cheese.

Notes:

- I like to put each ingredient into a separate bowl so my family can help themselves and make their own personalised hamburger.
- I use bread instead of traditional rolls because I find the rolls are just too big for little mouths and the entire contents of the hamburger always falls out onto the plate.
- I mash the avocado into a guacamole-style paste (and add a little squeeze of lemon juice to it) so it can be spread on the bread instead of butter.

Related mince recipes:

This recipe was created by Ella Walsh for Kidspot, New Zealand’s best recipe finder.

Serving Suggestions

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Skinny spaghetti

Ingredients

200g thin spaghetti
1/2 cup continental parsley, chopped
3 tbsp breadcrumbs
2 tsp garlic salt
1 tsp cracked black pepper
3 tsp extra virgin olive oil
juice of one lemon
1 punnet Perino tomatoes or any cherry tomatoes, halved
parmesan cheese to serve

Method

Step 1. Cook pasta according to packet directions and leave in water until ready to use.

Step 2. In a large bowl combine the parsley, breadcrumbs, salt and pepper.

Step 3. Lift the wet pasta from the water and add to the bowl with olive oil and lemon juice. Toss together until well coated.

Step 4. Add tomatoes and season well with salt and pepper. Garnish with parmesan cheese and serve.

Find related healthy dinner recipes

Serving Suggestions

Note

I gather the ingredients while the pasta is cooking and set the table so I can eat this warm. But it is also very nice cold.
Instead of draining the pasta I like to lift the pasta from the pot and add it to the bowl so it's still wet. This helps to distribute all of the flavours.
Perino tomatoes are small oval snacking tomatoes but any cherry or pear tomatoes will do the job, so long as they are ripe.
This recipe was created by Jennifer Cheung for Kidspot, New Zealand's best recipe finder.

Fruit and oat squares

Ingredients

1 cup rolled oats
1 cup desiccated coconut
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup plain flour
½ cup sultanas
½ cup apricots, chopped
125g unsalted butter
2 tablespoons water
2 tablespoons golden syrup
1 teaspoon bicarb soda

Method

Preheat oven to 180°C and butter a lamington tray (24cm x 29cm). Combine all dry ingredients in a large bowl.

In a small saucepan combine butter, water and golden syrup, warm over a low heat until butter has melted.

Add bicarb soda, there will be a wonderful fizzing – the magic of cooking! – and pour into dry ingredients.

Mix until well combined. Press into prepared tray and cook for 10-15 minutes until golden.

Notes:

In the picture I have substituted the apricots with ½ cup chopped chocolate (um-ah, I know).
The hot butter mixture melts the chocolate to give that wonderful colour.
Wet your finger tips with water to stop the mixture sticking to your hands when you press it into the tray.

Serving Suggestions

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Satay sauce

Ingredients

2 teaspoons vegetable oil
half a brown onion, grated
1 garlic clove, minced
2 teaspoons ginger, minced
Good pinch of turmeric
Pinch of ground cloves
Pinch of cinnamon, ground
half a cup coconut milk
half a cup peanut butter (crunchy or smooth)
2 kaffir lime leaves (optional)
2 tablespoons warm water
1 teaspoon fish sauce

Method

On a low heat in a small saucepan, heat oil and fry grated onion, garlic and ginger until onion for about 2 minutes, until it is transparent.

Add spices and cook for a further 2 minutes to let the flavours release.

Remove from heat and add coconut milk, crushed lime leaves (optional) and peanut butter. Stir until well combined then bring back to the heat to warm through. Do not let it come to a boil.

Once hot take from the heat and add fish sauce and warm water. Stir to combine then serve.

Notes

This sauce is very versatile. It can be stored in the fridge for 5 days and then reheated in the microwave.
It will set firm, so just add a little extra warm water to thin it out.
To help save time just before a party, make this 1-2 days ahead for ease and extra flavour.
You can also add chilli flakes to this recipe if you would like an added boost of heat.
Recipe created by Camilla Baker for Kidspot, New Zealand’s best recipe finder.

