Thursday, February 24, 2011

Easy and Convinient Way to Obtain Food Items and Ingridients

Dear readers,

Whenever possible, all recipes and information provided on this blog contain additional information.  The idea is to ensure that the recipes provide you alternatives and at the same time let you know where to get the items easily, quality and with cost considerations.

For different parts of the world, some of the ingredients are not easily found or expensive. Click on the links to find out. The idea for this blog is to ensure that food is prepare with nutrition in mind, easy and quick for both adults and children.

Where information is provided - there is links or information on how you could get more. The source is also quoted.

The blog also has information on good recipe books. Again those with convenient recipes and at low cost.
The Big Book of Easy Suppers: 270 Delicious Recipes for Casual Everyday Cooking
Readers, please also share with the rest if you know how to get items which are cheap, good and convenient.

As you obtain products and items to cook, please don't forget to teach your children as well, because this will enable them to do the same when they are adults.

The Food Encyclopedia: Over 8,000 Ingredients, Tools, Techniques and People

Happy Teaching and Cooking!

Exotic and Impressive - 10 minutes Butter Prawns

This is a gorgeous recipe for butter prawns. Easy and very quick to prepare. This dish is for older children and it allows you to play with your own favourite flavours.

This recipe is for 3 to 4 people. Supplement it with a vegetable dish, which again, you could stir fry and within 20 minutes, you will have a wholesome meal on the table - with protein, vitamins and fibre.

What you will need and how to prepare

Part 1
1/2 kg Tiger prawns
Oil
Prawns de-skinned and deep fried. Deep Fried Onion
Deep fry the prawns and keep aside. I tend to clean the prawns with skin out. Some prefer to keep the tail and skin but with head off


Part 2

Fresh Curry Leaves - Fresh South Indian and Sri Lankan Herb - Citrus Aroma
Curry Leaves - Click on the image

3 tablespoons butter
3 fresh chillies cut in long slices (you can use dried chillies too)
Frieda's Dried De Arbol Chiles

Curry Leaves (you can get them in the supermarkets. Or click here - you can get it for less than US5. It gives a little bit of spice to the dish.)
3 to 4 garlic pips
1/2 teaspoon sugar

Butter and all other ingridients

1/2 teaspoon
soya sauce

Melt butter and add in all the rest of the ingridients.

When all is fried, add in the prawns and cook for a minute or two to allow the flavours to seep into the prawns. Garnish with handful of deep fried onions or grated coconut. I refer the onions because coconut will tend to make the dish more oily and give it an adour.
Chirag Fried Onion 14 Oz
Click here to find out how to get fried onions



Butter Prawns - Easy, Exotic and Impressive
Serve hot. This is an exotic dish but yet simple to prepare and easy to impress.

Happy Cooking and Teaching!


Stir Fried Vegetables with Onions and Chilly

Tuesday, February 15, 2011

Home Made Chicken Nuggets and Burgers

My Mom babysits my 2 boys. And they are always hungry. In the last few months, their favorite has been nuggets and burgers. My Mom developed her own simple recipe for burgers/nuggets – avoiding completely processed meat bought from the stores.

The boys get involved in preparing the simple 15 minute burger or nugget. Of course she would name the meat as requested (nugget or burger – if it’s the latter, bread or burger buns will follow)

This is how mum makes it:

• 1 whole boneless skinless chicken breast minced
• Flour, spread on a plate
• 2 eggs, beaten in a soup bowl
• Thinly sliced carrots
• Salt, freshly ground pepper
• Olive or corn oil for sauté
Recipe of the Week: Burgers: 52 Easy Recipes for Year-round Cooking


Mix the chicken, eggs, carrots, salt and pepper.
Roll into the size of a golf ball and flatten to make a patty.
Toss the chicken pieces in the flour (you can add some bread crumbs to coat).
In a large non-stick skillet, heat the oil over medium heat. Sauté the chicken in the skillet without crowding.
Cook through about 4 to 6 minutes a side. Makes enough for 4 servings.

Homemade nuggets and burgers are quick and easy. Serve with oven-roasted potatoes: slice 3 washed potatoes into wedges. Season with salt and a little chili powder and oven-roast at 400 degrees until browned and cooked through, about 45 minutes. You can deep fry but that would not be healthy. Or you could make some mashed potatoes.

Teaching Notes:


1. Cooking and eating healthy – it’s easy and tasty. Get the kids to mix the ingredients (if they don’t like vegetables – don’t let them see you mix the carrots in)
2. Math
2 eggs make 4 nuggets
How many eggs are needed for 2 nuggets?
3. Reading – Make the kids read out what is needed for the meal to work. Let them get it from the fridge or the shelves.

Happy Cooking and Teaching!

Nancy Silverton's Sandwich Book: The Best Sandwiches Ever--from Thursday Nights at CampanileBurgers: Mouthwatering Recipes from Around the World

Tuesday, February 1, 2011

Getting Kids to Eat and Learn about Apples

We know that apples have tremendous amount of goodness and nutritional benefits. It is also being recommended for people looking to loose weight, simply because it does not release sugars into the body abruptly and it is also filling. My older son loves apples but my younger one stays away.


There are a few ways to get our kids to eat apples – I do this all the time especially during the weekends when I am with them:

1. Slice the apples into thin slices or small pieces – its easier to munch and swallow

2. Add some salt – it gives it a bit of taste – salt usually does the trick but not too much

3. Arrange the slices on a place 

- Place the plate in their play area – they would tend to munch as they play their toys

- Place it on the table while you get the rest of a meal ready. Children will tend to get them in with their fingers quickly while they wait for dinner or a pizza delivery. Don’t worry about them spoiling their appetites. Also, we don’t have to worry too much if they don’t eat their vegetables.

4. Slice the apples and include slices of apple with cucumber, tomato, or fruit such as an orange or a kiwi fruit.


There are lovely recipes for apples. Personally, eating them just the way they are, are the best.

Here are three ways to eat apples

Applesauce
Most children enjoy applesauce. This is a simple applesauce recipe:

1. 2 red apples,
2. Two teaspoons of sugar (brown sugar is fine),
3. A few tablespoons of lemon and some cinnamon.

Place the two red apples in a food processor, tossing out the core first.
Place the ground apple in a bowl and add your sugar, lemon juice and finally a few pinches of cinnamon.

Voila!

Fruit and Yogurt
Of course the one great way to eat fruit is with yoghurt.

Look up for the yoghurt recipe in this blog. Its homemade and fresh and add the fruit of your choice.

You can simply improvise  this recipe by mixing in any type of fruits you like and add your favorite cereal and nuts.

Your kids can do it. Teach them to help them understand that eating fruit is important and the easy ways to eat and prepare fruit recipes.

Happy Teaching and Cooking!Apples for Jam: Recipes for Life