Cooking for the family is not always an easy job. Since the birth of my children, I have been dealing with this topic very intensively. Since both of mine eat well and happily, and it often became too bland for me too, I have become adventurous. Why always just rice and pasta? What other possibilities are there? Yes, and after the cashier at the supermarket checkout asked me the other day what I was doing with the red lentils, I got the idea for this article. I would like to introduce a few new and really good foods here that should definitely be tried:
Here you will find a selection of cookbooks for toddlers
Couscous
This has become one of my favorite grains because it is really ready in a flash. It only needs a little hot water and swells up nicely.
My favorite quick dish with couscous:
Red white green couscous
Ingredients for 4 people
Ingredients:
- 400 ml vegetable broth
- 250 g couscous
- 2-3 bell peppers, chopped
- 1 package feta cheese
- Salt
- Pepper
- 2-3 tbsp olive oil
- 9 tbsp lemon juice
- 1 box of cress
Preparation:
Bring the vegetable broth to a boil and pour it over the couscous – simply let it swell. In the meantime, chop the bell pepper. Heat the oil in the pan and sauté the bell pepper for a few minutes over medium heat, add the couscous and the feta cheese and continue to fry until the cheese is nice and soft. Now season with salt, pepper, and lemon juice and serve immediately.
I always add the cress to the couscous dish at the table in front of my children's eyes. It's always like show-cooking for the children; they are fascinated when I cut the cress with scissors and want lots and lots of cress. This is a healthy quick dish for toddlers.
Extra info: Bell pepper provides valuable vitamin C, feta cheese protein, couscous carbohydrates, and cress stimulates the stomach and organism.
Red lentils
I used to always take brown lentils and make traditional lentils with bacon and dumplings. But there is much more to discover with lentils. For example, lentils do not have to be soaked; it is enough if they are cooked for 45 minutes, then they are just as soft. In any case, they should be washed once before use. Lentils are also really good and quickly made as a salad.
My favorite recipe with red lentils:
Red lentil stew with sausages
Serves 3-4 people
Ingredients:
- 1 onion, finely chopped
- 1 clove of garlic – finely chopped or pressed
- 1 tbsp oil
- 200 g red lentils
- 1/2 l vegetable broth
- 300 g potatoes, finely chopped
- 300 g carrots, finely chopped (I often use frozen carrots)
- 1 can of tomatoes (800 g), preferably chopped tomatoes
- Salt, pepper, dried marjoram
- 150 g mini cabanossi, or frankfurters, etc.
- a little sour cream
Preparation:
Sauté the onion and garlic a little in hot oil, then add the lentils and pour in the broth, add the carrots and potatoes, as well as the can of tomatoes, and let everything simmer for 30 minutes over medium heat – be careful, the mixture burns easily, stir again and again! When to add the sausages depends on which ones you use: the frankfurters only need to simmer for about 5 minutes, I always add the cabanossi at the beginning.
Millet
Embarrassing but true, I had never eaten this grain before, even though it is the oldest grain. It is also important here to wash it hot beforehand so that the bitter substances escape. You don't need to soak millet beforehand either, cook for 45 minutes and it's done.
My favorite recipe with millet: Millet stew
serves 3-4 portions
Ingredients:
- 1 bunch of soup vegetables
- 1 tbsp oil
- 200 g minced meat
- 440 g millet
- 1 L vegetable broth
- Salt, pepper, a little orange juice
- 100 g sour cream
- 2 tsp curry powder
Preparation:
Wash and finely chop the soup vegetables, and pour hot water over the millet in a sieve. Heat the oil in a pot and fry the ground meat until crumbly. Add the vegetables and continue frying until the meat turns brown. Then add the millet and the broth. Let everything simmer over low heat for about 25 minutes (it burns easily, so stir again and again!). Finally, season to taste with pepper, salt, and orange juice. Mix the sour cream with the curry powder and serve with the millet stew!
Extra info: Millet and meat provide iron, which can be absorbed even better by the vitamin C in the orange juice!
Bulgur
I only knew bulgur by hearsay, so I was all the more surprised at how good it tastes!