Serving Suggestions

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Lemon and garlic prawn pasta

4-6 serves

Ingredients

6L boiling water
2 tbsp salt
1 pkt (454g) angel hair pasta
1/3 cup (80ml) olive oil
1/3 cup (80g) butter
12 cloves garlic, chopped
1 tsp chilli flakes (optional)
500g green prawns with tail on
1/2 bunch continental parsley, chopped
1/2 cup (125ml) lemon juice

Method

Step 1. Gather all ingredients.

Step 2. Boil water, add salt and pasta and cook for 4 minutes, drain and set aside.

Step 3. In a frying pan, heat olive oil and butter over medium heat. Add garlic and chilli and fry for 1 minute.

Step 4. Add prawns to the pan and cook for 2 minutes each side. Add parsley to the pan and stir.. Turn off heat and add pasta to the frying pan. Add lemon juice and toss well to coat all of the pasta in the garlic butter. Season well with fresh cracked salt and pepper.

More pasta recipes:

Serving Suggestions

Note

I really like to add a punnet of sliced up grape or cherry tomatoes into this recipe to give it a fresh flavour and add some vegetable in.
If I was serving this to toddlers I would omit the chilli flakes but older children seem to be able to handle this amount of chilli.
If the weather is warm then this Avocado and prawn salad is a great light meal.
This Classic prawn cocktail is great entree for dinner parties.
These Creamy garlic prawns have a touch of cream and basil and are perfect served with rice.
These Fresh prawns with two dips are perfect to share with friends over a glass of wine.
If you are looking to add something special to your pizza then this Garlic prawn pizza is a delicious choice.
These Prawn and avocado stacks combine tabouli and avocadoes for a fresh entree.
This Prawn and lemon risotto has similar flavours to this pasta but is made with arborio rice.
Make these traditional Chinese favourite with prawns: There is Prawn toasts that are deep fried and delicious, Prawn pot sticker dumplings that are super-easy to make and Honey prawns that your kids will love.
This recipe was created by Jennifer Cheung for Kidspot, New Zealand’s best recipe finder.

Rainbow cupcakes

Ingredients

2 cups plain flour, sifted
1½ cups sugar
1 tbsp baking powder
¾ cup milk
1 tsp vanilla extract
125g butter, softened
3 eggs, lightly beaten

Food colouring

red
yellow
pink
green
orange
purple
blue

Buttercream icing

200g butter, softened
2 1/2 cups icing sugar mixture
2 tbsp vanilla extract
2 tbsp milk

Method

Preheat oven to 180°C or 160°C fan-forced. Line 2 x 12 cup cupcake tins with liners and set aside.

To make the cake batter, place the flour, sugar and baking powder into a bowl. Using a mixer, beat in the milk, vanilla, butter and eggs until combined. Beat for 4 minutes.

Divide the mixture evenly between seven bowls. Using the food colouring, tint each bowl of mixture the colours of the rainbow.

Starting with red, drop 1 teaspoon of mixture into each liner. Repeat with each colour until the trays are full.

Bake for 15-20 minutes or until centre of cakes bounce back after being touched lightly.

Remove from tins and cool on a wire rack until ready to frost.

Icing

With an electric mixer, beat the butter until it is pale and fluffy. Gradually beat in the vanilla and icing mixture, half a cup at a time. Beat in the milk at the end until well incorporated.

Frost each cupcake with the icing. I used a fancy nozzle and an icing bag but a nice thick coating will look just as good.

Notes:

This is a no-fuss cake mix. You can flavour it with any essences that you have on hand. I like to use strawberry flavour.
Food colouring and amounts are up to your own discretion. You can use liquid or gel colouring for this recipe. Just add a little at a time and mix until you have the colour that you want. I used red and blue to make purple batter and red and yellow to make orange batter.
Drop each measure of batter directly into the centre of the cupcake liners to create the layers.
Avoid giving these cupcakes to anyone with sensitivity to food colouring. You can try using natural food colouring but you won’t get the same vibrant end result.
If you want chocolate icing instead of buttercream icing just add 1/3 cup of sifted cocoa powder to the mixture an omit the vanilla.
This recipe was created by Jennifer Cheung for Kidspot, New Zealand’s best recipe finder.

