The Lunch Box

Over the last decade the types of foods available in our shops have become ever more diverse, yet strangely the range of so-called “kids foods” are making some children’s diets evermore narrow. And many of those “kids” foods are high in salt and transfats as are the equivalent vegetarian versions of nuggets, sausages etc.  Some kids resist mixing foods on plates, will refuse sauces or are simply averse to new foods. Others are just plain uninterested and would rather play, plus there are those that are too interested but in the wrong sorts of foods - sweets, fizzy drinks and crisps. It can become a huge worry for parents and a battle of wills every mealtime. By the way, our Food Forum advice is to have kids eat what you are eating - having a good breakfast and dinner sitting with family and friends is by far the best way to encourage children to eat! Lead by example, try new foods and involve kids in cooking and meal planning!!!

One parent who has a child who just doesn’t get hungry and is resistant to new foods has developed the recipe below!

Bear Jellies for kids who resist fruit! 

1 dl natural fruit juice or puree (dl means decilitre, thus 100ml)
3 gelatine sheets or vegetarian equivalent - agar, agar - see http://www.foodsubs.com/ThickenGelatins.html

Make a jelly with the gelatine according to the package and mix in the juice, pour into a tub, let set and cut cubes. It is nice to pour the mixture into shaped ice cube trays. We like hearts, stars, or teddy bears. I have found the easiest way to get them out is to freeze them and then pour hot water over the back of the tray and then carefully get them out with a small knife. They also keep well in the freezer so in that way you can make a lot and just take out what you need.

I normally puree my berries, add a little ‘diksap’ and then measure how many dl, using three times as many gelatine sheets. As the fruit flavour becomes diluted do make sure the puree has a pretty strong flavour to begin with.

 You could try the following
* Good quality undiluted ‘diksap’.  I have made them with layers of different organic unsweetened ‘diksap’, makes nice stripy chunks.
* Pureed mix of raspberries and red currants sweetened with ‘appel diksap’ or fructose (which is a much slower sugar than normal sugar (saccarose))
* Pure blueberry juice
* Carrot juice mixed with undiluted apricot ‘diksap’ and shredded coconut (I use carrot juice from the health food store which is ‘op melk zuur gegist’.
* Strawberry puree slightly sweetened as above
* Fruit yoghurt
* Pumpkin puree with maple syrup 

There are many possible variations including savory versions as well, just experiment! And they have many uses - we even decorated my daughter’s birthday cake with them!

Bejewelled Pasta Salad

Great hot or cold for lunch snack or dinner !

1 packet of spiral or Penne pasta ( great for picking up flavours but are not too big)

cooked in boiling water until al dente

Some or all the the vegtables below:

NB chop into similar sizes to help cook evenly

1 long red pepper chopped into squares

1/2 a butternut squash cut into cubes

2 parsnips peeled and cooked and chopped into small cubes

2 uncooked beetroots peeled and cubed

1 red onion chopped into quarters

2 orange fleshed sweet potatoes peeled and cubed

young carrots peeled and cubed

bake the above in good olive oil with 2 whole bulbs of good mild flavoured garlic sliced across and placed cut side up on baking tray. Can also add a twig of rosemary , spray with some balsamic vinegar and season with salt and pepper.
Bake at 200c for approx 20 minutes, the veg should be ever so slightly blackened at the edge and tender to the  bite . 

Add some cooked drained pasta to the roasted vegtables , with a mild cubed feta , mozzarella ,Saint Josephs white , parmasean cheese and spray with white balsamic vinegar . The you can add basil ,chopped parsley. The quantity /type of cheese is up to you, you could also add baby rocket leaves ( easy to grow in your own garden , and so much less bitter than in the shops) lambs leaf lettuce etc.

This very amazing  pumpkin salad was taken from Sole’s very favorite webpage / blog: smitten kitchen (http://smittenkitchen.com ) and was originally from the Casa Moro restaurant in London (Sole recommends both the restaurants cookbooks).

