Warm Sweet Potato and Quinoa Salad

My youngest boy has eczema, and I've been trying to find what might things set it off. There's the heat (especially the dry heat in the winter); it also seems to flare up when he's teething or ill. I think he may also have a sensitivity or allergy to peanuts, and I've been wondering if he may have any other food allergies. Since allergies or sensitivities to food can cause a flare-up in eczema, as well as other things, I have been reading up on food allergies.

In Allergy-Free Cooking for Kids by Antoinette Savill, Karen Sullivan does a great job explaining food allergies and sensitivities and what may contribute to them. One thing I have learned is that the most common allergens are foods that we eat the most of; milk, wheat, and eggs are some of the most common. If you think about it, most people drink a lot of milk, eggs are in a ton of things, and on some days we have wheat at every meal, and snack time as well. On some days, my boys might have toast for breakfast, cheese sandwich on wheat bread for lunch and pasta for dinner; not to mention all their snacks.

Even though I don't think my boy has a wheat allergy, I have realized that it's good to have a variety of grains and other carbs in our diet. Therefore, I've been trying to incorporated new grains into my family's diet. They're okay with rice, sometimes they'll eat potatoes. When they're in the right mood they love my oatmeal for breakfast. However, I want to get them used to other grains: barley, millet, and quinoa for example.

Tonight I cooked with quinoa. Quinoa is a great grain; it is (I believe) the only grain that is a complete protein (containing all of the essential amino acids). I found a recipe on Mark Bittman's website that looked really tasty; Sweet Potato and Quinoa Salad. I wanted to try that for dinner tonight, but made a few changes.

Instead of a cold salad, I wanted a warm one. Also, my boys have a hard time eating raw peppers. So, I roasted the red bell pepper under the grill/boiler, and removed the skin after letting it cool in a foil pouch. I seasoned the sweet potatoes and roasted them in the oven with a bit of oil and some water until soft. After mixing the pepper and minced onion with the cooked quinoa, I mixed the sweet potato and the dressing, then put it back in the roasting pan and put it back in the oven to warm everything through.

I thought it was delicious. My boys wouldn't eat it. Well, it's something new, so hopefully after exposing them to this grain a few more times, (and when they're not quite so tired), they'll be more apt to try it. That's the tricky bit about cooking for kids, they don't always like trying new things.

Smothered Burritos

I do like trying new recipes and when I do, I usually follow the measurements. However, most of the dishes I make are ones that I have made up, or have tweaked from recipes that I have made a lot. Therefore, I don’t really measure things out. Most of my cooking is done by eye and palate. I usually add a little bit of this and that. I guess that’s why I haven’t posted many of my own recipes; I just don’t have time to figure out specific measurements. So, I’ve made a decision to post them anyway, and do my best to put measurements to them. Just keep in mind that most of these recipes are not exact, and feel free to change the amounts of just about anything according to what you have on hand, and your own palate.

Baked beans are practically a staple in the English household. They are basically white beans in a slightly sweet tomato sauce. When looking for the tinned beans in the supermarket, you’ll find half an aisle full of baked beans, and one small section devoted to all the other types of beans. You’ll see baked beans with an English breakfast, beans on toast, beans over a baked potato (jacket potatoes), among other things. I have tried to branch out a bit, and Smothered Burritos is just one of several uses I have found for these culinary gems. If you can’t find baked beans, you could use pork and beans, or any other tinned beans plus extra tomato sauce.

Smothered Burritos is a recipe that I have made quite a lot, and my boys love it! They are similar to Enchiladas, but the sauce I use is a simple tomato sauce and not a proper red chilli sauce. I usually make extra burritos and freeze them; which make a great quick lunch and easy to send to work with my hubby. Just pop them in the microwave for a few minutes, and you’ve got a healthy filling lunch. It’s also a great use for leftover rice.

Smothered Burritos

Filling

~1/2 pound lean beef mince/ground beef

1 onion, chopped

1 green bell pepper, chopped

2-3 cloves garlic, minced

1 400g/14 oz tin kidney beans, drained and rinsed

1 400 g tin baked beans

2 tsp ground cumin

1 tsp ground coriander

½ tsp dried oregano

Chili powder to taste

Salt and Pepper to taste

~1 to 1 ½ cups cooked rice

1/3 cup natural/plain yogurt

Tomato sauce

1 Tbs oil

2-3 garlic cloves, minced

1 chili pepper, minced (deseeded for less heat)

1 400g/16 oz can diced tomatoes

500 g sieved tomatoes/tomato sauce

1 handful chopped fresh coriander leaves/cilantro (or 1-2 tsp dried cilantro)

Tortillas

Grated cheddar cheese

1. Preheat oven to 350 F/180 C. In a large frying pan, brown the beef, remove from the pan. Add a little oil if necessary, and sauté the onions and bell pepper until soft. Add garlic and sauté for another minute. Add the beans, cumin, coriander, oregano and chili powder, and cook on medium, stirring occasionally until warmed through (about 5 minutes).

2. For the sauce, heat the oil in a small saucepan on medium heat. Sauté the garlic and chili for about 1 minute. Add the tomatoes , tomato sauce, and coriander/cilantro. Continue to cook until heat through. Season to taste.

