SLURPING NOODLE SALAD WITH SESAME DRESSING

It may be bad manners to suck and slurp on spaghetti, but with noodles it's the only way.

And Billie has become a pro noodle-sucker. At times tonight she seemed to be competing with me for how fast she could slurp them back. While she managed to dodge any actual vegetables, she at least sucked back a fair few sesame seeds and bits of fresh coriander.

This is a delicious meal that's quick and easy to prepare, and is designed to be eaten cold (perfect for feeding the whole family).

Note that I've used honey - so best avoided if you're feeding an under-one-year-old. Substitute with maple syrup, which is what the original recipe calls for (yes, it's American).

You may have already guessed where this salad came from - Cynthia Lair's Feeding the Whole Family. I've just made a couple of changes.

 Lair suggests serving this tasty vegetarian dish with salmon. However, it's served us well twice this week as a main - just add a vegetable or two.

Feeding the family

NOODLE SALAD WITH SESAME DRESSING

Salad: 

1 pack of soba noodles (225g/8oz)

1/4 cup sesame seeds

1/4 cup chopped coriander/cilantro leaves

Dressing:

2 T sesame oil (Lair suggests toasted, but I just used plain)

3 T tamari or shoyu

3 T balsamic vinegar

1 T honey/maple syrup

1 T olive oil

fresh cracked pepper

Optional extras:

I used broccoli florets on Saturday and both broccoli and thinly sliced carrots tonight.

Lair suggests chives, red cabbage, radishes and scallions.

Toast sesame seeds in dry cast iron fry-pan/skillet on medium heat for about five minutes.  Stir frequently and remove when browning and crackling. Don't over-do them.

Cook soba noodles in medium-sized pot of boiling water for a few minutes (check package). Drain and rinse under cold tap immediately. 

Steam any vegetables, such as broccoli and carrot.

Whisk together dressing ingredients. Combine with noodles, coriander and sesame seeds. Gently stir through any vegetables.

Billie masters the art of noodle-eating

THREE SISTERS STEW

While Billie has taken to throwing the vegetables out of the highchair, she still devours beans like they're almost as good as sliced bread. She also still appreciates vegetables if they're mingling with beans in a stew or casserole. Not sure on the logic here, but we are dealing with a toddler.

Three Sisters Stew

Three Sisters Stew is a marvelous all-in-one dish which teams well with whatever grain you have to hand. We tried a whole wheat cous cous the first time I made it, and then quinoa this week. However, because corn is a whole grain it doesn't need the grain for nutrition purposes.

I doubled the recipe this week, which was great to keep us in lunch for several days - Billie and I had it four days running. However, I wouldn't recommend doing this unless you have a party to feed, as I reckon a bit of the flavour was lost.

This hearty vegetarian stew comes courtesy of my latest culinary find. Feeding the Whole Family By Cynthia Lair is a fantastic cook book I stumbled across in a second hand shop a few weeks ago. It's all about using whole foods to create meals suitable for a range of ages. Sound familiar? Yes, there goes my book idea...

Anyway, expect to see a few more recipes where this goody came from. The core ingredients diverge a little from my kitchen shelves, so I need to do a re-stock before I can approach many of the others. She uses lots of Japanese ingredients.

Cynthia Lair credits author Jackie Williams with this stew. "Native Americans grew corn and planted the beans at the base. The corn stalks served as a bean pole. The ground space between the stalks was used to grow squash. The three sisters (corn, beans and squash) lived harmoniously," writes Lair.

I have made a couple of little adaptations to the original.

THREE SISTERS STEW

1 cup dried black beans (Lair suggests Christmas lima beans but any dark beans will do)

3 cups stock

2 tspn ground cumin

1 T extra virgin olive oil or ghee

2 tsp dried oregano or 1 T fresh, chopped

1/2 tsp cinnamin

1 onion, chopped

1 tsp salt

3 cloves garlic, chopped finely

3 cups pumpkin (Lair uses squash), peeled and cut into bite-sized chunks

1 tin tomatoes (400g)

1 tsp chilli powder or paste

1 1/2 cups fresh or frozen corn (I used fresh)

1 cup grated cheddar

sour cream (optional)

 Cous cous, quinoa or rice 

Seasonal greens - bok choy, broccoli, or asparagus work well

Soak beans for 6-8 hours, or less is fine if using pressure cooker. Place soaked beans with 2 cups of stock and 1 tsp cumin in pot or pressure cooker. Bring to boil and then simmer on low, covered, until tender. Takes about 50-60 mins or 45 mins in pressure cooker.

