Alphagetti Soup

This soup was our overall winner at the school Taste Testing Day. And deservedly so.

 

It such an easy soup to make and the taste is not so much a standard can of Heinz tomato soup, but a bowl of tomato soup fragrant with rosemary and parsley, with deep pockets of garlic and little morsels of letters bursting on your tongue........can i add a 'woosh of hollihocks' in there too, as it did feel like opening up a good bottle of Cabernet, with the whaft i got from the soup pot.

 

This recipe was brought to our taste testing day by my lovely friend Selene at Little Foot Yurts

The only addition here was the cup of Kombucha. I added this because my OH groans that tomato soup gives him heartburn. And i couldn't have him missing out. So in my totally bizarre thinking, i thought ......hmm Kombucha is good for the stomach so it might counteract the acidic tomatoes. Did it work? Yuppity yup! Now I'm not saying it will work for everyone, but it done the trick with my husband and adding Kombucha to anything is going to improve the probiotics nature of it, so its a win win. 

 

 

(a post will follow shortly about the benefits of Kombucha and how easy it is to add into your daily routine. Its awesome!)

 

Ingredients:-

Serves 6-8

• 3tbsp Extra virgin olive oil
• 1 Large onion, peeled and chopped
• 6-8 cloves of garlic, peeled and chopped
• 2tbsp tomato paste
• 1 Tin of crushed tomatoes (796ml)
• 1 Tin of white kidney beans
• 5 Cups vegetable broth
• 1/2tsp Dried rosemary
• 1/2tsp Dried parsley
• 1tbsp brown sugar
• 3 Cups of cooked alphagetti (cooked until still firm)

Heat oil in a large soup pot over a medium high heat. Add the onion, garlic and a pinch of salt. Cook, stirring occasionally until the onion is soft, about 5 minutes.
Add the tomato paste and cook for 1 minute, stirring all the while.
Pour in the canned tomatoes, beans, broth, rosemary, parsley and sugar. Stir to combine.
Bring to the boil and reduce heat to a simmer for around 20 minutes.
Cool slightly and process with a stick blender or food processor until thick like pasta sauce.
To serve, ladle up into bowls and top with the cooked Alphagetti.

Notes/Alternatives - You can replace the beans with chickpeas, lentils or another legume of your choice.

Keep the soup thick and use it as a pasta sauce.

You can also add all the above ingredients (except the pasta) to a slow cooker and cook on low for 6hrs, then blend and add the cooked pasta.

Basic soup topped with Fenugreek sprouts . GF version.

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Peppermint Chocolate Chunks

These little morsels of heaven are great for a little pick me up snack with your brew of choice, or great for a nibble at your fancy dinner party.

Peppermint infused into coconut oil with lashings of raw cacao powder. Whats not to like???

• 6 Tbsp Coconut Oil
• 4 Tbsp Organic Raw Cacao Powder
• 4 Tbsp of Nut butter. (Almond, Peanut whatever you have on hand)
• 2 Tbsp Local Honey
• 1 Vanilla Pod, or 1 Tsp Vanilla Bean Paste
• 1 Tsp Peppermint Extract
• 1/2 Cup Unsweetened Shredded Coconut
• 1/2 Cup Pecans (or nuts you have on hand)
• Pinch of salt

Add all ingredients, except the nuts and shredded coconut, into a glass bowl. Mix to combine. Set this bowl over a pot of hot water to melt it all oozingly together. This will only take a couple of minutes. (Alternatively, microwave in 20 second zaps until everything is melted.)
Chop the pecans.
Add pecans and coconut to the melted mixture and stir.
Pour into a tin or glass container lined with parchment paper. The depth of the bites should be around 1" thick.
Freeze your slab of goodness until the chocolate is set. Remove from freezer and score the chocolate with a sharp knife into sizeable pieces to pop into your mouth, and slowly and carefully cut right through.

NB - The coconut oil in these will make them melt at room temperature, but in all fairness, these wont last long in any room of any temperature!
Also, coconut oil taken in large quantities may have you making one too many bathroom pit stops.
Eat in moderation..............................................yeah right!

Easy Peasy Guacamole

One of my boys likes avocados, the other detests them. It just goes to show, you can feed kids the same foods growing up but with our gazillion tastebuds in our mouths, we're all going to have different sensations going on.
For some of us, sour buds explode when tasting grapefruit, others think it tastes like a slightly bitter/sweet orange. Some need salted chips (fries) while others rarely use any seasoning.
We are all different outside and in. Try and keep that in mind when your kids try new things.

