A r ec i p e bo o k of Inverc lyde’s favou rite health y recipe s
Alphabet Soup Recipe Book
Preface Welcome to Alphabet Soup, our recipe book of Inverclyde’s favourite healthy recipes, as chosen by you! We hope that these recipes help you to enjoy cooking with your family at home and that you can have lots of fun in your kitchens. Being a ‘foodie’ myself, I am very excited about this cook book and can’t wait to spend time in my own kitchen preparing these brilliant meals. Inverclyde Libraries recently asked 5-16 year olds to tell them about their favourite family recipes and 3-5 year olds to create pictures of their favourite foods. The response was great and the judges had a very tough time choosing the winners. I’m glad that the excellent judging came from local Home Economics teachers, our community nutritionist from the Community Health and Care Partnership, primary teachers and a local artist - I wouldn’t have liked to pick a favourite from these mouth-watering recipes and delightful illustrations! Alphabet Soup has been a hugely successful library project to promote literacy and healthy eating. Since January, over 600 children and teenagers have taken part in the competition. As part of Alphabet Soup, our libraries hosted a range of family events: free storytelling sessions for primary aged children and their families and drop-in fruity face painting sessions. We even had professional chefs carrying out free, healthy cookery sessions in
Inver clyd e L i br a ri e s
schools and nurseries for hundreds of children. Inverclyde Libraries continues to offer great books and online resources about healthy eating and keeping fit, alongside lots of other subjects. Alphabet Soup was all about promoting health and literacy in a fun and engaging way to families through our libraries and schools. We have long recognised that a healthy diet is vital to promoting a healthy lifestyle and were delighted that Alphabet Soup helped to spread the word about eating healthy food and how much fun that can be. I would like to thank everyone involved: the children and young people who entered the competition and all the school and nursery staff who gave them special encouragement library staff for organising the Alphabet Soup project the competition judges everyone who worked on the contents and design of this book Scottish Government Public Libraries Improvement Fund for supporting the project financially. Now enjoy your Alphabet Soup recipe book and… get cooking! Councillor Terry Loughran Education & Communities Convener
Contents 1
Avocado & Bean Salad in Lettuce Basket
p4
2
Carrot & Honey Soup
p6
3
Chow Mein
p8
4
Whacky Guaccy Hedgehog
p14
5
Spaghetti Bolognese
p16
6
Tomato Chicken & Rice
p18
7
Ham Hock Soup
p20
8
Fruit Salad
p24
9
BBQ Kebabs
p26
Avocado & Bean Salad in a Lettuce Basket
Ingredients
Method
300g can red kidney beans, rinsed
1 Put the corn, kidney beans, red onion, capsicum, tomatoes and avocado in a bowl and mix to combine.
& drained 1 small red onion, finely chopped 2 tbsp mild tomato salsa
2 Fold through the salsa and coriander. Spoon the salad into the lettuce leaves.
2 tbsp chopped fresh coriander 8 large iceberg lettuce leaves, washed
3 Top each lettuce cup with a dollop of yoghurt and a sprinkling of lightly crushed corn chips.
2 tbsp reduced fat natural yoghurt 30g can corn kernels, drained 1 green capsicum, chopped 2 vine ripened tomatoes, chopped 1 large avocado, chopped 10g toasted corn chips
Rachel wrote “This recipe Avocado and Bean Salad in Lettuce Baskets is important to me because it is a quick and easy recipe for the whole family to enjoy. Me and my mum thought of this recipe for my dad after he had a heart attack last year. When he came home from hospital he had to change his diet and eat lots of healthy foods and take regular exercise. My younger brother and sister wanted to help look after our dad so we picked this recipe as a starter that meant they could join in and make it for him as well. The dietician at the hospital thought this recipe was very healthy and perfect for my dad as it is low in fat and has lots of fruit and vegetables in it.� Winner, Rachel, age 14
1st place
12-16y rs
5
Carrot & Honey Soup
Ingredients
Method
1 large bag of carrots, chopped
1 Melt the butter in a pan, add the leek(s), carrots, honey and chilli flakes, cook for 3 minutes.
1 large or 2 small leeks 1 tbsp of butter 1 pinch of dried chilli flakes 2-3 litres of vegetable stock 1-2 tsps of clear honey
2 Add the vegetable stock to the pot and cook and simmer for 30 minutes. 3 Once all the vegetables are cooked and soft, blend the soup, to a smooth substance. 4 Eat and enjoy!
