Sesame beef stir-fry with baby corn
Serves:
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup (125ml) soy sauce
- 2 tsp sesame oil
- 2 garlic cloves, peeled and finely chopped
- 500g sirloin steak, a couple of centimetres thick
- 2 tbsp vegetable oil
- 1/2 tsp brown sugar
- 3 tbsp brown rice vinegar
- 1 large brown onion, sliced
- 1 medium-sized head of broccoli, cut into little florets
- 6 ears of baby corn
- 3 tbsp sesame seeds, lightly toasted
- 2 spring onions, finely chopped
- steamed rice to serve
Method
Mix half of the soy sauce, sesame oil and garlic together in a bowl and add the steak. Set aside to marinate for half an hour.
Heat a frying pan on medium-high heat, then add the oil and cook the steaks for 3 minutes on each side (for medium-rare). Transfer to a plate, cover with foil and let it rest while you cook the rest of the meal.
Mix together the remaining soy sauce, brown sugar and the vinegar and set aside. Return the frying pan to the heat, add a little more oil and cook the onions for five minutes or until softened. Add the broccoli and baby corn and stir fry for a couple more minutes or until just tender.
Finally, pour in the soy and rice vinegar mixture and toss to combine. Slice the steak into thin strips and add this to the stir-fried vegetables. Sprinkle with the sesame seeds and spring onions and serve with steamed rice.
Find related stir-fry recipes
Serving Suggestions
Note
- If you can't get fresh baby corn, you can use tinned baby corn in its place.
- To lightly toast sesame seeds, swirl them around a non-stick pan over a medium heat for a minute or two until lightly golden. Keep a close eye on them – they risk becoming burnt sesame seeds extremely quickly!
- You can swap the baby corn with sliced carrots, celery, capsicum or other vegetables if you prefer.
- For a different take, try serving with egg noodles instead of rice.
- This is also delicious to eat the next day, so make a double-batch for school or a work lunch!
- 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.
Chicken and antipasto rice
Serves:
Serves 2-4
Ingredients
- 1 cup (200g) brown rice
- 2 cups (500ml) water
- 2 chicken breast fillets
- 1 x 225g jar antipasto vegetables in oil
Method
Place rice and 2 cups of water in a saucepan. Bring to the boil, reduce heat to lowest setting, cover with a lid and allow to simmer until water has been completely absorbed, approximately 20 minutes. Turn off heat and leave covered for 5-10 minutes.
Meanwhile, slice chicken fillets horizontally into thin escallops. Place in a bowl and pour over some of the oil from the antipasto, ensuring it is well coated.
Heat a non-stick frypan over medium heat. Fry chicken for 1-2 minutes on each side until just cooked through. Set aside and keep warm.
Remove vegetables from oil and dice. Pour one tablespoon of remaining oil into the frypan and add vegetables and cooked rice. Stir to combine and warm through.
Distribute rice between serving bowls and top with chicken.
Find more chicken recipes:
Serving Suggestions
Note
- Antipasto is available in the supermarket. Alternatively, you could buy a selection from the deli.
- Substitute brown rice for white if you prefer.
- Recipe by Greer Worsley, who blogs at Typically Red.
Salmon and cucumber sandwich sushi
Serves:
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup sesame seeds
- 3 slices bread
- 4 slices of wafer-thin smoked salmon
- 3 thin slices of cucumber, same length as a bread slice
- low-fat cream cheese to spread
Method
Lightly toast the sesame seeds in the frying pan over low heat. Remove from heat when they are slightly golden, spread them out on a plate and set aside to cool completely.
Roll each slice of bread flat with the rolling pin and remove the crusts. Lay the cling film down on top of the sushi mat.
Spread a very light layer of cream cheese over each slice of bread. Turn the slices over and lay on top of cling film.
Spread the other side of each slice with a thicker layer of cream cheese. Place the salmon on top of each slice, filling as much of the bread as you can.
Put a cucumber slice on the very edge of the each slice. Roll the bread over the cucumber slice and all the way along until the bread is fully rolled.
Add a little more cream cheese if the end does not stick firmly. Roll each sushi roll in the cooled toasted sesame seeds.
The seeds will stick to the thin layer of cream cheese. Cut each bread roll in half and then half again.
Find related sushi recipes
Serving Suggestions
Note
- You will need to keep a very close eye on the sesame seeds when toasting. They can burn very quickly.
- If you buy your bread from a bakery, you can get them to put your bread through the slicer from end to end and this will give you huge bread slices that are easy to use for this recipe.
- This recipe was created by Maxabella of Maxabella loves. Follow Maxabella on Facebook or Pinterest.
Pumpkin feta and chickpea salad
Serves:
Ingredients
- 1kg butternut pumpkin, peeled, deseeded and cut into 2cm cubes
- Olive oil spray
- 1 teaspoon olive oil
- 1 red onion, thinly sliced
- 1 x 400g can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
- 4 cups (about 100g) baby spinach leaves
- 180g feta
- half a cup fresh orange juice
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 teaspoons Moroccan seasoning
- 1 loaf Turkish bread
- half a cup dukka
Method
- Preheat the oven to 200C.
- Line a tray with baking paper.
- Lay pumpkin on tray and spray with olive oil spray.
- Bake for 20 minutes or until tender.
- Prepare dressing by whisking orange juice, olive oil and Moroccan seasoning together in a small bowl.
- Prepare Turkish bread by cutting in half lengthways, then cut crossways into 2cm wide strips.
- Spray with olive oil spray, sprinkle with dukkah and bake for 5 minutes until golden.
- Heat a non-stick frypan to medium heat, add oil and cook onion for 2-3 minutes or until soft.
