Perfect dishes for summer dining
Each month Spotswood College and New Plymouth Boys’ High School showcase the talents and tasty treats of their students. This month it’s the turn of Spotswood College, with the column written by Food and Nutrition teacher Katy Roach.
Nutritious food and wellbalanced eating habits play a significant role in contributing to the wellbeing of our bodies. Our energy levels and vitality are impacted by what and when we eat and how much we eat.
Over the past 10 years of sharing my thoughts, values, recipes and knowledge of nutrition and healthy eating, I hope you have gained insight and understanding into the role that food provides when contributing to one’s wellbeing and, if I were to define wellbeing, it would encompass the physical, social, emotional/mental and spiritual dimensions of an individual.
Over the years I have strategically repeated key nutrition facts and healthy eating messages in an attempt to allow these messages to simply hit home and to be put into everyday practice.
After 25 years of teaching, I am taking a so-called ‘refresher’ or year’s leave from teaching. My intention is to catch up on life and family and I aim to develop and improve my ability to be more sustainable and resourceful within my own environment.
I intend to spend less money, as a consumer, and to reuse, recycle and repurpose the things I currently possess. Also to grow, produce and process more organic foods in my garden and orchard.
Kai with Soul will continue at Spotswood College under the capable helm of Mr Jeff Thomas who will share his culinary and nutrition expertise and his classroom experiences in 2019.
As the new school year begins, in the sweltering summer heat, and the pupils have yet to begin their practical food lessons, I have chosen two recipes that are perfect for summer eating. The Summer Potato Salad and Pasta with a Twist recipes are, as usual, wellbalanced, healthy, economical, tasty, and quick and simple to make.
Each recipe uses either rice or pasta, which are both staple complex carbohydrates that provide a healthy energy source.
The additional vegetables add flavour, vitamins, minerals and fibre. You can substitute the vegetables in the recipes for anything that may be growing and ready for harvest in your own garden.
If you want a vegetarian potato or pasta salad, simply replace the bacon with pan-fried haloumi, tofu, hardboiled eggs or legumes of your choice. If you have gluten-free members in the family, substitute the wheat pasta for gluten-free pasta.
Both salads can be served as a stand-alone meal or bulked up with a freshly-tossed green salad or piece of steamed corn on the cob and something tasty grilled on the barbecue. To keep as much heat out of the kitchen on a hot summer’s evening, the corn could also be cooked on the barbecue.
The salads could be made in the morning while the kitchen is reasonably cool and then refrigerated for the day.
I must also reinforce the important nutritional goal of drinking plenty of water to stay hydrated during the day. Aim to have a jug of fresh, cold water available on the table with every meal. You will be surprised at how much water your family will drink if it is there in front of them.
Another good tip is to delegate a family member to fill up water bottles in the evening, which can be placed in the fridge so they chill overnight and are ready to go to school and work the following day. Fresh water can be flavoured with mint, lemon or small pieces of fruit for extra flavour and appeal.
In extremely hot weather, the water bottles can be put in the freezer overnight. Allow 2-3 centimetres in the bottle for the expansion of water into ice.
Have a discussion with family members about drinking fizzy and energy drinks; that these drinks are loaded with sugar and empty energy, which means they provide a quick burst of energy but no nutrients whatsoever and they do not quench thirst – which water does. In fact, in a short space of time, the high sugar levels make you want to drink more!
Happy, healthy cooking, eating and drinking for 2019.
Summer Potato Salad
Ingredients
5-6 medium sized potatoes (approximately 1 kg) green capsicum yellow capsicum punnet cherry tomatoes
1 large lemon or 2 Tbsp lemon juice
3 Tbsp olive oil
1 cup natural yoghurt salt & cracked pepper to taste
1 Tbsp dill, chives or any fresh herbs
1 spring onion – finely sliced
2 rashers bacon – thinly sliced Method
1. Scrub the potatoes to remove any excess dirt and cut them into halves or quarters.
2. Boil gently for 10-15 minutes until they are just cooked. Test them with the point of a vegetable knife to make sure they are cooked.
3. Drain the cooked potatoes in a colander and place into a large bowl to cool down.
4. Mix the olive oil, lemon juice and seasoning (salt & pepper) in a measuring cup.
5. Pour over the potatoes and toss lightly together.
6. Cut the capsicum into small pieces and the tomatoes in half. Add to the salad.
7. Gently stir in the yoghurt and chopped dill or chives.
8. Preheat tsp oil in a small frying pan and fry the bacon until it is crispy and golden. Remove from the heat and sprinkle over the salad. 9. Sprinkle the spring onion over the prepared salad.
Options
Add more or less yoghurt to make a creamy dressing. This will depend on the type and size of the potatoes used.
Use more dill for a stronger herb flavour.
If you haven’t got yoghurt, add a little more olive oil and lemon juice or a salad dressing of your choice.
Add 2-3 sliced gherkins for a tangy flavour.
For a vegetarian option, omit the bacon and substitute with chopped or quartered hardboiled eggs, panfried tofu or haloumi or legumes of your choice.
Pasta with a Twist
Serves 4-6
Ingredients
2 cup spiral macaroni
1 capsicum – chopped
4 cups water
1 large carrot – grated
1 cup sultanas
1 large apple – cubed cup peanuts of your choice
1 handful of parsley – chopped
Dressing –
2 Tbsp oil
3 Dsp sugar
2 Tbsp malt vinegar
2 tsp mustard of your choice
1 tsp curry powder
Method
1. Bring 4 cups of water to the boil in a medium sized saucepan.
2. Add the spiral pasta, stir and bring to the boil. Simmer briskly for 10-12 minutes until the pasta is just soft. Drain the pasta in a large sieve or colander and transfer into a large bowl to cool.
3. Wash and prepare the carrot, apple, capsicum and parsley. Leave the skin on the apple. Remove the seeds and white flesh (pith) from the capsicum.
4. Mix the vegetables, peanuts and sultanas into the pasta.
5. Measure the dressing ingredients together in a small saucepan and simmer for 2-3 minutes. Use a wooden spoon to occasionally stir the dressing.
Remove from the heat and cool for 5 minutes, then pour into the pasta mixture and toss gently to combine and coat ingredients.
6. Add seasoning to taste.
Option
Add a handful of baby spinach leaves.