MAGIC ZUCCHINI AND CHEESE MUFFINS

Billie Bites sponsors Word Travels Rocks Pop Up launch

These muffins are 'magic' because they don't require any fat. No oil or butter. Just plenty of cheese. I didn't quite believe it until I made them today. I slightly adapted the recipe from Danielle, a parent at Billie's childcare.

Now why did I make three batches? Today was the Word Travels Rocks Pop Up Launch headlined by acclaimed US spoken word poets Sarah Kay (of TED fame) and Phil Kaye (no relation and not a couple). But they are partners in crime at Project Voice, which uses spoken word to work with young people in the US.

So Billie Bites thought all this a worthy event to sponsor, and last night the cook-off began.

It was afternoon tea. Sunday at 2pm - what a civilised time for a gig. There was no oven available in the space so all the finger food had to be cold.

Last night was chocolate slice night - I made one batch of chocolate coconut and a double batch of chocolate walnut. See recipe here (just swap coconut for walnuts, but personally I prefer the nut version).

This morning was muffin time, and three batches of these delicious and healthy savory muffins flew out of my kitchen. A double batch of cannellini bean dip (extra garlic to keep those colds away) and a cheese platter made up a pretty laden table at the launch.

Hmmm, how did those corn chips get at the front. Better angle next time.

RECIPE: MAGIC ZUCCHINI AND CHEESE MUFFINS

2 cups wholemeal self raising flour

1 cup grated strong cheddar cheese

1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

freshly ground black pepper

250 g grated zucchini/courgette

1 cup milk

3 eggs

Preheat oven to moderate hot - 180c or 350 f. Grease 12 muffin trays ( I use silicon ones).

Sieve flour into large bowl and add grated cheese. Combine eggs and milk and pepper in small bowl. Grate zucchini and put to one side.

When ready to bake, use a large fork to quickly and gently combine the zucchini with the dry ingredients, and then the milk and eggs. Once mixed through (don't over-mix) quickly place large spoons of mixture into each muffin tin.

Place in oven on reasonably high shelf and bake for about 30 minutes (40 minutes if you use silicon muffin trays like I do, as takes longer for muffin bottoms to crisp).

Remove from trays and cool on wire rack. Eat as soon as possible. However, a bonus of this recipe is they are still fabulous many hours later. Especially spread with a little butter.


Congratulations to Word Travels on the launch of their new space in Sydney's Rocks, and thanks to all the fabulous spoken word performers for warming up the space. It was Sarah Kay and Phil Kaye's first visit to Australia.

Miles Merrill encourages the packed room to slip out and grab some more Billie Bites

US spoken word poets Sarah Kay and Phil Kaye launch Word Travels' Rocks Pop Up space

FOOD BLOG: MUESLI BARS

Little Patience: Watching the muesli bars cool down for eating

Our household practically keeps the manufacturer of a certain muesli bar, and muesli, in business.

And when we get caught out and about sans snacks (which happens far too often) muesli cookies are often the only 'healthy' option on offer. (Next up we'll have the recipe for the muesli cookies I just removed from the oven.)

So with muesli bars undoubtedly sitting at the top of Billie's favourite food list, I've been cooking them up in my head for some time now.

Finally last weekend Billie made it happen. 'Mum, can we make muesli bars?' 'How about we make something else - muffins, scones?' 'No. I wanna make muesli bars'. Okay, it's decided then.

I'm extremely happy with this recipe, made up on the go. I cooked them a little hot and fast the first time round - see blackened raisins above - but the taste was still superb.

If you have peanut allergies in the house then swap for another nut butter. If you're in a total nut-free zone then try a little more tahini and a little more honey. But really the peanut butter isn't that essential. (It just tastes great.)

Don't try and distribute and eat straight from the oven. Very crumbly. Wait an hour or so and they will set nicely. We rushed the hot muesli bars off to a gardening bee at our local Waverley Park Communal Gardens. The gardeners still enjoyed them though.

