Chunky sesame prawn toasts are sure to be a hit with young and old. They are super crispy, quick to make, tasty little triangles that are great served at parties, for lunch or as a starter to your main meal.
I have used delicious plump fresh prawns for this recipe but frozen would work just as well. All you have to do is chop the prawns, add the remaining ingredients and coat in sesame seeds.
I have then cooked these babies in the oven until golden brown. Go ahead and fry them if you like. Not as healthy but I’m sure even tastier!
Chunky Sesame Prawn Toasts
6 slices of bread; crusts removed and cut into quarters (I’ve used white rye)
300g raw prawns; chopped
1 teaspoon minced ginger
1 teaspoon sesame oil
1 teaspoon soy sauce
1 egg white; lightly whisked
pinch of salt
sesame seeds to coat (black or white)
Pre-heat the oven to 180 C / 350 F. Combine the prawn meat with the ginger, sesame oil, soy sauce, egg white and salt. Stir to combine.
Add the mixture to the bread triangles. About a tablespoon per triangle. Put as much on them as you can. Coat the triangles in the sesame seeds and place on a oven tray.
Cook for about 20 – 25 minutes or until the prawns are cooked and nice and golden. Serve warm.
I chopped my prawn quite chunky. If finely chopping reduce the cooking time a little.
Ribollita is a Tuscan soup made with lot of veggies, white beans and bread. It is super easy to make and doesn’t take too long. It is a great dish for the entire family. Puree/mash for baby and leave it chunky for bigger kids and the family.
Ribollita – meaning reboiled, is a great dish to have handy in the freezer for those weeknight when you haven’t got time to prepare something fresh. It stands up well to being re-heated, it may actually be better!
You start by sautéing the onion and garlic. Throw in the celery and carrot and cook until softened. Next add the silverbeet followed by the tomatoes, stock, bay leaf and chilli. Cover and let simmer for 45 minutes or so. You could dig right in after about 20 but cooking that bit longer really develops the flavours.
To serve ladle the Ribollita into bowls with the crusty bread and serve garnished with parsley – delicious and easy…
5 tablespoons olive oil
3 cloves garlic; crushed
1 onion; finely sliced
2 stalks celery; chopped
2 carrots; chopped
1 big bunch of silverbeet; finely sliced
400g tin whole tomatoes
1 litre stock (good quality veggie stock, chicken, beef or whatever you like)
2 bay leaves
1/4 teaspoon chilli flakes *or adjust to your liking
1 teaspoon salt
400 g tin cannellini bean
1 loaf of country style white bread; cut into chunks
parsley for serving
Add the olive oil to a large saucepan and sauté the onion and garlic. Add the carrot and celery and continue cooking until softened. Add the silverbeet and cook until starting to wilt. Add the tomatoes, stock, bay leaf, chilli and salt. Bring to the boil and then cover and let simmer for about 45 minutes. Add the beans and allow to cook for an additional few minutes.
Add the crusty bead to an oven tray and bake until golden and crispy
To serve, ladle the soup bowls, add some bread and then another ladle of soup. Garnish with parsley and serve
Serves 6 as a main
If also preparing for baby, take a few portions for baby before adding the salt. Puree or mash to suit age and chewing abilities.
Ribollita is a Tuscan soup made with lot of veggies, white beans and bread. It is super easy to make and doesn’t take too long. It is a great dish for the entire family. Puree/mash for baby and leave it chunky for bigger kids and the family.
Ribollita – meaning reboiled, is a great dish to have handy in the freezer for those weeknight when you haven’t got time to prepare something fresh. It stands up well to being re-heated, it may actually be better!
You start by sautéing the onion and garlic. Throw in the celery and carrot and cook until softened. Next add the silverbeet followed by the tomatoes, stock, bay leaf and chilli. Cover and let simmer for 45 minutes or so. You could dig right in after about 20 but cooking that bit longer really develops the flavours.
To serve ladle the Ribollita into bowls with the crusty bread and serve garnished with parsley – delicious and easy…
5 tablespoons olive oil
3 cloves garlic; crushed
1 onion; finely sliced
2 stalks celery; chopped
2 carrots; chopped
1 big bunch of silverbeet; finely sliced
400g tin whole tomatoes
1 litre stock (good quality veggie stock, chicken, beef or whatever you like)
2 bay leaves
1/4 teaspoon chilli flakes *or adjust to your liking
1 teaspoon salt
400 g tin cannellini bean
1 loaf of country style white bread; cut into chunks
parsley for serving
Add the olive oil to a large saucepan and sauté the onion and garlic. Add the carrot and celery and continue cooking until softened. Add the silverbeet and cook until starting to wilt. Add the tomatoes, stock, bay leaf, chilli and salt. Bring to the boil and then cover and let simmer for about 45 minutes. Add the beans and allow to cook for an additional few minutes.