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Serving Suggestions

Note

Chicken and sugar snap pea stir fry

Ingredients

2 teaspoons olive oil (sesame oil if you have it)
500g chicken breast fillet, sliced
1 onion, thinly sliced
150g sugar snap peas, trimmed
½ cup slivered almonds
2 tablespoons hoisin sauce

Method

Heat 1 teaspoon of oil in a wok, add half the chicken.

Stir fry until brown on all sides, then transfer to a plate.

Cook the remaining chicken and transfer to the plate.

Wipe out the wok with some paper towel and add the remaining teaspoon of oil.

Stir-fry the onion for about 2 minutes until translucent, then add peas and almonds.

Keep stirring so the almonds don’t burn, then add chicken and hoisin sauce and heat through.

Serve with steamed rice.

Notes:

I sneak extra veggies into this stir fry—whatever you can get away with! I usually add zucchini or capsicum sticks. Add just before the sugar snap peas.
My kids are currently fascinated with chopsticks and are trying things they would not normally eat so they can use them.Mostly.
And then there is nothing wrong with eating chicken schnitzel with chopsticks.
Recipe created by Melissa Hughes for Kidspot.

Serving Suggestions

Note

Tiramisu

Ingredients

250g mascarpone
250g ricotta
1 egg
2 tablespoons caster sugar
å_ cup (180mL) strong espresso coffee (or 3 teaspoons instant coffee granules dissolved in å_ cup boiling water)
80mL (1/3 cup) coffee liqueur (e.g. Kahlua, TiaMaria)
10-12 sponge fingers (Savoiardi, 250g packet)
2 teaspoons cocoa powder or grated chocolate, to dust

Method

Use an electric mixer to beat the mascarpone, ricotta, egg and sugar for 1-2 minutes or until the sugar dissolves. Set aside.

Combine the coffee and liqueur in a bowl. Dip sponge fingers into the coffee mixture, then place in a single layer in a 2L (8-cup) glass bowl or individual dishes.

Spread the mascarpone mixture over the layer of sponge fingers. Repeat layering with the sponge fingers and coffee mixture, then the mascarpone mixture.

Depending on the size of your bowl, you will make 2 or 3 layers.

Smooth the surface and dust evenly with the cocoa powder. Cover and refrigerate for at least 4 hours or overnight to allow the sponge fingers to soften and the flavours to develop.

Notes:

Wow, this is sensational. When you slice it up into servings, there are lots of lovely layers to admire, briefly, as you demolish every last mouthful!
A great dessert to follow Mozzarella meatballls.
You could use decaffeinated coffee and / or make an alcohol-free tiramisu (increase the coffee to 330mL [1 1/3 cups] and omit the liqueur).
Recipe created by Melissa Hughes for Kidspot.

Banana bread muffins

Ingredients

125g melted butter
4 ripe bananas, mashed
1 tsp vanilla essence
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1 cup brown sugar
2 cups wholemeal self-raising flour

Method

Preheat oven to 180°C.

Line 12-hole muffin/cupcake pan with paper cases.

Mix butter, mashed bananas, vanilla essence, beaten eggs and sugar in a bowl.

Stir in flour until just combined.

Spoon into a paper cases and bake for 20 minutes or until golden.

Notes

You could add half a teaspoon of cinnamon to the mixture if you want to be a little bit fancy.
I like to mash my bananas so they are still a bit chunky (rather than a smooth paste) so you get little bits of banana speckled through the muffins.
This recipe was created by Alana House for Kidspot, New Zealand

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Serving Suggestions

Note

Halloween skeleton cupcakes

12 cupcakes

Ingredients

12 basic vanilla cupcakes
1 quantity chocolate buttercream icing
12 white marshmallows
1 tube black writing icing
1 tube white writing icing

Method

Spread each cupcake with chocolate buttercream icing.

