Recipes for summer 2016 June - August

Recipes for summer 2016 June - August

Seasonality Although we can now get almost all our fruits, vegetables and fish all year around it is important to know what s in season in order to keep the costs of food down. Not only that but if you eat foods while they are in season they are likely to taste much better. Many fruits and vegetables come into season in the UK when the weather is at its warmest so there are lots of fruits, vegetables, fish and meats to choose from during this time of the year. So what s in season now? What s in season during the summer months? Fruit Vegetables White Fish Oily Fish Apricots Bramley apples Blackcurrents Gooseberry Raspberries Red Currents Strawberries Tomatoes Rhubarb Cherries Broad beans Savoy cabbage Beetroot Broccoli Carrots Cauliflower Peas New potatoes Spinach Turnips Aubergine Peppers Cucumbers Cod Coley Haddock Crab Pollack Herring These are just some examples more information about what s in season can be found at: Fruit and Veg www.newcoventgardenmarket.com/food Fish www.mscuk.co.uk For other recipe idea s check out the Change 4 Life Smart Recipes Smartphone App available on the itunes app store and google play

Fish Fingers This recipe is a great alternative to your shop bought pre-made fish fingers which are often high in hidden salt and sugars. This recipe is cheap and easy and is suitable for children to join in and learn some basic cookery skills. This dish is best enjoyed with some boiled new potatoes, garden peas or a fresh summer salad. Preparation time: 15 minutes Cooking time: 15 minutes Serves: 3 150g Frozen fish fillets (de-frosted) 100g breadcrumbs 1 egg Pepper to taste 2 tablespoons of plain flour 1. Preheat the oven to 180 degrees 2. Crack the egg into a bowl and beat with a fork 3. In a separate bowl or plate scatter the breadcrumbs, on another plate put the flour. 4. Using a knife chop the fish fillets into slices approximately 2cm or 1 inch thick. 5. Roll the fillet first into the flour, then into the egg and finally the breadcrumb mix, and place on a baking tray. Continue until all the fish has been used. Sprinkle with black pepper to taste 6. Bake in the oven for approximately 15 minutes.

New potato and tuna salad This dish is a great addition to any summer barbeques you have planned and is quick, easy and cheap to make, a great alternative to your typical shop bought potato salad. Can be enjoyed for dinner or lunch and left in the fridge for use throughout the week for lunchboxes, etc. Try swapping the tuna for a 416g tin of salmon to change up the recipe! Preparation time: 15 minutes Cooking time: 20 minutes Serves: 4 1kg new potatoes scrubbed 1 garlic clove crushed 1 tablespoon fresh parsley chopped 1 lemon-juice and zest 2 table spoon olive oil 2 cans tuna in water drained 5 spring onions trimmed and finely chopped ¼ cucumber finely chopped 2 tomatoes chopped 3 spring onions chopped 1. Cook the potatoes in boiling water until tender, about 15-20 minutes. 2. Meanwhile, mix together the garlic, parsley, lemon juice, zest and olive oil to make the dressing. 3. Drain the potatoes well and put them into a salad bowl. Pour over the dressing and stir it through so that the flavors are soaked up by the potatoes as they cool down. 4. Flake the tuna fish into chunks and add to the potatoes with the spring onions, cucumber and tomatoes. Toss together gently and serve at once.

Perfect pasta with tomato sauce I know lots of you are growing with the children this summer, as the tomatoes start to ripen here is the perfect recipe to sample them with the children. Serve this dish with a salad or add additional vegetables to the sauce to balance the meal. Preparation time: 5 minutes Cooking time: 20 minutes Serves: 5 1 tea spoon oil; 1 onion, finely chopped; 1 garlic clove, finely chopped; 400g tinned chopped tomatoes; 2 table spoon tomato puree; 2 tea spoon dried mixed herbs; ground black pepper; 350g dried spaghetti; fresh basil or chopped herbs, to garnish (optional) 1. Heat the oil in a saucepan or frying pan. Add the onion and cook over a medium heat for 3-4 minutes, until soft. 2. Add the garlic and cook gently for another minute. Add the chopped tomatoes, tomato puree and mixed herbs. Season with pepper. Simmer gently for 15 minutes until the sauce is thick and rich. 3. Meanwhile, cook the spaghetti according to pack instructions. 4. Drain the spaghetti and serve with the sauce, topped with fresh basil or chopped herbs (if using).

