Celebrate Valentine’s Day this year with Red Velvet Cupcakes. The deep red sponge is topped with a vanilla cream cheese frosting and will melt on your tongue.  These can easily be made Gluten Free so no one misses out on the celebrations. Note that I have used Cider vinegar in this recipe. It is sweeter than the white wine vinegar that some recipes recommend.

• 60 grams/ 3 tablespoons butter
• 150 grams/ ¾ cup sugar
• 1 egg
• 10 grams/4 teaspoons cocoa powder
• 20 millilitres/ 4 teaspoons red liquid food colouring
• ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
• 120 millilitres/ ½ cup buttermilk
• 150 grams/ 1 cup plain flour
• ½ teasp salt
• ½ teaspoon bicarbonate of soda (baking soda)
• 1 ½ teaspoons cider vinegar

Preheat the oven to 170C/325F

Beat the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy and then add the egg and continue beating until incorporated.

In a separate bowl combine the cocoa powder, red liquid food colouring and vanilla extract together to make smooth paste. Add this to your batter and mix thoroughly scraping the sides of the bowl if necessary. Turn down the speed of your mixer and add the buttermilk, flour and salt until you have a smooth batter. Next add the baking soda and cider vinegar and beat until well mixed in.

Use a muffin scoop to fill your paper cases ¾ full and bake in the preheated oven for 18 min. A skewer should come out cleanly when they are cooked.

This quantity of batter makes about 9 cupcakes or one 8 inch cake. You can double the batter to make a two layer heart shaped or round cake.

Decorate with the classic cream cheese frosting remember to double if you are making a cake.

• Classic Cream Cheese Frosting
• 300 grams/ 2 ½ cups minus 1 tablespoon of icing sugar
• 50g grams/ 3 ½ tablespoons butter
• 125 grams/ ½ cup / 4 ½ ounces  cream cheese
• ¼ teaspoon vanilla extract
• Beat the cream cheese and butter together until incorporated then add the icing sugar. Cover your mixer with a clean tea towel to avoid the cloud of sugar that will be created when you begin to mix. Don’t overbeat as it can become runny. When the cupcakes are cold, spoon or pipe on the cream cheese frosting. Enjoy!

Make these gluten free by substituting the flour and baking powder with a GF variety. I like Dove’s Farm brand. Remember to include ¼ teaspoon of Xanthum gum.

Cheat:  Rather than buy a whole carton of buttermilk make it yourself by combining 235millilitres/1 cup milk with 1 teaspoon lemon juice. Allow it to sit for 20 minutes at room temperature.

You have probably heard the name of the fourth Earl of Sandwich (born John Montagu), the British statesman who gave his name to our favourite lunchtime staple.  He may not have been the first to eat meat between two slices of bread. In fact, Arabs had already started stuffing meat inside pita bread, centuries before the Earl came up with his delicious snack. According to one account, on Nov. 3, 1762, the Earl was deep into a marathon poker game and couldn’t be bothered to leave the gaming table for dinner. As a solution, he asked a servant to bring him a piece of meat, stuffed between two slices of toast so he wouldn’t smear food on his cards and so the idea of a sandwich was born. I’ve had many requests for new sandwich fillings so I’ve done a bit of research and pulled together some ideas. This list is by no means definitive but you might get a new sandwich idea that your child will eat.

There is an abundance of different types of bread available so experiment with various varieties such as pittas, bagels, ciabatta, baguettes and breads made with different types of flour, such as spelt or sourdough. If your school does not have a nut ban try the classic peanut and jelly combination. Use jam if you are not stateside! Ham – wafer thin or home baked –roast a piece of unsmoked gammon in a can of cider just as you would for a traditional Sunday lunch.

Ham and cheese croissant with grainy mustard – vary the normal cheese you use for a different taste. Ham, cream cheese, sliced tomato and salad with mayonnaise Egg salad Egg and tomato Egg and bacon – great in a roll BLT – bacon lettuce and tomato BLT with cheese – use your favourite Tuna and mayo. Add grated carrot and finely sliced spring onion for a different twist on a classic Tuna and sweet corn Tuna, Tomato and Mozzarella Quesadilla.

Make your sandwich using two tortillas, Fry on a pan brushed with olive oil over a low heat turning once until golden and cheese is melted. Cool before wrapping Sardines and cream cheese with grated cucumber and spring onion. Make sure you drain the sardines and finely chop the onion. Make the mixture well the night before to avoid soggy sandwiches.