They do say though, eat/drink something 20 times and your going to acquire a taste for it. I think i was like that with Guinness, red wine and whiskey! It does go to show perseverance is key. :o)

 

I do love avocados and they were one of THE most popular foods of 2015! They are used in everything from smoothies to pasta sauce, to the most amazing toast toppers. ( not forgetting face masks too) They are an extremely versatile fruit and definitely warrant their popularity.

 

Why are they so fantastic? Well they are packed full of vitamins and fibre and contain more potassium than a banana. They are high in fat, but the majority of this fat is from oleic acid.
Oleic acid has been linked to reduced inflammation and been shown to have beneficial effects on genes linked to cancer fat.
This fat is also used to extract optimum antioxidants from fruit and vegetables in our guts. Pretty cool eh?

Lots more fascinating Avo facts here.

 

This dish takes all of 5 minutes to prepare and you can totally play around with seasoning and flavours to suit your audiences tastes.

 

Easy Peasy Guacamole

 

• 2 Large Avocados
• 2 tbsp plain yoghurt or sour cream
• 1 tsp lemon juice
• Salt and pepper to taste
• Optional
  Sprinkling of chilli flakes or
  1/4 tsp cumin powder

Mash avocados and add in yoghurt and seasoning. Serve immediately.

Avocados turn brown once opened, but the lemon juice should help it remain green for some time after its mashed.

Use this as a dip for nachos or put it on your scrambled eggs or plain buttered toast. You could also put it on your face, minus the salt and lemon, and use organic yoghurt, if you could resist not licking it off!  There are many ways to use avocados and I'm sure in 2016 they are gonna be just as popular as last year.

 

Hit me back with your favourite ways to use this green goddess......................

Children DO want to eat better....FACT!

I'm very proud to be a part of the Food and Nutrition Committee at my sons school. I love the direction our compass is pointing towards and the journey we are on trying to get to our destination........ 'The land of fun & nutritious foods at school'.

We are a long way off with changing people attitudes to food, as change is scary for some people. Old habits die hard and all that. And people certainly don't like being told what or how to feed their children. 
Which is why we are trying to let the children make the changes with their parents.  If students are exposed to new foods at school and they like them and know they are good for them, they can let their parents know on that next supermarket trip. Believe me,  I don't know anyone that's refused to buy a bunch of kale because their child has asked them to!  Its how we help families use that chosen item at home is where we're at.

So to help us get the children and parents on board this healthy eating journey, we held our second Taste Testing Day at the school, which was a resounding success.

All students have the chance to taste test 6 different foods, and they can then vote to say whether they would be happy to see them on the menu, or not.  The kids love this, perhaps because the get 30 minutes out of class, but also because they do truly love food and especially food in a fun environment.  After the tasting the kids participated in a food stamp decorating activity.  Much fun was had by all.
I thoroughly enjoyed watching the kids trying new foods and asking me, 'can I have this today?' And the kids love the idea that they are part of the decision making process for what goes on their new menu in the new year.
Parents also get sent home a little sample and all the recipes tasted to use at home.
All round happy campers!

So here were our contenders. (recipes will be posted shortly, so you can all try them at home or in your school kitchen)

Quinoa Pizza Bite
Mac & Squeeze
Kale Chips
Guacamole
Tomato Alphagetti Soup
Rice Noodle Salad

The winner was the 'Alphagetti Soup'! Which was so tasty and filling with loads of flavours going on in each mouthful. 
I say 'winner' as it was the one with the most smiley faced votes, but they were all winners really. We have a school of around 130 students and every dish had 88 smiley votes or more! Isn't that amazing?? Which, to me, showed that our children DO want to eat better food and more importantly, they ENJOY IT!

A week or so later I asked if I could donate a 'FREE SOUP DAY' to the school using the new Alphagetti recipe.  Of course the answer was yes! We all like something for free don't we?

We had around 45 students order the free soup, which was good. (But I'm sure if we market it better next time, we should get more takers.  Its all about making the parents aware that something is truly 'Free'. )

I worked out the costs to make the soup, with my time being free obviously,( it only really took me just over an hour) and I spend roughly $15 on making soup for 45 students (and a few teachers). That's not too shabby. And this would be a rather expensive soup to make, as it uses pasta and canned beans and tomatoes. In season you should be able to make soup for 50 for less than $10!!