Add the crusty bead to an oven tray and bake until golden and crispy
To serve, ladle the soup bowls, add some bread and then another ladle of soup. Garnish with parsley and serve
Serves 6 as a main
If also preparing for baby, take a few portions for baby before adding the salt. Puree or mash to suit age and chewing abilities.
H and I have been doing a stack of baking lately – homemade bread, pizzas, cakes and muffins. I think the winter weather has something to do with it! I’ve experimented a lot with muffin recipes and I have to say, I think I’ve found a winner. These healthy zucchini, corn and tomato muffins are easy to make and are pillowy soft – just how I like them. The trick is to not over mix. When adding the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients, stir with a wooden spoon until just combined and you are ready to go.
Muffins are perfect for a light lunch and are great for the kids lunch boxes. The recipe makes a large batch so freeze what you don’t use for another day. I personally love having a few healthy savoury muffins in the freezer ready for a quick snack or to pack for the little guy if we are heading out for the day.
I’ve used zucchini, corn, tomato and cheese but feel free to substitute other vegetables. If you are using particularly dry ingredients and the mixture feels a little dry, just add a splash more milk till you achieve a thick but loose mixture. It shouldn’t be in any way runny – I need to start taking some action shot, what do you think, would that be helpful?
Enjoy xxx
Healthy Zucchini, Corn and Tomato Muffin
1 cob of corn (ear of corn)
1 tomato
1 cup grated zucchini (about 1 medium zucchini)
1 cup grated tasty cheese (reserving a little to sprinkle on top before going in the oven)
2 cups self-raising flour
1 egg
1 cup milk
150 grams butter; melted
salt & pepper (optional)
Pre-heat oven to 180 degrees C (350 degrees F). Combine the dry ingredient (flour, cheese, zucchini, corn, tomato, salt and pepper) in a bowl and mix a little to combine.
In a small bowl combine the egg and milk and light whisk with a folk. Add the melted butter. Add the mixture to dry ingredients and stir with a wooden spoon until combined. Don’t over mix or you will end up with a tough muffin! If the mixture feel a little dry add a splash more milk.
Spray the muffins tins with oil or grease with butter. Fill tin 3/4 full of the mixture and sprinkle with the remaining cheese. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes. Test with a skewer, if it comes out clean, they are ready. Serve warm
Makes 12 large muffins and 12 mini muffins.
Don’t be tempted to overfill the muffins – fill only 3/4 of the way up the muffin tin. They will work out a lot better.
This quick crispy potato with nigella seeds recipe happened when I was in a bit of a rush. I was going to boil some potatoes but noticed my nigella seed mix sitting there and decided to give my potatoes a quick toss in the pan, with some oil and a tablespoon of the spice mixture – they were delicious. Better than plain old boiled potatoes lets say!
The nigella seeds spice mixture will make more than you need for this recipe, so keep it in a jar and add some to your sautéed veggies, potato salads, tomatoes salads, cous cous, quinoa salads, etc.
Quick crispy potatoes with nigella seeds
1 kg chat potatoes (or as many or few as you like)
1 tablespoon nigella seeds
1 tablespoon cumin seeds
1 tablespoon coriander seeds
1 tablespoon oil
Salt & pepper
parsley leaves to serve; roughly chopped
Wash the potatoes well because we are leaving the skin on. Chop in half and add to a pot of salted water and cook until tender. Drain and set aside.
While the potatoes are cooking, add the spices to a mortar and pestle and bash/grind until ground.
Add 1 tablespoons oil to a frying pan over high heat and add the potatoes. Give the pan a toss so the potatoes are evenly browned. Once golden add a tablespoon of the spice mixture and toss to coat. Season with salt and pepper, serve warm garnished with parsley.
This is my take on the Thai dish; Pad Kra Pao. I haven’t called it that because it is far from authentic but I have been making it for some time and its super tasty. It’s also super simple to make and a perfect weeknight meal for the family.
