Meals wrapped up

Brought to you by Nuffnang and Mission Foods.

I've written before about the lengths I'm prepared to go to in order to make lunch exciting for Ellie. If I'm honest, I just like making sure people around me are eating good food. It's why I use refillable pouches instead of buying ready-made. It's why I'm happy to spend ages boiling and shaping eggs, and cutting shapes into sandwiches.

When it comes to food, my philosophy is everything in moderation, and mostly whole foods. In practice, this is actually pretty easy. If a product has too many ingredients and I don't recognise most of them; I'm probably not going to eat it. If I have a choice between buying a commercial cake, or whipping something up at home, I'm going to (usually) whip up the home version. And I'm going to use good quality, real, whole food ingredients to make it. Sure, I'll switch some things around. Probably use something a bit more nutritional than plain white flour. Switch copious amounts of regular sugar to a smaller amount of rapadura, coconut sugar, maple syrup or the like. If it's for me, I'll switch eggs to something else, and more than likely I'll add a bit of this and a pinch of that as well.

In our house, fat is not a bad word. Fat is a good thing. Avocado and good quality oils are encouraged in our house. Those that eat it get real butter slathered on toast. So, my home made cake will be good. It'll be chock full of yummy real ingredients with minimal processing. Then, I'll just make sure I have people on hand to help eat the delectable creation. Or, I'll freeze half of it for later. Because… no one NEEDS an entire cake… and everything in moderation right?

Real food to me is recognisable. It's a tomato that is red because it was ripened in the sun and is bursting with flavour. It's nuts, and grains and gorgeous colourful fruits and vegetables. Although I make my own bread at home, if I'm out and I get a choice, I'm always going to pick the seedy loaf because I just think, if I can see seeds and grains and goodness because it isn't too processed, then YAY!

So I was delighted when asked to try some of Mission's Red Quinoa and Chia wraps (available in WOW and selected supermarkets for $4.79). Hello! Chia! Quinoa! Wraps! Wraps are a great excuse for everyone to do a make-your-own lunch or dinner. No excuse for not eating what's on your plate when you constructed it all yourself. And something about a wrap just screams EXOTIC over the poor old sliced bread. Especially when you can see the seedy goodness!

I have to be honest. These wraps are amazing. There's no artificial colours or flavours. They had visible seeds all over so I just felt extra good about getting lots of omega-3 fats, calcium, dietary fibre and protein (from the chia version) and plenty of amino acid goodness from the red quinoa. Sure, it's probably a negligible amount but every bit helps and THEY TASTE SO GOOD!

Red quinoa seediness

I had mine stuffed full of avocado, fresh tomato, refried beans, fresh greens picked from the garden, corn kernels and some hummus. For extra decadence, when I took some to work the next day, I also tried toasting it in the sandwich press. So good, and a tasty, healthy lunch to boot.

Ellie and Jimmy didn't eat theirs as a traditional wrap. Jimmy doesn't have the dexterity and Ellie likes to deconstruct everything. But the both loved the meal and ate everything in front of them. That's a win, wrapped in a great big dose of healthy!

I envisage these would also make a great treat option too, served with some banana and Nutella, then cut up into little mini scrolls. I'm sure they'd be devoured in no time.

Are you a sandwich or a wrap person? If you love wraps, I highly recommend Mission. I'd love to hear what your favourite filling is in the comments.

What's in my kitchen... June 2015

And the year is just flying by. It's officially Winter now. WINTER! How on earth? I mean, it feels like just yesterday that it was Summer and I was complaining bitterly about having a nursling who wanted to be constantly attached in the middle of the heat. Now it's starting to get cold and I have a curious infant I have to encourage to feed for longer so I can steal some snuggles and warmth! Haha. I'm loving the change in seasons and everything it brings though - mornings are cooler and the sun rises later, so everyone sleeps a little longer (hurrah!). We've added some more blankets to the bed, so it's really hard to get out of it in the mornings. When I do get out though, that sole cup of coffee I allow myself tastes all the better for being hot when the house is just so cold. Winter vegetables are coming into season, so there are lots of lovely pumpkins, green leafy spinach type things and potatoes making an appearance in our meals.

In my kitchen is...

Porridge! Now that it's officially winter, there is no shame in admitting that one of my favourite winter breakfasts is the humble oat porridge. Since I'm still on maternity leave, I like to make it the old fashioned and slightly longer way, with proper rolled oats (not the express type) on the stove top instead of in the microwave. I like mine made on just plain water, so I use a mix of 1:2 oats/water ratio. That gets put onto the stove and stirred until the water is absorbed and the consistency is thick and hearty looking. I then divide that into three - a larger bowl for me, a medium bowl for Ellie and a tiny bowl for Jimmy (wow, that sounds a little Goldilocks like now that I've written it). Mr Fork is not a breakfast person and just has a coffee before work before you think I'm mean and not sharing...

Jimmy has his plain. Ellie and I vary our toppings, but she tends towards plain honey and shredded coconut on hers. I like to mix it up. Some of my favourite toppings at the moment include:

• Frozen raspberries, shredded coconut and maple syrup
• Shredded coconut and passionfruit jam
• Almonds and blueberries
• Mayvers chocolate superfood spread
• Stewed fruits and cinnamon (the leftover apples from my flower tarts were perfect!)
• Coconut or almond milk for a little bit of extra decadence

In my kitchen is...