- Add chickpeas and cook for 2 minutes until heated through.
- Transfer to a large bowl and add roast pumpkin, feta, spinach and dressing.
- Toss well to combine and serve immediately with Turkish bread.
Notes:
- Yum, yum, yum. Taste sensations: crunch of the spinach, chewy chickpeas, salty feta, smooth sweet pumpkin and zesty dressing!
- Dukkah is a spice mix usually consisting of sesame seeds, ground almonds, cumin and other spices.
- It is now readily available in supermarkets and delis.
- If you prefer not to buy yet another jar of specialty spice, substitute a teaspoon of cumin for the Moroccan spice.
Recipe created by Melissa Hughes for Kidspot.
Serving Suggestions
Note
Hoisin chicken lettuce cups
Serves:
Serves 4
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 4 shallots
- 1 clove garlic, finely chopped
- 2cm piece ginger, grated
- 2 medium carrots, peeled and diced
- 2 medium zucchinis, diced
- 1/2 cup frozen peas
- 2 cups cooked barbecue chicken, diced
- 1 tbsp hoisin sauce
- 1 tbsp oyster sauce
- 1 tbsp soy sauce
- 1 tsp sesame oil
- 1 iceberg lettuce
- coriander, to serve
Method
Step 1. Heat oil in a wok or large frypan. Slice white part of shallots, reserving green parts. Add shallots, garlic and ginger to wok and cook over gentle heat for 1 minute. Add carrots and cook for 2 minutes. Add zucchini and peas and cook for a further minute.
Step 2. Add chicken, sauces and sesame oil and cook for 2 minutes.
Step 3. Remove core from lettuce with a sharp knife. Gently pull apart lettuce leaves and trim with kitchen scissors. Chill until needed.
Step 4. Fill lettuce cups with chicken mixture. Top each cup with some coriander and finely sliced shallot greens.
Notes
- You can use whatever vegetables you prefer – capsicum, spinach and mushrooms would all be lovely.
- Washed and well-dried butter or gem lettuce would also be suitable.
- You could use this mixture cooled and wrapped in rice paper rolls.
- Barbecue chicken is so convenient and you could also use it in this delicious Asian chicken noodles recipe. The flavours are similar.
- This BBQ chicken and rice salad is great picnic food for the family and packs well in a cooler bag.
- If you need to get a quick dinner in the oven then this BBQ chicken pasta bake will cut your cooking time in half.
- Have you ever done the shopping and got all of the groceries home only to find that you are too tired to cook? Well this BBQ chicken salad for the exhausted shopper is the perfect recipe for you.
- Have you ever had a sick family member and needed chicken soup in a hurry? Try Katie's chicken soup recipe recipe. It's maximum impact with minimal effort.
- You can also use a barbecue chicken in Chicken BLTs, Chicken parcels and Chicken pasta salad. Just bring it home in the bag and strip all the lovely moist chicken meat off for a super-fast kitchen shortcut.
- This recipe was created for Kidspot, New Zealand’s best recipe finder by Greer Worsley, who blogs at Typically Red.
Serving Suggestions
Note
Sticky sesame chicken wings with red cabbage salad
Serves:
Serves 4
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp soy sauce
- 1 tbsp umeboshi plum vinegar
- 2 tsp sesame oil
- 1 tbsp honey, plus 1 tbsp extra
- 1 clove garlic, crushed
- 1.2kg chicken wings
- 1 tbsp peanut oil
- 1 tbsp sesame seeds
For salad:
- 1/2 red cabbage
- 2 carrots, grated
- 1 tbsp umeboshi plum vinegar
- 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
- 1 tbsp honey
- 1 tbsp sesame oil
- 1 tbsp sesame seeds
Method
Combine soy sauce, plum vinegar, sesame oil, 1 tbsp honey and garlic in a large bowl. Cut chicken wings through joints, discarding wing tips (or save them for chicken stock). Toss chicken pieces in marinade and set aside for at least an hour.
Meanwhile, prepare your salad. Finely shred cabbage and place in a large bowl with grated carrots. In a small jar combine vinegars, honey and sesame oil and shake to combine. Pour over vegetables and stir well, then set aside until ready to serve. Just before serving, toast sesame seeds in a dry frying pan until golden, then toss through salad.
Preheat oven to 220°C conventional (200°C fan-forced). Place chicken wings in a single layer in a large baking dish and drizzle with peanut oil. Bake for 40 minutes. After 20 minutes, turn them over, drizzle with extra honey and sprinkle with sesame seeds. Continue cooking for a further 20 minutes until dark and sticky.
Serve with red cabbage salad.
Find more chicken recipes:
Serving Suggestions
Note
- Umeboshi plum vinegar is available in most supermarkets and health food stores. Its unique tart flavour adds a special zing to the dish.
- The marinade would work just as well with chicken drumsticks.
- Recipe by Greer Worsley from the blog Typically Red.
Homemade Big Mac special sauce
Serves:
6
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup mayonnaise
- 2 tbsp French dressing
- 4 tsp sweet mustard pickles (relish)
- 1 tsp white onion, finely chopped
- 1 tsp white vinegar
- 1 tsp caster sugar
- 1 pinch salt
For the burgers:
- 6 beef patties
- 6 cheese slices
- 6 tbsp white onion, diced
- iceberg lettuce, shredded
- pickle slices for the burger (we used sliced Polskie Orgorskie)
- 6 buns + 3 additional buns to make the centre slice
Method
Step 1. Place all ingredients for the sauce into a bowl.
Step 2. Whisk until combined.
Step 3. Cover and refrigerate overnight. Stir often during refrigeration to infuse flavours.
Step 4. Prepare burger ingredients and lay onto the bun, spreading the sauce generously on your burger patties.
