My one-pot kedgeree (ready in 20 mins)

This is one of the most successful dinners in our house as we all wolf it down (including my kids, who can be quite fussy), it is quick to prepare, saves on washing up and only costs about £3.50 for the whole dish.  It is also extremely well balanced and healthy! Kedgeree is traditionally an Indian breakfast of fish, rice, hard boiled eggs, peas and curry powder that is believed to have been introduced to the UK by returning British colonels.   I have replaced the smoked haddock with smoked mackerel as it is cheap and already cooked (plus my kids love it’s salty flavour), used garam masala spice (available at supermarkets) as it is gentle and sweet so kid friendly, and added spring onions for a little crunch.  You can always use a stock cube instead of the garam masala. Try to remove any bones while you are tearing the mackerel (the bones tend to be pretty small so don’t worry too much about this).   As an alternative to using fish, you could try canned chickpeas or cooked ham instead.  The kedgeree is particularly delicious with a good shake of sweet chilli sauce or ketchup on top! One other top tip – smoked mackerel, peas and spring onions are also great in an omelette!

One-pot kedgeree (serves 4)

200g rice (long-grain/basmati/brown)

3 eggs

75g frozen peas

5 spring onions, chopped

200g smoked mackerel, torn up

Optional – 1-2 tsp garam masala (depending on how much you like it – I use 1 tsp which gives it a mild flavour) OR 1 vege stock cube, crumbled (I like OXO)

Start gently simmering the rice and add the eggs (still in their shells) together in one pan.  Stir occasionally to avoid sticking.  After 10 mins take out the eggs and add the peas and spring onions to the pan.  Take the egg shells off and chop each egg in to 10 pieces.  After a few mins more the rice, peas and spring onions should be cooked.  Drain the mixture and add the eggs and torn mackerel.  Add either the garam masala or crumbled stock cube and season with a little salt and pepper if you like (it doesn’t need much).  Add a little butter/marge if it needs more moisture.  Mix well and serve!

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Tortellini kebabs (15 mins prep) – less than £1 per head

I was thinking about making some more ‘dinner on a stick’ meals for the kids as they love sliding the little chunks off the stick  or biting them straight off (and sometimes assembling the kebabs themselves).   As my kids also love tortellini (little filled pasta parcels), I decided to mix some shop-bought tortellini with a couple of less familiar foods, mozzarella and roast red peppers from a jar, in the hope that they would try them.  I also added olives (always a winner in our house). For our grown up version I mixed up the mozzarella with pesto and lightly grilled a few cherry tomatoes.  The meal worked out as about £3.60 in total and took 15 mins to prepare.

You can vary what you put on your kebab sticks (you can find metal or disposable wooden ones from supermarkets and some pound shops) – cheddar cheese or grilled halloumi cheese, pasta (penne pasta is good to slide on), other veg (e.g. broccoli, carrots, courgette, mushrooms, potatoes, asparagus, avocado), sausages, prawns, chunks of fish, chicken, tofu, falafel.  Anything that can slide on to a stick!  Also feel free to use a little sauce to add more flavour e.g. pesto as mentioned above,  sweet chilli sauce (not spicy if you use sparingly) or bbq sauce.  If you mix foods that you know your kids like (or let them choose some) with one or two that they have never tried or are unsure about, the novelty of eating a kebab may be enough to tempt them!

My kids were a little apprehensive about trying the mozzarella and roast peppers but once the tortellini and olives were gone they couldn’t resist picking up a small bit with the tip of the kebab stick (only once I should add) and attempting to get it in to their mouth before falling off – so that is a small victory!  Other novel eating ideas are using chopsticks (even with just a selection of finger food), eating from a cup (see my 7 minute noodles in a cup recipe here https://katielovescooking.wordpress.com/2014/11/02/kids-favourite-7-minute-noodles-in-a-cup/) or using a larger than normal fork or spoon.

Tortellini kebabs (makes 7-8 sticks – enough for 2 adults and 2 kids)

1/2 pack tortellini, cooked (normally only takes 4 mins)

3 roast peppers from a jar, chopped

32 olives (any kind)

1 mozzarella ball, cut in to chunks (optional – mix with pesto for extra flavour)

Optional – cherry tomatoes, either as they are or lightly roasted in hot oven for 10 mins (turning once)

Divide the ingredients (and mix them with sauce if you fancy).   Slide them on to the kebab stick as pictured.  Serve!  Add some rice or salad alongside the meal if you are extra hungry.