Sausage Casserole

Once a month, Anjalie & I have special play-dates on a Friday evening. It is important for Mum-Dad to have a special quality time (no kids talk or kids) for the growth of their relationship and bonding. Similarly, I found setting some time aside for my daughter allows me to have some quality time bonding with her and talking about some of the trivial and important things we have overlooked so far. This is especially important for me since I work full time so have less time "with her". Tonight is one such special night. Usually on these nights I prepare dinner earlier (if I can) or cook things that I can put in the oven while we play. But I also bear in mind to make some of her favourites since I want it to be special. Sausage casserole ticks both boxes for me. It takes less actual cooking time, spends most of it in the oven, one-pot meal (so no need to make anything else other than salad) and it is also our favourite dinner. I keep away from red meat, so, I tend to use chicken/turkey or quorn/couldron sausages. Naz prefers the former and both Anjalie & I prefer the quorn sausages. I am sure this recipe will work for any of your favourite sausages. Simply make sure it is all cooked thoroughly before serving. Recently, I added a sausage casserole recipe with tomato sauce. I do this one as a variation. They are pretty similar and this one will work a treat if anyone is fussy about tomoatoes in their food :)


You will need:
6 sausages
2 carrots - sliced into finger sizes
2 med. potatoes chopped
1 med. onion - sliced
3 cloves garlic - grated
600 ml vegetable/chicken stock
1 tbsp tomato puree
1 heaped tbsp plain flour
1 tsp dried herbs (thyme, oregano, basil etc)
a small dash of chilli/pepper sauce (optional)
salt & black pepper to taste
3 tbsp olive oil.

Spaghetti chicken/Quorn Bolognese

Here is another healthy version of the yummy family favourite. I am a vegetarian while Naz & Anjalie eat fish and/or chicken regularly. But as a family we all three of us avoid red meat since the risks outweigh any benefits. Having said that it does not mean Naz & Anjalie will not eat them rarely (may once or twice a year) when we eat out as a treat. Recently on once such trips, Anjalie really liked Spaghetti-bolognese at one of the restaurants. So I decided to try making it at home for dinner a couple of times with chicken instead and I used quorn for myself as a veggie option. On the first time, I heard Anjalie say to Naz "Mummy is the best baker & cooker, isn't she daddy?" Needless to say, I was very pleased with the compliment. After that I have made this few more times and tonight we enjoyed this with garlic bread and salad and Anjalie said that "Mummy, your spaghetti is the best best ever!" So here I am sharing this simple recipe in the hope that you and your family will also enjoy it. Again, if you prefer the traditional bolognese sauce, simply replace chicken with beef and you have the traditional bolognese for dinner. You can add bacon or try pork mince too for a variety :)

Sausage Casserole in tomato sauce

Every Saturday afternoon we enjoy the most delicious and yet simple to make comfort food, aka, Sausage Casserole. Instead of the usual, "Am I staying home today?" in the mornings, Anjalie usually wakes up asking "Am I having sausage casserole today?" on Saturdays :) So this is an absolute favourite of the entire family. The only reason I haven't posted the recipe here until now is because I usually struggle to get the breakfast and lunch ready together on Saturdays after a late lie-in while rushing to prepare for Anjalie's dance lessons after lunch. But today there are no dance lessons and we had a lovely relaxed morning. So here is family favourite recipe. It is easy to put together and quick to make. I usually use vegetarian sausages (Couldron/quorn). But on occasion I have used chicken sausages for Anjalie & Naz alone. I assume it will work the same way for pork/beef sausages. So without further ado, here is the recipe...


You will need:
8 sausages (veggie/pork/beef) of your choice, snipped/sliced into bite size pieces
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 onion, chopped
3 cloves of garlic, chopped
2 cups your choice of veggies- potatoes, carrots, mushrooms, peppers
1 can of chopped tomatoes
1 tsp sugar
1/2 tsp black pepper
1/4 tsp milk paprika
1 tsp mixed dried herbs- thyme, oregano, basil and sage.
Salt to taste

Grandma's Trinidadian style chicken pot roast

While, visiting family is wonderful on many levels from enriching our lives and helping with recharging ourselves, I also find that it provides excellent opportunities for learning new (for me anyway) family recipes. This time while we were on vacation, enjoying our visit with our family, I watched and learned how my MIL makes her (ever popular with Anjalie) pot roast chicken. I am indeed very pleased that it is Anjalie's favourite. The recipe involves simple ingredients and the method is so very easy and quick to make. While my MIL made the food, all I had to do was click away the pics for my step-by-step recipe to share with you all. So here it is just as she made it...