Serving Suggestions
Note
- The French dressing needs a good shake before pouring from the bottle so you get an even measure of oil and vinegar mixture.
- You can use this sauce straight away but the flavours really develop overnight for the best flavour.
- You can also add this sauce to your homemade Cheeseburgers.
- These Double burgers are just like a Big Mac in size but with the added salad.
- If you want to make a healthier version you can try these Healthy hamburgers.
- You can also try one of our other copycat burger recipes, Homemade KFC burgers. They are a delicious alternative to the drive-through.
- If you like lamb then these Spring lamb burgers are a great treat for party platters.
- These Tex Mex burgers have a Mexican spin on flavour with all the convenience of a burger.
- If you love the flavour of peanut Satay then try these Satay chicken burgers. They are perfect in mini form too.
- These Portuguese chicken burgers taste just like Oporto burgers and you can control the amount of spice that you like.
- Are you looking for a delicious vegetarian alternative to beef burgers? Try these Mushroom pesto burgers.
- This recipe was created by Jennifer Cheung for Kidspot, New Zealand’s best recipe finder.
Honey sesame lamb
Serves:
Ingredients
- 800g lamb mini-roast
- 1/2 teaspoon mustard
- Salt and pepper
- Juice of two oranges
- 1 tsp honey
- sesame seeds
Method
Heat oven to 200°C. Rub lamb with mustard, salt and pepper.
Place in oven for about 10 mins.
Mix orange juice with honey together.
Remove from oven and pour the orange juice mixture over the lamb and the base of the pan.
Sprinkle the lamb with sesame seeds and return to the oven, turning it down to 180°C.
Roast for approx. 15 mins for medium rare, or longer if you prefer.
Rest for at least 5 mins before cutting and serving.
Notes:
- If the honey is firm and hard to mix with the juice, zap it in the microwave for 10-20 seconds first.
- I love lamb mini roasts as they are less expensive but just as delicious as other cuts of lamb.
- This is wonderful the next day cold in sandwiches or wraps with yoghurt and cucumbers.
- Sprinkle more sesame seeds over the meat before you serve for a little extra crunch.
Serving Suggestions
Note
Pork and vegetable rice noodle rolls
Serves:
4
Ingredients
- 1 tsp oil
- 400 g pork mince
- 1 celery stalk (diced)
- 1 carrot (diced)
- 1/2 zucchini (diced)
- 1/2 red capsicum (diced)
- 2 spring onion (finely sliced)
- 1 tsp ginger (grated)
- 2 clove garlic (crushed)
- 1 tbs brown sugar
- 2 tbs oyster sauce
- 1 tbs soy sauce
- 2 tsp fish sauce
- 450 g fresh rice noodle sheets
For sauce:
- 1 tbs kecap manis
- 1 tbs soy sauce
- 2 tsp rice wine vinegar
- 1 tsp white sugar
- 1 tsp sesame oil
Method
Heat oil in a frypan or wok over high heat. Brown mince, draining off any excess liquid.
Add vegetables, including ginger and garlic, and cook for 2-3 minutes. Add sugar and sauces and cook for a further 3-4 minutes until vegetables are tender and sauce has reduced and thickened. Set aside to cool slightly.
Carefully unroll rice noodle sheets and cut them into pieces approximately 9cm x 14cm. Spoon on some of the pork filling and roll to enclose.
Place a bamboo steamer over a saucepan of simmering water. Line it with baking paper. Carefully place filled rolls onto the paper. Cover with the lid and steam for 3-4 minutes until noodles are soft. To make sauce, combine all ingredients in a small bowl. Remove cooked rolls onto a plate and drizzle with the sauce.
Find related Asian food
Serving Suggestions
Note
- Rice noodle sheets, different to rice paper used in Vietnamese rolls, are available in delis and Asian grocers. They are best used the day they are purchased, therefore avoiding refrigeration.
- Rice noodle sheets become brittle if they have been refrigerated, so you will need to gently warm them to make them manageable. You can do this by microwaving them in short bursts, or steaming them.
- If you have a bamboo steamer that’s large enough to hold a small plate, you can cook the rice noodle rolls directly on the plate you intend to serve them on. This way you can avoid the tricky transfer to and from the steamer.
- If you have the time and enthusiasm, you can make your own rice noodle sheets from scratch from a homemade rice dough. Recipes can be found online.
- This recipe was created by Greer Worsley for Kidspot.
Surprise choc-mint balls
Serves:
Makes 30
Ingredients
- 500 g chocolate biscuits – similar to Arnotts Farmbake choc fudge cookies
- 395 g condensed milk
- 2 x 220 g Cadbury Mint Bubbly chocolate
- 3/4 cup coconut (for rolling)
Method
Place the chocolate biscuits into a food processor and process until they resemble fine crumbs (alternatively you could use a rolling pin). Place the biscuit crumbs into a large bowl.
Add the condensed milk and thoroughly mix together.
Break the Cadbury Mint Bubbly chocolate blocks into pieces and then cut each piece in half.
Place heaped teaspoons of the mixture around the chocolate pieces and shape into balls.
Roll in coconut.
Serve.
Serving Suggestions
Note
- Mint Aero chocolate squares or balls can be used in place of the Cadbury Mint Bubbly blocks.
- This is a great recipe for getting the kids involved in the kitchen.
- Store the chocolate mint balls in an airtight container for up to a week.
- For a yummy variation, you can replace the mint centre with Maltesers.