Now slice a thin round sliver off the top of a marshmallow to create the skeleton’s face.

Pop the round sliver onto the edge of the cupcake, leave room for the body.

Use the white writing icing to draw the skeleton’s body.

Use black writing icing to draw on a face.

Notes:

Thanks to our sister company Kidspot Australia for creating the instructional video.
If you find making a quantity of buttercream icing just one step too far on a busy day, buy a can of Betty Crocker buttercream icing at the supermarket instead.
If you use a palate knife, you will get a nice even coating of icing.
These Halloween witches hats are filled with a cute surprise.
Keep the dentist AND the kids happy with these chompy Halloween teeth.
These Fairy wands are for the GOOD witch in your house unless you switch the colours to black and orange.
These Halloween Band aid biscuits just look icky and will have your guests grossed out in no time.
Looking for something to make you squirm? How about a cupcake that is looking right back at you like these Halloween eyeball cupcakes.
They are creepy and crawly and a little bit scary but these Red back spider biscuits are also delicious.
These scary Watermelon fangs will have you shaking in your boots with watermelon juice dripping from your vampire grin.
These Halloween severed finger biscuits are creep and kooky and best of all they taste delicious.
If you have carved your pumpkin and have lots of leftover pulp then these Halloween pumpkin cupcakes are for you.
You can have these delicious Halloween fangs on the party table in no times and they are deliciously filled with peanut butter.
Want some icky worms in dirt for your party table? These Halloween jelly worms are perfect.
Get some ghoulish party fare on the table with these Tombstone cupcakes.
A health Halloween snack could not be easier than this bright Veggie skeleton dip platter.
Get out the fake spider webs and spread them around these delicious Oreo spider cupcakes.
This recipe was created by Penny Flanagan for Kidspot, New Zealand’s best recipe finder.

Serving Suggestions

Note

Toasted Hawaiian Wrap Melts

Makes 6 wedges

Ingredients

½ cup pineapple pieces
1 slice champagne ham, roughly chopped
½ cup grated Tasty cheddar cheese
2 x Tip Top Supersoft or Oatilicious wraps

Method

Arrange the pineapple, ham and cheese evenly over a wrap.

Cover with the remaining wrap.

Carefully lift and place in a toasted sandwich maker, close the lid and toast until golden and the cheese is bubbling.

Cut into wedges and serve.

Find more Tip Top Wrap recipe ideas:

Serving Suggestions

Note

Chicken and corn chowder

Ingredients

large chicken breast (diced)
2 potatoes (peeled and diced)
1 – 2 cups water
1 chicken stock cube (optional)
1 can creamed corn (440g)

Method

Place all ingredients in a large saucepan.

Bring to boil and then simmer until chicken cooked through and potatoes tender.

Blend. Suitable to freeze small portions.

Serving Suggestions

Note

Easy moroccan chicken with couscous

Ingredients

50g pine nuts
500g chicken breast or thigh fillet, cut into 2cm dice
¼ cup flour, seasoned with salt and pepper
3 tablespoons olive oil
2 onions, sliced
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon ground mild paprika
1 teaspoon ground coriander
¼ cup sultanas
1 cup (250mL) chicken stock
¼ cup chopped fresh coriander or flat-leaf parsley
1 lemon, juiced
2 cups couscous
2 cups water or chicken stock
Thick natural yoghurt, to serve

Method

Heat a large non-stick pan over medium-high heat. Add pinenuts, stirring constantly, until just starting to colour. Transfer pinenuts to a plate.

Place seasoned flour in a large bowl, add chicken and toss to coat. Add one tablespoon of oil to the frypan, increase heat to high and cook half the chicken until golden. Transfer cooked chicken to a plate. Repeat with another tablespoon of oil and remaining chicken.

Heat remaining tablespoon of oil in pan. Add onions, reduce heat to medium and cook, stirring frequently, for 10 minutes or until golden and softened. Add cooked chicken to frypan with spices, sultanas and one cup of stock. Bring to boil, then reduce heat to low and cook for 5-10 minutes until heated through and thickened. Just before serving, stir in pine nuts, coriander and lemon juice.

