Sweet potatoes are one of my favourite vegetables. They’re sweet, wholesome and taste completely delicious. I have them roasted pretty much every week, (it’s super quick and easy, you can find the recipe here) and always make sure that I have some sweet potato mash in the fridge, ready to liven up a salad. But I’ve been looking to do something different with them. I love them; but when you have a dollop of mash, or a few roasted fries every day, it can get a bit boring. That’s when I got the idea to make these sweet potato cakes.
Cooking with Kids… Fruit Kebabs
Fruit kebabs are one of those ridiculously simple concepts that are absolutely amazing. Cutting up bite sized chunks of fruit and placing them on a stick makes a deliciously easy pudding or snack. I originally made these with my nephew. With the whole aim being to make a tasty healthy pudding which he really enjoyed making. We make cake all the time and it was nice to try something a little different.
Absolutely any fruit can be used for these as long as it’s cut up into small chunks. But it is easier to use softer fruit (think berries, banana or melon). As something like apples could be quite tricky for little hands to piece onto the stick.
For this I used standard long kebab sticks; but if these are too long then you can just cut them in half. If you’re worried about sharp spikes and little hands, then you can cut the spikes off with a pair of sharp scissors before you begin. Just make sure that there’s no splintering to the wood before you start adding fruit.
Add as much fruit as you like until the stick is full. I love that you can just add whatever fruit you want to these. Whether you go crazy with patterns or just chuck everything on at random, I can guarantee that no two kebabs will be the same. Place them on a plate and bring out at the end of dinner and you’ll be surprised at just how popular they’ll be.
Rosie x
Rosie x
| Prep Time | 5 minutes |
| Passive Time | 5 minutes |
| Servings |
people
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Ingredients
- Strawberries cut in half
- Bluberries
- Banana cut into chunks
- Raspberries
- Grapes
- Tangerines peeled and segmented
- Wooden Skewers I had to cut mine in half to make it easier for little hands
Ingredients
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Instructions
- With a little adult help, push the fruit onto the stick, (pointy end first) and push to the top of the skewer.
- Keep going, adding any fruit you wish until your stick is full. You might want to pop a berry on the pointy end when your finished, to help shield little fingers, and mouths, from the sharp bits.
- You can use any fruit you like, and make any pattern. When you're finished simply enjoy!
Recipe Notes
Feel free to experiment, and use whatever fruit combination you'd like!
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Crunchy Date Bites
I love snack bites, they’re quick to make, easy to grab on the go and there is no end to the flavour combinations you can create. And with Christmas just around the corner, I couldn’t think of a better snack to have on hand during the Holiday rush!
These simple snack bites have a subtle coconut taste, a beautiful sweet flavour and a little crispy surprise inside each bite courtesy of the raw buckwheat groats. Filled with dates to help provide some slow release energy these are perfect when you’re running around and don’t have time to stop and make a snack.
You can roll / coat the balls in anything that you like or, if you’d prefer, you could always leave them plain. I wanted these bites to look like a Christmas Pudding so I chose to top them with a helping of desiccated coconut ‘icing’ and a single dried cranberry. This not only looked festive, but the coconut coating also helped to strengthen the coconut flavour of the bites.
I love having delicious and healthy snacks like this in the fridge ready to grab if I’m in a bit of rush or have a sweet craving, and with all the indulgent treats around this time of year, these make the perfect healthy choice.
Rosie x
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| Prep Time | 10 Minutes |
| Cook Time | 5 Minutes |
| Passive Time | 10 Minutes |
| Servings |
Bites
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Ingredients
- 10 Medjool Dates
- 4 tablespoons Water from the soaked dates
- 1/2 cup Sunflower Seeds
- 1/2 cup Raw Buckwheat Groats
- 1/2 cup Dessicated Coconut + more to decorate, optional
- Cranberries to decorate, optional
Ingredients
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Instructions
- Soak the dates in boiling water for roughly 10 minutes
- Once soaked, place all the ingredients into a blender / food processor, and blend until all the ingredients are just combined
- Take a handful of the mixture from the blender and form into a ball. This can be as big or small as you'd like.
- Roll the top of the ball in the extra desiccated coconut and place a cranberry on top
- Place in the fridge in an airtight container and allow to set. Before consuming, leave them for at least 30 minutes, but overnight is best.
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Ginger Roasted Carrots
Lightly roasted carrots; soft and fluffy on the inside, yet perfectly crispy on the outside. Lightly seasoned with salt and pepper and coated in a layer of spicy ginger paste. Quick, easy and absolutely delicious!