Brown rice and cucumber sushi rolls
Serves:
Makes 7
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cup short-grain brown rice
- 1/4 cup red rice
- 1/4 cup black rice
- 4 cup water
- 1 tsp apple cider vinegar
- 1/2 tsp raw sugar
- 2 tbs sesame seeds (toasted)
- 1 avocado (skin off, chopped)
- 2 medium carrot (peeled, grated)
- 2 tbs mayonnaise
- 1 tin canned salmon
- 1 lime (juiced)
- 2 cucumber
- soy sauce (*to serve)
Method
Wash the rice under cold water until the water is clear. Place in a medium saucepan with the water and a pinch of salt. Bring to the boil, then place the lid on the saucepan and reduce to a low simmer for 35 minutes. Remove from the heat and let the rice stand for a further 20 minutes (with the lid on). Remove the lid, gently fold through the vinegar, sugar and sesame seeds, then refrigerate.
Combine all of the remaining ingredients (except the cucumber and soy) in a bowl and put aside.
Trim the tops and bottoms of the cucumbers. Using a peeler, take away the outer green layer and then cut the cucumber in half across. Still using the peeler, shave down one side in one long go. Turn the cucumber 90 degrees and repeat. Keep this up, shaving each side of what will become a square shape, until you hit the seeds and stop. These shavings will be the outer casing of the sushi rolls.
Lay out your sushi mat with a layer of cling film on top. Lay cucumber strips lengthways along the cling film. Next arrange a layer of rice half a centimetre thick covering 2/3 of the cucumbers. Spread some filling down the centre of the rice.
Use the cling film to roll the cucumber and rice into a roll. The sushi mat is to help keep the shape. Allow these to set in the fridge for 20-30 minutes. Slice the rolls 2cm thick and then remove the cling film before serving with a little soy sauce on the side.
More sushi recipes
Serving Suggestions
Note
- Add in any additional veggies or ingredients that you or your family like – the more the merrier!
- Be conscious when choosing your tinned salmon – only buy products that are sustainably sourced and caught (and that are dolphin-friendly).
- This recipe was created by Adam Clements for Kidspot.
Lunchbox pasties
Serves:
Ingredients
- 1 small orange sweet potato, peeled, coarsely chopped
- 1 small carrot, peeled, finely chopped
- 1 desiree potato, peeled, finely chopped
- half a cup frozen peas
- 125g can corn, rinsed, drained
- half a cup coarsely grated cheddar
- 2 eggs, lightly whisked
- 3 sheets ready-rolled frozen shortcrust pastry, just thawed
- 2 tsp sesame seeds
Method
Preheat oven to 240C. Line an oven tray with baking paper.
Cook sweet potato in a medium saucepan of boiling water for 10 minutes or until tender. Drain well. Transfer to a heatproof bowl. Use a fork to mash until smooth. Set aside to cool in bowl.
Cook carrot and potato in a medium saucepan of boiling water for 5 minutes or until tender. Drain well. Set aside for 5 minutes to cool slightly.
Add carrot mixture, peas, corn, cheese and 1 egg to sweet potato and stir to combine. Season with salt and pepper.
Use a 12cm-diameter pastry cutter to cut 12 discs from pastry sheets. Spoon vegetable mixture evenly among pastry discs. Brush edges of pastry lightly with remaining egg. Fold pastries in half to enclose filling. Use fingertips to gently press together to seal.
Place on the lined tray and lightly brush with remaining egg. Sprinkle with sesame seeds.
Bake in oven for 15 minutes or until golden brown and cooked through. Remove from oven and set aside to cool.
Once completely cooled, wrap in baking paper, and store in the fridge ready for the lunchbox.
Serving Suggestions
Note
Duck and mandarin salad
Serves:
Ingredients
- 1 portion Duck Peking Duck Breast
- 2 mandarins
- 75g mixed lettuce leaves (Asian blend if you can get it)
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
- half a cup fresh mint leaves, shredded (optional)
- half a cup fresh coriander leaves, picked off stems (optional)
- fried onions, to serve
Method
Use a zester to peel the rind off one mandarin and chop finely. Place the mandarin segments in a large bowl (I painstakingly remove all the white bits from the segments). Add the washed leaves and herbs to the bowl.
To make the dressing, juice the remaining mandarin and add the oil and vinegar to the juice. Whisk to combine.
Open the duck packaging (carefully so you dont spill the marinade) and slice the duck. I cut off the skin, but thats up to you. Heat a grill to high. Place the duck on some foil, brush with marinade and cook under the grill for 5 minutes until heated through and the skin is crisp (if using).
Toss the dressing through the salad and place a pile on each plate. Place the duck strips on top of the leaves and sprinkle with the fried onions.
Notes:
- Not so much a family dinner, but a special dinner for two or entre for 4 if you are entertaining.
- If you dont have the mint and coriander leaves, dont stress, the salad is fine without them.
- Fried onions are available from Asian grocery stores.
- Recipe created by Melissa Hughes for Kidspot.
Serving Suggestions
Note
Hummus dip and crackers for kids
Serves:
Ingredients
- 200 g canned chickpeas
- 1/4 cup tahini
- 2 tbs olive oil
- 2 garlic clove (crushed)
- 1 lemon (small, juiced)
- 1/2 tsp ground cumin
Crackers
- 4 sheet lavash bread
- 4 tsp olive oil
Method
Place all hummus ingredients into a tall container and using a stick blender, whizz until a smooth consistency.
Transfer to a serving dish or keep in an airtight container in the fridge for up to five days.
To make crackers: Preheat oven to 180°C (160°C fan-forced). Slice lavash bread or wrap bread into triangle shapes.
Transfer to a bowl, drizzle with olive oil and lightly season with salt, making sure each triangle of bead is well covered. Spread out onto a lined baking tray and bake for 10 minutes, then remove, turn and bake for a further 10 minutes.