You will need:
2 lbs chicken pieces (with bones) - cleaned & washed.
salt & black pepper to taste
1 tbsp tomato puree/ketchup
1 tsp low-sodium soya sauce
1 small pimento (mild ones for children) chillies
1 tsp garlic paste
1 tsp cilantro/coriander leaves chopped
2 stalks salad onions/chives
2 cups of water

Oven grilled lemon-garlic fish/quorn fillets (in foil packets)

Fish/Quorn fillet features around 2 times in a week in our home. Mainly because, Anjalie enjoys fish very much and also because it is very healthy. On days when I am in a hurry to multi-task oven baked/grilled fish is just perfect to put together a healthy dinner/lunch with roast potatoes and a quick salad. 

Chicken/Quorn garlic-lemon Goujons

These are excellent finger/party food that will please kids and adults alike. They are easy to make as well which is a big plus for me at least. Combined with their favourite dip these are bound to be a huge hit with children. I serve these with salad/steamed veggies like broccoli to make a balanced dinner/lunch meal for toddlers and add a serving of mash to make a filling meal for adults or older children. I tend to make these in two different ways: on rare occasions I deep fry them; regularly I shallow fry them and then bake them the rest of the way until cooked in the oven. Naturally, the oven baked one is the healthier option.

You will need:
400g mini chicken/quorn fillets (You can cut regular chicken breasts into strips)
1 tsp garlic paste + 2 tbsp lemon
salt & black pepper to taste.
35g plain flour
1 large egg, beaten
100g fresh breadcrumbs
3 tbsp vegetable oil for shallow frying or enough oil to deep fry (if not baking)

Spaghetti with chicken/tofu (meat)balls marinara

Spaghetti and (meat)balls are usually most children and adult favourite meal. Who does not enjoy slurping in the spaghetti with the tangy marinara sauce? It is a classic meal and one that our family cannot have enough of. I prefer to make chicken and tofu meatballs instead of the traditional "meat ball" which uses ground beef due to two reasons. Although, now I cook chicken and fish for my hubby and daughter, I have been a veggie all my life and it is hard for me to deal with red meat still :(. Secondly, and more importantly, I do see the importance of including all food groups in proper proportion for a healthy diet and that is one of the reasons why I support my hubby and daughter in their choice to eat meat and I even cook for them. But I just think that the cons outweigh any benefits we get from red meat for regular consumption. So I do not make them at home. When we go out they are more than welcome to try or eat red meat. But at home they get healthy meat like chicken and fish. This gives a good moderation in their meat food groups. As usual, I still substitute soya products for meat for myself. So I modified this wonderful classic to suit our entire family by making chicken meatballs for hubby and Anjalie while I enjoy soya chunk/mince meatballs. I usually make a lot of meat balls (enough for 4 servings for three of us) and freeze them since it features at least once every week in our meal plan. I just make the marinara sauce and use thawed out meatballs when needed for a quick filling dinner. A lot of us have our own recipes for marinara sauce so feel free to use your own or you can try the one here for a change.

You will need:
For the meatballs:
1 lb chicken mince/chicken breasts or 250 g of soya chunks/mince soaked and washed in hot water well.
1 egg
1/2 cup parmesan cheese
1/2 cup breadcrumbs
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 teaspoons fresh oregano (or the equivalent dried)
Salt to taste (be careful cheese can be salty)
1/4 cup olive oil for shallow frying or 2 tsp of oil fro baking in the oven (healthier option)

Fish fillet stew (Trinidad style)

On Good Friday, my in-laws in Trinidad usually make Fish stew with dumplings, daal and root vegetables. So I just wanted to continue the tradition here too for Anjalie. Being a veggie forever I do not know if this is any different to other fish stews, but, this one is a recipe from my mum-in-law. This is pretty much fish cooked in tomato sauce. My mum-in-law makes this with pieces of fish, but, I prefer to use fish fillets for ease and, with the skin & bones removed, I will not have to worry about giving it to Anjalie. I use either haddock or cod fillets since they are readily available here. Naz usually enjoys this stew with dumplings, but, Anjalie prefers to eat it boiled rice.

