At lunchtime aim to fill their tummies with something nourishing that will set them up for the afternoon. And take a break yourself to re-energise before getting on with things
BEETROOT AND SWEET POTATO SOUP
For a fun lunch this bright pink soup is hard to beat.
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Serves 4-6 children
Olive oil
Pumpkin seed oil (available from healthfood stores)
1 onion, finely chopped
1 carrot, finely chopped
1 garlic clove, finely chopped
1 celery stick, finely chopped
2 raw beetroots, peeled and chopped
375g (about 2) orange-flesh sweet potatoes, peeled and chopped
1l vegetable stock (organic vegetable bouillon)
Splash a little of each oil into a medium-sized pan and heat. Add the onion, carrot, garlic and celery and fry gently. After 5 minutes or so, when they are soft, add the beetroots, sweet potatoes and vegetable stock. Simmer for 30 minutes.
When all the veg is very soft, remove the pan from the heat and leave the soup to cool for 10 minutes. Then using a processor, or stick blender, blitz until the soup has a creamy and smooth texture. Serve immediately.
SUSHI
Makes 24
3 sheets of nori (dried seaweed available from most supermarkets)
For the rice:
125g Japanese sushi rice
1 tbsp rice-vinegar
2 tsp honey
Pinch of salt
Filling 1
½ avocado
½ red pepper
½ yellow pepper
½ cucumber
1 lime, juice only
Filling 2
2 hard-boiled eggs
2 tbsp crème fraîche
A few rocket leaves, chopped
1 tsp poppy seeds
Pinch of salt
Filling 3
4 tbsp natural yoghurt
2 tbsp honey
½ lemon, juice only
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 cooked organic chicken breast, cut into strips
1 mango, cut into strips
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Put the rice into a saucepan with 300ml water and bring to the boil on a high heat. Turn the heat down to a simmer, cover and cook for 12 to 15 minutes, or until the water has been absorbed. Stir in the rice-vinegar, honey and salt, then leave the rice to sit with the lid on until it is cool.
Filling 1 Cut the vegetables into thin strips and squeeze the lime juice over them.
Filling 2 Mash all the ingredients together.
Filling 3 Mix the yoghurt, honey, lemon juice and seasoning together, then stir into the chicken and mango strips.
Have a bowl of water to keep your fingers wet. Place a sheet of nori on a piece of clingfilm, take a small handful of rice and spread it over leaving a 1cm border. Place the filling along the side nearest to you and then roll up the nori like a Swiss roll, using the clingfilm for support. When you have used all the rice and fillings, leave the rolls in the fridge for 30 minutes for the nori to absorb some moisture from the rice and soften a little. Then, using a sharp knife, slice each roll into eight pieces and serve with a bowl of soy sauce — you may want to water it down so it is not too strong!
SANDWICH SWIRLS
Tasty, quick and good fun, these are basically savoury Swiss rolls without the baking. Of course, you can use all your favourite sandwich fillings, but below are a few new ones to try.