Serve this Thai basil chicken with a fried egg and jasmine rice or I have also served it with iceberg lettuce cups, so you can wrap it up and use your hands to eat it. The kids may like it served this way…
Thai Basil Chicken with fried egg
5 green onions (the long green variety)
3 garlic cloves
2 teaspoons finely chopped ginger
pinch of salt
2 tablespoon oil
500g chicken mince (I bought chicken thigh fillets and made my own mince)
1 tablespoon fish sauce
1 1/2 tablespoons dark soy
1 1/2 tablespoon sweet soy (ketchup manis)
1 teaspoon sugar
100 grams green bean (or a nice big handful); chopped into 1cm pieces
1 cup basil; roughly chopped
Rice and chilli flakes (optional) to serve
Add green onion, garlic, ginger, and salt to a food processor and process to achieve a paste. Add oil to a frying pan or wok and add the paste. Cook for a few minutes and then add the chicken. Cook until golden. Add fish sauce, dark soy, sweet soy and sugar and cook until the liquid has mostly been absorbed, add the green beans and remove from the heat once they are bright green and the chicken is cooked through. Add basil and stir through.
While the above is happening; cook your four eggs in a frying pan to your liking.
Add rice to 4 bowls, top with the chicken a fried egg and chilli flakes if using
Serves 4 as a main
Green onion; also called scallion and in Australia, just shallots to add to the confusion 🙂
Baked apples is a classic dessert. It’s so easy to prepare and this version is also healthy. So healthy in fact that it would make an equally delicious breakfast.
Most nights dessert for the little guy is natural yoghurt with a few berries, but its nice to go to a little more trouble on occasion. Baked apples are a great option, they are nutritious with whole ingredients, refined sugar-free and contain lots of superfoods.
I have filled my baked apples fresh blackberries and topped them with walnuts, pepitas, sultanas and maple for a crispy topping that is packed with nutritious ingredients that the whole family will love.
There are endless nutritious foods and ingredients that can be incorporated into our daily lives, so make every meal you serve your little one count – even dessert. What’s your favourite superfood? Berries, which by the way are one of the great brain foods, are a definite Harry favourite, followed by most veggies, even the green ones! I am very thankful for a veggie loving 3-year-old. I can’t get enough of quinoa, avocado, nuts, seeds and cocoa.
If you are looking for other healthy dessert options be sure to check out my other healthy desserts. The Eating Well website is also a great resource. How good does this watermelon pizza look? I know H would go crazy for it…
This is one of those recipes where you can get creative and fill them with whatever healthy ingredients you have on hand. Why not try raspberries, strawberries, peaches, or banana!
Don’t feel like making your own topping, why not combine some pre-made muesli with a little grass-fed butter or coconut oil and you have a topping ready to go in seconds. Try this yummy DIY muesli recipe from Jamie Oliver.
Healthy Baked Apples with blackberries, walnuts, pepitas & sultanas
4 apples (I used royal gala)
Handful of fresh blackberries (any berries would work well, fresh or frozen)
1/2 cup walnuts
1/4 cup pepitas
1/4 cup sultanas
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ginger
1 – 2 tablespoons maple syrup
2 tablespoons melted butter
Pre-heat oven to 180 C / 350 F. Wash the apples well and cut the tops off (this allows you to pile more of the filling on top). Using a knife, make a slit in the skin the whole way aorund the apple. It will stop them from bursting. Then using a knife core the apples and scoop out a little of the apple flesh to make room for the filling.
Chop the walnuts and add to a bowl with the remaining filling ingredients. Stir to combine.
Add a few blackberries to the apples and top with the filling. Put as much as you can fit on top.
Place apples in a baking dish and add 1/4 cup of water; cover dish and bake for 30 minutes. Remove cover and cook for an additional 25 minutes or until the apples are tender.
Serve drizzled with extra maple, natural yoghurt or ice-cream.
You can prepare ahead of time and keep in the fridge until ready to bake.
This is my take on the Thai dish; Pad Kra Pao. I haven’t called it that because it is far from authentic but I have been making it for some time and its super tasty. It’s also super simple to make and a perfect weeknight meal for the family.