You will need:

1-2 fish med fillets (I used haddock this time)

1 stalk green/salad onion both white & green parts chopped

3 cloves garlic & 1/2 inch ginger (optional) grated

1 lemon

1 small/ 1/4 med sized onion chopped

2 tomatoes, diced

1 celery stalk, chopped

1 tsp thyme, chopped

1 dash parsley

salt and black pepper to taste

1 tbsp tomato paste

1 tbsp oil

150 ml water (more or less)

1-2 small pieces of habanero pepper /fresh chillies (optional & only for adults - beware hot)

Tuna/Broccoli Napolitana

Pasta dishes are not only easy to make but are also filling and well loved by everyone in the family. On days when I am really rushing, but, would prefer to make our own dinner rather than order take away I always make pasta. Additionally, pasta dishes offer an extra flexibility to adapt it to satisfy both vegetarians, like me, and meat eaters, like Naz & Anjalie,  by throwing in some chicken/tuna. One of the family favorites for dinner is Napolitana with Tuna for Naz & Anjalie and with broccoli for me. It is quite quick and easy to put together from scratch and you can also make this with chicken or prawns if you prefer.

You will need:
25 grams of butter/olive oil
2 tbsp plain flour
3 tbsp tomato puree
1 tsp garlic paste/3 cloves of garlic crushed
450 ml milk/cream
salt and black pepper to taste
50 g of cheese of your choice (optional: I use grated Parmesan)
2 tsp Italian seasoning/oregano (dried)
1 tin of canned tuna (185 grams) drained and fluffed with a fork or 250 grams of broccoli chopped to bite size pieces and steamed with salt until cooked thoroughly but still crunchy
300 grams of pasta cooked (any shape you prefer) according to the packet instructions.
1 tsp fresh parsley chopped for garnish

Chicken/Tofu-Noodle soup (great for flu/cold)

Nothing comforts and makes us feel that everything is going to be fine soon like Chicken-Noodle soup. It is the universal go to food for those of us who get down with flu/cold. With the cold and flu running rampant in our house I decided to make this soup for both Naz & Anjalie and make a veggie option of Tofu-Noodle soup for myself (yes, I am still a veggie). We instantly felt great! The chicken-noodle soup has become synonymous with cold/flu treatment that there is a whole new scientific debate about whether it can cure cold. Read here.

Fried chicken/ tofu chunks (no eggs)

This is one of Anjalie's favourite snack/dinner entrée. It can be a healthy snack or part of a dinner for children. Since it is finger food, it can double as party food too. This recipe avoids using eggs and is suitable for children who are allergic to eggs.

You will need:
2 chicken breasts/1 pack of Tofu, cut into bite size chunks
1/4 cup all purpose/plain flour
1 packet Breadcrumbs (200 gms)
salt and black pepper to taste
oregano/curry powder (any other spice that takes your fancy!)
2 cloves of garlic minced (optional)
100 ml of veggie/chicken stock/water to make batter
Oil for deep frying

Baked fish/Quorn fillets

I learnt this one when we visited my sis-in-law in Kazakhstan. The original recipe is a slow-cooked Russian fish. I have adapted it to bake the fish and modified the herbs to suit Anjalie's (who is now nearly 3) taste. She loves to eat this fish with rice. Since the recipe uses fish fillet, which can differ in thickness, please, remember to adapt the time you cook accordingly. I am told that the general rule of thumb for fish is 10 minutes per inch of thickness.

You will need:
1 packet (usually 3-4 pieces) of skinless boneless cod/haddock fillets/loins washed and cleaned or quorn fillets for veggie option
1 tsp lemon juice
2-3 cloves of garlic crushed
1-2 carrots cut into thin slices about 3-4 inches long
1 sweet red peppers sliced into long thin pieces
1 medium onion thinly sliced
cumin coarsely chopped
oregano, sage, basil, thyme, rosemary, coriander or any herb mixture of your choice.
150 ml veg. stock/fish stock/ water
salt and black pepper to taste

Fish and chips- toddler recipe

This is one of the UK's favourite dishes. But I have realised that Anjalie does not care for the shop bought fish fingers/fish and chips' batter due to all the complicated taste. She prefers the batter to be simple. So I simply make them at home with just salt and pepper and plain/sparkling water and season the fish instead.

