Ok so during the week, I made meat balls (made from ground beef) for the children to go with the rice they were having for dinner.
Usually I would make it in a sauce, then sauté vegetables separately but I decide to do it differently by enhancing the flavour of the ground beef using fresh herbs, adding the veggies in the ground beef mixture… then remoulding. I did the remoulding with my daughter and she enjoyed the experience (think she will be coming into the kitchen more often, under supervision of course.. lol)
If you are one of those mums that like to “hide the veggies”, you can try blending them into the ground beef before remoulding…
Our recipe for the week is taken from traycee’s kitchen
INGREDIENTS
- A pack of meat ball or ground beef
- Fresh or frozen vegetables mix (sweet corn, carrots, peas) [green beans (cut into smaller pieces)] optional
- Rapeseed oil
- Little butter or 1 whisked egg..
HSS: 1/2 tsp. curry powder, 1/2 tsp. oregano, 1/2 tsp. basil, dash of cumin, 1 sprig fresh thyme and fresh basil (mixed together), little crushed garlic and ginger, sea salt to taste.
METHOD
- Empty pack of meat balls into a clean bowl
- Add the HSS as mentioned above and mix with your hands
- This recipe used frozen vegetables…In another bowl, season the veggies with black pepper and dash of tarragon, then steam for a few minutes. Drain and put to the sideStart with a simple combination of the “sweet like” and easy to digest vegetables for example sweet corn, green peas, cucumber, spinach
- Make sure the vegetables are cut in small bits (honestly, as small as possible) for example your cucumber
- Depending on what your child likes, you can blend the vegetables into their food – dodgey? Yes I know but if that’s what you have to do for now- Then you do it. My advice her though will be, don’t keep blending it in all the time, as they need to get used to seeing and trying the vegetables
- Be patient with the little one, it’s all new to him or her
- Graduate the mix in a stepped approach. For example, move onto sweet peppers, cherry tomatoes as they are also easy to digest. Then go onto steaming broccoli, cauliflower, carrots and adding into their food as you go on
- At this point, you have two options, blend the “hidden vegetables (without water) until smooth then add to the beef mix, OR just pour them in…
- Add very little butter to the mix to help bind the veggies..
[You can also use a little of 1 whisked egg as a binding agent- If your child loves eggs :)]
- Start remoulding the mixture into small balls using you hands… if you don’t want to add whisked egg into the mix, when you remould, dip some of your fingers into the egg then pat the balls to help bind the veggies
- Place remoulded meat balls on a plate or tray
- In a pre heated oven, grease oven tray with little rapeseed oil (or olive oil).
- Place rustic meatballs then oven bake at 180°C for at least 10mins.
- The meat balls are cooked when it isn’t pink on the inside…
Add to your children’s sauces, rice dishes etc
- Try alternating the dinner plates in which you serve their food- It keeps them excited even if they don’t quite know what is in the plate, psychology wink
- Whatever new addition you try? KEEP IT SIMPLE AND COLOURFUL. This is the key to getting their attention in the first place
- Lastly, but not the least … try that vegetable with your child. They need to see you eating it and enjoying it for them to take notice
Source : Traycees Kitchen