Prawn cocktail –prawns with mayonnaise and a little ketchup to create the Marie Rosé sauce. This is good served on the side with a couple of sliced of brown bread. Smoked salmon and cream cheese on a toasted bagel. Fresh salmon and pesto and cucumber Chicken and coleslaw Chicken fajita with cheese, tomato and lettuce. See last week’s post.

Chicken and avocado– make sure to douse the avocado slices liberally in lemon/lime juice to prevent it going brown. Roast Chicken and avocado salad. Dice the chicken and the avocado. Add lemon juice and mayonnaise and season. Include lettuce, watercress or rocket leaves if liked. Chicken and guacamole: a spicier version of the above. Chicken Club sandwich – Barbecue flavoured chicken with bacon, avocado, lettuce and tomato with a combination of mayonnaise and wholegrain mustard. Dressing: 4 tablespoons of mayonnaise and 2 tablespoons of mustard Chicken and Tzatziki – Make the Tzatziki by seeding and grating the cucumber and sprinkling with ½ teaspoon salt. Leave  for 10 minutes, then drain. Mix with yogurt, lemon juice and mint. Spread on top of chicken and add lettuce if liked. This is great in a wrap or with lamb instead of chicken. Chicken, dried apricots, shredded lettuce and chopped parsley. Combine with a little Greek yoghurt and serve in a pita. Salami and tomato.

If your kids like a meat pizza they might enjoy this. Simply slice on a buttered roll. It’s really tasty on ciabatta rolls if you toast them first. Chorizo is also good instead of Salami. Salami, cheese, tomato and basil is another variation of this.

Roast beef with lettuce. Use horseradish or replace with mustard if preferred Cheddar and coleslaw Peanut butter and jelly – classic Peanut butter and jelly with sliced banana Peanut butter and grated carrot Peanut butter and Nutella. Spread peanut butter on one slice of bread and Nutella on the other. Sandwich together for a little piece of heaven!

Hummus and watercress Potato salad pita pocket. Combine cold, boiled baby potatoes with mayonnaise, chopped spring onion, hardboiled egg and crispy bacon bits and feta cheese in a pita pocket.

This is an easy dinner recipe that you can prepare beforehand. All the ingredients marinate in the fridge in a freezer bag. Feel free to omit the peppers and chilli if no one eats them. My kids are fussy eaters and we often make this with just the chicken. Gradually introduce the spice elements to the dish to build up your child’s palate. Remember to allow enough chicken to create a ‘wrap’ for your packed lunch the next day. This is based on four chicken breasts, if using more chicken breasts remember to increase your marinade too!

• 4 skinless chicken breasts cut into strips
• 1 onion finely sliced
• 1 red pepper finely sliced (optional)
• 1 red chilli finely sliced (optional)

 Marinade

• 2 teaspoons smoked paprika
• 1 teaspoon ground coriander
• ½ teaspoon ground cumin
• A generous pinch salt and pepper
• 2 garlic cloves (cheat by using the jar of prepared garlic – 1 teaspoon)
• A generous slug of Olive oil
• Juice of one lime (Cheat by using bottled lime juice)
• 4-5 drops of Tabasco (optional)

Simply place everything in a plastic freezer bag. Seal the top and massage the contents so everything gets covered with the marinade. Allow to marinade for at least 1 hour or while you are prepping the tortillas! When you are ready to cook them, simply tip all the ingredients into a wok or large frying pan and stir fry until the chicken is cooked and no longer pink on the inside. Internal temperature using a digital thermometer is 83C.

 Homemade Flour Tortillas

You will never eat shop bought tortillas again after tasting these!

• 3 cups/ 375grams flour
• 1teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/3 cup/ 80ml sunflower oil
• 1 cup/ 240ml warm water

In a stand mixer and the in ingredients and mix well until you have a stiff dough. Place the dough onto a floured surface and divide into 16 pieces. Roll each piece into a ball and place in a bowl Cover with a tea towel and allow to rest for 15 minutes. You can freeze the balls at this point. Heat a frying pan on a medium high heat. When ready to cook roll each dough ball into a round disc. Repeat with the rest of the dough balls. Cook each tortilla on the dry pan for about 30- 40 seconds until the bottom has a few pale spots, flip and cook the other side. I set up alongside the hob so while one tortilla is cooking I roll out the next one. Keep the tortilla warm in a lidded Pyrex dish or even a clean tea towel. You can also freeze cooled, cooked tortillas!