So now can you tell me why schools aren't making the most of local produce by having soup on their menus at least once a week?!
And don't be thinking 'you profit driven school dudes' that this is a way to make money out of healthy food! That is not my point. My point is that nutritional soup should be offered at a decent price. If it works out 20c per bowl, add on your other costs and round it up to $1 rather than being greedy and putting it up to $2, just because you can. Nutritional food needn't be expensive.

This year I am hoping to trial more 'Soup Days' with perhaps a 'Pay it Forward Scheme' being introduced. We give a suggested price of say 75c for a bowl of soup and those who can afford pay that and maybe 25c more and those who cannot pay still receive a warming bowl of homemade soup. No child should be going hungry at school!

This is my goal and I sure as hell think its achievable!

Hooked on Sugar

                                  
I'm going to try and keep this short and sweet (get it?....chortle)
For over 6 months now I have been reducing the amount of refined sugar in my diet and in all my baking.  All I kinda knew what that it was soooooooo far removed from its origins that it couldn't be good for us right? RIGHT!



In a nut shell...................Refined Sugar could be classed as a poison. The reason being that it has been stripped of its vitamins and minerals and what remains is pure, refined carbohydrates. These carbohydrates are not like the carbs we get from rice and vegetables. These evil carbs cannot be used by the body, unless they have their vitamins and minerals attached to them. Mother nature gave us sugar cane as a whole and eating it whole makes our body happy.

In an ideal world, we would digest the unrefined sugar from the sugar cane with its vitamins and minerals attached, our body likes this and metabolizes the carbohydrate, producing energy and all is well.
BUT................we rarely get offered unrefined sugar cane, do we? So what happens when the bad sugar hits our stomach?
The stripped sugar creates abnormal sugars that the body has no idea what to do with. These 'toxic metabolites' (you're best googling that one guys) interfere with cell respiration. Meaning they cannot get enough oxygen to survive and function normally. Over time, these cells die, whether it be in the brain, liver or else where in the body, and a degenerative disease is born.
But (another but!), before the degenerative disease is apparent, the body tries to protect itself. So it calls in the calcium from your teeth and bones to help it out. And you know what that means? Teeth like a row of condemned houses and bones so brittle you cant even click your fingers.


Now onto the FAT.
Excess sugar in the blood is stored in the liver until it is fit to burst and then it heads out, as glycogen, and is stored in the lazy parts of the body: the belly, bum, boobs and thighs.  Then when these areas get too big for their boots, fatty acids are released to active organs like the heart and kidneys and this fatty substance begins to get them on a slowmo. White blood cells occur and attack the red cells, our body's response to bugs gets slower. Immunizing super power is at an all time low. If your neighbour 3 doors down has the flu, chances are you'll catch it too .(ok, ok, maybe not quite like that but you get the picture)


Geez I thought I was meant to keep that brief. In all fairness that is pretty brief and not too specific. But I like reading blogs on the hoof and if it were 10 pages long, I'd probably give it a big side swerve.




I watched a film recently, that has inspired me highlight the world of hidden sugars and their dangers. Check out That Sugar Film.

This is one movie where I sat on the couch, jaw open, with the kids, shocked! Completely Shocked! So were the boys.  Kids being given Mountain Dew in a bottle??? Racking up 3 bottles a day of this stuff.  Mountain Dew has 40% more caffeine that coke and 15% more sugar. That yellow drink was my 'fizzy juice' of choice over here (you know those summer days when all you crave is a beer or pop. Admittedly I usually go for the Beer, its more natural , right?) and I even gave it to the boys once as I thought it was 'better' than coke! Doh!  This is all about education, so as long as there is lessons learnt, then we're cool.
Talking about education, I popped this dvd into Hamishs school bag (he's in grade 1), and asked his teacher to take it home and watch it. (we're friends, I wasn't just being weird.) But instead she text me to say, the screening is at 10.45am today!  I had to add that there was some scientific data the kids would go a little glossy over, but other than that, perfect for school. If you go online you can actually buy School Packs !
Over the course of the next few days at school, I was told the kids were analyzing the sugar in their lunchboxes. Asking the teacher how many teaspoons are in my granola bar, chocolate bar, yoghurt etc. And the discussion starts...........................Amazing!!!!
Very Proud of my school, so I am!


