Tuesday, November 1, 2011

Cook-A-Long with Brooke-A-Long: Edition 4

I am very fortunate that my boys tend to happily scoff down whatever is put in front of them (and nine times out of ten, always come back for more).  Where I have issues sometimes though, especially with Mr 7, is with lunches.  The allure of soccer on the oval overcomes sitting and eating a sandwich most days.

After finding that perfectly good (and delicious!) sandwiches were returning to me each day with a couple of bites taken out of it, I sat down with Jack to talk about how important it was that he eat lunch.  The crux of the issue for him is just that sandwiches take too long to eat.

So, we found a compromise.  He gets sandwiches a couple of days a week but I don't overfill them.  I use Cyndi O'Meara's bible bread which is pretty much a complete protein, so I figure it's okay if all that's between the slices is almond or cashew butter. 

The other days I try to vary the lunch box big ticket item.  Some days I'll make blueberry buttermilk pancakes for breakfast and he'll take the leftovers, as is also the case with ham & egg bread baskets.  Savoury muffins or quiches work a treat - things that he can scoff down in bites just seem to work out better than sandwiches.

So, when Wendy Blume at Vegie Smugglers shared her recipe for Cheese Puffs on Facebook the other day, I thought I'd give them a go.  They were a huge hit with all male members of the household.  I've made them 3 times now, the latest batch with corn kernels and a handful of peas included in the batter as well.  If the boys are having them at home, they smear them with natural yoghurt and avocado and pretty much lick the plate clean.

I've subsequently purchased Wendy's Lunchbox Inspiration Planners which are packed full of brilliant lunchbox ideas such as Spinach Pikelets and Rice & Tandoori Chicken salad.  Wendy has kindly allowed me to share her recipe with you, converted with Thermomix simplicity, of course!

Enjoy!


Vegie Smugglers - Cheese Puffs


Ingredients:

120g milk
1 egg
½ tsp smoked paprika
1 zucchini - chopped into chunks
2 spring onions - chopped into chunks
130g cheddar cheese
170g organic unbleached self-raising flour

Method:

Preheat the oven to 190C. Line a baking tray.

1.  Place zucchini, spring onions and cheese into the TMX bowl.  Chop on Speed 8 for 4-5 seconds.
2.  Add the milk, egg & paprika.  Mix on Speed 4 for 2-3 seconds, on reverse.
3.  Add the flour and mix on Speed 4 for a further 2-3 seconds, on reverse.

Dollop out portions onto the baking tray and bake for 20-25 minutes until beautifully golden brown and a delightful cheesy smell emanates from your oven.

Store in the fridge in an airtight container for several days.



7 comments:

  1. these sound great and I think my boys will love them
    I think I make them for dinner tonight!

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  2. We had these for dinner, great success! I will mix less and make them smaller next time(I believe these were my mistakes not your directions).
    Going straight into our list of regulars!

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  3. Glad you liked them! They are pretty delish, aren't they.

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  4. I made these today and the girls loved them! Thanks!

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  5. So glad your gorgeous girls loved them! Hope you're relaxing and enjoying the hols. xxx

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  6. Would this freeze well do you think?

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  7. Definitely - we've frozen them and then I just pop them into lunchboxes in the morning and by lunchtime they're ready to go!

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