I haven’t cooked these tortillas as gluten free but as the surface area is so small I would imagine that you won’t have the usual problem of cracking. Make sure to use Xanthan gum.

Serve your fajitas with sour cream, cheese, salsa and my Guacamole for kids.

 Guacamole for Kids

• 2 ripe avocados
• Juice of ½ lime
• 1 clove garlic minced
• Pinch Salt
• Mash the flesh of the avocado until smooth. Add lime and garlic and mix. Add salt to taste.

Develop your kids palate for spice gradually. To begin maybe just add lime to the avocado and gradually add garlic and salt as they get used to it. Make sure to finely mince the garlic so that you don’t create a lumpy guacamole.

This is Sarah Donaldson’s delicious muffin recipe which she gave me when we last visited New Zealand.  It is an easy recipe; just add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and mix!  You don’t even need an electric mixer so get your children involved and you will find that they like to eat something that they have helped make. They can also be made Gluten Free!  I used fresh raspberries and blueberries but you can also used canned berries or frozen!  My son Seán won’t eat berries but he scoffed one of these for his lunch today, he calls them lipstick muffins, “because it’s all pink inside when I bite into them.”

• 425grams/3 cups flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 112grams/½ cup sugar
• 75grams/½ cup semi sweet choc chips 53% cocoa solids (optional)
• 2 eggs
• 350mls/1 ½ cups milk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 100gram/4 ounces / 7 tablespoons butter melted and cooled
• 1 can of berries drained or 150grams of your favourite fresh berries

Crumble/ Streusel topping optional

• ½ cup flour
• ¼ cup sugar
• 50g / 2 ounces/ 3 ½ tablespoons butter

Method

Melt the butter and set aside to cool. Measure out the milk, add the vanilla and eggs and whisk with a fork to break up the eggs. In a bowl measure out the flour, baking powder and sugar and mix. Add the liquid to the flour as well as the berries and melted butter. If you are using chocolate add it also at this point. Stir the mixture to incorporate the flour. Don’t over mix or your muffins will be tough.

If you are using the crumble/ streusel topping, mix the three ingredients together with your fingertips until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs. Use approximately a tablespoon of the topping for each muffin. Sprinkle it on the batter and lightly press it in.

You don’t have to use muffin cases for these but use spray oil or butter to grease the muffin tins well. I used a scoop to distribute the batter in the pans, be generous as you want to create a ‘muffin top’. Bake for about 25minutes at 180C/350F until the tops of the muffins are golden and spring back when gently pressed. Cool in the tin for 10 minutes before removing to cool completely.

Cheat by weighing out the dry ingredients and leave cling filmed overnight. Measure out the liquids and keep it covered in the fridge. That way in the morning all you have to do is melt the butter and you could have warm muffins for breakfast. You can also freeze these muffins and you always have a fresh muffin for the lunch box.

Make these gluten free by substituting the flour and baking powder with a GF variety. I like Dove’s Farm brand. Remember to include ¼ teaspoon of Xanthum gum.

This is a fabulous recipe that my Kiwi mother in law Lizette, who is a great baker, gave to me. These cookies have no egg hence why there is a lot of baking powder in the recipe. If you use plain flour increase this to 3 teaspoons. These cookies will stay fresh for a week in an airtight tin but I doubt you will have them that long!  The oven temperature is very low it is not a typo! They are great if you have a child who is allergic to eggs. You can also make these gluten free and they taste just as good.

• 170 grams/ 6oz/ ¾ cup butter
• 3 tablespoons condensed milk
• 85grams/3oz/ 1/3 cup sugar
• 255grams/9oz/ 2 cups self raising flour
• 2 teasp baking powder
• 175 grams / 6oz/ 1 cup chocolate chips

Method:

Cream butter condensed milk and sugar together. Add flour, baking powder and choc chips to make a stiff dough.

Break off walnut sized pieced of dough and roll into balls. Place onto a greased tray at least one inch apart and flatten each ball

Bake in a low oven 120C (fan) 250F for 25min until pale but just turning brown around edges

Make these gluten free by substituting the flour and baking powder with a GF variety. I like Dove’s Farm brand. Remember to include ¼ teaspoon of Xanthum gum. They won’t stay as crisp as long as the non GF ones though.