Just a little FYI............


Did you know that yoghurt is the demon for hiding sugars! Some have a whopping 24grams of sugar per carton!!! That's 6tsps of sugar in one serving! I'd rather have a snickers.....hey at least the nuts are good for you.  But don't panic too much, as some sugars are from the lactose in the milk, but only a small percentage.
And you think you're doing good by choosing the 'fat free' varieties? NOPE. You bump up your sugar intake by over 50% compared to the full fat Greek yoghurts.  Sneaky eh? Damn, why isn't every just honest!??
At the moment Jamie Oliver is striving for correct labelling on products in the UK. (Go Jamie, Go Jamie!) Because, really, would you purchase a yoghurt with 4tsps of sugar in it for your toddler? Hmmm I don't think so.


Now you know some of the details, I'm assuming you're all like, 'Eh I am so not giving up my snickers or Cadburys Twirl dipped in a cup of tea (my all time favourite). '
Well you don't have to.  I didn't, not right away anyway. But I did start using less refined sugar in things. Substituting it for Honey, Maple syrup or Agave. Which I'm sure the fructose in those also aren't so good for you, but they haven't been stripped of anything, so they are still in true form. I also use coconut sugar which is full of vitamins and minerals and is low glycemic. Ultimate winner!




6 months on and I can honestly tell you that the taste of a sugar laden donut from Tim Hortons gives me the heave. I can taste every spoonful of the sugar and have a seriously sugar low after my rocketing high.  Artificial sweetners jump out at me in pies, biscuits and drinks.  It really is phenomenal the change that my body has gone under. Now I haven't cut refined sugars out completely. I'm sure that is going to be a life long challenge, AS THEY ARE EVERYWHERE!!! And I still enjoy anything wrapped in dark chocolate and a piece of Honeymoon slice occasionally. (remember that St Madoes Ladies??)




My ultimate goal is to now change my boys palates. I have a 6 and a 4 year old, and my 4 year old is a sugar monster. I blame that on myself (obviously I buy my kids the food) and a close second, on moving to Canada where sugar is loaded into everything.  Ice Tea is prominent in the 'healthy ish section' (packing in 7tsps of sugar in a 345ml bottle) and packets of Skittles( 1 pack has 10tsps of sugar!!) with more E numbers than I can shake a stick at, at every checkout! Smores are the dessert of choice in the summer and rice krispie squares are a given in lunch boxes. 


So if I could just get them to realise the 'taste' of crappy sugar (that's what I'm calling it now. Not to my kids obviously) that would be a start.  Rather than it just all being classed as 'Sugar', as that's not fair.  All sugars are NOT equal!

Slow Cooker Sweet Potato Curry

Its that time of year again when our slow cooker is on overdrive. I never really fancy using it much in the summer , but as soon as the thermometer hits zero degrees, the trusty crockpot is dusted off and filled a good few times a week.

This recipe i originally found on Deliciously Ellas website. She's a wonderful foodie/blogger in London, who's made an empire of getting good food vibes spread across the globe.. Check out her website Deliciously Ella and her latest business venture here The Mae Deli (I wish I lived in London to sample some of the goodies they create there)

This is my slightly adapted version which goes into the slow cooker in the morning and is ready when you come home from work. Ta Da!
There is nothing like opening the front door after a long day and the smell of curry hits you on the nose, making you feel like Jamie Oliver is in your kitchen ready to pour you a glass of Shiraz while he serves up a steaming plate of yummy goodness. ......And back in the room Rachael! Ahem. Regardless, its so effortless and makes the winter nights a little more bearable.

Ingredients:-

• 1 can of chopped tomatoes (796ml or 2no 400ml cans)
• 1 can of chick peas (400g) drained
• 2 medium sweet potatoes chopped into inch pieces
• 1 Aubergine (aka Eggplant)
• 1 small can of tomato puree
• 1/4 cup Kombucha Vinegar / apple cider vinegar
• 2 level Tbs ground turmeric
• 1 1/2 tbs ground cumin
• 4 cloves of garlic chopped finely
• 2 cups of chopped kale or spinach
• 1 cup of green olives (de stoned)
• chilli flakes
• salt and pepper
• 1 can coconut milk

Alternatives - Leave out the aubergine. Add in frozen peas or parsnips (bumping up the sweetness). Olives aren't everyones cup of tea (my kids love them). Just leave them out, no biggie. You could also add in 2 breasts of chicken and leave out the chick peas. Swapping protein for protein.  Lots of variations on this one. Do what suits your family. I personally don't think you can go wrong with swapping veggies and proteins.

