Rack up a stack
Vanya Insull’s love of food began after university when she landed her first job as a junior designer for a food magazine. She continued working in magazines until 2016, when she left her job as a magazine art director to move to Taupo with her two young children and husband.
Vanya started posting recipe videos on Facebook and went on to launch her website vjcooks.com which now has more than 300 recipes and has become a go-to for home cooks on the hunt for fuss-free dinners, baking and desserts.
In Everyday Favourites, Vanya does the thinking for you, so you can have tasty, home-cooked food on the table — even when life throws you a few curveballs. ‘The book is packed full of my fresh and tasty favourites; all super-easy to adapt to your family’s tastes and so yummy that they’ll even impress those fussy kids,’ says Vanya.
Corn Fritter and Bacon Stack
We love corn fritters in our house, and these ones are packed with protein from the cottage cheese. Serve them stacked with avo and bacon and you have one delicious breakfast, lunch or even dinner! Ready in 30 minutes, serves 4
Ingredients
2 eggs
400g can corn kernels, drained
250g cottage cheese 1⁄2 cup grated cheese
1⁄2 cup milk
1 spring onion, finely sliced 2 Tbsp chopped fresh parsley 11⁄2 cups self-raising flour salt and cracked black pepper, to taste
1 Tbsp olive oil
To serve:
250g streaky bacon, grilled or fried until crispy flesh of 2 avocados, sliced
1⁄2 cup sour cream
1⁄4 cup sweet chilli sauce
Method
Whisk the eggs in a large bowl. Stir in the corn, cottage cheese, cheese, milk, spring onion and parsley.
Add the flour and mix until there are no lumps. Season well with salt and pepper.
Heat the oil in a large nonstick frying pan over a medium heat.
Working in batches, add 1⁄4 cup scoops of mixture, spreading evenly to about 10 cm (4 in) in diameter.
Turn the fritters over when they are crisp and golden on the bottom. When both sides are cooked, remove from the pan and keep warm in the oven while you fry the next batch. You should have 12 fritters.
Stack 3 corn fritters on each plate. Serve topped with crispy bacon, sliced avocado, sour cream and sweet chilli sauce.
Tips and tricks
Chopped feta would work well as a substitute for grated cheese.
Leave out the bacon to make this a vegetarian meal.