Cool before serving.
Serving Suggestions
Note
- Hummus pairs well with fresh cut veggie sticks, rice cakes, corn chips and crackers as well as spread onto toast, sandwiches, burgers and steak sandwiches or even dolloped on top of a wintry soup.
- This recipe is nut-free, dairy-free, gluten-free, easy to make and versatile so it’s pretty much always in my fridge.
- If you like a healthy dip then this Babaganoush (Smokey eggplant dip) is a delicious Middle Eastern recipe that tastes great with flat breads.
- If you love Italian flavours then Basil pesto dip is a great party platter dip.
- If you want to go retro then you can make this French onion dip and crudites that was tres chic in the 70’s.
- Greek cuisine would be lost without this simple peasant dish of Skordalia (potato and garlic dip).
- Another popular cob dip is Spinach cobb dip. It is baked in the same way this cheese and bacon dip is made.
- If you like hommous then this Tomato and basil hummus dip is a great twist on the original.
- This Prawn layer dip is a decadent platter that will have them asking for more. We have made it with fresh prawns.
- If you want a sweet dip then you can make this Healthy raw caramel dip. It is a great sweet after school treat.
- If you love raw cookie dough the this Cookie dough dip is a sweet treat that the kids will love.
- When you have a craving for cheesecake this 2 ingredient cheesecake dip with fruit is a fast compromise and little healthier with fruit on the side.
- This recipe was created by Katie Rainbird for Kidspot, New Zealand’s best recipe finder.
Healthy chicken noodle salad
Serves:
Serves 4
Ingredients
Dressing
- 1spring onion, finely chopped
- 1 garlic clove, minced
- 1/3 cup (80ml) soy sauce
- 1/3 cup (80ml) rice wine vinegar
- 2 tsp caster sugar
- 2 tsp sesame oil
- 400g chicken tenderloins
- 50g dried rice vermicelli
- 1 large carrot, sliced using a mandolin or potato peeler
- 1 celery stalk, finely sliced
- 1 telegraph cucumber, sliced using a mandolin or potato peeler
- 1/2 large red capsicum
- 2 tbsp chopped peanuts (optional)
- oil spray
Method
Place dressing ingredients in a jar and give a good shake to dissolve the sugar.
Place chicken tenderloins in half the dressing to marinate.
Cook rice noodles according to packet instructions.
Slice vegetables and mix together.
Heat a wok or non-stick frying pan on medium-high, spray with oil and add chicken tenderloins.
Cook for 2 minutes per side (all depending on how thick the chicken is) until cooked, spooning over left over marinade during the cooking process.
Remove the chicken to rest on a board for a couple of minutes.
Place rice noodles and salad in a bowl, pour over other half of dressing and top with chicken.
Sprinkle over peanuts.
More salad recipes
Serving Suggestions
Note
- If you can’t find chicken tenderloins, buy skinless chicken breasts and slice them into 1cm slices.
- I used brown rice noodles because I like the texture and they have much more protein and fibre (all depending on the brand), but feel free to use any vermicelli you’ve got in the pantry.
- You can slice the vegetables how you like, but I like to make ribbons because it looks nice. If you can’t be bothered, just slice finely or grate.
- Use any vegetables you’ve got in the fridge.
- Feel free to add some chilli to the dressing if you’re lovers of heat.
- 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.
Pumpkin, spinach and feta rolls recipe
Serves:
Ingredients
- 500g pumpkin
- 40ml (2 tbsp) olive oil
- 1 brown onion, diced
- 1 clove garlic, crushed
- 250g frozen spinach
- 200g Greek-style feta, crumbled
- 3 sheets frozen puff pastry, thawed
- 1 egg, beaten
- 1tbsp sesame seeds
Method
Preheat oven to 200°C (180°C fan-forced). Peel pumpkin and remove seeds, then cut into 1.5cm cubes. Toss in 20ml (1 tbsp) olive oil. Spread in a single layer in a baking dish and bake for 20 minutes.
Heat remaining oil in a fry pan. Saute onion and garlic over low heat for five minutes. Add frozen spinach and cook for 10 minutes, stirring often, until completely thawed and well combined. Stir through the baked pumpkin and crumbled feta. Season well with salt and pepper.
Increase oven to 220°C (200°C fan-forced).
Cut each pastry sheet in half to create six strips. Place 1/6 of the pumpkin mixture along the length of each strip. Brush one long edge with beaten egg. Starting with the unbrushed side, roll and seal. Repeat with all the pastry. Transfer the rolls, seam-side down, to a tray lined with baking paper. Slash each into quarters. Brush with egg and sprinkle with sesame seeds.
Bake for 25-30 minutes until puffed and golden.
Related vegetarian recipes
Serving Suggestions
Note
- Serve with sweet chilli sauce for adults, and good old tomato sauce for the kids.
- Grated cheddar cheese is fine as an alternative to feta.
- Recipe by Greer Worsley, a working mum whose desire to make and bake things has grown in inverse proportion to the amount of spare time she has since her three gorgeous girls came along. Her blog is typically red.
Chicken tofu and noodle stir fry
Serves:
Ingredients
- 900 grams fresh hokkien noodles
- olive or canola oil spray
- 350 grams firm tofu, cut into cubes
- 1 teaspoon garlic, minced
- 1 teaspoon ginger, minced
- 1 onion, sliced into thin wedges
- 1 red capsicum, sliced
- 1 zucchini, sliced
- 1 carrot, sliced
- 200 grams fresh baby corn
- 1 bunch brocollini, coarsely chopped
- 1/2 cup stirfry sauce
- 3 tablespoons MAGGI Chilli Sauce
- 2 tablespoons sesame seeds
Method
Place noodles in a large heatproof bowl, cover with boiling water and leave to stand for 2 minutes, gently using a wooden spoon to separate strands.