Salmon Pasta with Creamy Sauce Many of us struggle to reach our recommended oily fish consumption of 1 portion per week which is essential for good brain development in both children and adults. This salmon pasta recipe makes reaching our recommendation easy and tasty and can be eaten hot or cold. Serve this dish with a salad or add additional vegetables. Preparation time: 5 minutes Cooking time: 20 minutes Serves: 4 1 tablespoon olive oil 350g salmon fillets 150ml reduced fat crème fresh 350g whole-wheat pasta 80g mushrooms sliced Parsley herbs to garnish (optional) Salt and ground black pepper to season 1. Heat the oil in a saucepan or frying pan. Add the mushrooms and cook over a medium heat for 3-4 minutes until soft. When cooked remove from the pan and put to the side, we will add them later 2. Cook the pasta according to pack instructions. When cooked, drain, add crème fresh and mix 3. Add salmon fillets to boiling water and cook over gentle heat for 5 minutes until cooked. When cooked remove skin from fillets and gently flake apart using a fork 4. Add flaked salmon and mushrooms to pasta. Season, add parsley to garnish (if using) and serve

Spanish Spinach Omelette If you are looking for a quick and easy dinner or lunch recipe which uses in season produce to feed the family then look no further. This wholesome and nutritious recipe requires minimal preparation time and can be done on the tightest of budgets. Best enjoyed with a side salad and crusty bread this one is definitely a summer favourite for many. Preparation time: 10 minutes Cooking time: 15 minutes Serves: 4 200g bag spinach leaves 2 tbsp olive oil 1 medium onion, finely sliced 1 large potato, peeled and finely sliced 5 egg 1. Tip the spinach into a large colander and bring a kettleful of water to the boil. Slowly pour the water over the spinach until wilted, then cool under cold water. Squeeze all the liquid out of the spinach and set aside. 2. Heat grill to high. Heat the oil in a non-stick frying pan and gently cook the onion and potato for about 10 minutes until the potato is soft. 3. Beat the eggs together in a large bowl while you cook the onion in your frying pan. 4. Stir the spinach into the potatoes, then pour in the eggs and cook. Make sure you stir occasionally until nearly set and then place the omelette under the grill for about 3 minutes. 5. Finish cooking the omelette in the pan on the opposite side to previously cooked for about 2 minutes and serve.

Mexican Bean Burgers with Sweet Potato Fries If you re looking for a tasty vegetarian option to add to your barbeque event over the summer months this is the perfect recipe for you. These bean burgers are quick and easy to make, as well as being great value for money. This child friendly recipe gives children a chance to experiment with cooking and be introduced to some new ingredients they may not have seen before. Preparation time: 10 minutes Cooking time: 30 minutes Serves: 3 (6 burgers) 2 x 400g Kidney Beans 100g breadcrumbs 2 tsp mild chili powder 1 tbs Paprika Small bunch of coriander finely chopped (optional) 1 egg ½ tub of Salsa 150ml low-fat natural yoghurt (optional) ½ lime juice (optional) 6 Wholemeal burger buns 1 large sweet potato cut chip/wedge shapes 1. Heat grill to high. Tip the beans into a large bowl and roughly crush with a potato masher. Add the breadcrumbs, chili powder, coriander stalks and ½ the leaves, egg and 2 tablespoons salsa then mix together well with a fork. 2. Divide the mixture into 6 and wet your hands and shape into burgers. Place on a non-stick baking tray, then grill for 4-5 minutes on each side until golden and crisp. (To cook from frozen, bake at 200C/fan 180C/gas 6 for 20-30 minutes until hot through) 3. Preheat the oven to 200ºC or gas mark 6. Cut sweet potato into wedge shapes, toss in small amount of olive oil and place on non-stick baking tray. Sprinkle paprika and add to oven 4. While the burgers are cooking, mix the remaining coriander leaves with the yogurt, lime juice and a good grind of black pepper. Split the buns and serve with various fillings.

Guacamole This child friendly recipe is another summer favourite and a great, healthy alternative to your shop bought dips which often contain large amounts of hidden sugar and salt. This guacamole dip is best enjoyed with toasted pitta or sliced tortilla warmed in the oven as well as a range of vegetable sticks including cucumber, celery and carrots to name a few. This makes for an ideal summer snack dish that keeps well in the fridge for up to 3 days in air tight container, give it a try! Preparation time: 10 minutes Cooking time: 0 minutes Serves: 4 2 ripe avocado s ¼ red onion Handful of cherry tomatoes or 1 large tomato 1 small tin of sweet corn (optional) Dried chilli flakes (optional) 1. Cut the avocados, twist so they are open and remove the stone (this can be done by squeezing the skin of the avocado, the stone should fall out), score the flesh in a criss cross pattern and scoop out the middle with a spoon. Mash the flesh with the back of a fork. 2. Finely chop the onion and tomatoes and add these to the bowl along with the sweet corn (if using). Mix all the contents until combines 3. Season with chilli flakes or pepper (optional)

