✨Foodie Friday✨ Quick ‘n Easy Recipes

With summer on our doorstep in South Africa, and school holidays, the Festive Season and loads of visitors also just around the corner, the last thing one needs as the parent of a Child with Cancer who is struggling to eat, is to spend loads of time in the kitchen trying to find something to make that your child can eat and will enjoy.

With that in mind, we will be bringing you some Quick ‘n Easy, Minimal Ingredient,  Freeze-Ahead and Kid-Friendly recipes over the next few weeks so that you can focus on other things and enjoy the Holidays, safe in the knowledge that you are providing great meals that your Child with Cancer will enjoy, and which will build their immune system at the same time. 

Carrot Cake Smoothie

Ingredients

• 1 fresh medjool date
• 1 medium carrot, peeled and chunked
• 1 1/4 cups almond milk
• 1 small ripe banana, fresh or frozen and sliced
• 1/4-1/2 teaspoon cinnamon (optional)

Directions
In a blender, pulse date and carrot until coarsely chopped. Add milk, banana, and cinnamon (if using), and blend until smooth.
 
 

French Toast Muffin Cups

Ingredients
For 12 mini French toast cups, you’ll need:

• 7 slices of stale sandwich bread
• 3 eggs
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1 cup milk
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 15 raspberries
• 1 large handful of frozen berries
• 1/4 cup roughly chopped dark chocolate
• Brown sugar to finish
• Oil for the muffin tin

Directions

1. Whisk the eggs and the sugar together in a large bowl.
2. Add the milk and the vanilla, and whisk again.
3. Cut the bread into cubes, without removing the crust.
4. Let the bread soak in the egg mixture for 10 minutes. In the meantime, oil the muffin tin.
5. Fill the muffin tin with the soaked bread up to halfway, and add a little spoonful of the egg mixture on top.
6. Add 3 raspberries to each of the 5 muffin cups.
7. Add 2 teaspoons each of frozen berries to 4 muffin cups.
8. Add 3 or 4 pieces of chocolate each to 3 muffin cups.
9. Cover the topping of each muffin cup with the leftover batter.
10. Sprinkle with a bit of brown sugar.
11. Using a tablespoon, push down on each muffin cup to make it more compact.
12. Bake for about 20 minutes in a preheated oven at 325 °F. The top should be golden brown.
13. Wait 5 minutes before removing the cups from the muffin tin, using a large spoon.

Serve warm or at room temperature.
 

Cauliflower Pizza Crust

Ingredients
Pizza crust

• 3 cups cauliflower florets (about 1 medium head)
• ½ cup freshly grated mozzarella cheese
• ¼ cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
• 1 cup kale chips, crushed
• 1 tsp. dried Italian seasonings
• 1 tsp. garlic powder
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 1 egg, beaten

Pizza Toppings

• Marinara sauce
• Pepperoni (nitrate-free)
• Sliced red onion
• Mushrooms

Directions

1. Preheat your oven to 200° C and line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
2. Using a food processor, lightly pulse the cauliflower in batches until it resembles rice. Place the cauliflower “rice” in a large microwave safe bowl and microwave for 6-8 minutes or until soft. Allow to cool.
3. To the cauliflower: Add the mozzarella and Parmesan cheese, Italian seasoning, garlic powder, kale, the egg and seasoning with salt and pepper, mixing very well. Add the mixture onto the baking sheet and press down to form desired pizza crust shape.
4. Bake the pizza crust for about 25 minutes or until golden brown. Top with desired pizza toppings and bake again for an additional 10 minutes.
5. Allow to cool slightly and serve immediately.

Potato Fritters

Ingredients

• 450 grams potatoes
• 3 tablespoons butter
• 3 egg yolks
• A pinch of salt
• Salt and pepper
• 1 egg, beaten lightly
• Flour
• Breadcrumbs

Directions

1. Make mashed potatoes, and once done heat them until all the water evaporates and the remaining mixture is quite dry.
2. Add the butter then season with salt, pepper and nutmeg.
3. Add the egg yolks and mix well.
4. To make evenly shaped potato pillows, add the mashed potato mixture to a piping bag.
5. Pipe out a line of filling, then using a knife, cut the line into small, even pillow shapes.
6. Set out 3 plates. In one, add the beaten egg, in the other add the flour, and in the third plate add the breadcrumbs.
7. Start by dipping the potato pillows into the flour.
8. Then dip them in the egg wash.
9. And finally, dip them in the breadcrumbs.
10. Plunge the potato pillows into a pot of hot oil, and keep turning them until they become golden brown.
11. When finished, place them on top of a piece of paper towel to help drain off the excess fat.

Enjoy!
 

3 Ingredient Nutella Brownies

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup Nutella
• large eggs
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 180C.
2. Grease a 9 inch x 9 inch metal baking pan.
3. Add all ingredients into a large bowl and mix until batter is smooth.
4. Pour into baking pan and smooth top with spatula.
5. Bake for about 15 minutes until toothpick inserted comes out clean. Be careful not to bake too long otherwise brownies will dry out.
6. Let brownies cool and set before cutting and serving.

Lentil Bolognese

Ingredients

• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 onion, diced
• 2 cloves garlic, crushed
• 6 mushrooms, chopped
• 1 zucchini, diced
• 1 carrot, peeled and chopped
• 1 red capsicum, chopped
• 2 tsp oregano
• 1 tin (400g) diced tomatoes
• 1 tin (400g) brown lentils, drained

Directions

1. In a frying pan, heat the oil and add the onion and garlic and cook for 2 mins.
2. Add the carrot, mushrooms, zucchini and capsicum. Cook for 5 minutes.
3. Add the oregano, tomatoes and lentils. Cook for 15 minutes. Season to taste.