It’s half term and that means no home schooling for a week! Yey! But while we’re still in lockdown, finding exciting things to do with the kids still requires some creativity. One way to pass the time (ahem – we obviously mean to ‘enjoy’ the time!) is to embrace cooking simple meals together that the whole family can enjoy. So, roll up those little sleeves, pop on the chef hats and get creative in the kitchen with these fab and easy recipes.
Lots of children love to help in the kitchen, so while we’re all at home this half term, why not embrace cooking together with a ‘little-helper friendly’ menu filled with things they’ll like to eat – whilst being secretly nutritious too. So, here are our simple but delicious half-term recipes to keep you busy this week.
A fabulously healthy staple on every kids’ menu, but this homemade version is created with salmon and will give any restaurant a run for its money! Perfect as a delicious dinner accompanied by chunky home-made chips or tucked up in fresh crusty bread as a winning lunch option with a dollop of mayonnaise to complete the perfect fish finger sandwich! Here’s how to replicate our half term tasty treat.
Ingredients you’ll need:
- 560g salmon fillets (2 packs)
- 250g breadcrumbs
- 100g cornflour
- 2 eggs – beaten
- 4 tbsp sunflower oil
- 1 lemon
- sea salt and black pepper to taste
- mayonnaise to serve
Start off by combining the cornflour with one teaspoon each of salt and black pepper in a bowl. Put the breadcrumbs in one bowl and the beaten egg in another. Encourage your little chef to gently coat a salmon finger in the flour, then dip it into the beaten egg. Finally, roll it in the breadcrumbs (the fun bit!) until evenly covered on all sides. Set aside on a plate while you repeat with the remaining salmon fingers.
This section is best observed by your little-one! Heat the sunflower oil in a frying pan over a medium heat then add the salmon fingers and fry for 2–3 minutes on each side in batches until crisp, golden and cooked through. Remove from the heat, drain on kitchen paper, and sprinkle with sea salt.
Let your side-kick tuck them up into a sandwich or proudly display next to some chunky chips – then serve up immediately with plenty of mayonnaise to dunk the fingers into. De-li-cious!
And if you’re looking for dishes that’ll help keep your kids filled up for the week, try getting them involved in creating these hearty meals too:
Ingredients you’ll need:
- 280g salmon fillets
- 160g rigatoni or penne pasta
- 25g grated parmesan
- 4 tbsp low fat crème fraiche
- 1 lemon
- 1/2 tsp ground black pepper
- 1 bunch flat leaf parsley finely chopped
To create this quick dinner, start by heating the oven to 200°C fan / 180°C / Gas 6, then put the salmon fillets skin-side down on a tray lined with baking paper. Next, season well and put into the oven for 12-15 minutes or until cooked through.
Whilst your salmon is cooking, simply prepare your pasta via the instructions on the packet but remember to save a little of the water when you drain. The next job can be completed by a little chef – all they need to do is mix together the parmesan, crème fraiche, black pepper, most of the parsley and the zest and juice of half a lemon in a small bowl – with seasoning to taste. Finally tip the pasta back into the pan, add the sauce from the bowl and toss to combine, adding a splash of pasta water to create a sauce. Serve up and flake over the salmon and top with remaining parsley. Voila!
Cod, Butter Bean and Tomato Stew
Ingredients you’ll need:
- 4Â cod loins
- 4 tbsp olive oil
- 1 onion sliced
- 2 tins of chopped tomatoes
- 2 tbsp tomato puree
- 2 tins of butter beans
- 4 tsp sherry vinegar
- small handful flatleaf parsley chopped
Everyone loves a stew when it’s cold, so this simple and speedy dish is a guaranteed winner. Simply cut the cod loins into 3 pieces per loin, then in a deep pan, over a low-medium heat, sweat the onion in the oil for five minutes, being careful not to brown them. Next up, add the garlic and soften for a couple of minutes, and then add the tomatoes and tomato puree. Simmer and reduce for about ten minutes. Finally add the beans, cod, salt and freshly ground black pepper and pop the lid on. Simmer for another ten minutes or so, until the fish is cooked through then stir in the vinegar, sprinkle with parsley and serve immediately. Yum!
