Noodles for the littlies...

We love organic noodles in our house including Somen, Ramen and my favourite - Udon

 

The littlies love noodles as they learn to use chopsticks and having the bowl closer to their face and dropping food and trying to pick it up is all part of the fun.

 

Chops sticks that have an attachment at the top do help to keep them in little hands

 

 

 Here's a recipe that works well for my littlies - they love the sweetness of the veg and the crunch of the meatballs

Maple Veg and Meatballs for pre-schoolers

 

Ingredients – serves 2 preschoolers

1 serving stack of Somen Noodles (we use Hakubaku but whatever brand you can get will do the same)

2 Tbsp organic maple syrup

1 small white organic onion, sliced thinly

2 small organic rainbow carrots – try one orange and one red

1 Tbsp organic coconut oil

8 small handmade organic pure beef meatballs  - made by rolling about 2 tsp of ground meat together tightly

10 or so sliced mango pieces (fresh)

portion of frozen peas

 

Instructions

1 - cook Somen noodles as per instruction and drain and leave to cool slightly

2 – put coconut oil into frying pan and cook meatballs, turning, so they are cooked all the way through and crispy brown all over

3 – put meatballs on a plate to cool

4 – using the same frying pan cook the sliced onion until soft and golden coloured

5 – add the thin slices of carrot and continue to cook until softening and golden glisten on the surface

6 – add 1 Tbsp of Maple syrup and continue to cook on the medium heat until surface becomes slightly tacky and the syrup has caramelised the veggies

7 – take the frying pan off the heat

8 – Boil up a portion of frozen peas for a couple of minutes until cooked

9 – Add the peas and noodles to the frying pan and gently stir to mix evenly

10 – Put noodle mixture in to bowls, place meatballs over the top and drizzle with rest of Maple syrup

11 – sprinkle over sliced mango pieces and serve – YUM!!!

 

 

Wet and windy.....

....means we need something comforting, warming, just a little bit naughty.....Pancakes!

So it was a morning for my American Style Breakfast Pancakes. The kind hubby and I remember from some of our holidays in the USA, and the kind that his mum used to bake with blueberries (fresh or warmed and thickened up with arrowroot) and whipped cream. However, my hubby is still partial to breakfast pancakes with crispy bacon and maple syrup....yum......

My wee ones love these two. For a change from blueberries we had them with fresh kiwifruit and a dash of maple syrup this morning. Tiny wee one shared some of hers with the dogs - they are ever so grateful and her very best friends at meal times.

There is just something about maple syrup dripping over the edge of the pancakes and the butter melting and sliding down the side onto your plate that gets those taste buds working overtime...........

And then there is the layer upon layer of spongey, creamy softness of the pancake that slides down with the sweet, oaky syrup.....the kiwifruit was a nod at being healthy!

Wet and windy also meant cuddling up cosy and tonight we had homemade pita bread thanks to Bubbalino's blog reference to BrownEyedBaker, and the scrumptious Pumpkin and Quinoa recipe from the guys at Organic Naturally:

Pumpkin and Quinoa Soup

1 onion roughly chopped
Ceres Organic Olive oil
1 tsp ground cumin
1kg pumpkin – roughly chopped into cubes
1 cup white quinoa (rinsed well in cold water)
2 litres of liquid/stock (Use whatever stock you have available - fresh chicken stock or water and bouillon powder or cubes)
Salt and pepper

Cook the chopped onion in a dash of olive oil till translucent.
Add the washed quinoa, chopped pumpkin, cumin.
Stir and cover with the liquid.
Bring to the boil and simmer for 20 minutes.
Check pumpkin and quinoa is cooked, season to taste.
Mash with potato masher and enjoy, for a less chunky texture puree with a stick mixer.

I used our homegrown Butternut Pumpkins and black instead of white quinoa, and a dash more cumin - the wee cherubs LOVED it. Tiny cherub had her pita broken up into the soup and we let it soak up a little to make it easier for her to eat solo. I made the pita smaller again for the wee ones' hands and we had a very warming dinner time.

 

 

 

1Cup Plain flour
2 tsp baking powder
1 Tbsp caster sugar
pinch of salt
2 eggs - separated into yolks and whites
1/4 Cup melted, unsalted butter
1Cup milk

Put all dry ingredients into a mixing bowl. Sift or stir with a balloon whisk. Stir in the egg yolks, add the melted butter, the milk and mix to a batter.
Beat the egg whites in a clean bowl to form stiff peaks. Now fold these into the batter gently.
Place spoonfuls of batter onto an oiled griddle or frying pan at a medium heat. Cook on first side, when bubbles appear on the surface turn it over and cook for a few minutes more. Place on kitchen towel whilst making the batch so that excess cooking oil can be absorbed away.

Enough for 4 without over doing it!