RECIPE: MUESLI BARS

100g coconut oil (or use 3/4 cup of another suitable oil such as rice bran, sunflower)

5 Tablespoons honey

1/2 cup shredded coconut or desiccated coconut  

1/4 cup sesame seeds

1/4 cup sunflower seeds

1/2 cup raisins/sultanas (use big juicy ones if you can) - optional

2 cups oats

4 Tablespoons peanut butter

1 Tablespoon tahini (If you can't get it just add 1 extra peanut butter)

 Preheat oven to 180 c or 350 F. Grease a large rectangle oven dish, or two square/round ones.

Melt oil and honey in small pot on low heat until just bubbling. Meanwhile, combine dry ingredients in large bowl. Remove oil and honey from heat and stir peanut butter and then tahini through until smooth. Immediately mix it through dry ingredients until well combined.

Spread out flat in oven dish and bake on middle shelf until just browned on top and cooked through - approximately 20-30 minutes.  If it is browning on top and not cooking through then cover with foil for a bit.

Leave muesli bars to cool before removing, and then slice into bars.

Vegetarian Food Blog: Billie's Wholemeal Cheddar Scones

When Billie's not invited into the kitchen to cook, she's busy cooking up a storm for her teddy bears using imaginative equipment and ingredients. Her dolls eat sock and peg soup with a side of duplo and dried beans.

This week I decided to open the floodgates. Billie baked. I let go of the perfect cake and scones and allowed her free rein with the sieve. Well, almost. I was a bit more precious with the chocolate cake (recipe coming up soon).

I let her really go for it with these delicious wholemeal and cheddar scones. She buttered the tray. Sieved the flour. Rubbed the butter into the flour. Whisked the egg and milk together. And rolled the dough out before cutting it into pieces and using a slice to manoeuvre the scones onto the baking tray. Toddler Master Chef here we come.

I discovered if I don't breathe down her neck and take over as soon as some flour strays out of the bowl, she gets bored of the task at hand and asks me to finish.

Billie can be credited with helping create this recipe. I had no plans to add black pepper but the grinder was on the table. I turned to find Billie busy grinding a reasonable serve of pepper into the dry ingredients. She did the same thing with some fritters the other day - except she asked before she ground.

 

These savory scones are best eaten straight out of the oven with a generous spread of butter. However, they were pretty popular later at the playground. 

*NOTE ABOUT WHOLEMEAL FLOUR: If you can, buy stoneground wholemeal flour. It's processed in a traditional way by stone-milling the whole wheat grain and the result is a superior product. You get the goodness and texture of wholemeal without the density. I still often get the cheap and easy regular wholemeal from the supermarket. But lately I've been baking with stoneground wholemeal, and it's noticeable how much lighter the scones are.

RECIPE: BILLIE'S WHOLEMEAL CHEDDAR SCONES

75 g wholemeal flour 

75g self-raising plain flour (white)

1 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp salt

freshly ground black pepper

25g butter, at room temperature

100g grated cheddar

1 egg

4-5 tablespoons milk

1/2 tsp mustard (optional)

Grease a flat oven tray with butter or oil. Preheat over to about 210-220.

Sieve flour, baking powder and salt into a large bowl. Add freshly ground black pepper and grated cheese, saving a couple of tablespoons to sprinkle on top. In a separate small bowl, lightly whisk the egg, milk and mustard.

Rub butter into flour until crumbly, then add wet ingredients and combine. If mixture is too dry, add a few more drops of milk. It should be moist but still dry enough to lift out of the bowl and mold into a ball with your hands (but your hands should get covered in mixture - if not it's too dry). 

Place on a floured bench and roll out just a little. Don't roll it too thin, just about the size of a side plate. Cut into nine scones, place well-spaced on tray and bake in hot oven for 10-15 minutes or until just browning.

VEGETARIAN FOOD BLOG: SPINACH, RICOTTA AND RICE FRITTERS

Before we go any further with this fritter and patty party, an explanation of what defines each is useful.

Fritter mixture is wet. Sloppy. You can't use your hands to form balls with fritter batter. Imagine a very thick pancake batter, with vegetables and stuff bulking it out.

Patty mixture can still be quite moist. But importantly, you can use wet hands to form large round balls. You place them on a large plate, flatten them slightly, and place in fridge or freezer to firm-up before frying. Being cold keeps the patty in one piece when you fry it, especially when you flip it.