Spray a nonstick wok or frying pan with oil and heat.
Cook tofu in 2 or 3 batches over high heat until browned; set aside.
Reheat wok, add garlic, ginger, onion and stirfry for 2 minutes or until soft.
Add remaining vegetables and stirfry for 3–5 minutes until tender but still crisp.
Add drained noodles, tofu and combined sauces to wok.
Stirfry for 2 minutes or until heated through.
Toss with sesame seeds and serve immediately.
Garnish with chervil, if desired.
Serving Suggestions
Note
Sesame Prawn Skewers
Serves:
Ingredients
- 600g peeled green prawns
- 1 tbsp sesame oil
- 1 large garlic clove, minced
- 8-12 bamboo skewers, soaked in water for 30 minutes
Cucumber salad
- 1 large Lebanese cucumber, sliced into ribbons
- 1 large carrot, grated
- coriander to garnish (optional)
- 2 tsp lemon juice
Method
Toss prawns in sesame oil and garlic.
Cover and place in the fridge for 10-15 minutes.
Remove prawns from the fridge and thread onto skewers.
Arrange cucumber salad on plates.
Heat grill pan or barbecue grill to medium and add skewers. Cook for 2-3 minutes per side and squeeze over lemon juice. Serve with simple cucumber salad.
Find more prawn recipes
Serving Suggestions
Note
- Make sure you buy green prawns (uncooked) and not cooked prawns, otherwise they will over cook and not taste as good.
- Soaking the bamboo skewers makes sure they don’t burn on the grill. You can also use metal skewers.
- Use any salad ingredients you have, I like cucumber and carrot but if you prefer other vegetables then go right ahead.
- 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.
Snacktime pasties
Serves:
Ingredients
- 1 small orange sweet potato, peeled, coarsely chopped
- 1 small carrot, peeled, finely chopped
- 1 desiree potato, peeled, finely chopped
- ½ cup frozen peas
- 125g can corn, rinsed, drained
- ½ cup coarsely grated cheddar
- 2 eggs, lightly whisked
- 3 sheets ready-rolled frozen shortcrust pastry, just thawed
- 2 tsp sesame seeds
Method
Preheat oven to 240°C. Line an oven tray with baking paper.
Cook sweet potato in a medium saucepan of boiling water for 10 minutes or until tender. Drain well. Transfer to a heatproof bowl. Use a fork to mash until smooth. Set aside to cool in bowl.
Cook carrot and potato in a medium saucepan of boiling water for 5 minutes or until tender. Drain well. Set aside for 5 minutes to cool slightly.
Add carrot mixture, peas, corn, cheese and 1 egg to sweet potato and stir to combine. Season with salt and pepper.
Use a 12cm-diameter pastry cutter to cut 12 discs from pastry sheets. Spoon vegetable mixture evenly among pastry discs. Brush edges of pastry lightly with remaining egg.
Fold pastries in half to enclose filling. Use fingertips to gently press together to seal. Place on the lined tray and lightly brush with remaining egg.
Sprinkle with sesame seeds.
Bake in oven for 15 minutes or until golden brown and cooked through. Remove from oven and set aside to cool. Once completely cooled, wrap in baking paper, and store in the fridge ready for the lunchbox.
Serving Suggestions
Note
Honey sesame carrots
Serves:
Ingredients
- 6 carrots, peeled and cut into batons
- ¼ cup honey
- 1 tbsp sesame seeds
Method
In a saucepan, cover the carrots with water and bring to the boil.
Reduce heat and simmer for 4 minutes.
Drain and drizzle honey over immediately.
Sprinkle with sesame seeds and serve.
Notes
- If you don’t have any honey, you can substitute with maple syrup.
- You may not need all of the honey. Just start with half and see how you go. The steam from the vegetables helps to distribute the honey all over the carrots.
- This recipe was created by Jennifer Cheung for Kidspot, New Zealand’s best recipe finder.
Serving Suggestions
Note
Beef rice paper rolls
Serves:
Ingredients
- 600g rump steak
- 1/3 cup soy sauce or teriyaki sauce
- 20 sheets rice paper (gluten-free)
- 2 carrots, peeled and grated
- 100g bean thread vermicelli
- half a cup fresh coriander leaves, chopped
- 1 cup satay sauce
Method
Bash steak and marinade in soy or teriyaki sauce for at least one hour or overnight.
Heat a non-stick frypan to high heat, cook steak for 3-4 minutes each side until cooked through. Transfer to a plate to cool. When cold, trim away yucky bits and thinly slice meat.
Place vermicelli in a large bowl, cover with warm or boiling water and leave to soak until softened. Drain, rinse under cold water and drain again.
Fill a large bowl with warm water. Dip a sheet of rice paper into the water for about 10 seconds, just until it starts to soften (if you leave it in too long it becomes very tricky to handle), then transfer the sheet to a dinner plate. Place about six pieces of steak, a handful of vermicelli noodles, carrot and coriander in a pile on one end of the rice paper. Fold the top of the rice paper over the ingredients, then fold in each side and roll up. Repeat with remaining ingredients.
Serve on a large plate with satay dipping sauce.
Notes:
- A great kid-friendly recipe, help them prepare all the ingredients and let them roll up, roll up!
- If you are a nut-free household, use a hoisin sauce or dipping sauce instead of satay sauce.
- Recipe created by Melissa Hughes for Kidspot.