This dough is very versatile; add the following to the basic dough for a different result:

White choc chips and lemon zest

White choc chips and dried cranberries

Dark choc chips and orange zest

Dried blueberries and lemon zest

1teasp of ground ginger and Chopped Stem ginger

Finish off your evening with these delicious chocolate puddings. The centre is a soft molten and glossy texture and they are ready in 20 minutes!  I served a gluten free version of these for Christmas day topped with homemade vanilla ice cream. A big success!

• 112 grams/ ½ cup / 4 ounces butter
• 120 grams/ 4 ounces semi sweet chocolate (approx 53% cocoa solids)
• 43 grams/ 1 ½ ounces milk chocolate
• 2 large eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract don’t use essence it doesn’t give the same flavour.
• 112 grams/ ½ cup sugar
• 40 grams/ ¼ cup plain flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• 100grams ½ cup semi sweet chocolate chip (do not melt)
• 50g /¼ cup fudge pieces (optional)

Preheat the oven to 180C (Fan) / 350F

 Method

Melt the butter and first two lots of chocolate in a microwave in 30 seconds blasts. Make sure you stir between each blast. Set aside and let cool for 15 minutes.

In a large bowl stir together the eggs, vanilla and sugar with a whisk. Stir the chocolate mixture into the eggs mixture until well combined.

In another bowl stir together the flour, baking powder, salt, remaining 100grams / ½ cup chocolate chips and fudge pieces if you are using them. Fold this into the chocolate mix.

Scoop the batter into your ramekins until they are ¾ full as shown in the photo below.

 

Place on a baking sheet and cook for 20 – 22 minutes. The centre should be still soft. These will continue to cook when you take them out so don’t overcook them.

Make these gluten free by substituting the flour and baking powder with a GF variety. I like Dove’s Farm brand. Remember to include ¼ teaspoon of Xanthum gum. The fudge pieces may not be gluten free but these puddings taste just as good without them.

I wanted to share a couple of recipes to celebrate Twelfth Night or as it’s commonly known here in Ireland, Little Women’s Christmas, with this Creamy Chicken Korma before we explore further Lunch box ideas. This recipe is from an old friend Sue Keen whose curry nights are legendary. I’ve tweaked it a little bit since I’ve been making it but it’s still delicious.It is also totally Gluten Free. Enjoy!

•  For the Sauce
• 2 tablespoons sunflower oil
• 1 large onion coarsely chopped
• 2 cloves garlic
• 1 teaspoons grated ginger (you can buy this already grated in a jar!)
• 1 teaspoons salt
• 2 teaspoons ground coriander
• 1 tablespoons garam masala
• ½ teaspoons ground turmeric
• ½ teaspoon of ground chilli powder (I use the Schwartz hot variety but use more or less depending     on your spice palate)
• 1 can of coconut milk
• 2 heaped tbsp ground almonds

For the chicken

• Allow 2 breasts per person
• 2 tablespoons yogurt
• Juice of half a lemon
• ½ teasp ground chilli powder

Method

Cut the chicken into pieces, and place in an oven proof dish. Add the yogurt, lemon juice and chilli powder and mix to ensure the all the chicken is covered. If you are using a large quantity of chicken just increase the quantity of yogurt. Leave to marinade for an hour or overnight. When the sauce is made, cook off the chicken at 180C/350F in a fan oven for about 25 minutes. The internal temperature should be 83C / 181F when it is cooked.

Fry off the onion in the oil for about a minute, then add the garlic and ginger and continue to cook over a medium heat until the onion is soft and glossy. I like a smooth sauce so I puree the onion mix at this point with a wand so it resembles baby food! If you forget and do it later the spices will stain your utensils. I learned this the hard way! Next add your spices and salt and cook them off continuously stirring in case they burn. Now add the coconut milk and bring up to the boil to dissolve any coconut that may have solidified in the can. Finally sprinkle on the ground almonds and stir well.

This quantity of sauce makes enough for 6 servings; I freeze the sauce I don’t need in bags so I don’t have to make sauce from scratch each time we decide to have curry.

When your chicken is cooked add it to the hot sauce and mix so that each piece is coated. I don’t normally use the juices from the chicken unless the sauce is quite thick. Sprinkle with chopped coriander/cilantro if you like. Serve with boiled rice. Enjoy!