Mayvers spreads. I can't believe I've not mentioned these before, but since I brought it up with the porridge, I better elaborate. I think all of these spreads by Mayvers are awesome-sauce. I love the super spreads (I have two because they've been on sale when I grocery shopped recently). I've also tried a few of the tahini varieties and the peanut butters. I'm especially chuffed that they are a bit different - instead of plain peanut butter (which they also do), there is a peanut and coconut version as well as a peanut and cacao variety too. I'm munching my way through them all, knowing that they are all-natural pure foods, and I'm supporting an Australian business at the same time. Winner, winner!

In my kitchen is...

A lonely lime. I know that I've been showing off a lot of citrus recently, but this one is special as it is the only lime that I have managed to coax from my own lime tree. This one is a survivor, managing to thrive despite leaf miner infestations and several attacks on the tree by the hoards of rampant grasshoppers in my garden. Go you good lime! I think it will be my only citrus this year.

In my kitchen is...

Passionfruit jam. That bowl of passionfruit from last month was cooked up and turned into jars and jars of passionfruit jam. It turned out absolutely delicious, and I've been eating it on bread, cooked into muffins and drizzled over the top of my morning porridge. Ellie was thoroughly interested in the whole jam making process and couldn't wait to try the end result. Her verdict? "Yummy, except I don't like the seeds". Yes, I think she has missed the point slightly! Luckily I think it's great.

In my kitchen is...

Chocolate, choc chip banana cake. Have I ever shared on here that I loathe bananas? Well I do. The smell and taste of them is just not my cup of tea. Despite that, my children both love them, so I suck it up and buy them. At this stage I even help Jimmy to eat them as left to his own devices he just squishes them into everything and gets frustrated that not much makes it into his mouth. I had two bananas that were beyond eating but perfect for baking, and so, when I came across a recipe that did everything in a bowl with a mixer, it was a winner (since I didn't want to use my hands).

Sorry for the terrible picture, but a certain toddler insisted she needed a piece "right now mama please" so I didn't get time to take in situ photos.

I omitted Katie's suggestion to ice it and just left it plain. This is not a vegan recipe, but since I wasn't eating it, I didn't modify it and used real butter and eggs in it. Mr Fork tried a small piece and informs me it is delicious and fudgey. It made a pretty big cake, especially for someone who doesn't eat bananas. I gave half of it to a friend as a swap for some vegetable seedlings and magazines she dropped over while I was quarantined. Of the remaining half, I froze half of it for future-Ellie's morning tea requirements, and cut the remaining quarter into small pieces for when Ellie demands a snack. Since it is very low in sugar and nasty things, Jimmy has also been allowed to gum on a small piece, to his delight.

In my kitchen is...

(or was!) Planet Food coconut chips. These were an impulse buy as they were on sale at my local Coles. While they say on the packet that they are suitable for vegetarians, I can't see anything in the ingredient list (Coconut, Preservative (220)) that makes it non-vegan friendly either. These are delicious and more-ish. Not too sweet and with a lovely crisp texture. I'm lucky I only bought one packet for I could easily eat these continually if given the chance. I ate the entire packet as an afternoon snack one day. Yum!

I am linking this post in with Fig Jam and Lime Cordial's monthly In My Kitchen event. Go have a peek through other kitchens around the globe!

What's in your kitchen this month?

Recipe: Zucchini fritters

I love a meal where I can just make the one thing, and serve it to everyone regardless of age. By that, I mean I can put it in front of everyone without having to puree it, chop it into tiny pieces, or mess around with it too much. These fritters definitely tick all those boxes for me. It's certainly an advantage of baby led weaning - as soon as Jimmy showed an interest in food, he was given suitable samplings from my plate. Something that he could manage to gum, and hold himself. No more having to steam organic vegetables and then puree them to the appropriate consistency as I did for Ellie! I have to say, for a baby who doesn't yet have any teeth, he does manage to consume a fair variety of food (although to my chagrin, he has yet to drop any of his beloved milk feeds in favour of solids).

I digress. These fritters are a lovely light meal - I served them for dinner with a side salad, but I've also been known to whip them up for lunch or an afternoon tea. They're also very flexible - you can use something other than zucchini, just as long as you make sure to remove as much moisture from it as possible. Corn, potato and sweet potato are all variations that I've successfully made. You can play around with the seasonings to suit the vegetable used.

Vegan Zucchini Fritters
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Ingredients:

• 1 large or 2 small zucchini, grated
• 1 small onion, finely diced
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 cup plain flour (I used wholemeal)
• 1/2 tsp cumin
• 1/2 tsp coriander seeds, ground
• salt and pepper to taste
• olive oil, for frying

Method:

1. Sprinkle salt over the grated zucchini and allow it to sit at least 30 minutes. Squeeze out all the excess water (no one like a soggy fritter!!). Put in a large bowl.
2. To the zucchini, add garlic, onion, cumin, coriander, salt, pepper, flour and baking powder. Mix well.
3. Form into balls, and flatten slightly. I found this a much easier task with slightly wet hands.
4. Add olive oil to a pan and fry over medium heat until a lovely golden colour. Flip them over and cook until the other side is brown as well.

Notes:

• I got 7 medium sized fritters out of the recipe, which was enough for myself, the toddler and the baby to eat 
• I served them alongside a simple tomato salsa
• I used a plan wholemeal flour, but I think a chickpea flour would also be a good alternative
• I added coriander seeds only because I had a whole bunch of them which I'd saved when my plant went to seed. Season to your own tastes