Serving Suggestions
Note
Two cheese crackers with chia seeds
Serves:
Makes 45 crackers
Ingredients
- 180g wholemeal spelt flour (or any other flour you choose)
- 100g unsalted butter, cut into small cubes and kept from being too warm and soft
- 120g grated cheddar cheese or other hard cheese
- 50g grated parmesan
- 2 tbsp chia seeds (or sesame or poppy seeds)
- 2 ÛÒ 3 tbsp water, to bring dough together
You will also need:
- 1 x 4cm round cookie cutter
Method
Pre-heat oven to 190å¡C (180å¡C fan-forced). Line a large baking tray with baking paper and set aside.
Sift the flour into a medium size mixing bowl and add the butter.
Using your fingertips, pinch and mix the butter through the flour until it looks crumbly and the butter is about lentil sized, or looks like ‘coarse breadcrumbs’.
Add the cheeses and seeds and mix through with a wooden spoon.
Add one tablespoon of water at a time to bring the mixture together into a firm dough, it ought not be sticky, but just brought together.
Slice the dough into two portions, this just makes it an easier size to roll out.
Lay the first portion on a piece of baking paper and press down with your hands until itÛªs a disc thatÛªs not falling apart. I like to do it this way before using a rolling pin, otherwise it tears and cracks.
Once relatively flat, lightly dust a rolling pin and finish rolling out until about 5mm thick.
Using a 4cm round cutter, cut out cracker discs and transfer to the lined baking tray. Repeat process with the other portion of dough.
Fork-prick each disc 2-3 times for decoration, and bake for 15 ÛÒ 20 minutes or until golden brown.
Cool and store in an airtight container for up to a week.
Serving Suggestions
Note
- If you are not a seed-loving family, just leave them out.
- Add any herbs or spices you like, or try using Gouda cheese instead of cheddar.
- Any uneaten crackers can be tossed through a salad in pieces, or scattered on top of a bowl of soup.
- This recipe was created by Katie Rainbird for Kidspot, New Zealand’s beståÊrecipe finder. You can follow Katie atåÊKatie180.
Herbed lamb chops
Serves:
Ingredients
- 8 lamb cutlets or lamb loin chops
- 8 tsps Gourmet Garden Roast Seasoning (tube)
Or
- herb seasoning
- 2 cloves garlic, crushed
- 1 tbsp thyme, finely chopped
- 1 tbsp parsley finely chopped
- 3 tbsp olive oil
- salt and pepper
Method
Remove the lamb from the fridge and bring to room temperature before cooking. Rub both sides of each piece with the herb seasoning or, alternately, combine all the fresh herb seasoning ingredients in a bowl and spread on both sides of the lamb.
Heat a grill pan to medium-high heat and cook the seasoned chops for 2-3 minutes each side.
Place on a plate and cover to keep warm. Serve with Colcannon and Honeyed sesame carrots.
Notes
- If you have fresh herbs in your garden you can make a lovely herb seasoning for these chops but using a ready-made seasoning is great shortcut when you are in a hurry.
- I have included two cuts of lamb with this recipe as cutlets are quite pricy and lamb loin chops are just as tasty and kept moist with that layer of fat around the eye.
- Lamb tastes best when it still a little pink in the centre. Try not to overcook it or will become dry.
- Bringing the lamb to room temperature is important for the cooking time and will give you a better result when cooking meat. About 20 minutes is enough time out of the fridge to bring it to room temperature.
- This recipe was created by Jennifer Cheung for Kidspot, New Zealand’s best recipe finder.
Serving Suggestions
Note
Kid-approved chicken rice paper rolls
Serves:
Ingredients
- 16 rice paper sheets
- 5 tbs hoisin sauce
- 1/2 barbecue chicken (skin off, finely diced)
- 1 cucumber (medium, cut into ribbons)
- 1 carrot (medium, cut into ribbons)
- 1 avocado (thinly sliced)
Method
Place one rice paper sheet in a shallow dish of warm water, let it soften for 15 seconds, or until just soft. Place the rice paper sheet on a damp tea towel.
Spread 1tsp of hoisin sauce across the centre of the rice paper, then place a heaped tablespoon of chicken on top, a few ribbons each of cucumber and carrot and then top with a slice of avocado.
Fold the shorter edges of the sheet up over the filling at both ends to secure, then fold one of the long edges straight up and over, and finish by rolling it all toward the other long edge.
Serve immediately on a platter or cover with a damp tea towel and refrigerate until needed.
Find more recipes for your kids will love:
Serving Suggestions
Note
- These rice paper rolls aren’t authentically Asian but in my time I have found that most kids just aren’t into shredded raw cabbage (if yours are then high five!), but you can always amp up the flavour with a sprig of coriander, a mint leaf or two or some snow pea sprouts.
- Keep rice paper rolls covered in something damp if you’re going to store them for later because they are sticky and are likely to tear open. I actually laid mine on some lettuce leaves which looked pretty, kept them from sticking and provided a chance to eat some leafy greens too!
- This recipe was created by Katie Rainbird for Kidspot, New Zealand’s best recipe finder.
Easy vegetarian laksa
Serves:
Ingredients
- 400g pumpkin, chopped into bite-sized pieces
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
- half a teaspoon salt
- 200g rice stick noodles
- 1/3 cup laksa paste
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 1 cup vegetable stock
- 400ml tin coconut milk
- half a packet sesame flavoured tofu nuggets, or tofu puffs
- 1 cup green beans, tails removed and chopped in half
- juice of 1 lime
Method
Preheat oven to 200C. Toss pumpkin with vegetable oil and salt. Place on a baking sheet and into the hot oven, and roast for about 15 minutes or until golden.
Place noodles into a pot of water and bring to a boil, cooking for 5 minutes until nearly tender. Drain and set aside.