If you've only just stumbled across Billie Bites, here's some background: Billie grew a little fussy. On return from holiday we embarked on a fritter and patty frenzy. Suddenly, vegetables are back in her diet.

She loves cooking, and fritters and patties are perfect toddler fodder. Yes it does involve hot oil, so here's where I insert a disclaimer. However, Billie is very clear that pans on the stove are hot. We've never had any problems or any near-misses. I do of course watch her at all times around hot oil. Hey, those master chef kids had to start somewhere.

This is from the fritter camp. Next up, we'll demonstrate the difference with a patty recipe.

These numbers were a HUGE hit. Billie ate plate-loads. And she was a fabulous sous chef.

SPINACH, RICOTTA AND RICE FRITTERS


2/3 cup brown rice (makes 1 1/4 cooked rice, and can be prepared ahead)
Large bunch of English spinach 
1/2 cup grated cheddar
600g fresh ricotta (if at all possible, use the really fresh, firm stuff)
2 eggs, lightly beaten
freshly ground black pepper
just a little bit of salt
freshly grated nutmeg, or 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
handful fresh oregano (or basil, parsley if oregano not around)


Place rice in small pot with double the amount of cold water. Bring to boil with lid on, then turn right down to low and simmer with lid on until water absorbed. Don't stir, just lift lid occasionally and it will be obvious when water almost gone. Turn off and leave lid on for few minutes. Remove rice from pot and place in large bowl to cool.


Meanwhile, pick spinach leaves and wash. Drain, leaving a little water on the leaves. Place in large pot with lid, on medium heat. After a minute shake pot. After another minute lift lid and give quick stir. When just wilted, remove and chop spinach.


Add salt and pepper, nutmeg, spinach, cheddar and herbs to rice. Next add eggs, then ricotta. 


Heat a large heavy fry pan on medium with couple of spoons of oil - olive, rice bran or coconut are best. Once hot, turn down to low and dollop tablespoons of mixture into pan. The smaller the fritters, the quicker to cook. But if they are larger they will soak up a bit less oil. So depending on your priorities...With this recipe I found smaller to be better as the mixture is a slow cooker. 


Flipping rules: Avoid multiple flips. This encourages breakage. Instead gently try the edges with your flipper, and if it comes away easily and does not look about to break into pieces, your fritter is ready to be turned. Flip when solid. Patience is a virtue with these fritters, they don't like to be rushed.


Place on a large plate lined with newspaper to soak up any excess oil and serve as are. No sauce or chutney needed. (Yes, newspaper really works just as well as paper towels. But if you don't have newspaper lying around your kitchen because you read everything online, you may have to go out and buy paper towels.)


Where's the picture? Billie scoffed them all before I could reach for the camera.

QUINOA, SWEET POTATO AND BROCCOLI FRITTERS

Actually, Billie is making some other patties here

 It's well and truly fritter season in our household. And we're partial to patties too.

Billie Bites is back with a wad of inspiring recipes after a rather long summer break.

I'll admit I've been hiding a little due to a bit of an extra fussy faze - not mentioning anyone in particular...

But I can now report two solutions for dealing with that fussy toddler: Get them cooking. Make fritters. Oh, there's one more - make patties.

So stay tuned for the play-out of Toddler Master Chef. It helps that Billie actually loves cooking. Really. I can't get her out of the kitchen.

Here's the first in our series of fritters and patties - otherwise known as 'hide the vegetable'.

But they are tasty. And multi-functional. Today I wrapped a warm pile of these straight out of the frying pan to serve at Billie's friend Henry's third birthday party. I think the adults devoured them before the kids got a look-in. Except for Billie - who barely moved from the food  table.

I've been busting for ages to experiment with quinoa in a patty or fritter. I'm very happy with this result - and Billie gobbled back a plateful for dinner this weekend.

QUINOA, SWEET POTATO AND BROCCOLI FRITTERS

These are kind of in between fritters and patties - in that the mixture is too wet to form into solid patties but not quite as wet as a traditional fritter. It works well though.

This makes quite a large batch, but the mixture keeps well in the fridge for a couple of days. Half it though if you like. And it's gluten-free (provided you use tamari rather than soy sauce). 

