Steph, gave me the idea for this one. While she was preparing for her last comp she was mixing cauliflower in with her oats and eggs. I suggested she made the mix into pancakes and the idea took off.

• 2 cups of cauliflower, cut up stems are fine to include (don’t use FROZEN)
• 2 tablespoons coconut milk (optional)
• 2 scoops/60g pea protein*
• a pinch of salt
• 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 egg**
• 3 egg whites**

Place the cauliflower in a saucepan with the coconut milk or equivilant water. Cover the saucepan and place over a medium heat to steam for 15-20 minutes or until very soft.

Place the cauliflower in a food processor and puree until smooth. Add in the egg and egg white and whizz a little longer. Add in the pea protien, salt and baking powder and puree until smooth.

Lightly grease a non-stick frying-pan/skillet and cook the mixture in 1/3 cup batches, flipping once the mixture has set.

*Pea protien can be replaced with plain soy protien or your favourite (gluten free) flour such as wholemeal, amarenth or besan.
**Or 2 whole eggs

I wouldn’t be suprised if these tasty Kale Chips and Cauliflower Popcorn don’t elicit the exact same respnse. I polished both off in under 5 minutes!

Parmesan Kale Chips and Pizza flavoured Cauli-Pop

• 1 bunch kale (either curly or flat), cut into chip sized pieces
• 1/2 head of cauliflower cut into popcorn size peices
• 10g finely grated fresh parmesan cheese
• 1.5 teaspoons dried oregan0
• 1 teaspoon smokey paprika
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• a big pinch salt
• a splash of olive oil
• extra Parmesan, grated (optional)

Preheat your oven to 160ºC/320ºF

Combine the cheese, herbs, spices and salt in a small bowl.

Place the cauliflower in one bowl along with half the cheesy spice mix and toss to coat.

Combine the Kale, olive oil and cheesy spice mix and massage the leaves.

Place each mixture on a seperate baking sheet making sure nothing is overlapping.

Bake the kale chips for about 15 minutes or until crisp.

Bake the caulflower for about 30 minutes.

For crunchier pop-corn cook the cauliflower at your oven’s lowest temperature for 8 hr’s with the door slightly ajar.

It wasn’t until many years later I saw the epitomy of cordial overload in the “Traffic Light”  served to whinging child in a pub. A traffic light is traditionally  green, orange and red cordial of differing strength floated on top of each other. My idea of hell for parents with all that sugar and food coloring. All I could do was turn to the person next to me and say ‘did you see that?’.

The aim of this challenge is to get Made and Sana to try a few more vegies. So I came up with the traffic light smoothie.

I know that my traffic light is ‘technically’ upside down but the trick is the be able to float the lightest ingredients on the heaviest.

To save on having to wash your blender each time, I recommend making each smoothie shot in reverse order. Green, yellow, red.

Green:
1/2 a banana, frozen
1/2 teaspoon honey (optional, these kids are madly active so they can handle it)
1 cup baby spinach leaves
2 ice cubes
1 tablespoon water

Orange:
1 carrot, grated, then microwaved, covered with a splash of water for 2.5 minutes on high (or steamed)
1/2 a banana, frozen
2 ice cubes
1/2 teaspoon of honey (optional, you could use agave or SF syrup)
1 tablespoon water

Red:
1 beetroot, peeled, grated, then microwaved, covered with a splash of water for 3.5 minutes on high (or steamed)
1/2 cup frozen raspberries
2 cherry tomatoes
a splash of water

Blend each mixture seperately.
Spoon a layer of red into the bottom of the glass, top with orange and poor on green.

That’s their RDI of vegies in one glass!

Kate sent me this message on Facebook

I would LOVE some creative ways to get my kids to eat healthier food. They refuse to eat zucchini cake. Sana actually spots the zucchini in it. Grrr. No vegetables except for raw celery or carrot. Made will eat crockie cucumber.

I’m curious as to what ‘crockie cucumber’ is. I also thought I’d take on the challenge. So this week I’m going to be doing my best to come up with a dish a day for Sana and Made to try. Maybe this will give you or your kids/clients a few exciting ideas too.

Recently someone over in Lindy-land made this claim so here are a 10 quick solutions for the ‘I don’t like vegies crowd’.

What about cauliflower ‘mash potatoes”?
Place 1 cup of cauli, 100ml lite coconut milk an d 1 ts almond meal in a saucepan.
Cover and simmer for 15 mins.
Place in a food processor/blender to puree

How about stirfried bok choy, like you get in Chinatown?
Saute lots of garlic
add bok choy and 1/4 cup chicken stock
Keep sauteing and add 1 tb oyster sauce
(great with chicken)

How about a veggie shake?
Blend them into your shake with protein powder. Cauliflower, canned asparagus or pureed pumpkin are 3 good choices because they add body to the shake without heaps of flavour.

Veggies at breakfast?
Try this Mediterranean style omelet. Grated zucchini, garlic and capsicum sauted in a bit of olive oil then add eggs and fetta.

Veggies for desert?
Combine cooked pureed caulflower, egg whites, protein powder with a little water. Mix into a batter and you have thick, fluffy pancakes.

Veggies as Pasta
Use a veggie peeler to make vegie ‘noodles’. Blanch them quickly in water and use instead of pasta in your spag bol

Not your usual Sunday Roast
Roasted fennel or brocolli provide you with an interesting take on old standards. Fennel is so cheap and in season and developes a mouthwatering caremelised egde when roasted. Brocolli becomes crispy and earthy and is perfect combination with a bit of paprika and lemon juice.

Fennelslaw
Grate fennel and celery and mix with yoghurt or fat free mayo to make a crunchy funky new version of  coleslaw

Add chilli, garlic or olive oil

Try something new
Artichoke hearts, fennel, asian greens, celeriac, jeruselum artichoke, witlof and endive are all cheap and in season

Cook them differently
or don’t cook it at all. If you’re used to stirfrying your snow peas carry them as a snack in your handbag along with some zucchini sticks. Poach or grill your asparagus in white wine and lemon juice. Roast your cauliflower. Cut your brocolli stalks into discs and toss through salads (taste like radish).