Cookery

Another delicious recipe from Denise Phillips

For more recipes and inspiration visit my website: www.jewishcookery.com

Breakfast Seed and Blueberry Muffins

This is the perfect breakfast for people ‘on-the-go’. Oats, apple, yoghurt, banana and blueberries, what could be better? It is also not too sweet which I quite like as the bought variety have far too much sugar. Make non dairy too with soya or coconut yoghurt if preferred.

Preparation Time: 15 minutes Cooking Time: 30 minutes Makes: Approx. 15

Ingredients 2 large eggs 150ml pot natural low-fat yogurt 50ml rapeseed oil 100g apple sauce or pureed apples 1 ripe banana, mashed 4 tbsp clear honey 1 tsp vanilla extract 200g wholemeal flour 50g rolled oats, plus extra for sprinkling 1½ tsp baking powder 1½ tsp bicarbonate of soda 1½ tsp cinnamon 150g fresh blueberries 2 tablespoons mixed seed (we used pumpkin, sunflower and flaxseed)

Method - For the Base 1. Heat oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4. 2. Line a 12-hole muffin tin with 12 large muffin cases. 3. In a jug, mix the eggs, yogurt, oil, apple sauce, banana, honey and vanilla. 4. Tip the remaining ingredients, except the seeds, into a large bowl, add a pinch of salt and mix to combine. 5. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry and mix briefly until you have a smooth batter – don’t overmix as this will make the muffins heavy. 6. Divide the batter between the cases. 7. Sprinkle the muffins with the extra oats and the seeds. 8. Bake for 25-30 mins until golden and well risen, and a skewer inserted into the centre of a muffin comes out clean. 9. Remove from the oven, transfer to a wire rack and leave to cool. Can be stored in a sealed container for up to 3 days.

Cooking with the children

BY DENISE PHILIPS

Summer school holidays have started; cooking with children of all ages is an excellent activity for so many reasons. It’s a life skill that you can adapt to suit the age group. Make it fun, interactive and a pleasurable experience so you can teach best practise.

Benefits include:

• Helping develop children’s academic, cognitive, and motor skills. Just by making Friday night chicken soup, children can learn about knife skills, time management, measurements and quantities, how long food takes to cook, how to develop food flavour.

In addition, you have spent valuable time together passing on a delicious traditional family recipe. • Increasing maths ability by weighing up the ingredients, using scales and perhaps doubling quantities. • Improving reading and comprehension skills – just by reading through the recipe letting your child retell what the recipe means and how it will look when ready for the oven or cooked. • Introducing children to scientific concepts so they can discover what happens with yeast, bicarbonate of soda or baking powder added to food. • Learning about kosher foods, washing fruit and vegetables, and keeping milk

and meat separate. • Encouraging healthy eating and promoting family bonding. My children grew up in the kitchen with me, from sitting in the highchair whilst I made canapes or other interesting dishes. My eldest daughter enjoyed the tasting at a very young age (with fond memories.)

I feel that you should start the cooking activity from the shopping experience. Get them to help find the ingredients and look at prices and varieties. When you come home look at the label; where the product came from and discuss the country or place of origin and look it up on a map.

And of course whatever you make, there is the washing up and keeping a clean and tidy kitchen!

Above is a great recipe for little hands to enjoy.