Recently Finn, who is a few months short of two has become a little fuss-pot. He'll start the day wonderfully - a banana can be consumed in as little as three bites, followed by mouthfuls of buckwheat and chia muesli. But come late afternoon any offerings are generally thrown against the nearest wall. It's a stage, I get that - but I'm not going to resort to either, A: offering him no dinner or B: offering him a less nutritious cheese on toast meal, which may still be sliding down the wall!
Enjoy. x Zoe
I'm also not going to claim these little risotto-fritter-pattycake-stuffingball numbers as my own, no, these were Bens idea to get Finn eating past afternoon tea. They've since been adapted to my nutritional liking and both Finn and Max simply adore them, they're inhaled by the plate load. I now have to contend with that gentle juggling act of not overdoing them - you know?
The ingredients could easily be switched out to what you may have on hand, tomato could become capsicum, kale could be traded for spinach and the bacon could simply be left out for a vegetarian option. They are free of gluten and packed with lovely fresh flavours amongst a little smokey bacon. Dipped into a fresh and zingy yogurt tzatziki they are the perfect quick lunch, or served alongside some steamed vegetables or a salad for dinner.
The ingredients could easily be switched out to what you may have on hand, tomato could become capsicum, kale could be traded for spinach and the bacon could simply be left out for a vegetarian option. They are free of gluten and packed with lovely fresh flavours amongst a little smokey bacon. Dipped into a fresh and zingy yogurt tzatziki they are the perfect quick lunch, or served alongside some steamed vegetables or a salad for dinner.
Risotto
Ingredients:
1 cup long grain brown rice - cooked
glug of extra virgin olive oil
1 medium onion, finely diced
2 cloves garlic, crushed
120g streaky bacon, finely sliced
2 stems of kale, stalks removed and finely sliced
6 mushrooms, finely chopped
1 medium tomato, finely chopped
small handful flat leaf parsley
1/2 cup gluten free breadcrumbs
2 tbsp gluten free flour
2 eggs
generous pinch sea salt
Method:
Preheat oven to 180° and line a tray with baking paper.
Add a glug of olive oil to a frying pan and heat. Gently fry onion and garlic over a medium heat until soft and translucent. Add bacon and fry for a few minutes before adding kale and mushrooms and continuing to sauté for a few minutes. Remove from the heat, add the remaining ingredients and mix to combine well. Leave the mixture to cool. When cool to touch, roll heaped tablespoons of mixture into balls, placing onto the lined tray and pressing gently with the back of a spoon to slightly flatten. The mixture will be quite wet, but will dry sufficiently when baked. Place the risotto cakes into the hot oven and cook for 10 minutes before checking they are golden on the bottom. Flip and bake for a further 10 minutes until lovely and golden on both sides. Remove from the oven and serve warm with the following tzatziki dipping sauce.
Makes approx. 20 small cakes
Preheat oven to 180° and line a tray with baking paper.
Add a glug of olive oil to a frying pan and heat. Gently fry onion and garlic over a medium heat until soft and translucent. Add bacon and fry for a few minutes before adding kale and mushrooms and continuing to sauté for a few minutes. Remove from the heat, add the remaining ingredients and mix to combine well. Leave the mixture to cool. When cool to touch, roll heaped tablespoons of mixture into balls, placing onto the lined tray and pressing gently with the back of a spoon to slightly flatten. The mixture will be quite wet, but will dry sufficiently when baked. Place the risotto cakes into the hot oven and cook for 10 minutes before checking they are golden on the bottom. Flip and bake for a further 10 minutes until lovely and golden on both sides. Remove from the oven and serve warm with the following tzatziki dipping sauce.
Makes approx. 20 small cakes
Carrot Tzatziki
Ingredients:
1/2 cup natural, unsweetened yogurt
1 small/medium carrot, grated
1 clove garlic, crushed
small handful fresh coriander, finely chopped
black pepper, to taste/garnish
Method:
Combine all ingredients in a mixing bowl and mix well. Allow the tzatziki to sit for 10 minutes before tasting as the garlic can take a while to show its full force. Adjust to suit taste and serve chilled.
Combine all ingredients in a mixing bowl and mix well. Allow the tzatziki to sit for 10 minutes before tasting as the garlic can take a while to show its full force. Adjust to suit taste and serve chilled.
Enjoy. x Zoe