My favorite quick dish with bulgur:
Bulgur as a salad
Ingredients for 4 people
Ingredients:
- 250 g bulgur
- 0.5 l vegetable broth
- 1 tbsp oil
- 1 onion
- 3 cloves of garlic
- 1 red bell pepper
- 2 carrots
- 3 tbsp ajvar (mild)
- 2 tbsp tomato paste
- 3 tbsp olive oil
- 2 tbsp lemon juice
- 0.5 bunch of parsley
- Salt & pepper
- 1 tsp paprika powder
- 1 pomegranate
- 2 tomatoes
Instructions:
Place the bulgur in a bowl and pour the hot vegetable broth over it, let it soak for 20-25 minutes until the bulgur has absorbed all the liquid. Cut the bell pepper and carrots into small pieces, cubes, or slices.
Meanwhile, heat 1 tbsp of oil in a pan and sauté the onion and the diced bell pepper for approx. 3 minutes. Finally, add the garlic and sauté for another minute. Set the whole thing aside.
Now mix the Ajvar and tomato paste into the bulgur, then stir in the sautéed vegetables.
Mix the 3 tbsp of oil and lemon juice, season with salt, pepper, and paprika powder. Pour the dressing over the bulgur.
Furthermore, chop the parsley finely and mix it into the salad. Decorate the salad with the pomegranate seeds and sliced tomatoes.
The salad can be enjoyed immediately, but it tastes even better if you let it sit for a few hours. We like to eat the salad warm.
Quinoa
I shouldn't take credit for this, because my husband first brought me a bag of quinoa. As a result, I immediately went looking for a delicious (and of course quick) recipe and promptly found what I was looking for on the Internet:
My favorite quick dish with quinoa:
Vegan vegetable quinoa bowl
- 1 onion, finely chopped
- 3 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
- 3 tbsp coconut oil
- Curry powder (mild)
- 1 package frozen soybeans
- 4 carrots, sliced
- 250 g quinoa or bulgur
- 1–2 broccoli heads (of course, frozen is also possible)
- 4 dates, finely chopped
- Pistachios
- Cashew nuts
- Soy sauce
- Salt
Instructions:
Remove the broccoli florets from the stalk and cook them in a pot of boiling salted water for a few minutes until tender-crisp. In another pot of boiling salted water, cook the quinoa or bulgur until soft according to the package instructions. I always add the finely chopped carrots directly to the pot with the bulgur/quinoa as well. If you like, you can of course also steam them separately in a little water until soft. Crush the pistachios and cashews a little in a mortar. If you don’t have one, simply take a bag and a heavy object (e.g. a rolling pin) and crush them that way.
In a pan, lightly sauté the coconut oil with the chopped onion and garlic, as well as the soybeans. Season with curry. Now mix together the vegetables and the quinoa, then season again with curry and soy sauce to taste. I put everything into a nice large bowl, top it with the dates and cashews, as well as pistachios, and place the large bowl on the table so everyone can help themselves. For seasoning, curry and soy sauce, plus more nuts and pistachios for anyone who wants more.
We all like it very much—even our children do (I was honestly surprised). In the picture, I didn’t have enough quinoa left, so I even mixed it with bulgur. It tastes great too.
Extra tip: Of course, you can swap out the vegetables if, for example, broccoli or carrots aren’t very popular at the moment. You can try cauliflower, zucchini, mushrooms, or Brussels sprouts here.
Ebly
Ebly can also be cooked wonderfully quickly on the side and always served in new ways. I use it very often as a side dish for fish and meat.
My favorite quick dish with Ebly:
Ebly with egg and vegetables
Ingredients for 4 people
Ingredients:
- 250 g Ebly
- 1 bouillon cube
- 1 zucchini
- 3 carrots
- 4 tbsp olive oil
- 1 bunch of spring onions
- 4 eggs
- Salt, pepper, 2-3 tsp lemon juice
Cook the Ebly in hot water with the bouillon cube for about 10-12 minutes (we like it softer) until soft. Wash and chop the zucchini, carrots, and spring onions. Briefly sauté the carrots and zucchini in hot oil, then continue to steam covered for about 5 minutes. Whisk the eggs with salt and pepper. Add the well-drained Ebly to the vegetables and fry while stirring for about 2 minutes, add the onions and fry together for another 2 minutes. Finally, add the eggs and let them set, season with salt, pepper, and lemon juice.
Here you will find a selection of cookbooks for toddlers
Well, did I whet your appetite? I'm glad, and if you have any other ideas or tips, just send me an email or a comment!
Photos by Sabine, meinhaushalt.at
Read also: Couscous Salad with Chickpeas