The method behind this dish is so easy: par-boil the carrots, drain, stir through a tablespoon of ginger paste, season, place them on a baking tray, drizzle with oil and finally roast for around 25mins. It is so simple! It’s so important that you par-boil the carrots. Par-boiling them first not only cuts down the roasting time but also helps to keep the texture of the carrots soft and creamy on the inside. I know it might seem like an unnecessary step but it seriously makes a difference to the end result.
The ginger coating helps to give the carrots a light, warming flavour and kind of caramelises while cooking to give them a slightly crispy shell. I only use 1 tablespoon of ginger paste which creates quite a mild taste, so feel free to add a little more if you want a serious kick or intense flavour.
Add to salads or your favourite dish. Store in an airtight container in the fridge for 1-2 days. These can be eaten hot or cold, but they always taste best when warmed up slightly.
Rosie x
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Fluffy and creamy on the inside, crispy on the outside. These ginger roasted carrots have a definite kick. They're completely delicious and help to liven up any meal. Super simple and easy to make, all you need are a few ingredients to make this delicious side dish. My favourite way to enjoy these little veggies!
| Prep Time | 5 minutes |
| Cook Time | 35 minutes |
| Passive Time | 30 minutes |
| Servings |
servings
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Ingredients
- 5 medium Carrots ends chopped off and peeled
- 1 tablespoon Ginger paste
- sprinkle Salt and Pepper to taste
- light drizzle olive oil
Ingredients
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Instructions
- Preheat the oven to Fan 180* / 190*C / 400*F / Gas Mark 5
- Cut the carrots in half length ways and half again, creating large chunks
- Place the carrots in a saucepan of water and place over a medium heat
- Cook until the carrots are still hard, but a knife can go through
- Remove the carrots from the heat and drain well. Stir through the ginger paste, and lightly season with salt and pepper, to taste
- Place the carrots on a pre-lined baking tray and drizzle with a little bit of olive oil
- Place in the centre of the oven for roughly 25 minutes, checking and turning halfway through
- Remove from the oven and allow to cool. These can be eaten straight away or transfer into an airtight container
- These can be stored for roughly a week in an airtight container in the fridge
Recipe Notes
The amount of Ginger Paste can be adjusted to taste.
These can be eaten cold, but I think that they're best served warm. I would recommend lightly heating them in the microwave before serving.
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Butterfly Pea Tea Chia Pudding ~ Rainbow Chia Series
Have you ever heard of butterfly pea tea? It’s made from the crushed petals of the bright blue pea flower making a naturally caffeine free herbal tea. As soon as the teabag is submerged with water, everything turns bright blue. But add a little acid (normally a squeeze of lemon or lime) and the whole thing transforms and slowly turns a deep purple colour.
As soon as I saw the colour, I just knew that I had to turn it into a chia pudding. I loved the rich blue tone, but if I’m honest I didn’t love the bland flavour of the tea on its own. I found that the little citrus kick from the lemon made all the difference. So, decided to use purple tea for this little experiment. I will admit I was a bit worried that the lemon would curdle the milk, but luckily there didn’t seem to be any issues with that.
The only thing that disappointed me with was the colour. I was expecting a seriously bright purple pudding but had more of a muted lavender tone. I think this has something to do with the seeds I use. My chia seeds are black and do tend to give a slightly grey appearance to the puddings when used alone. So, I guess they are to blame for the duller colour.
This tea was purely used for aesthetic purposes, so it is important to remember that it does basically taste the same as normal chia pudding. Except this version has a little citrus undertone, which I found went perfectly with a handful of sweet berries!
With this one it’s best to eat it straight away because of the lemon juice. If you need to store it, leave it in the fridge in an airtight container and eat within 24 hours.
Rosie x
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| Prep Time | 15 minutes |
| Passive Time | 12 hours |
| Servings |
people
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Ingredients
- 1/2 Cup Milk of choice, I always use Coconut Milk
- 1 Cup Butterfly Pea Flower Tea freshly brewed, chilled
- 1/4 Cup, heaped Chia Seeds
- 1/2 Lemon juiced
- 1/2 tsp Maple Syrup
Ingredients
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Instructions
- Brew 1 cup of Butterfly Pea Flower Tea and allow to chill
- Once chilled, add the juice of 1/2 lemon and stir. The bright blue colour should start to turn purple.
- Add the Butterfly Pea Tea mixture and milk to a separate jar and stir until combined.
- Gradually add the chia seeds to this mixture, stirring constantly until thoroughly mixed. Repeat with the maple syrup.
- Securely place the lid on your jar / container and leave the chia pudding to set in the fridge, preferably overnight.
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