Veggie Burgers

These easy tofu and veggie burgers freeze well and are great for getting loads of veggies into your kids whilst letting them believe they're getting "junk" food ;) My two like these burgers with sliced cheese, lettuce and pineapple and homemade kumara chips on the side.  Yum.

Below are the rough weights and types of veggies I use - but I tend to add whatever we have lurking in the bottom of the veggie drawer in the fridge as this is a good way to use them up.

Veggie Burgers

Makes 8 - 10 burger patties

1 tablespoon butter

200gm mushrooms, chopped

1/2 onion, finely chopped

2 cloves garlic, crushed

1 carrot, grated

100gm steamed broccoli

1/2 red capsicum, chopped

100gm unsalted raw cashews, finely chopped

1 package firm tofu (approx 290gm) - available in the chiller (fresh) at the supermarket or in the Japanese food aisle (long life)

Breadcrumbs from 2-3 slices of whole grain bread 

1 tablespoon tomato sauce

Flour for coating burgers

Olive oil spray for frying

Melt butter over medium heat in frying pan, add chopped mushrooms and sauté for 3-4 minutes until they're just tender.  Allow to cool slightly then transfer to food processor with remaining ingredients and blitz until well combined.  If you don't have a food processor, you can do this by hand but will need to chop all the ingredients very finely before you mix them in a large bowl.

Form into 8 - 10 burgers around the size of the palm of your hand.  Coat each burger lightly with flour before frying them over a medium heat until both sides are golden brown.

Freeze cooked patties by allowing them to cool and separating with baking paper and sealing in ziploc bags or an airtight container.

Easy pasta bake

A very easy post-swim tea for the kids (and us!) last night..

Cook half a 500gm bag of pasta to package directions.

Meanwhile drain two tins of tuna in water (or one large one). Grate about 1 1/2 cups of cheese and one carrot, set aside.

In a saucepan, make a basic white sauce:
1 tablespoon plain flour
1 tablespoon butter (or spread)
1 - 2 cups of your usual milk

Over a medium heat, make a roux with the flour and butter. Slowly add milk, a small amount at a time, stirring to incorporate into the flour and butter. Get rid of all lumps before adding next bit of milk. I usually use more milk than recipes suggest, only because I'm lazy! But it works if you add SLOWLY and keep stirring. When you have as much white sauce as you need, take it off the heat and add half the grated cheese. Add the flaked tuna to the cheese sauce. You can add some cooked mixed veges at this stage if you like.

Layer the cooked pasta at the bottom of an oven proof dish. Put the tuna and cheese sauce mixture on top of the pasta.

Next mix 1 cup panko breadcrumbs, grated carrot and remaining grated cheese. Sprinkle on top of the tuna in a thick layer. Bake at 180C for 10 minutes and then move to the top of the oven and grill for 5 - 10 mins until crumbs are golden and cheese is sizzling.