Heat oil in large pot on medium and saute the onion and garlic in the remaining spices and salt. Cook until onion is soft (about 5 mins) and then add pumpkin/squash, tomatoes, oregano and chili. Add 1 cup of stock, bring to a simmer and cook with LID OFF until pumpkin is soft (about 20 mins). If getting dry replace lid. Add corn and cooked beans, simmer until corn tender (won't take long). Season to taste and serve over a bed of grains with a generous side of cooked greens. Sprinkle with grated cheddar, and sour cream works well on the side if there's some about.

I SUGGEST FOR BABIES 6 MONTHS: Put aside some pumpkin chunks, steam and puree.

FOR 8 MONTHS: Put aside some cooked beans and puree with pumpkin.

FOR 10 MONTHS: Offer some cooked beans and pumpkin, not pureed

FOR 12 MONTHS AND UP: Offer complete Three Sisters Stew. Billie loved!

HIDING THE VEGETABLES - ASPARAGUS AND PUMPKIN RICE CAKES

Apparently you're not supposed to 'hide' vegetables from fussy toddlers. Well, how about just offering them mixed into plenty of carbohydrates and cheese?

Asparagus and Pumpkin Rice Cakes

 Billie wasn't fooled anyway, or perhaps she just chose not to dig into these today. Maybe tomorrow.


Our one-year-old has dropped her all-devouring love of vegetables and began toddling down the path to fussy-dom. My idealistic plans to not tolerate a fussy eater don't work when you're dealing with a little person that can't speak, let alone reason.

Pumpkin and spinach have so far remained firmly on Billie's menu, so I was a little taken-aback when the chunks of roast pumpkin landed on the floor, with a smirk. Especially since she devoured a similar dish only a few weeks back.

I made these for lunch today, served with a spinach and tomato salad dressed with balsamic and olive oil. When dinner-time came round Billie did manage to get half of one of these tasty vegetarian cakes down, so this recipe still earns an entry.

And anything with asparagus is worth making during spring.

ASPARAGUS AND PUMPKIN RICE CAKES

1 cup rice (I used brown but any will do)

1/4 pumpkin

1 bunch asparagus

4 eggs

1/4 cup milk

1/2 cup grated cheddar

1/2 cup grated Parmesan

salt and pepper

fine dry bread crumbs

olive oil

Place rice with 2 cups cold water in pot on high with lid on. Bring to boil and then reduce heat and simmer on very low with lid on until water evaporated. Don't stir - you will be able to see/hear when water gone.

Chop pumpkin into small bite-sized chunks and rub with olive oil. Roast in hot oven until soft and crispy.

Oil 12 muffin tins and line with breadcrumbs. 

Chop asparagus into small chunks and steam lightly with little water and butter. Remove from pot.

Whisk eggs lightly with milk and freshly ground black pepper. Stir through grated cheese, rice and pumpkin and asparagus. Check seasoning and spoon into muffin tins. Bake in hot oven for 25-35 mins.

Leave in tins for 5 minutes. Remove and cool on wire rack. Eat warm or refrigerate for later.

BABIES 6 MONTHS AND OLDER: Depending on where you're at, reserve some cooked pumpkin chunks and some asparagus. Blend for younger baby or offer as finger food for older baby.

BACK TO THE OFFICE - ITALIAN MANASTA AND MORE

One of the most scary things about returning to the office this week was FOOD.

How was our family going to eat? I refuse to go back to paid work so I can spend my part-time wage on lunches and takeaway dinners.

So billie bites may be about to become a whole lot more useful for some readers. I've often been told the recipes look good, but there's just not time...

Eating well is all about time management, organisation, planning, budgeting, and shopping. If the cupboards are well-stocked you're more than half-way there.

Now I have a huge disclaimer to announce: A BIG thank you and congratulations has to go to Miles for taking the reins of part-time house-husband. So actually, Miles did most of the cooking. And very well. Especially considering he had to work any minute Billie slept.

