Kids in the Kitchen!!

Children love to be in the kitchen - even boys! Make cooking enjoyable and fun: it's an art that can be learnt by all.

The other day Marco (5 years old) said to me, "I can't wait to be a big man, build all day and then go home and cook for myself". Bless him!!

As you can see, this is rather simple. All you need is:

Carrot, peeled and cut in circles and then cut to make the flower bud

Cucumber, peeled and cut into circles and halved. Cutting in to make the petals.

And TOOTHPICKS!

Loads of fun + fine motor skill training!

Creamed Rice

I needed to come up with a yummy, quick hot breakfast the other day and this turned out to be quite popular. You could also serve it as a desert. Happy cooking :)

INGREDIENTS

I cup medium/short grain brown rice

2 cups Soy Milk

1 cup water

1 x 270ml can coconut cream

1/2 cup chopped dates

1/4 tsp Celtic Sea Salt

1/2 tsp vanilla bean paste 

• Place rice, water, salt, vanilla and 1 cup milk into saucepan. Bring to the boil and then turn down to a simmer. Cover and allow to cook for about 30-40 minutes, until liquid is almost absorbed.
• Add all remaining ingredients and continue to simmer, stirring regularly for a further 20 minutes or until rice is soft.
• Serve with fresh fruit and enjoy.

"Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus." Philippians 4:6-7

Posted by: Natasha Mansour

Chickpea Delish Patties

 

I have never been much of a fan of 'patties', but today I have changed my mind. These patties are so tasty with a BANG of lemon and herb flavour and did I mention GLUTEN FREE?! These didn't even make it onto a sandwich or roll, as I enjoyed them as they were with my salad.

Make approximately 25 patties.

Ingredients:

3 cups cooked chickpeas

1/2 cup torn parsley leaves, packed

3/4 cup coriander, roughly chopped

1 medium onion, chopped

3-4 Tbs lemon juice

3 cloves garlic

1 tsp turmeric

1 tsp coriander

1 tsp cumin

2 tsp celtic salt

1/2 cup besan/millet flour

1/2 cup besan millet flour with a little salt to coat your patties

Oil for frying

• In a food processor combine the chickpeas, pasley, coriander, onion, lemon juice, garlic, turmeric, coriander, cumin and salt. Process until well combined, scraping down the sides of the processor bowl as needed. Add the 1/2 cup flour and process through until combined. You may place the mixture in the fridge for about 30 minutes or if the mixture if firm enough to handle you can proceed to the next step.
• With moist hands, take spoonfuls of mixture (1-2 Tbs), roll it into a ball and coat with the flour, lightly pressing it down to form a shape of a patty.
• Lightly oil a non-stick pan and let it heat up before cooking your patties. Cook each patty on each side for approximately 5 minutes or until golden brown.
• Enjoy - and try not to eat them before they get to the table :o)

"Cast all you cares upon Him, for He careth for YOU!"

Posted by Melissa Awde

Caesar Salad

 

This would have to be our all time favourite salad - really!! Tash and I are currently without our husbands as they are on an overseas work trip so we could think of no other way to cheer ourselves up then making this scrumptious salad and sitting outside in the sun. All that was missing was the sound of waves!

Serves 4

 

Ingredients:

1 Cos lettuce sliced thickly

4 handfuls Rocket leaves

1 block of Tofu, cut into rectangular shaped pieces

•  In a non-stick frypan, pour a little olive oil and let it heat up. Add the Tofu cubes, a little salt, Tamari and garlic/onion powder and let it fry until lightly browned on both sides. Remove and let cool

6 slices Sourdough Bread cut into rectangles for croutons

•  Line 2 trays with baking paper and place the cubes of bread on to it. Spray with olive oil and sprinkle a little salt and onion/garlic powder if you like. Put in a oven on 180 degrees celsius for about 5 or more minutes. You want to take them out when they are JUST starting to golden, NOT go brown. They will dry up and harden as they cool down.

1 recipe of 'All Purpose Tahini Sauce'

In a blender put:

1 small onion

2 cloves Garlic

1/4 cup lemon juice

3 Tbs Tamari

1/3 cup Hulled Tahini

1 Tbs Honey

1/2 cup Olive Oil

1/4 cup water

Blend all together until smooth.

All you need to do now is mix the lettuce and rocket together. Put some tofu and croutons on top and drizzle the dressing all over. Mmmmm.... enjoy!!

 

Fried Potato with Sumac and Coriander

Recently Imad (my husband) has been talking about a dish his mother use to make for him in Lebanon whilst growing up. So for dinner last night we made it and the boys just LOVED it. Super easy and quick for something on the side.

Ingredients:
(Essential - Non Stick Frypan)
 
4 medium potatos, diced into 1cm cubes
2-3 tsp Sumac ( In your local supermarket these days. If not, try your local deli or Arabic store)
2 tsp Celtic Sea Salt (or to taste)
1/2 cup fresh chopped Coriander, chopped finely including the stems
Splash of Olive Oil

• Heat up the olive oil in your non-stick fry pan and then add the salt and let cook on medium-high heat. Do not stir often as you want it to brown and crisp as much as possible on each side. This may take a little while, approx 10-15 minutes.
• When the potato are soft and have started to brown add the Sumac. Continue to fry for a few minutes more.
• Add the chopped Coriander just before serving and stir and heat through.
• Serve with love and your have a beautiful dish!

Posted by Melissa Awde

Garden Vegetables on Polenta

When I was a little girl, you would often find me sitting in a fruit tree or in the midst of the cucumber patch having a feast. When we had another family come we would take great delight in visiting with other children and leading them through the garden sharing with them as we went. I have many a memory of the look of utter shock when we arrived back to the adults and parents saw their children chewing on a leaf of kale or parsley! “They would never eat that at home!” they would exclaim. Wow, they had really been missing out. I had the pleasure of eating it every day! So now although our garden is much smaller than the one my dear Mother kept, I still just LOVE eating from our garden! At present, we still have eggplant and loads of basil and the choko vine is going wild! So here is our breakfast from this morning…

THE VEGETABLES

1 large onion, diced

1 medium eggplant, or 4-6 finger eggplants, chopped

1 large choko/zucchini, cut into small pieces (I normally use Zucchini but I have a surplus of choko at the moment and it worked really well)

1 red capsicum (bell pepper), diced

1 large bunch fresh basil, chopped

2 tsp celtic sea salt

4-6 cloves fresh garlic, crushed

1, 400g tin diced tomatoes (I use fresh ones when I have excess)

Olive oil for frying

Fry onion and vegetables in olive oil until soft, then add tinned tomato and leave to simmer while polenta cooks or for about 5-10 minutes.

Finally, add salt, fresh basil and crushed garlic and stir through and simmer for a further 2 minutes

FOR THE POLENTA

2 cups polenta

8 cups water

3 tsp herb salt

1 Tbs onion powder

Dash of olive oil

Bring water to the boil. Add olive oil and seasonings. Slowly pour in polenta, while stirring. Lower heat, cover and leave to simmer, stirring occasionally until cooked. The polenta should be thick and feel soft when squashed between your fingers. Once cooked add about 2Tbs olive oil and stir through for a nicer flavour.

Serve and Enjoy!

 

And the LORD God took the man, and put him into the garden of Eden to dress it and to keep it.

(Genesis 2:15)

 Posted By: Natasha Mansour