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.

SOMETHING FOR KATE - MEDITERRANEAN QUINOA SALAD

Mediterranean Quinoa with Caribbean lime fish

I love the way recipes take on a folk lore of their own.

I took this super salad from Cynthia Lair, who in turn credits a student named David St Martin. No doubt David was inspired by someone else somewhere along the way.

Quinoa is of course a SUPER food - fantastic source of protein, amino-acids and many minerals such as iron. It's not actually a grain - it's a seed - but it can be used in place of many grains. It's also easy to digest so good for babies just starting solids.

I brought Mediterranean Quinoa along to our weekly office Food Club, and it was a hit. My colleague Kate has been asking for the recipe ever since. We've had some extraordinary salads during Food Club's short life, and I wasn't the first person to bring quinoa.

Office Food Club

This was also a raging success served with Cynthia Lair's Caribbean lime white fish. Both recipes can be found in her fabulous Feeding the Whole Family.

MEDITERRANEAN QUINOA SALAD

1 cup quinoa

1 3/4 cups water

1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup pine nuts
1/4 cup olive oil
1/4 cup lemon juice
3 tablespoons chopped fresh mint
3 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
2 scallions, thinly sliced
1/4 cup currents
1/2 block feta cheese, crumbled


Wash, rinse and drain quinoa. Place water in a small pot with salt and quinoa and bring to boil. Lower heat and simmer gently with lid on until water absorbed (takes about 15-20 minutes). Don't stir, instead tilt the pan to one side or slip a fork in to see if any water on bottom. Removed lid and leave to rest for ten minutes.


Meanwhile, place pine nuts in a dry frying pan (without oil) and gently toast over medium heat. Stir regularly and remove from pan as soon as begin to change colour and give off aroma. 


Combine olive oil, lemon, mint and parsley in large bowl. Add scallions, currents and pine nuts. Add warm quinoa slowly, then feta, and combine well. Serve at room temperature.


FOR BABIES 6 MONTHS AND OLDER: Put aside a little quinoa and puree
FOR BABIES 9 MONTHS AND OLDER: Reserve some salad before feta is added and blend
FOR BABIES/TODDLERS 12 MONTHS AND OLDER: Serve salad as is

RED SUMMER QUINOA SALAD WITH LIME, OLIVES AND MINT

Sydney evenings have been lingering in the 30s this week so when my friend Violet Tingle - My Darling Darlinghurst - invited me around for a blogging brainstorm, the only food to take was a salad. But it had to be a substantial salad.

I literally made this up as I went, Billie hanging over the kitchen/living room dividing barrier, but it's so good I'll be making it again and again. A very tasty vegetarian dish.

RED SUMMER QUINOA SALAD WITH OLIVES AND MINT

1 cup quinoa

1 3/4 cup cold water

1/2 t salt

2 red peppers/capsicums, finely chopped

3 tomatoes, chopped

1/2 cup mint, chopped

1/2 cup kalamata olives, chopped

1/4 cup sunflower seeds, toasted in a dry fry pan until lightly browned

Dressing:

3 cloves garlic, crushed/chopped finely

1 lime, juiced

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

Rinse quinoa and then place with the water and salt in small pot and bring to boil. Turn to low and simmer for 15-20 minutes or until water absorbed. Remove from heat and leave lid on for 5-10 minutes, then fluff with fork. Combine with rest of salad ingredients, then mix dressing and combine well. Serve at room temperature.

FOR BABIES 7 MONTHS AND UP: Make a little extra quinoa and puree.

FOR BABIES 9 MONTHS AND UP: Reserve some salad and puree a little, depending on teeth.

FOR BABIES AND TODDLERS 12 MONTHS AND UP: Serve salad as is.

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!