Warm Butternut and Chickpea Salad with Tahini Dressing
Adapted from Orangette, who adapted it from Casa Moro
Yield: 4 servings
For salad:
1 medium butternut squash (about 2 to 2 1/2 pounds), peeled, seeded, and cut into 1 1/2-inch pieces
1 medium garlic clove, minced or pressed
1/2 teaspoons ground allspice (can skip this)
2 tablespoons olive oil
Salt
One 15-ounce can chickpeas, drained and rinsed (1 1/2 cups)
1/4 of a medium red onion, finely chopped
1/4 cup coarsely chopped fresh cilantro or parsley
For tahini dressing:
1 medium garlic clove, finely minced with a pinch of salt
1/4 cup lemon juice
3 tablespoons well-stirred tahini
2 tablespoons water
2 tablespoons olive oil, plus more to taste
Preheat the oven to 425°F or 210 C
In a large bowl, combine the butternut squash, garlic, allspice, olive oil, and a few pinches of salt. Toss the squash pieces until evenly coated. Roast them on a baking sheet for 25 minutes, or until soft. Remove from the oven and cool.
Meanwhile, make the tahini dressing: In a small bowl, whisk together the garlic and lemon juice. Add the tahini, and whisk to blend. Add the water and olive oil, whisk well, and taste for seasoning. The sauce should have plenty of nutty tahini flavor, but also a little kick of lemon. You will probably need to add more water to thin it out.
To assemble the salad, combine the squash, chickpeas, onion, and cilantro or parsley in a mixing bowl. Either add the tahini dressing to taste, and toss carefully, or you could serve the salad with the dressing on the side. Serve immediately.
Do ahead: Molly says this salad, lightly dressed, keeps beautifully in the fridge, that you should hold a little of the dressing on the side and that it can be reheated in the microwave. I, for one, have never had any leftovers.

Scrunch - a delicious combo of fresh fruit, yoghurt, mascarpone, biscuit base and berry puree

There is a famous whole food cafe in Convent Garden, London, just off Longacre called Food For Thought. There was always a queue outside the door and you have to be an early bird to be in time for its most popular dessert - Scrunch. I suspect whoever put the first Scrunch recipe together had a bit of a culinary disaster because whatever you do, and in whatever combination, everyone usually loves it.

Make a biscuit base with a packet of plain biscuits such as digestives. Blend in a food processor or crush with a rolling pin. Add in half a cup brown sugar, half a teaspoon of spice such as cinnamon and a handful of rolled oats and mix. Pour in  approx 75 grams or half a cup of melted butter and some maple syrup to make a crumbly sticky mixure. Press into a baking tray and bake for 10 minutes at 160 degrees. Allow to cool completely.

Meanwhile mix equal quantities of natural yoghurt and mascarpone with some maple syrup or honey

Make a quantity of fruit syrup out of frozen berries with a little orange juice or maple syrup, simmering gently until desired sweetness.

Chop fruits such as strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, passionfruit, pineapple etc.

Toast some pecans or almonds or hazelnuts

Assemble in any way desired over biscuit base - we popped in some ladies fingers as well and use edible flowers and mint leaves to decorate

Things to try on your balcony, terrace window sill or garden right now!

Fresh herbs and edible flowers such as pansies, nasturitums, chives, mint, rosemary and lavender, bay and parsley can all be planted now directly into well prepared soil in the garden or into pots on your terrace. Food with fresh herbs and flowers not only looks great but tastes better.

Encourage your children to plant nasturitum seeds now all around the garden, in pots and in nooks - they are easy to grow and will reward you with beautiful blooms and delicate leaves. I like the mixed dwarf variety to decorate salads and tables, but all food benefits from an artistic treatment with fresh herbs and flowers. Plus they can be good sources of minerals and vitamins as well! Please do wash and pat dry carefully and do make sure the flowers you intend to decorate with are actually edible and not poisonous!!!

My Biocom worm composter is completely full which means its time to spread the deep dark chocolate coloured loam made from our food scraps over the winter months onto the garden. We purchased this wonderfully fast worm compost wheely bin some years ago and have been happy as owls with it. All gardens larger than a postage stamp can utilize a composter. For a family of 4, I recommend a good large wheely bin type worm composter to get rid of all your fruit, vegetable, coffee grinds, old paper, egg shells and fish bones.