Serve this Thai basil chicken with a fried egg and jasmine rice or I have also served it with iceberg lettuce cups, so you can wrap it up and use your hands to eat it. The kids may like it served this way…
Thai Basil Chicken with fried egg
5 green onions (the long green variety)
3 garlic cloves
2 teaspoons finely chopped ginger
pinch of salt
2 tablespoon oil
500g chicken mince (I bought chicken thigh fillets and made my own mince)
1 tablespoon fish sauce
1 1/2 tablespoons dark soy
1 1/2 tablespoon sweet soy (ketchup manis)
1 teaspoon sugar
100 grams green bean (or a nice big handful); chopped into 1cm pieces
1 cup basil; roughly chopped
Rice and chilli flakes (optional) to serve
Add green onion, garlic, ginger, and salt to a food processor and process to achieve a paste. Add oil to a frying pan or wok and add the paste. Cook for a few minutes and then add the chicken. Cook until golden. Add fish sauce, dark soy, sweet soy and sugar and cook until the liquid has mostly been absorbed, add the green beans and remove from the heat once they are bright green and the chicken is cooked through. Add basil and stir through.
While the above is happening; cook your four eggs in a frying pan to your liking.
Add rice to 4 bowls, top with the chicken a fried egg and chilli flakes if using
Serves 4 as a main
Green onion; also called scallion and in Australia, just shallots to add to the confusion 🙂
Green smoothies are to H what lollies are to a lot of kids – he absolutely loves them.
Guaranteed if we walk past a juice bar, he will drag me kicking and screaming until he gets one – he loves to choose the ingredients and it has become his little treat after daycare a couple of times a week.
This one was made up of kale, cucumber, pineapple, and mint. It is lovely and refreshing and not overly green tasting. A good intro to green smoothies if your little one is not used to them.
Enjoy xx
Watch our little video of H making this smoothie all on his own – and taste testing of course. Click play to watch it here…
Green smoothie with kale, cucumber, pineapple and mint
1/4 large fresh pineapple
1 apple
1 cucumber
1 cup water
a few springs of mint
3 stalks kale
handful of ice cubes
Add all the ingredients to a high speed blender; blend until smooth.
*to sweeten add your sweetener of choice (honey, maple, fresh dates, etc)
This makes enough to serve two people plus a little left over for the next day.
Baked apples is a classic dessert. It’s so easy to prepare and this version is also healthy. So healthy in fact that it would make an equally delicious breakfast.
Most nights dessert for the little guy is natural yoghurt with a few berries, but its nice to go to a little more trouble on occasion. Baked apples are a great option, they are nutritious with whole ingredients, refined sugar-free and contain lots of superfoods.
I have filled my baked apples fresh blackberries and topped them with walnuts, pepitas, sultanas and maple for a crispy topping that is packed with nutritious ingredients that the whole family will love.
There are endless nutritious foods and ingredients that can be incorporated into our daily lives, so make every meal you serve your little one count – even dessert. What’s your favourite superfood? Berries, which by the way are one of the great brain foods, are a definite Harry favourite, followed by most veggies, even the green ones! I am very thankful for a veggie loving 3-year-old. I can’t get enough of quinoa, avocado, nuts, seeds and cocoa.
If you are looking for other healthy dessert options be sure to check out my other healthy desserts. The Eating Well website is also a great resource. How good does this watermelon pizza look? I know H would go crazy for it…
This is one of those recipes where you can get creative and fill them with whatever healthy ingredients you have on hand. Why not try raspberries, strawberries, peaches, or banana!
Don’t feel like making your own topping, why not combine some pre-made muesli with a little grass-fed butter or coconut oil and you have a topping ready to go in seconds. Try this yummy DIY muesli recipe from Jamie Oliver.
Healthy Baked Apples with blackberries, walnuts, pepitas & sultanas
4 apples (I used royal gala)
Handful of fresh blackberries (any berries would work well, fresh or frozen)
1/2 cup walnuts
1/4 cup pepitas
1/4 cup sultanas
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ginger
1 – 2 tablespoons maple syrup
2 tablespoons melted butter
Pre-heat oven to 180 C / 350 F. Wash the apples well and cut the tops off (this allows you to pile more of the filling on top). Using a knife, make a slit in the skin the whole way aorund the apple. It will stop them from bursting. Then using a knife core the apples and scoop out a little of the apple flesh to make room for the filling.
Chop the walnuts and add to a bowl with the remaining filling ingredients. Stir to combine.
Add a few blackberries to the apples and top with the filling. Put as much as you can fit on top.
Place apples in a baking dish and add 1/4 cup of water; cover dish and bake for 30 minutes. Remove cover and cook for an additional 25 minutes or until the apples are tender.
Serve drizzled with extra maple, natural yoghurt or ice-cream.
You can prepare ahead of time and keep in the fridge until ready to bake.
Chunky Sesame Prawn Toasts 