Marisa wrote “This soup has been my most favourite since I was a baby, and just starting on solids. I was born with a bilateral cleft lip and palate, and my mum had a real struggle to feed me, as I wasn’t like other children. I could not chew my food, as my palate was completely missing from inside my mouth. My lip was in three separate sections when I was born, instead of one section. Eating food was a challenge. When I was old enough to eat solids, everything I ate, had to be made into a puree substance so I could swallow it. My lip was operated on, when I was only 16 weeks old, and the three sections were sewn together, so my lip looked normal. It was very swollen, tender and sore at first. With my lip repaired, it did make it easier for some food to stay inside my mouth, so it was great to get something tasty. I grew to love most soups, as they were easier for me to eat, but my most favourite one was the carrot and honey soup, as it was extremely enjoyable, and a wee bit different from all of the other soups. It was lovely and smooth, with a wee hint of chilli and honey, which made the taste even more unique. Now that I am a bit older, this is still my most favourite soup, and I enjoy it all through the year, but especially on the cold winter days. It just satisfies your taste buds. Don’t just take my word for it, try it for yourself.”
2nd place
5-12yr s
2nd place, Marisa, age 8
7
Chow Mein
Ingredients
Method
4 egg noodles, 1 sheet per person
1 Heat the sesame seed oil in the wok.
1 onion, sliced
2 Add chicken and stir fry quickly for 5 minutes – take out and drain on kitchen paper.
8 mushrooms, sliced 4 mixed peppers, sliced
3 Add more oil and stir fry vegetables, garlic and ginger for 5 minutes.
4 broccoli, small spears 12 raw tiger prawns
4 Add chicken back into wok and stir fry for 5 minutes or until chicken cooked (no pink bits).
2 chicken breasts – diced 30ml soya sauce
5 Soak noodles in boiling water for 5 minutes, drain and rinse well in cold water.
5ml minced ginger 200ml chicken stock
6 Add 1 tsp flour to wok, stirring and add raw prawns, lightly stir till cooked.
1 tsp plain flour 1 garlic clove, crushed
7 Add noodles, stock and soya sauce, and mix well and serve.
10ml of sesame seed oil
Kieran wrote “It is my favourite food that I eat with my family, I like using chopsticks and I pinch all the prawns.” 3rd place, Kieran, age 5 ½
3rd place
5-12yr s
9
Winner, Grannie’s Soup Mikey, age 3
10
1st place
3-5yrs
2nd place, Cheery Fruit Gracie, age 5
2nd place
3-5yrs
11
3rd place, Tree with Blueberries Freya, age 4
12
3rd place
3-5yrs
Highly Commended, It is Pasta and Glitter. I don’t eat glitter but I like it! Eilidh, age 3
13
Highly comm ended
3-5yrs
Whacky Guaccy Hedgehog
Ingredients
Method
4 ripe avocados
1 First wash your hands, and then cut all the avocados in half.
2 spring onions 1 lime 2-3 carrots 2 black olives
2 Spoon out the avocados and cut up the spring onions into small pieces, cut the lime in half, squeeze it out and add to a dish and mash gently. 3 Get the carrots and peel and cut them into long batons and leave aside. 4 Carefully mould the guacamole into a hedgehog shape and stick in the carrots for spikes. Add the olives for a nose and eyes.
Sandie wrote “My Whacky Guaccy Hedgehog is very important to me and my family because guacamole was the first food I’d ever made. It was my gran who taught me how to do it and I’m looking forward to telling the recipe to my grandchildren. This is a great and healthy snack for all generations – babies because the guacamole is easy to swallow, for toddlers because it’s great for teething and it is fun looking for anyone who is older. For some children when you say ‘who wants guacamole?’ they straight away think ‘that sounds disgusting!’ but when they see a hedgehog – WOW! There are over 20 different vitamins and minerals in an avocado - WOW! I’m not a big fan of guacamole but my family are and once it was a surprise for my dad and he asked ‘who made the guacamole?’ he never knew it was me! I love cooking and the main thing is my family all love cooking so it is a win win. I would love to be a really good cook one day, like my gran. It was her that got me into cooking and now whenever I’m over I always ask ‘do you want to cook something?’ You really can’t stop me.” Highly comm ended
