Posted Sept 14, 2013
Recipes from ‘How to Feed a Family: The Sweet Potato Chronicles Cookbook’
Canadian Press
The following kid-friendly recipes are from “How to Feed a Family: The Sweet Potato Chronicles Cookbook” by Laura Keogh and Ceri Marsh.
Mini Kale and Parmesan Quiche with Phyllo Pastry Crust
Laura Keogh writes that this recipe is an emotional favourite because it was the first dish she and her daughter Scarlett created together. “She was just three years old, and I was looking for ways to incorporate the nutrient-dense kale into dishes I knew she’d eat.”
Since Scarlett liked quiche, she created a version without the fatty crust, opting for phyllo. “This dish was an instant success with Scarlett as well as with Ceri’s children. It also became (a Sweet Potato Chronicles) site favourite.”
Kale is the king of the cruciferous vegetable family, which also includes bok choy, broccoli, cauliflower and brussels sprouts. A nutritional powerhouse, kale has sky-high levels of antioxidants like vitamins C and A, which help the body to detoxify. Kale also has stellar amounts of vitamin K and flavonoids to combat inflammation. To unleash the leafy vegetable’s health benefits, it’s recommended you chop the leaves.
Preparation Time: 10 minutes
Total Time: 50 minutes
30 ml (2 tbsp) olive oil, plus extra for brushing
50 ml (1/4 cup) chopped onion
3 cloves garlic, chopped
750 g (1 1/2 lb) kale
4 sheets phyllo pastry
5 eggs
175 ml (3/4 cup) milk
125 ml (1/2 cup) grated Parmesan cheese
Salt and pepper, to taste
Pesto: In a large frying pan, heat oil over medium heat. Add onion and garlic and saute until translucent, about 3 minutes. Add kale and coat with oil mixture. Cover and let kale wilt until tough stems are tender, 6 to 8 minutes.
Remove kale from pan and place in a food processor. Process until it has the texture of a fine pesto.
Quiche: Cut 4 sheets of phyllo into 4 equal-size squares. Layer phyllo squares one by one into 4 large ramekins, brushing each layer of pastry lightly with oil. (Keep phyllo sheets between two moist dish towels to prevent them from drying out when you’re not working with them.)
In a large mixing bowl, beat eggs. Add milk, then Parmesan and mix until blended. Add kale pesto and stir to combine well. Season with salt and pepper.
Pour egg mixture into ramekins, leaving about 5 mm (1/4 inch) at the top. Place ramekins on a baking sheet and then place on the middle rack of the oven. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes or until firm. Remove from baking sheet and let ramekins cool before serving to little hands.
Makes 4 servings.
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Kitchen-Sink Granola Bars
These granola bars are ideal to tuck into a lunch box or serve for an after-school snack. Once the chopping is done, these bars are super-quick to make, Ceri Marsh writes.
Feel free to use what you have in your pantry, such as raisins, walnuts or dried blueberries.
Preparation Time: 20 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour
125 ml (1/2 cup) packed brown sugar
125 ml (1/2 cup) old-fashioned oats
75 ml (1/3 cup) oat flour (if you don’t have it, process 75 ml or 1/3 cup old-fashioned oats in food processor for a few minutes)
50 ml (1/4 cup) flax meal
125 ml (1/2 cup) dried apricots, chopped quite fine
125 ml (1/2 cup) dried cranberries, chopped
75 ml (1/3 cup) pecans, finely chopped
50 ml (1/4 cup) vegetable oil
50 ml (1/4 cup) maple syrup
30 ml (2 tbsp) brown rice syrup or corn syrup
Heat oven to 180 C (350 F). Line a 28-by-18-cm (11-by-7-inch) cake pan with parchment paper, leaving enough overhang to lift out granola bars later.
In a bowl, mix together sugar, oats, oat flour, flax meal, apricots, cranberries and pecans. Make sure fruits and nuts are evenly distributed.
In a large bowl, mix together vegetable oil and both syrups.
Pour dry ingredients on top of wet and stir to combine thoroughly. Dump mixture into prepared pan. Use the back of a spoon to spread it out evenly.
Bake for 30 to 40 minutes. Keep an eye on the pan at the end _ you want the mixture to just begin to brown. Let cool for about 10 minutes before lifting out parchment. Rest parchment on counter and let mixture cool completely. Cut into 4-by-7.5-cm (1 1/2-by-3-inch) bars. Store in an airtight container for up to 1 week.
Makes 24 bars.
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Sweet Potato Mac and Cheese
The whole-wheat noodles and sweet potato up the nutritional score of this recipe, but it’s as creamy and satisfying as a more traditional mac and cheese. Ceri Marsh said she first made it when she needed to take a dish to the Christmas potluck at her daughter’s daycare a couple of years ago. “It’s great any time you have to feed a big gang,” she writes.
For the sweet potato puree, you can either boil or roast sweet potatoes until tender, then mash. Alternatively, use canned.
Preparation Time: 20 minutes
Total Time: 20 minutes
250 ml (1 cup) sweet potato puree
750 ml (3 cups) whole-wheat macaroni
50 ml (1/4 cup) butter
30 ml (2 tbsp) all-purpose flour
500 ml (2 cups) milk
250 ml (1 cup) shredded cheddar cheese
125 ml (1/2 cup) grated Parmesan cheese
Salt and pepper, to taste
250 ml (1 cup) frozen peas
Cook pasta according to package instructions.
In a large heavy saucepan, melt butter over medium-low heat. Sprinkle flour over butter, stir and let cook for a minute or two. Slowly add milk, stirring continually to keep lumps from forming. If it’s not thickening, increase heat slightly. Add cheeses and stir as they melt. Add pureed sweet potato and stir well to combine. Taste before seasoning with salt and pepper.
In the last 2 minutes of the pasta’s cooking time, add frozen peas. Drain pasta and peas in a sieve. Pour cooked pasta and peas into pot with sauce and give everything a good stir. Serve straight from the pot into bowls.
Makes 8 servings.
Source: “How to Feed a Family: The Sweet Potato Chronicles Cookbook” by Laura Keogh and Ceri Marsh (Appetite by Random House, 2013).
© 2013 The Canadian Press