3. In a large bowl (or in the frying pan if you have room), combine the meat mixture with the rice and yogurt. Add a bit of the red sauce for extra moisture.

4. Warm the tortillas to prevent them cracking when folding. Fill the tortillas and wrap them up. Place in a greased baking dish. Smother the burritos with the red sauce, and cover with grated cheese. Bake for about 20 minutes, or until the sauce is bubbling and the cheese is melted.

Simple Friday Night Meal

I try to give my kids a variety of foods, lots of vegetables and different flavours. I don't want them to grow up being picky eaters. But, they're still kids, and sometimes don't want to try a new curry, or a different looking stew. They can sometimes be a bit picky, and still enjoy the kid friendly fare. One of my boys' favourite things to eat is chicken nuggets (with BBQ sauce). I on the other hand am not a fan of the store bought pre-processed chicken nuggets. Who knows exactly what they contain? Most have added salt, and other unhealthy preservatives. I like making my own chicken nuggets. It is so easy and so quick, and I know exactly what's in them. My boys love them too! When I make the chicken nuggets, I also make some sort of vegetable side dish to accompany it.

Chicken nuggets

1-2 Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts

~1/2 cup plain/natural yogurt

salt and pepper to taste

Other herbs and seasonings of choice to taste: i.e. paprika, minced garlic, dried herbs with

dried or fresh bread crumbs seasoned with salt & pepper.

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F/170 C. Place the chicken breasts between two pieces of plastic wrap or wax paper. Pound the breasts flat to about 1/2 inch thickness (you could use a rolling pin, the flat side of a meat tenderizer, a rubber mallet, or the bottom of a glass). Cut the chicken into pieces of desired size, about 2 inches, and set aside.

2. In a bowl or bag, mix together the yogurt salt, pepper, and other seasonings of choice. Place the chicken pieces in the bag and marinate for at least one hour if possible.

3. Place the breadcrumbs in a shallow dish, cover each piece of chicken in the bread crumbs, and place on a greased baking sheet (or covered with baking paper). Place in oven and bake for 7-10 minutes, or until chicken is cooked through.

Minted Carrots: slice a couple of peeled carrots, place in saucepan, cover with water, cook with some chopped fresh mint until water evaporates and carrots are soft. Add salt and pepper, and honey to taste. You could also add a little knob of butter if desired.

Handy Tip #1: Storing Fresh Ginger

I love having fresh ginger around to put in curries, stir-fries, or even my rustic pear tart. The only problem is that I don't use it often enough to go through a big piece of it before it starts to shrivel up and dry out. I can't take credit for this tip, but I can't remember where I first heard it.

Now I can buy ginger in bulk and can have fresh ginger all year round. Just peel the ginger and cut it into smaller pieces and freeze it. When you need some fresh ginger, just pull out a piece and grate using the small holes or a micro-grater. It works great!

Rustic Pear Tart

It's been a while since I've gone food shopping in the States, but I don't remember there being quite the selection of sugars as they have in England. When you step into the baking aisle at Tesco or ASDA the sugars you will find include: granulated, caster, icing, fondant icing, royal icing, natural golden granulated, natural golden caster, Demerara, light and dark Muscovado, light and dark brown soft, natural molasses, jam and preserving sugar. For the following recipe I used Demerara sugar, also known as unrefined cane sugar.

I had some leftover whole wheat short crust pastry dough in the freezer that I needed to use up, and some pears that were going soft and not getting eaten. So I thawed the dough one Monday evening, and quickly threw together this easy dessert. My oldest boy scarfed it down, and my hubby said it was delicious (and that's with a ww crust!)

I don't have the specific recipe for the pie crust. I made this a while ago, and can't remember what I did exactly. I'm pretty sure I used a normal pie-crust recipe, but used 1/2 whole wheat flour and half all-purpose (plain) flour. Then I think I actually used a mixture lard and butter for the fat.

If you are looking for a simple yet delicious dessert, this tart, also known as a Gallete, is the one for you. If you have ready made short-crust pastry, it only takes about 5 minutes to assemble, and you don't have to measure anything. This truly is a little-of-this-and-that kind of recipe. There are no measurements, because it all depends on your taste, as well as the size you want to make the tart. I made some very small ones for my boys, and medium sized personal ones for myself and my hubby. You could make one large one and cut it into slice if you'd like.

Rustic Pear Tart

Short-crust Pastry (ready made or your own recipe)

Pears, peeled and sliced

Demerara Sugar (unrefined cane sugar)

Cinnamon

Grated fresh ginger

Preheat oven to 375 degree F/190 C. For each tart, roll a circle out to desired size, sprinkle with sugar. Leaving 1 to 2 inches around the edge, Place the pear slices in a single layer. Sprinkle with more sugar, cinnamon and a bit of fresh grated ginger. Add another layer of pears followed by sugar, cinnamon and ginger according to taste. Fold the edges of the pie-crust over the filling, and sprinkle the edges with sugar.

Place tarts on a baking sheet, and bake for 15-20 minutes, or until crust is browned and the filling is bubbly.

Variations: You could try this with any fruit, apple, plums, etc. I also made a pear and plum tart which was very good.