You will need:

2-3  cod/haddock/quorn fillets washed and cleaned

1 tsp lemon juice

20 ml vegetable/chicken stock (optional)

3 garlic cloves crushed

Salt and black pepper to taste

1 tsp dried thyme

1/4 cup of all-purpose flour

50ml of sparkling water/tap water

A portion of chips from frozen oven chips  

oil for deep frying

Baked chicken breasts/Quorn fillets

Chicken breasts/quorn fillets can be cooked fairly quickly and make up part of healthy meal. This can be quickly put together with mash and salad making a wholesome healthy dinner/lunch. You can add some variety to it by choosing chips/crumpets/toast instead of mash.

You will need:
2  Chicken breasts/Quorn fillets washed and cleaned
2 tbsp lemon juice
100 ml vegetable/chicken stock
3 garlic cloves crushed
Salt and black pepper to taste

Cottage Pie (quorn or soya mince for veggie option)

This is a very easy quick to make recipe. It is what I like to call "all in one" dishes with vegetables, meat/soya and mash together in one. With a side salad this is a very filling and comforting meal.

You will need
400 gms Beef mince or Quorn mince or soya mince or chicken mince
1 onion finely chopped
2 tomatoes finely chopped
1 tin Carrots (or mixed vegetables)
1 tin green peas
2 stalks of green onions finely chopped
1 stalk of celery finely chopped
3 cloves of garlic crushed
2 packets instant mash
salt and black pepper to taste
1 spring of thyme
2 tbsp tomato purée or ketchup
1 tbsp oil
Beef/vegetable stock 250 ml (100 ml if using soya/quorn mince)

Rice, Daal and mild curried chicken or tofu or soya chunks

I am originally from Chennai, India and my husband is from Trinidad in the Caribbean. So rice, daal and curry is an important (& regular) part of our diet. Here is a version that our toddler enjoys very much. This recipe is again very forgiving and you can modify as per your taste. Since this needs a lot of effort, I make a large portion and freeze them in small bowls to use when needed.

You will need:
1 breast of chicken or a packet of firm tofu or soya chunks (1 cup)
1/2 cup cooked rice
1 knob of butter
For Daal I use a mix of yellow pigeon peas, yellow lentils and split peas - 1/4 cup each
Madras curry powder (mild) 1 tbsp (and a 1 tsp  to marinate): Any brand from the grocery will do.
onion 1/4 chopped finely
1 tomato finely chopped
6 cloves of garlic crushed
1 stalk of green onion finely chopped
1 stalk of celery finely chopped
garlic
1/8 tsp ground turmeric
1/4 tsp ground cumin
salt and black pepper to taste.
1 tsp lemon juice
1 tbsp oil
1tsp coriander leaves chopped finely

Chicken/Tofu Nuggets (baked)

Chicken/tofu nuggets is easily one of the healthier snacks and especially when baked instead of frying. It can become part of a dinner/lunch meal as well when served with mash, vegetables and salad. This is Anjalie's all-time favourite and is very handy when we travel since it is pretty much mess free! Anjalie does not care for eggs :( so I skip it and haven't had a problem.


You will need:

1 package of diced chicken breast (or firm tofu for veggie option)

1/4 cup of veggie/chicken stock (helps to keep them moist)

2 tbsp of melted butter
1/4 cup flour (more or less)
2 egg whites
1 cup fine dry bread or cracker crumbs or crumbled corn flakes (makes for a great texture difference and keeps the little one interested)
salt and pepper to taste
thyme and rosemary for seasoning (optional)

Hotdogs/veggie sausage pastry

 Whenever I am on the look out for a quick and easy snack, or for something easy to put together for dinner, the first thing I look for  is pastry rolls! Just fill in some vegetables, you have a veggie puff or just throw in sausages along with the veggies, it can be part of a lunch/dinner meal and can be easily served with some salad on the side. So after a tiring day's work this is one of my favorite go to dinner ideas!


Things you will need:
One pack of hot-dogs (or tofu/ veg. sausage for a veggie version)
Ready-to-Bake Pastry-Rolls
Veggies such as carrots, sweet-peppers, Cheese
Melted butter 2 tbsp