 

My kids love this simple cornbread and it’s delicious served warm with Mexican food. You don’t have to include the sweetcorn kernels and unless I can actually get fresh sweetcorn cobs I normally don’t bother. Serve this in your lunchbox with a breaded chicken tender and you are good to go!

Polenta is a gluten free grain, so replace the flour with your favourite gluten free brand and add a ¼ teasp of Xanthan gum and you have a tasty alternative to your normal bread.  I use Dove’s Farm when I bake this as a GF version.

Ingredients

• 140g / ¾ cup plus 1 tablsp plain flour or Dove’s Farm GF flour
• 25g/ 2 tablsp melted butter- cooled
• 2 teasp baking powder
• ½ teasp bicarbonate of soda (baking soda)
• I tablsp sugar
• 1 teasp salt
• 125g / ¾ cup dried polenta
• 75g/ 1 cup cheddar cheese grated (use your kid’s favourite cheese but not mozzarella!)
• 2 medium eggs beaten
• 150 ml whole milk
• 150ml buttermilk (you can use all whole milk if you prefer or natural yogurt thinned with a little milk)
• 150g fresh sweetcorn kernels (optional)

 

Method

Preheat the oven to 180C

Mix the flour, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda, sugar, salt and polenta in a bowl with a whisk and this saves you having to sift! Stir in the cheese.

Make a well in the centre and add the beaten eggs, milk, buttermilk and the cooled melted butter. Mix well until smooth and if you are using sweetcorn stir them in at this point.

The batter will be very wet. Pour all the mixture into a large well greased loaf tin. Alternatively, use those cute mini loaf tins but only fill two thirds of the way. Normally, one muffin scoop should do it. If you don’t have those use a muffin tin, with or without muffin cases to create cornbread muffins!

Cook your loaf for 35-40 minutes. Cover with foil after 30 minutes if browning too quickly. The mini loaves and muffins take about 15-18 minutes. Remember ovens vary so make sure you check it is cooked by inserting a skewer into the centre. It should come away cleanly if cooked.

Serve warm with your chicken fajitas or with butter in your lunch box!

Cheat

I have yet to see cornbread on the shelves here in Ireland but this may not be the case in NZ or the US. So cheat by freezing your cornbread! Remember to slice it first if you have cooked a large loaf and wrap the slices individually so they don’t all freeze as one large mass. Pop it into your lunchbox straight from the freezer the night before!

 

Thinking outside the (Lunch) box!

Who says you have to have sandwiches in your lunch box? Children usually find them unwieldy, boring and they end up as a soggy mess on their laps. Avoid this by removing the filling and serving it on the side!

For example, my children would not eat tomato sandwiches for anything  but would consider a cherry tomato or two as they are much sweeter  than the regular ones. Include this with a couple of slices of cheese and a fresh bread roll all wrapped separately and you essentially have a cheese and tomato sandwich without the mess or waste.

So let us begin with the bread option after all this is a recipe blog! Consider a buttermilk scone instead of your sliced bread. This is a traditional Irish recipe  and can be prepared the night before and stored uncooked in the fridge. When you get up take them out of the fridge turn on the oven and when it is hot enough cook your scones for 15-20 minutes and you have a fresh alternative to your usual bread.

Recipe

• Ingredients
• 400 g / 2 ¾ cups plain flour
• 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda (Baking soda)
• ½ tsp salt
• 350 ml/ 1 ½ cups buttermilk or natural yogurt thinned with a little milk

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 180
2. Sift the dry ingredients into a large bowl and make a well in the centre. Pour in most of the buttermilk. Remember you can add but not take away!
   
   Using one hand or a knife and bring the flour and liquid together, adding more buttermilk if necessary.  The dough should be soft but not too wet and sticky.
3. When the dough comes together, turn onto a floured work surface and bring together a little more.
   
   At this point you can make a loaf by placing the dough in a greased loaf tin. Divide into two rounds and flatten the dough into two rounds about 1.5cm deep. Cut each round into 6 pieces
4. Place the scones onto a floured baking tray and chill in fridge until you are ready to cook. Then bake in the oven for 15-20 minutes. A loaf will take about 35-40 minutes
   
   When ready, the scones will sound slightly hollow when tapped on the base and be golden in colour.
   
   Cheat

No time to bake? Buy a soda farl or loaf from your nearest supermarket and use that instead!

If you’re constantly struggling for healthy ideas for your kids’ lunchboxes, then stay tuned!