Compost improves your soil and provides a rich growing medium. I have also been adding koemest (powdered cow dung) to my soil and seaweed fertilizer to prepare for the growing months plus hortensia food and calcium (Kalk)  to my suffering lawn and apple trees. We had our best apple crop ever, last year and made loads of apple pies, crumbles and muffins. The children and their friends love to be sent on picking missions as well. And we realized just how far urban kids are from nature when one little girl asked if the apples on our trees were real!

Like a drop of golden sun…….

Some of our favourite things - be inspired

For new gardeners and especially those who small urban  gardens see http://urbangardencasual.com/2008/05/06/basic-essential-tools-for-new-gardeners

For those who adore food and wish to be inspired www.101cookbooks.com - you will drool!

For those who love Spanish food and ingredients see this inspiring website www.tapastapas.nl

And recently discovered and delighted by http://www.bryant-terry.com/site/bio/

For those handy to The Hague in The Netherlands …………….
For parents who wish to learn more about one of the most important jobs of their lives - parenting - seewww.passionateparenting.nl  - we particularly recommend  the March 16th workshop with  Katherine Fortier Educational Psychologist and parent of 3. Email passionateparenting@gmail.com to register and for info about their other inspiring courses - half of the course fee goes to charity and we like that…..

Share your favourites with us and spread the word

As easy as cracking an egg and a great lunch box treat -can be made with vegetarian bacon as well! When I think of these yummy pies, I see a  blue sky, golden sands, a worn picnic rug and a golden holden parked beside Waihi Beach in New Zealand. Come on Spring, we need you!

Ready-made puff or shortcrust pastry (from Kellys or La Gone) or make your own
whole eggs, not beaten - as many as you need - at least 3 for a standard pie dish
some chopped parsely, chives, or tomatoes and a finely chopped onion
some organic bacon or vegetarian bacon (Kellys) cooked in a tiny amount of olive oil with the onions
milk to glaze pastry

You can make these very  simple tasty pies in a greased large muffin case or in a single pie dish. For the larger dish, I like to pre-bake the pastry (which I prick with a fork or line with baking beads) for approx 7-10 minutes at 175 fanbake. For the smaller closed pies I bake after filling.

Remove half cooked pie crust and fill with herbs, tomatoes, onions (whatever your family likes) and whole eggs. Bake at 175 for a further 10-15 minutes or the eggs are set. Serve with fresh salsa, chutney or tomato ketchup.

For the individual lunch pies, fill with one egg and other filling ingredients. Cover with pastry top, prick with a fork, glaze with milk or beaten egg yolk and cook for approx 20 minutes until golden brown

Kathy Voyles grew up on a dairy farm in the grasslands of New Zealand. Her earliest memories are of her mother Patricia making picnics for the once weekly trip to “town”. The picnic box featured Egg and Bacon pies,  Caramel Meringue Squares and of course, that staple of country life, a thermos of tea. She also remembers her dad Woody cooking up Chillie Beans, Pumpkin Pies and churning home-made vanilla ice cream.

Kathy graduated a long time ago as a School Dental Therapist, responsible for the care of  the deciduous and permanent dentition of children enrolled at School dental clinics of various schools in the far north of New Zealand. These clinics were referred to fondly as the “Murder House” by all New Zealand school children at the time but she wants you to know that she used lots of local anaesthetic while drilling and filling. She taught preventive health care, gave lessons on nutrition, hygiene and on cooking skills and generally enjoyed her postings very much, even working in the caravan with the notorious “spit bowl” and portable drills.

For the last 20 years Kathy has worked in media, with Human Rights NGOs, with the world vegetarian congress, ran a lunch catering service, completed many cookery courses and discovered a huge passion for food, gardens, and the environment (currently running an Environmental NGO called Kids in the City). She has become increasingly fond of living in the wonderful international city of The Hague and is passionate about creating wonderful food for everyone. She believes that the key to good food is excellent (and where possible, organic) ingredients and beautiful presentation. She would desperately like to see sports facilities, theme parks and all restaurants in The Netherlands offer freshly prepared healthy, gorgeous food and is not at all keen on nuggets, plastic boxes of chips or fizzy drinks! She is very keen on yummy food though and is always delighted to sample all sorts of different tastes and foods.  Please email her with food comments Kathy@kidsinthecity.org