In the same large pot, whisk together the laksa paste, sugar, stock, and coconut milk and bring a simmer for at least 2 minutes.
Add roasted pumpkin, tofu, beans, lime juice, and noodles. Cook for another 4-5 minutes until noodles are soft and serve immediately.
Notes:
- You should be able to find tofu nuggets in most large grocery stores within New Zealand. If not, you can find tofu puffs (which I prefer but didnt have time to find) at Asian grocers, though these are probably not as healthy. Your last tofu option would be to chop up some firm or silken tofu and add at the last second – yum!You can add any vegetables you like to this delicious Asian soup – broccoli, cauliflower florets, carrot, potato_ whatever you feel like. If you add potato, make sure its cooked as the pumpkin is in this recipe.
- If you are not vegetarian, consider adding 2 tablespoons of fish sauce in at the end of cooking.
- This recipe was created by Kristine Duran-Thiessen for Kidspot, New Zealands best recipe finder.
Serving Suggestions
Note
Sticky honey drumsticks
Serves:
Ingredients
- 8 chicken drumsticks
- 3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
- 2 tablespoons of ginger, finely grated
- 3 tablespoons honey
- 4 tablespoons soy sauce (see note)
- 1 tablespoon sesame oil
Method
Whisk the ginger, garlic, honey, soy sauce and sesame oil together in a non-metallic mixing bowl or dish and add the drumsticks.
Turn the chicken over in the marinade to ensure its well covered. Cover with clingfilm and marinate in the refrigerator for 1 to 4 hours..
Preheat the oven to 200C.
Place the drumsticks into a baking dish and pour over the remaining marinade. Roast for 15 minutes, remove to turn the chicken pieces and continue to roast another 15 minutes.
Serve drizzled with the remaining pan juices over rice or alone.
Notes:
- you can use Kecap Manis is thick, sweet Indonesian soy sauce. You will be able to find it in the Asian section of your supermarket.If you are unable to find this, just use what you have in your pantry.
- These are almost better served cold for lunch!
- This recipe was created by Kristine Duran-Thiessen for Kidspot, New Zealand’s best recipe finder.
Serving Suggestions
Note
Honey soy chicken skewers
Serves:
Ingredients
- 500g chicken breast fillets
- 1 teaspoon sesame oil (optional)
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon honey
Method
If you are using wooden skewers, soak them in cold water for 30 minutes. Slice chicken into 2cm cubes. Combine remaining ingredients in a casserole dish, microwave on high for 10-20 seconds to melt honey.
Stir well to combine, add chicken and mix well. Marinate in the fridge for at least 30 minutes. Thread chicken onto skewers (about 6 pieces per skewer).
Heat grill to high heat and cook chicken for 3 minutes on each side (4 sides, can’t be too careful with chicken), basting half way through with some of the marinade.
Serve with rice and greens.
Notes:
- This dish was inspired by my little girl pointing at the grill and saying, “You haven’t cooked anything on sticks in there for ages”. So chicken on sticks it is.
- Couldn’t be simpler, marinade meat in advance, thread on the chicken and they are cooked before the rice is done.
- We had some baby spinach wilting in the fridge so I sautéed it in a pan with a little bit of sesame oil and sesame seeds. Takes only a minute, try it!
Serving Suggestions
Note
Healthy Thai fishcakes
Serves:
Serves 4, Makes 24 cakes
Ingredients
For the fishcakes:
- 600g firm white fish, finely sliced
- 1 garlic clove, minced
- 2 spring onions, chopped
- 2 tsp lime zest (about 1 lime’s worth)
- 2 tsp freshly grated ginger
- 2 tsp red curry paste
- 1 egg
- 3 tbsp wholemeal flour
- salt
- oil spray
For the salad and dressing:
- 2 cups cooked rice vermicelli (about 75g dry or 1½ little nests)
- 1 red capsicum, finely sliced
- 1/4 cup chopped coriander
- 1/4 cup mint
- 1 cup chopped spinach
- 1 tbsp sesame oil
- 1 tbsp fish sauce
- 2 tbsp lime juice
- 1 tbsp sugar
Healthy Thai fishcakes
Place fish, garlic, spring onions, lemon zest, red curry paste and egg into a food processor and pulse until combined. Don’t over pulse as the mixture will become pasty; you just want the fish to be finely chopped still with some texture.
Stir through flour and season with a little salt.
Heat a non stick frying pan to medium high, spray lightly with oil and place ¼ cups of fish mixture into the pan.
Cook fishcakes in batches for 5 minutes per side or until cooked through.
While cakes are cooking, toss together cooked rice vermicelli, capsicum, coriander, mint and spinach.
Combine the sesame oil, soy sauce, lime juice and sugar in a jar, give a good shake and pour over the noodle salad.
Divide salad among plates or bowls and top with fish cakes.
Find related thai recipes
Serving Suggestions
Note
- Any type of firm white fish will do. If you’re unsure about what to choose, just ask for a firm white fish that’s good for fishcakes.
- Different fish will give you different textures. Softer fish such as basa will give you a smooth, soft texture whereas a firmer fish such as snapper will give you a meatier firmer texture. I prefer the snapper but it’s personal preference.
- This recipe would also work well with salmon.
- My girls don’t like things too spicy so I go light on the curry paste. If you’ve got spicy eaters in your house, up the curry paste.
- I use brown rice vermicelli because it’s higher in protein and fibre, but you can certainly use white.
- Rice vermicelli often comes dried in little nest parcels (about 4 per packet). 75g equals about 1½ nests. I usually cook 2, keeping some noodles for another day.
- Nutritional values per serve: 1355kj (323.6cals); 7.4g total fat (1.4g saturated fat); 2.4g fibre
- 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.