However, essential to this successful changeover was a big, well-planned shop on Sunday. As much as we wanted to get out in the sunshine and take a much-needed walk to the beach, to the shops we all went.

EATING WELL IN A BUSY HOUSEHOLD

PLAN JUST A FEW MEALS: 
I used to head to the shops with a strict list after planning the weeks' meals. But this leaves you stuck with overpriced spinach and skipping past the bargains.  So write a list, perhaps after flipping through a few cookbooks or blogs, with several meal options. That way when you discover fresh peas are expensive this week and the store doesn't stock frozen ones, you can throw that idea to the wind. 

KEEP AN EYE ON SEASONS:

Asparagus is in now because it's spring in the southern hemisphere, so take advantage. Avoid it for the rest of the year. It's tricky keeping up with appropriate prices for fruit and vegetables and I'm definitely still learning, but the more you browse the green grocers the better you'll get at eating well on a budget.

COOK IN BULK:

I screwed this up on Sunday night when I cooked one of Billie's favourites - her Italian great grandfather's manasta. I only made enough of this simple nourishing spinach and white bean dish for one dinner and a too-small office lunch for me and a little for Billie. However, when Miles took over on Monday he cooked an entire bag of black beans in the pressure cooker, froze half of them and turned the rest into delicious chili beans. These stretched over two Mexican burrito dinners, a hearty lunch for me and also for Billie.

STORE CUPBOARD STUFF:

Sorry to trundle out that old dogma, but it's true. If you always have most of these in store you'll never have to reach for the takeaway menu (unless you want to treat yourself). Off the top of my head I suggest: Rice, flour, oats, polenta, cous cous, quinoa, dried beans - black, kidney, chickpea, great northern etc- and some tinned beans for emergencies, lentils, tin tomatoes, nuts - almond, brazil, walnut etc, nut butters, dates, baking powder, baking soda, sugar, olive oil, vinegar, tamari/soy sauce, and the list can go on...I know they're not technically store cupboard, but I reckon keeping eggs, milk, cheese, butter and yoghurt around can make your life that much easier too.

Manasta is one of those dishes that makes you feel good just preparing it. On the eve of my return to paid work I was quite anxious, but once I started cooking this tasty, healthy and very easy dish I felt relaxed and calm.

This Italian stable comes from Billie's Great Grandpa Lou whose family hails from Naples. His wife Eve taught me to make it when we visited their Baraboo, Wisconsin home during the fourth of July holiday weekend. Eve is one of the most amazing home cooks I have ever met - we dined on blueberry pie, blueberry pancakes, pumpkin pudding, Mexican egg salad, spinach and ricotta lasagne, chili beans, and this Manasta. Technically a soup, and I recommend serving it with good bread, but it's more the consistency of a stew/casserole. I recommend doubling this recipe.

GREAT GRANDPA LOU'S  MANASTA

1 cup dried great northern beans (white beans)

1 large bag English spinach

1/2 cup olive oil (yes, you need this much - it is Italian after all)

6 large cloves garlic 

1 t fennel seed

   

Soak beans in four cups of water for several hours of overnight. Drain and place in pot with another four cups of water and bring to the boil before simmering for a couple of hours. If you have a pressure cooker use that instead - much quicker and you don't need to soak for as long. Or you could use canned beans but then you don't get the soupy stuff.

Wash spinach and leave a little of the water on the leaves. Place in large pot with lid and cook on medium for about five mins. Shake and stir every minute until just wilted. Remove from pot to cool before chopping.

Heat oil in large pot and cook garlic gently for few minutes. Add fennel seed and cook for just one minute. Add beans, cooking water and spinach. Salt to taste (just a little if serving to baby/toddler and then re-salt adults' later. Simmer for few minutes to blend flavours.

Serve in bowls with good, thickly-sliced bread. Works well as a side dish too, which is what Eve did.

Squeeze a very small amount of lemon juice over just before serving - the vitamin C is needed to absorb the iron from the spinach. Or serve with a tomato salad, fruit etc.

PS Miles also made sushi while he was on. But that's just showing off...

So then I had to catch up, and made this batch the following evening.