3 Easy Plant-Based Kiddies Meals for Busy Parents
Starting kids young with fun, yummy tasting, healthy food is a great way to promote a culture of healthy eating and a love of good food. But, cooking for little ones every single day can be a tough task, especially if you’re following a plant-based diet. Luckily we’ve got a few quick and easy kid-friendly meals for you to try that can be whipped up in no time at all.
Soon to be parents and plant-based diet advocates, South African elite triathlete and Ironman African Champion, Kyle Buckingham and his wife, Lauren, have been practising some exciting kiddies meals with Fry’s for their little bundle of joy who will be arriving in May this year. The great news is; they’re now sharing their easy recipes with all of us!
“As a mom, it can be quite difficult to think of meals every single day for very fussy children, and worrying about making sure they actually do consume some sort of goodness. I have found these recipes to be a huge hit with my kids, they have even gotten involved in making the fun designs themselves — my artistic abilities have been seriously put to the test,” says Lauren Buckingham.
Check out our 3 favourite picks from Kyle and Lauren Buckingham’s recipes below:
THE LITTLE RASCAL BURGER
INGREDIENTS
2 Fry’s Chicken-Style Burgers
1 small ripe avocado
1 tsp lemon juice
Salt and ground black pepper, to taste
2 burger buns, sliced in half (toasted, optional)
Lettuce leaves
1 small beetroot, washed and grated
4 slices of tomato
4 slices of red pepper
2 pickles
4 olives, pitted
Toothpicks, for assembling the eyes
METHOD
1. Prepare Fry’s Chicken-Style Burger using the on pack instructions and set aside.
2. Place avocado in a bowl. Add lemon juice, season with salt and pepper and mash with a fork until smooth.
3. Spread the avocado mixture on the burger bun slices. Top with lettuce, then the beetroot, followed by a Fry’s Chicken-Style Burger, two slices of red pepper and two slices of tomatoes.
4. Add one pickle to form the “tongue”.
5. Using two toothpicks, secure an olive on each of them to make the “eyes”. Secure the eyes burger bun.
6. Repeat the same process with the second burger.
VEGAN PEEPING FACE NO-MEAT BALLS
INGREDIENTS
Fry’s No-Meat Balls
Hummus
Pita breads
23 Radishes
23 Black olives or black sesame seeds
Red and green cabbage, thinly sliced
½ Cucumber, sliced
For the tahini sauce
3 tbsp Aquafaba (liquid drained from a can of chickpeas)
34 tbsp Tahini paste
1 tbsp Apple cider vinegar
1 tsp Mustard
1 cup Avocado oil (or any other vegetable oil)
Salt, to taste
METHOD
To make the Tahini sauce
1. Drain a can of chickpeas and reserve the liquid.
2. Combine the aquafaba, apple cider vinegar and mustard and blend together.
3. Add the oil in three parts, whizzing to emulsify after each batch. Add salt and seasonings, taste and adjust.
4. Add the tahini paste and blitz to combine. Taste and adjust seasoning. It should be a drizzling consistency if you need to loosen, add a splash of almond milk.
To assemble
5. Preheat the oven to 180 ºC.
6. Place the Fry’s No-Meat Balls onto a baking tray and bake for 15-30 minutes until heated through.
7. Place the hummus into a small piping bag.
8. Once the No-Meat Balls come out of the oven, allow to cool slightly and then slice across the width, being careful not to cut all the way through.
9. Pipe to fill the Falafel with a dollop of hummus.
10. Create eyes for your peeping faces using radish (try using a paper straw to cut out circles). Carefully place onto the hummus. Decorate with an eyeball made of a small piece of olive or a single sesame, this will require some patience and can be quite fiddly!
11. Slice the pita breads in half width ways. Pop into a toaster or onto a baking tray to go into the oven to lightly toast. Be careful not to over toast as they become difficult to fill.
12. Once lightly toasted, open the pitas and spread a little hummus inside, add sliced red and green cabbage and then a drizzle of tahini sauce. Carefully add the peeping faces to the pita breads. Serve with extra tahini drizzling sauce on the side.
SPINACH & AVO GREEN MONSTER PASTA
A yummy way to serve Fry’s Chickpea and Quinoa Falafels.
INGREDIENTS
A handful of green peas, cooked
2 tbsp vegan ‘Parmesan’ (see below)
METHOD
To make the green sauce:
1. Blitz all the ingredients together using the blender to form a smooth sauce. Add more oil if necessary to reach your preferred consistency. Taste and adjust seasoning with salt and lemon juice.
To make the vegan ‘parmesan’
2. Blitz all the ingredients together to form a fine powder. Store in an airtight container.
To assemble your monster:
3. Preheat the oven to 180 ºC.
4. Place the Fry’s Chickpea and Quinoa Falafels onto a baking tray and bake for 15-30 minutes until heated through.
5. Cook the spaghetti, pasta or veggie noodles according to packet instructions.
6. Use vegan or dairy-free cheese slices to create the body of your monster. Radishes or mushrooms can be used to cut out teeth.
7. Dress the spaghetti with a coating of the green sauce.
8. On a serving plate, create the body of the monster using pasta or veggie noodles and add the Falafels as a mountain element. Fill in the base with peas.
9. Place all of the elements to create the monster image (body, teeth, eye and horns).
10. Serve with extra green sauce for dipping and extra vegan ‘Parmesan’ on the side.
Check out the Fry’s website for more deliciously easy recipes for kids and adults alike!