Put all of the above ingredients, except the coconut milk, in the slow cooker. (add the chilli flakes to your personal preference. A pinch is enough to give it a little heat) Give it a good stir around to incorporate all the flavours. Set the slow cooker to low for 6-8 hrs. Before serving, add the coconut milk and heat through.(around 5mins)
Garnish with a dollop of coconut yoghurt (or normal if your not dairy free), or just add a sprinkling of chilli flakes.
Serve up with brown rice, quinoa or get in and scoop it up with a whole wheat naan bread. 


This is perfect on its own, but for kiddos they need a little added grain in there, the naan bread being the easiest, quickest option.


If you choose to add organic into your meal, please choose the sweet potatoes. Potatoes are always on the 'Dirty Dozen list', partly due to the way they are harvested with chemicals.  Try and keep it clean!


(side note.............Walmart Canada has 2lb bags of Organic Sweet Potatoes on for 97c! Now I'm not the biggest Walmart fan, but if it means I can feed my family 'cleaner food' and it doesn't cost me the earth, then I'll be shopping there. Out of season of course)

The baguette bake

I give you the famous Baguette, aka a French stick.

I am one that thought the best use of this said stick was to slice it, cover it in salted butter and dunk it in soup. YUM! Although this must be done on the day of purchase, otherwise it becomes a deadly weapon in our household!

Nevertheless, bread going hard is a great sign of little or no preservatives in it. Bread getting softer and softer before it becomes a fantastic source of penicillin will more than likely have an extensive list of unidentifiable ingredients!
I'm not judging, I have a freezer full of bread from the 2nds bread shop ( bread that is nearing its use by date) with a fair bit more than 4 ingredients. I have a carb monster husband and I will not trade him in for a fresh sourdough round that costs me $5 a time. ( well not yet anyway). I will become that wife who bakes her family bread everyday of the week. .........I am working on this, but it is a very ...........................very gradual process. Easy bread recipes coming soon.

But back to my trusty stick.

I turned a large baguette into a lunch item for my daycare the other day and all it took was 20 minutes prep and 25 minutes in the oven! The kids loved it and I think you and your families will too.

The ingredients list consisted of :-
-Tinned Tuna (protein)
-Cheese ( dairy)
-Peppers and green onion (fruit or veg)
-Wholegrain baguette ( Grain)

Safe to say i think these ingredients are pretty cost effective and you could whip this up for a family dinner too, knowing that you hit all the food groups and it didn't cost the earth. Swap out the peppers for your kids fav veg. Sweetcorn, spinach, peas etc.

In a school environment, this would be cool cut up into serving sized pieces and wrapped in tin foil like a cracker to serve (and keep warm). Kids would dig it.

Tuna Baguette Bake

3 Cans of Tuna ( in water)
5 Spring onions, chopped
1/2 Pepper, chopped finely

3/4 cup Grated Cheese (the stronger the better. and add more cheese if you like it very cheesy!)

1/2 cup Mayonnaise

1tbs Apple Cider Vinegar

Salt and Pepper to taste.

Drain the tuna and add in all the other ingredients., saving a little cheese for the top. Mix thoroughly.

Cut a rectangle the whole length of the bread around 1" deep. Pull the cut bread back and dig a little in with your fingers to scoop some bread out and make a hollow in the loaf.

Set the scooped out bread to the side.

Fill the baguette with your filling and sprinkle with the remaining cheese.

I don't like waste, so I replace the top part of the bread back on again and squish it down. But this makes for a slightly messy cut when your ready to serve as the top gets quite hard. But it taste amazing regardless. Otherwise, bake the top part separately and grind the toasted bread up in a food processor and you've got ready made breadcrumbs!

Heat in a 350deg oven for around 20 minutes, or until the cheese is all nice and bubbly.

Leave to cool for a few minutes and then slice to your desired thickness, or if you've made one for your very own, just wrap your chops around it and thank me later!

I'm sure there any many variations on this , let me know you're stuffing your bread with.  My next one to try is eggs and bacon!  Breakfast baguette for a lazy Sunday morning.....................