To prepare couscous, bring 2 cups of stock or water to the boil in a small saucepan, stir in couscous and olive oil and turn off heat. Leave for 5 minutes, then use a fork to separate the couscous grains.

Serve chicken with couscous and yoghurt.

Notes:

This dish elicited two “Oh, wow”s from my husband: on the first presentation and upon the quick reheat in the microwave two nights later (I was having a Big Night Out helping at the school disco!). It is not hot-spicy, so the kids will love it too.
If you don’t have all these spices or don’t want to buy them all, you could substitute with two teaspoons of Moroccan Seasoning spice.
I prefer to toast my own pinenuts, but you can pay a bit more and buy them already toasted.
Make this gluten-free using gluten-free plain flour and stock and serving with rice instead of couscous.
Recipe created by Melissa Hughes for Kidspot.

Serving Suggestions

Note

Meatball macaroni and cheese

This unusual pasta bake has layers of yummy meatballs, creamy sauce, and pasta for a filling dinner that the whole family will love. Make two and pop one in the freezer so you always have a tasty meal to hand.

Serving Suggestions

Note

Ingredients

200g mince
half a small onion, finely chopped
half a cup basil, or parsley
1/3 cup breadcrumbs, plus a half cup more for topping

50g butter, plus 1 teaspoon for buttering dish and 2 tablespoons more for topping
3 tablespoons flour
3 cups milk
salt and pepper to taste
1 cup tasty cheese, grated
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
250g macaroni or any small pasta, cooked and cooled

Method

In a mixing bowl, mix together the mince, onions, herbs and 1/3 cup breadcrumbs.

Roll into 3cm balls and place onto a plate or baking sheet and chill in the fridge.

Preheat oven to 180C. Butter a lasagne dish with the 1 teaspoon butter and set aside.

In a heavy-based saucepan over a medium heat, melt the 50g butter. Once melted, add flour to the pan and stir to make a paste.

Gradually whisk milk in, adding salt and pepper to taste. Keep whisking until it begins to bubble and thicken then stir cheese through until melted and remove from heat.

In a frying pan, bring the oil to a medium heat and brown the meatballs on all sides, setting them aside once browned.

Melt the last 2 tbsp butter and mix the last half a cup of breadcrumbs through.

Layer half the pasta, then the cheesy sauce, then pasta, the meatballs and lastly, pour over the remaining cheese sauce.

Top with breadcrumbs and bake for 20-25 minutes until top is golden brown. Serve immediately.

Notes:

This really needs to be served with a green salad of some sort as its really rich.
This reminds me of a cheese-burger type bake – really yum!
I used some thick alphabet pasta I had leftover in the pantry and it was really cute!
This recipe was created by Kristine Duran-Thiessen for Kidspot, New Zealand’s best recipe finder

Serving Suggestions

Note

Sweet chilli rolls

Notes

Lemon and sugar pancakes

How to cook pasta

Types of pasta

Long pasta

Short pasta

Minute pasta

Egg pasta

Fresh pasta

Filled pasta

Pasta for baking

Which pasta for which sauce?

Tips for cooking perfect pasta

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Make these homemade cheeseburgers for a fun family dinner that everyone will love! Adapt the fillings to your family’s tastes and maybe serve with some fries for your own homemade takeaway.

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Rainbow cupcakes

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Chicken and sugar snap pea stir fry

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Tiramisu

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Banana bread muffins

Notes

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Halloween skeleton cupcakes

Notes:

Toasted Hawaiian Wrap Melts

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Chicken and corn chowder

Easy moroccan chicken with couscous

Notes:

Meatball macaroni and cheese

This unusual pasta bake has layers of yummy meatballs, creamy sauce, and pasta for a filling dinner that the whole family will love. Make two and pop one in the freezer so you always have a tasty meal to hand.

Meatball macaroni and cheese

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