It is the start of a new term and you have a whole lot of little lunch boxes to fill!
As schools reopen, it is totally understandable if you are feeling unprepared and or out of practice. There is a lot going on! But the last thing you need is a bunch of soggy sandwiches returning uneaten at the bottom of your kid's bag.
Here are a few delicious lunch box ideas to get you through the year.
Katsu Sando
Ingredients
2 slices white bread, lightly toasted
½ tbsp margarine
¼ tsp mustard
1 piece of pork or beef brisket
Pinch of salt and pepper
½ tbs Japanese mayonnaise
1 egg
1½ tbsp water
1 tbsp plain flour
½ cup Panko breadcrumbs
Vegetable oil for frying
1 tbsp Tonkatsu sauce
½ cup shredded cabbage
Method
Combine the mayonnaise, margarine, and mustard in a small mixing bowl and set aside.
Place the pork or beef on a chopping board and tenderise with a mallet. Shape the meat to the same size as the bread slice. Season meat with salt and pepper. Combine the egg and water in a medium mixing bowl and whisk.
Add flour and mix them all together to make a batter. Dip the meat into the batter, then coat in the breadcrumbs. Heat oil in a frying pan and fry the meat for about 8 – 10 minutes. Remove from the oil and place on kitchen paper to soak up any excess oil.
Spread the margarine, mayonnaise, and mustard mixture thinly and evenly on both slices of the toasted bread. Place ½ cup of shredded cabbage on one slice. Drizzle the Tonkatsu Sauce on top, then cover it with the meat.
Drizzle more sauce on top of the meat and cover it with the second slice of bread. Put a flat plate over the bread and place a weight on top for 5 minutes, so the bread soaks up the sauce. Remove the plate, cut it in half, and tuck it in!
To make Tonkatsu sauce, mix 8 tablespoon tomato sauce, 2 tablespoon soya sauce, 1 tablespoon brown sugar, 1 tablespoon Japanese sweet wine (mirin), 1½ teaspoon Worcestershire sauce, 1 tsp grated fresh ginger, 1 minced clove garlic. Whisk and let flavours blend for 30 minutes before use.
Blueberry oatmeal bites
Makes: 20
Ingredients
1 ripe banana
1 cup almond milk
1 large egg
⅓ cup pure maple syrup
1½ tsp pure vanilla extract
1 tbsp coconut oil (in liquid form)
1 tsp lemon zest
2 tsp lemon juice
2 cups gluten-free rolled oats
1 tsp ground cinnamon
½ tsp kosher salt
1 tsp baking powder
1 cup fresh blueberries (or berries of your choice)
1 tsp brown sugar (optional)
Method
Preheat the oven to 180°C. Spray a mini muffin tin with cooking spray.
Place the banana in a large bowl and mash well with a fork. Add the almond milk; egg; maple syrup; vanilla extract; coconut oil; lemon zest and juice, and whisk until smooth and well combined.
In a separate bowl, combine the oats, cinnamon, salt and baking powder. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and whisk to combine. Stir in the blueberries.
Spoon the oatmeal mixture into the prepared mini muffin tin, filling the wells almost to the top. You should have enough oatmeal for 20 bites.
Bake for 18-20 minutes until the oatmeal has set and the tops of the bites are lightly browned. (At this point you can simply let your bites cool, but I like to sprinkle the bites with a little brown sugar and then pop them under the grill for a couple minutes until they get nicely browned and crispy on top.)
Let the bites cool in the muffin tin for 10 minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely.
Refrigerate in an airtight container.
Recipes by Chef Charne Wylie.
Mediterranean pinwheels
Serves: 1
Ingredients
56g (about 1/4 cup) goat cheese or hummus
1 (25cm) flour tortilla or spinach tortilla
3 tbsp diced roasted red pepper
⅛ tsp dried dill
Method
In a small microwave-safe bowl, soften the goat cheese in the microwave on high power for 10 seconds (you may need another 10-second burst) to make it easy to spread. Spread the goat cheese over the tortilla, leaving about 0.5cm space around the edges.
Add the diced red pepper evenly across the goat cheese and sprinkle with the dill. Roll up the tortilla very tightly, especially as soon as you start rolling, to avoid a large gap in the centre.
Slice the wrap into 2cm pinwheels and serve.
Variation: To make a wrap, once you spread the goat cheese, scatter the roasted pepper and sprinkle with the dill, add ⅓ cup of canned, drained, and rinsed chickpeas mashed with ⅛ teaspoon fine sea salt.
Mix in 1 small handful of torn fresh herbs, such as chives or basil; spread this mixture over the pepper. Top with a handful of salad greens.
Fold the bottom of the tortilla over half of the filling, then tuck it around and underneath the filling, forming a tight roll. Fold in each side of the tortilla, then roll it up from the bottom. Cut the wrap in half and serve.
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