1 cup Quinoa

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 3/4 cup water

1 large sweet potato (use the purple-skinned kumara if possible)

1 head of broccoli

butter (optional)

2 eggs, lightly whisked

freshly ground black pepper

olive oil

3 cloves garlic, finely chopped

three spring onions, finely chopped (or use one brown onion)

handful mushrooms, finely chopped (optional)

1 teaspoon ground coriander

1 teaspoon ground cumin

2-3 tablespoons tamari or soy sauce (depending on how salty you like)

1 tablespoon brown rice vinegar (optional)

coconut oil (or olive or rice bran oil)

Peel sweet potato and chop into smallish pieces. Steam until soft enough to mash. Chop broccoli and add to steamer about half way through.

Meanwhile, rinse quinoa and place in small pot with water and salt. Bring to boil with lid on, then turn right down low and simmer with lid on until water is absorbed. DON'T STIR. To check if water absorbed simply tilt pan. It will take about 15-20 mins. Once absorbed remove pot from heat and leave to stand with lid off for about 5-10 minutes.

While this is all on the boil, heat a couple of tablespoons of olive oil in a heavy frying pan. Saute onions, garlic and mushrooms (if using) on a medium heat until nicely softened. Add spices and black pepper and stir for 30 seconds.

Mash sweet potato and broccoli, adding a dollop of butter if you fancy. Combine with rest of ingredients. Check seasoning.

When ready to fry heat heavy frying pan over low-medium heat with large tablespoon of coconut oil (or other oil). Dollop a tablespoon of mixture into pan, and repeat until pan is full. Leave room to flip.

Try not to flip too soon - they take longer than you think and will break up if you flip too early. Try them gently with the flipper - when done they will turn easily. Cook on other side for a few minutes, until browned. It's better to be slightly overcooked than under cook when it comes to fritters. Place on a plate lined with newspaper, recycled printed paper or paper towels (newspaper actually works very well and saves on buying all those paper towels).

Add more oil to pan and repeat. 

Delicious hot, warm or cool. No sauce needed but a salad on the side is nice.

VEGETARIAN FOOD BLOG: HUNZA PIE

Hunza Pie

I can't believe this recipe is not already here. It's such a stable, I assumed it had long ago joined the Billie Bites collection.

Searching it for the other day to remind myself of the quantities, I discovered the poor hunza pie had been overlooked.

This is reminiscent of my very popular Spinach Torte - definitely an established part of the Billie Bites scenery. The key differences are: The Hunza has pastry, silver beet, brown rice and cheddar. The Torte has arborio rice, Parmesan and no pastry.

Great straight from the oven. Best after it's cooled a little. Tasty cold the next day. Especially outside on a park bench overlooking the ocean.

This is adapted from a recipe by Steve Manfredi, published in the Sydney Morning Herald.

HUNZA PIE

220g wholemeal flour

110g cold salted butter

cold water

1/2 cup brown rice

Bunch silver beet

butter

2 eggs, lightly beaten

1 cup cheddar cheese, grated

salt and pepper

nutmeg

Place rice in small pot with 1 cup water. Bring to boil with lid on and then turn right down. Simmer until water absorbed - takes about 30 minutes total. Don't stir at all while cooking. Instead tip pot on angle to see how much water is left. Once done tip into large bowl to cool.

Meanwhile, make the pastry. If you have a food processor, place flour in food processor and drop lumps of butter in one at a time while pulsing. Once the mixture looks crumbly, gradually add a tablespoon or three of water while processing, until the mixture forms a ball.  If sans food processor, simply place flour and butter in bowl and use a knife to combine. Add the water gradually and finally use hands to knead into a ball. Wrap in cling film and place in fridge for 20-30 mins.

Preheat oven to medium high. 

Wash silver beet - keeping most of the stems. Place a chunk of butter in a large pot with the silver beet. Cook over medium-high heat for about five minutes. Shake the pot regularly and stir occasionally. Once fairly well wilted remove and cool on chopping board, before slicing up and adding to rice.

Roll out pastry on a floured bench and use it to line a well-greased flan tin. I use a ceramic one. Any pie dish will do though. Prick centre with a fork and place in oven to lightly cook the pastry shell - about ten minutes is enough.