Highly commended, Sandie, age 10
5-12yr s
15
Spaghetti Bolognese
Ingredients
Method
500g lean steak mince
1 Put a little oil in the pot.
1 chopped onion
2 Heat oil in the pot and then add the onions.
1 tin of chopped tomatoes
3 Cook onions until soft then add mince to brown.
1 tbsp of tomato puree 5 chopped mushrooms 5 bay leaves
4 Top up with water and then add all other ingredients.
50ml red wine
5 Add salt and pepper to season.
1 crushed garlic cloves
6 Bring pot to the boil, reduce to simmer and cover. 7 Once sauce has reduced the dish is ready.
Ava wrote “It is very tasty. It is nice with garlic bread. It is very cheap and simple to make. All ingredients are healthy and nutritious.� Highly commended, Ava, age 7
Highly comm ended
5-12yr s
17
Tomato, Chicken and Rice
Ingredients
Method
4 chicken breasts
1 Cut chicken in half horizontally and flatten.
1 onion
2 Season chicken, heat oil (just enough to coat pan), soften onion.
Button mushrooms Olive oil
3 Add tomato puree and add mushrooms, chicken stock and herbs.
Tomato puree 1 pint chicken stock (more if needed) Bay leaf
4 Finally add chicken, cover pan and leave to cook.
Thyme
5 Serve with brown rice.
Amy wrote “This recipe is important to me, as I thought I was getting a little bit heavy and I wanted to eat healthier. My mum told me about this recipe, and we cooked it together, which was fun. I helped to chop the onions and I flattened the chicken, the rice was also my job. When it was on the plate I said ‘Yuck’, that does not look very nice, and I got a very big surprise because it tasted lovely. It goes to show that healthy food is good for you and can taste very, very good. Try it for yourself you might get a very big surprise too. ‘YUMMY’.” Highly commended, Amy, age 10
Highly comm ended
5-12yr s
19
Ham Hock Soup
Ingredients
Method
Ham hock
1 Get all your ingredients chopped and prepared.
Carrots
2 Take your ham hock and wash it well, then put it in a large soup pot covered with water and cook for 55 minutes.
Turnip Leek Parsley Peas Salt and pepper
3 After that remove the ham hock from pot, and then add the leek, carrot, turnip, parsley, peas, and salt and pepper to season. 4 When ham hock is slightly cooled, remove all the meat from it, and add to the soup pot. 5 Cook all together for a further 1 hour-1 hour 15minutes on medium heat.
Ailie wrote “My best recipe is my homemade ham hock soup. The reason why I have chosen this as my best recipe is because it just tastes really good. The reason it tastes so good is because it is full of vegetables and the amazing taste of ham. This recipe is a really healthy option as you can add as many vegetables as you like. Ham stock cubes can be used but I prefer the real smokey taste of the ham hock. A pinch of salt and some pepper may be added to enhance the flavour. This recipe is especially important to me because the recipe has been in my family for years. My gran started making the soup when she was young, then she showed my mum how to make it and now my mum has showed it to me. It is a good idea for families to pass good recipes like this one down through the generations because it brings families together. This soup is particularly good served piping hot with crusty bread and butter on a cold winter’s day. What I like about this soup is that it can be very quickly and easily made and is enjoyed by all the family. So why not give it a try and see what you think.”
Highly comm ended
12-16y rs
Highly commended, Ailie, age 12
21
Highly commended, Mince and Potatoes Logan, age 4
Highly comm ended
3-5yrs
22
Highly commended, Fruit and Vegetable Patrick, age 3 Highly comm ended
3-5yrs
23
Fruit Salad
Ingredients
Method
Strawberries
1 Cut all the fruit and put in a bowl.
Grapes
2 Put in some fresh orange or tropical juice.
Melon Pineapple
3 Add a little frozen yoghurt on top.
Banana Fresh orange or tropical juice Frozen yoghurt
Lucy wrote “My favourite healthy snack is a fruit salad and it is delicious and very good for me. My mum lets me help make the fruit salad and my favourite fruits that go in the fruit salad are strawberries, grapes, melon, pineapple and banana. I hope you make my fruit salad and enjoy it as much as I do.� Highly commended, Lucy, age 5
Highly comm ended
5-12yr s
25
BBQ Kebabs
Ingredients
Method
Ingredients
1 Chop tomato into 4 pieces.
Tomato
2 Chop pepper into chunks.
Yellow Pepper
3 Slice courgettes.
Prawns
4 Add prawns and vegetables onto a kebab stick (prawn, pepper, tomato, courgette) until kebab stick is full.
Courgettes
5 BBQ outside or grill indoors, turning regularly until cooked.
Anna wrote “I love BBQs because they are hot and normally they have sea food on it. My favourite one is a kebab. On my kebab there are tomato, yellow peppers, prawns and courgettes. I have rice with it all. Everybody can come. Once I did it in my PJs.� Highly commended, Anna, age 7
Highly comm ended
5-12yr s
27
Highly commended, Carrots and Peas Mia, age 3 Highly comm ended
3-5yrs
28
Highly commended, My Carrots Olivia, age 4
Highly comm ended
3-5yrs
29
Highly commended, Salmon and Pasta Austin, age 3
Highly comm ended
3-5yrs
30
Highly commended, Happy Carrots and Apples Edward, age 43/4
Highly comm ended
3-5yrs
31
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oup Recipe Book