Summer Coleslaw This is great side dish which can be enjoyed with any meals over the year but particularly in the summer months. This easy recipe is child friendly under the supervision of an adult and is a great way to help achieve your 5 a-day target! Coleslaw can be kept in the fridge for up to 3 days which makes an easy lunchbox filler. Preparation time: 10 minutes Cooking time: 0 minutes Serves: 5 6 tbsp plain yogurt ½ tsp Dijon mustard 2 tbsp mayonnaise 1 2 white cabbage 2 carrot 1 2 large white or red onion 1. Mix the yogurt, mustard and mayonnaise together in a bowl 2. Using a grater, grate the cabbage and carrots and onions 3. Tip all of the vegetables into the bowl and stir through your yogurt, mustard and mayonnaise dressing 4. Season to taste

Summer fruit salad This summer fruit salad is a popular refreshing, tasty and nutritious summer recipe. It is packed full of fruit and is a great way to help us achieve our 5 a-day target. It is easy to make and is a recipe that the kids can get involved in. Swap and change the fruits that you have in your salad and try to include fruits you haven t tasted before. Tinned fruits are just as good but make sure they are in juice rather than syrup to avoid a high sugar content. You can enjoy this dish with a scoop of ice-cream or natural yoghurt. Preparation time: 10 minutes Cooking time: 0 minutes Serves: 3 1 banana sliced 1 bramley apple cored and sliced 1 orange split into individual segments 1 kiwi cut into slices 1 tin of pineapple chunks in juice Handful of grapes sliced in half Handful of strawberries cut into quarters 1. Add your fruit selection to a bowl 2. Add the juice from your tinned pineapple, or alternative tinned fruit that you have chosen, to the bowl 3. Serve

Seasonal summer pizzas Branded and take-away pizzas are often high in saturated fat, salt and even sugar and can be expensive. Why not use this recipe to learn how to make your own pizza dough at home for a fraction of the price while being twice as nutritious. This is a great hands-on and fun recipe for children of all ages which acts as a great opportunity to introduce new vegetables in a tasty and appealing way. Try making smiley face pizzas and be experimental with changing up vegetables. Preparation time: 25 minutes Cooking time: 20 minutes Serves: 3 small pizzas 300g plain flour ½ tea spoon salt 1 teaspoon fast action yeast (from a sachet) 200ml Luke warm water 1 pepper diced Handful of mushrooms sliced 50g cheddar cheese Half small tin sweetcorn 1 medium onion 3 tbsp passata 1. Pre-heat the oven to 180 ºC or gas mark 4 2. Place the flour, yeast and salt together in a bowl. Using a round bladed knife pour the water gradually into the flour mix and combine using the knife until soft, sticky dough is formed 3. Place the dough onto a lightly floured surface and knead using your hands (stretch the dough and bring it back together to form a ball) for around 10 minutes 4. Cover the bowl with a tea towel and let it rest for 10 minutes to have a thin crust, for thick crust leave dough to rise for 30 minutes 5. Place the dough on a baking tray and flatten with your hand 6. Add 1 tbsp of passata to your pizza, add a sprinkle of cheese and your selection of toppings 7. Bake for 20 minutes or until golden brown in oven set to 180 ºC or gas mark 4.

Banana oat muffins This banana oat muffins recipe is quick, easy and hassle free, a perfect idea for an afternoon activity for you and the children. They are good for a lunchtime or dinner dessert and can be stored in a cool dry place for up to 5 days. Preparation time: 25 minutes Cooking time: 20 minutes Serves: 12 muffins 40g unsaturated margarine 70g sugar 2 large ripe bananas 150g self-raising flour 80g porridge oats 1 tea spoon bicarbonate of soda 1 tea spoon cinnamon 100ml milk 1. Preheat oven to 190 C/375 F/gas mark 5 2. Lightly grease a muffin tray with margarine 3. Melt the margarine in a saucepan or microwave 4. Mix together all the dry ingredients in a bowl apart from the sugar 5. Mash the banana and mix with the margarine and sugar 6. Add the banana mixture and the milk to the dry ingredients, stirring until mixed and spoon into the muffin cases 7. Bake for 25 minutes until golden brown and firm to touch