Serves 8
You may have more fun than your kids squishing these butternut squash, bean and cornflour burgers into patties. Roasting the butternut squash and cooking the beans from scratch are simple but time-consuming steps, so cook them in advance or on the weekend. With the beans and squash out of the way, the recipe takes only 35 minutes.
1 cup (250 ml) mashed butternut squash from 1 small roasted butternut squash
2 cups (500 ml) cooked or canned pinto or kidney beans, drained and rinsed
2 1/4 cups (560 ml) ground organic cornflour, divided
1/2 tsp (2 ml) salt
1/8 tsp (0.5 ml) pepper
1/2 tsp (2 ml) mustard powder, or 1 tsp (5 ml) Dijon mustard
2 tsp (10 ml) maple syrup
Pinch of cayenne pepper or chilli flakes (optional)
To roast butternut squash, cut in half, scoop out seeds and place cut-side down on baking tray in 400 F (200 C) oven for 40 minutes, or until squash is softened. Scoop out flesh when cool.
To cook beans (if using dried), soak in cold water for 8 hours or overnight. Then cook with at least 3 times as much water and 1 bay leaf in large pot for 35 minutes or in slow cooker on the low setting for 8 to 10 hours. Add leftover beans to salads or rice dishes, or toss with your favourite dressing or olive oil, salt and wine vinegar for a quick marinated bean salad.
Blend butternut squash, beans, 2 cups (500 ml) cornflour, salt, pepper, mustard, maple syrup and cayenne or chilli flakes (if using) using immersion hand blender or food processor. Add more cornflour if batter is too sticky to roll.
Preheat oven to 350 F (175 C).
Place remaining 1/4 cup (60 ml) cornflour in small bowl. Line baking tray with baking paper or grease lightly with oil. Get your kids to help roll dough into 8 balls. Then roll balls in bowl of cornflour and place on baking tray.
Now the fun part! Squish balls down with the palm of your hand into burgers, trying to make them similar in thickness so they bake in the same amount of time. Bake in oven for 15 minutes. Remove from oven and flip burgers. Bake 10 minutes more.
Serve on wholemeal buns with Sweet Maple Carrot and Cabbage Slaw and Quick Homemade Sauce.
Each serving contains: 804 kilojoules; 6 g protein; 2 g total fat (0 g sat. fat, 0 g trans fat); 39 g total carbohydrates (2 g sugars, 10 g fibre); 157 mg sodium
Sweet Maple Carrot and Cabbage Slaw
Serves 8
Kids can mix these ingredients together, and if they’re old and strong enough, they can grate the vegetables.
1/2 small red cabbage, grated or finely chopped
2 large carrots, peeled and grated or finely chopped
1/2 tsp (2 ml) salt
3 tsp (15 ml) maple syrup
1/4 cup (60 ml) apple cider vinegar
Toss grated cabbage and carrot in large bowl with salt, massaging salt into vegetables with hands for at least 3 minutes to get vegies to release their juices. Add maple syrup and apple cider vinegar. Toss once again (using tongs this time, as the vinegar is acidic).
Each serving contains: 155 kilojoules; 1 g protein; 0 g total fat (0 g sat. fat, 0 g trans fat) 9 g total carbohydrates (6 g sugars, 2 g fibre); 98 mg sodium
Quick Homemade Sauce
Serves 8
1 – 19 oz (540 ml) can whole or crushed tomatoes, drained
1 1/2 Tbsp (30 ml) honey
1/4 tsp (1 ml) salt
1/4 tsp (1 ml) allspice
1/8 tsp (0.5 ml) nutmeg
1/8 tsp (0.5 ml) pepper
1/4 cup (60 ml) apple cider vinegar or red wine vinegar
Purée drained tomatoes in blender. Pour into medium saucepan over medium heat and add remaining ingredients. Cook, stirring occasionally, until reduced to pastelike consistency, about 10 minutes. You’ll need to stir more often as tomato sauce reduces to keep it from sticking to the bottom of the pot. Taste and adjust seasonings.
Each serving contains: 147 kilojoules; 1 g protein; 0 g total fat (0 g sat. fat, 0 g trans fat); 8 g total carbohydrates (7 g sugars, 1 g fibre); 91 g sodium
source: "Cooking with Kids", alive Australia #22, Summer 2014
While sablefish’s texture and fat content stand up admirably to the heat of the grill, this firm fish is also delicious poached. For this recipe, sablefish’s luxurious taste is combined with a light fragrant broth of lemongrass and ginger punctuated with the heat of Thai chili. Sustainability status Sablefish, also known as butterfish or black cod, is a rich and satisfying fish, plentiful in omega-3s and sourced sustainably from the Pacific Northwest. Skin and bones Sablefish has large pin bones. Ideally, your fishmonger will remove them, but if not, before you begin, locate them along the fish’s centreline and, using a pair of needle nose pliers, grasp them firmly to remove. You can leave the skin on for this recipe, which may help the fish hold together a little better while cooking, but it can be tricky to peel the skin away from the cooked fish and discard before plating. I opted to remove the skin first and simply keep a close eye on the cooking time, being careful to remove the fish from the poaching liquid before it flakes apart.
These mildly spiced salmon tacos served with sweet and spicy pumpkin seeds will bring a party together. Make a small quantity of salmon go further when you pair it with a fresh red cabbage slaw featuring citrus and cilantro. Drizzled with some bright lime yogurt, the flavours come together perfectly. Sustainability status Wild salmon from the Pacific Northwest and Alaska are considered among the most sustainable, as the fishery is subject to limited harvests. With salmon stocks in decline, supporting managed fisheries such as these can help maintain populations into the future. That may also mean eating salmon less often than we do now. Salmon is a favourite Salmon is the most popular variety of fish in Canada and the second most popular in the US.
B12-rich mussels are a very good and economical source of protein and iron. Steamed mussels are a classic way to enjoy seafood—and so is this rich, aromatic broth of tomato, fennel, and saffron. Be sure to allow saffron to fully infuse to get the full flavour benefit, and finish off the dish with the fragrant fennel fronds. Sustainability status Farmed mussels are considered highly sustainable due to their low impacts on the environment. They are easy to harvest, require no fertilizer or fresh water, and don’t need to be fed externally, as they get all their nutritional requirements from their marine environment. Mussel prep Selection: Look for mussels with shiny, tightly closed shells that smell of the sea. If shells are slightly open, give them a tap. Live mussels will close immediately. Storage: Keep mussels in the fridge in a shallow pan laid on top of ice. Keep them out of water and cover with a damp cloth. Ideally, consume on the day you buy them, but within two days. They need to breathe, so never keep them in a sealed plastic bag. Cleanup: In addition to being sustainable, farmed mussels tend to require less cleaning than wild mussels. Most of the fibrous “beards” that mussels use to grip solid surfaces will have been removed before sale. But if a few remain, they’re easily dispatched: grasp the beard with your thumb and forefinger and pull it toward the hinge of the mussel and give it a tug. Afterward, give mussels a quick rinse and scrub away any areas of mud or seaweed, which, with farmed mussels, will require minimal work.
The delicate flavour of shrimp is highlighted with just a touch of lemon and a hint of mustard, while radish and celery give some fresh crunch to this dish. Eat it in lettuce cups, on top of greens, or served on whole grain bread for a filling snack. Sustainability status Both wild and farmed shrimp can be sustainable depending on where they’re caught and how they’re raised. See our article “Sea Change” for more information about choosing ethical shrimp.