Combine eggs and cheese with rice and silver beet. Salt and pepper to taste. Add grated nutmeg - a few pinches.

Pour into pastry shell and bake for about 25 minutes, until cooked through and crispy on top.

TOMATO FEVER

A tomato-growing frenzy hit my office this week. Colleagues who have never grown a single vegetable are joining the club.

Better get this replanted, staked, watered and fed

Instead of filling the world with more chocolate bars, some clever local school fundraisers are selling mature-for-this-time-of-year tomato plants.

One green-fingered woman was ahead of the game and filled her greenhouse with hundreds of seedlings, spurned from a tried-and-tested Italian cherry tomato seed.

Luckily for Coogee Public School, they have the right contacts. My TV station colleague Jane has been shipping into our office as many tomato plants as she can carry. By lunchtime she's all sold out.

I'm trying to get a wee competition up - see which person in TV-land can grow the best crop of tomatoes. I'll even offer these tomato growing tips I recorded last summer.



A gardening columnist recommended planting tomato seeds a few months back, in order to have a crop in time for Christmas. Well, my babies only hit the dirt a few weeks back so I doubt I'll make the deadline.

My own very young tomato seedlings, planted a few weeks ago in egg cartons

 However,  thanks to Coogee's very smart school fundraising scheme, we may just get there.

PICNIC TIME: LEMON AND CRANBERRY SCONES

Billie loves picnics. She wants every meal to be a picnic. Her teddy bears join her for imaginary picnics on the balcony. At the playground she insists first on settling on a park bench and 'having a picnic' of sultanas and crackers. Only then is it time for some slide action.

While I'm often tempted by cafes, I feel much better when I'm organised enough to pack some bits to munch on. The best is when I take the time to bake. You save on dough and it (usually) tastes better.

WHO HAS TIME TO BAKE?1 I hear you shout. One word: SCONES. Easy. Quick. Always impressive. And you can add all sorts of bits to create sweet or savory twists on the old fashioned classic. No need for jam and cream here.

It's been hard to plan picnics in Sydney of late as we wake up to wintry mornings that sometimes turn into summery afternoons. Last weekend Billie and I headed to a friend's in Darlinghurst, prepared for a picnic in the shelter of her studio.

How happy we were when our gamble to venture over to Elizabeth Bay paid off. We spread out in this gorgeous little oasis, complete with fish ponds and green slopes worth rolling down.

The lemon peel in these scones is sensational. Don't omit it. But you can skip the cranberries, or swap them for some currents, sultanas etc.

This recipe is adapted from my old favorite, Cynthia Lair's Feeding the Whole Family.

RECIPE: LEMON CRANBERRY SCONES

2 cups wholemeal flour

1/8 cup brown sugar 

 3 teaspoons baking powder

small pinch salt

6 tablespoons cold butter

1 cup dried cranberries, or currents etc

1 tablespoon lemon zest

1 teaspoon lemon juice

3/4 cup butter milk (or just grab another teaspoon lemon juice and stir through milk)

Extra butter for serving

Preheat oven to moderate, about 350f and 180c. Grease an oven tray.

Combine flour, sugar baking powder and salt together in large bowl. Mix the butter through with a butter knife, and then finish with your hands to create a crumbly mix. Stir through cranberries and zest. 

Make a well and pour in the buttermilk/lemon milk and the extra lemon juice. Mix gently but swiftly until you have a moist dough. You may have to add a few more drops (but only drops) of milk.

Place the dough on a floured bench/table/board and knead quickly and gently with your floured hands. Create an 8 inch circle and cut into eight wedges - like a pizza. Use a slice/spatula to carefully transfer scones onto the prepared oven tray. Bake for 20 mins or until just golden. Check them after 15 minutes if you have a hot oven. Cool on a wire rack, and eat as soon as possible.

If you are taking them out to eat, reheat them quickly in a nearby oven. They will stay warm during the walk to the park. Slice in half and spread with butter. (But they are fine eaten at room temp too.)

MUESLI TIME

I've been sitting on this post for a while, thinking muesli was perhaps not so worthy of an entry.

However, after watching a certain uninspiring food program on TV last night - where the host ate muesli at a cafe near my house and then met the home cook responsible for the cereal - I realised the world needs my muesli.

