"SEPTEMBER : EAT ECONOMICAL. HEALTHY, TASTY AND SEASONAL" WEEK 102 QUOTE 102

 

 "With some produce - think kiwifruit - it's a well-accepted habit to discard the skin. With others - carrots and potatoes are prime examples - you can definitely eat the outer layer but many of us take the peeler to them anyway. However, research shows that, for the sake of your health, eating fruit and vegetables whole wherever possible is a smart move. 'Take apples', says accredited practicing dietician Alison Graham. 'Like many types of fruit and vegetable, the skin is where a lot of the nutrients are most concentrated so eating the whole fruit is definitely best'."
 Karen Fittall : "Peel Appeal". New Zealand Good Health magazine August 2012

  SAUTE BOK CHOY  (Just over 25 mins to prepare and cook)
Serves 5 adults.

The nutritional benefits of the combined ingredients in this dish provide a rich source of Vitamin C and K, selenium, potassium, manganese and B complex vitamins.
Health benefits from these ingredients include reducing blood pressure and heart disease, cholesterol levels, nausea and lowering the risk of infections, migraine and diarrhea. The ingredients of this dish will also assist in digestion, cancer prevention, good bone and nerve health and hair and skin growth.
My recipe is based on the Australian Women's Weekly "Stirfry Choy Sum" recipe in the book "Vegie Stars"
My recipe is HOT in flavour, but if you prefer a milder dish just reduce the ginger and chili quantity by half and the garlic to 2 cloves. I'm sure you will find the taste perfect for an average palette.

INGREDIENTS:
2 Onions
3 packets of Bok Choy (6 'bunches')
a generous slurp of Olive Oil
2 Red Chillies
3 Garlic Cloves
5cm Root Ginger
2 Tbsp Soy Sauce
Juice and Zest of 1 Lemon
300g Cashew nuts
2  2/3 cups Rice
PREPARATION AND COOKING:
1. Put Garlic cloves into a mortar and pestle and give them 2 - 3 hits to split their skin. Now they can quickly be peeled.

2. Wash chillies and slice green top off. Slice through the middle lengthwise and remove the seeds. Tear into pieces and add to the mortar and pestle along with the piece of ginger and garlic and smash it all up until they are pulverized. The aroma from this is DELICIOUS. You can get your kids to do the muscle work here but warn them that all 3 ingredients have juice and as they smash them the juice can easily squirt into their eye and it will sting!!

3. Peel and slice the onions.
4. Put a generous slurp of oil into a large frypan set at a low heat. Add the onions and put on the lid to let cook until you finish the next step.

5. Pull all the leaves off the Bok Choy and wash in the sink. I tear the leaves lengthwise irregularly - you can use a knife to slice them if you prefer.

6. Remove the zest of 1/2 - a whole Lemon. I used 1/2 of a Lemon.
7. Add the Lemon zest and the chili, garlic and ginger mix to the onions in the frypan. Cook for 1 min with lid on.
8. Add Bok Choy and with tongs keep moving the leaves around in the pan so all ingredients are mixed together. Lid on and cook 1 min.
9. Add Soy Sauce and Lemon juice and again use tongs to move the mixture around. Lid on and let cook 2 min.
10. Add Cashew nuts and mix through using tongs. Lid on and leave for 1 - 2 mins.
Serve straight away with cooked Rice.

 KIWIFRUIT CRUNCH   (30 - 35 mins to prepare and cook)
Serves 5 + adults.

In this recipe I am NOT "discarding the skin" of the kiwifruit, which makes it quicker to prepare and once cooked the texture and taste is great. 
Nutritional benefits. Green and gold Kiwifruit are the most nutrient-dense of all fruits. The ingredients in this dessert offer great stores of vitamin C, potassium, magnesium, manganese, fibre, calcium and iron.
The benefits to health that these ingredients give, include maintaining a strong immune system, assisting in digestion, the prevention of bowel cancer, heart disease, asthma and encouraging good healthy skin. The ingredients also help maintain weight control, lower cholesterol, stabilizes blood sugar, are an energy provider and help reduce anxiety.

INGREDIENTS:
12 Gold Kiwifruit
1/4 cup Sugar
1 Tbsp Sugar
1/2 - 1 zest of Lemon 
1 juice of Lemon 
1/2 cup Coconut
1  2/3 cups Oats
1/4 cup Sesame Seeds
150ml Cream
PREPARATION AND COOKING:
1. Measure the oats, Coconut, Sesame Seeds and 1/4 cup Sugar into a bowl for the crumble topping over the fruit.

2. Wash the Lemon and remove the zest with a zester and add to the bowl.
3. Use your hands to knead the ingredients together.
4. Butter a large flan dish (I used a 28cm flan dish)
5. Wash the Kiwifruit and then slice up (DON'T peel) arranging in the flan dish. It doesn't matter if your Kiwifruit is a little soft.

6. Sprinkle 1 Tbsp Sugar over the Kiwifruit.
7. Squeeze juice of a Lemon over the top.

8. Put crumble topping over the Kiwifruit.

9. Bake 15 - 20 mins at 180*C fan oven.

10. Serve with liberal pourings of Cream.
TOTAL COST OF THIS MEAL TO FEED 5 ADULTS = $19.11NZ. All ingredients were bought at Pak'n Save Albany, Auckland New Zealand, Wednesday September 26, 2012, EXCEPT for the Bok Choy which was bought at New World Albany, Auckland New Zealand, Thursday September 27 2012.
I have not included the cost of "a generous slurp of Olive Oil", 2 Tbsp Soy Sauce, 1/4 cup Sugar and 1 Tbsp Sugar.

While preparing the meal I found these fascinating artsy images to enjoy. Look out for yours as you prepare your meal.

 THISWEEKWITHTHEKIDS ~  happy cooking.
Cathy