One problem I had with the recipe demonstrated last night was the unnecessary butter and sugar it was loaded with. This is also a problem, I think, with many commercial muesli and granola brands.

I'm all for putting butter and sugar where it belongs - on toast, in cakes and biscuits. But I don't need them in my breakfast cereal.

Muesli is Billie's No.1 food. She asks for it all day. And muesli bars, which I must learn to make.

Billie loves to help mama make the muesli. So does Big Teddy.

I should credit my folks with inspiring this recipe - I've adapted and made it my own but it's similar to the one my dad makes.

RECIPE: TWO-SPEED MUESLI

 Lately I've been keeping half of the raw dry ingredients aside in a jar to serve to Billie. Each morning I soak it in freshly squeezed orange juice and perhaps a bit of boiling water. Just for a few minutes, so the juice is still fresh with vitamin C. Raw muesli is easier to chew too.

If you are happy with a simpler, healthier muesli then omit the wet ingredients and just eat raw as above. You can soak with water, milk, yoghurt or juice for a few minutes before serving, or overnight if you want it really soft.

If you like a crunchy, slightly sweet, toasted muesli  - then go the whole hog with the recipe below.

'I want to pour it'

DRY INGREDIENTS:

5 cups whole oats

1 cup wheatgerm

1/2 cup sunflower seeds

1/2 cup sesame seeds

1/2 cup pumpkin seeds (optional)

1 cup coconut (optional)

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon (optional)

1 cup ground linseed (or LSA, but plain linseed if you can)

1 cup raw almonds, chopped quite finely

WET INGREDIENTS:

1/2 cup honey

1/2 cup coconut oil or rice bran oil or light cooking oil

 Place oil and honey in small pot over low heat and cook until just bubbling.

Meanwhile, combine dry ingredients - except almonds and linseed - together in large flat oven tray or baking dish.

Pour hot wet ingredients over muesli and quickly stir through. 

You can serve the muesli as is, without toasting, and this is good for little ones not up for lots of chewing.

But for the real tasty deal, place tray of muesli under grill and stir frequently, or place in medium oven and stir every five minutes - keep an eye on it as you don't really wanna burn it.

Add almonds and linseed (I believe you lose some of the goodness during cooking, especially with the super omega-packed linseed. But I may be wrong, so don't quote me.)

Once cooled place in airtight container. But you can eat it while it's still hot. Yum.

'I want to eat it'.

VEGETARIAN BLOG: CORN FRITTERS FOR AUNTIE MILLICENT

Corn fritters have already populated these pages. However, it's worth giving this version a whirl as they went down extremely well in our household.

 Not only Billie but also her dear Auntie Millicent scoffed back a stack. Millicent is now back in Chicago and wants the recipe so she can press replay.

Corn fritter recipes usually call for canned creamed corn. I prefer to stick with fresh, but it can be tricky to get the wet/dry ingredient ratio right. I think I succeeded perfectly here:

RECIPE: CORN FRITTERS FOR AUNTIE MILLICENT

4-5 corn cobs (raw)

2 cups flour

2.5 teaspoons of baking powder

salt and pepper

6 eggs

large handful each of parsley and oregano, chopped fairly finely

3/4 cup milk

oil

First slice the corn kernels off the cobs. The easiest way to do this is to place the cob horizontally on a chopping board and use a large knife to slice them off. Don't cook the corn before adding to fritter mixture.

Lightly beat the eggs in a small bowl. Add milk, corn, herbs salt and pepper to taste. Set aside.

Sift flour and baking powder into a large bowl and create a well in the centre. Pour rest of ingredients in and stir until combined.

Place a tablespoon of oil into a large heavy frying pan and heat on medium. Once hot drop two tablespoons of mixture into pan (to form one fritter) and repeat until pan full. Leave a few centimetres between so you can easily flip them. Turn once bubbles appearing all over. The other side won't need so long. Cook until lightly browned and place between paper towels on a plate. Eat as soon as possible.

Serve with a green salad and chutney or sweet chili sauce. 

Grandma Lenore, Auntie Millicent, Miles, Billie and Puppy Dog head to Manly