Lunch-box inspiration

Banish lunch-box blues with these healthy, back-to-school treats kids will enjoy eating, writes DOMINI KEMP

FOR THE DEDICATED lunch-maker, I’ve put together a few recipes that may give you some inspiration for creating exotic delights for the lunch box or flask. But believe me when I say that if my daughter could have her way, her lunch choice would be white bread with Nutella as opposed to anything on these pages, so don’t feel bad if these never make it into school. You can pick and choose bits that you like: maybe make the chicken tandoori for dinner and use leftovers to stuff into pitta bread. Then make the crunchy chickpeas and chuck them into a wrap with avocado, lettuce and tomato, instead of making the whole lot in one go. This soup is great for lunch or dinner and works well, glugged straight from a flask.

Carrot, ginger and turmeric soup

You need a hand blender or something similar to purée the soup. Turmeric is great stuff: anti-inflammatory and oh-so-good for you, as are ginger and garlic.

Good glug of olive oil

2 onions, peeled and chopped

6 cloves of garlic, peeled and sliced

Big knob of ginger, peeled and sliced

2 tsp turmeric

Black pepper

About 1.25kg carrots, peeled and chopped

1.25 litres of water

Salt and pepper

Heat the olive oil in a big saucepan. Sweat the onions, garlic, ginger, turmeric and black pepper. After a few minutes, add the chopped carrots and sweat to get the flavours going. Add the water. Simmer gently until the carrots are tender. Allow the soup to cool slightly, then whizz until smooth. Season and serve, or cool down to room temperature. This keeps refrigerated for two to three days.

Tandoori chicken

This isn’t exactly authentic, but it’s handy to make a big batch for dinner and use the leftovers for sandwiches and wraps.

6 cloves of garlic, peeled and crushed

Big knob of ginger, peeled and finely chopped

2 tbsp olive oil

2 tbsp garam masala

2 tsp ground cumin

Good pinch chilli flakes

500g plain yoghurt

2 tsp salt

Juice from 2 limes

6 skinless chicken breasts

Sweat the garlic and ginger in the olive oil. After a few minutes, add the spices. Cook for a few minutes to get the flavours going and then turn off the heat and allow this to cool down fully before mixing with the yoghurt, salt and lime juice. Slice the chicken into strips and marinate it in the yoghurt mix for 10 minutes. Cook in a hot oven 180 degrees/gas mark four for about 10-15 minutes, turning halfway through. Better still, cook under a hot grill so that the chicken gets all charred. You have to turn the pieces over regularly so that it gets evenly cooked. The chicken has a tendency to stew in the oven, so the grill works well, or a combination of the two.

Serve for dinner or allow it to cool down and refrigerate and use in wraps with avocado, lettuce, tomato and some of the chickpeas from the next recipe.

Crunchy chickpeas

These are very moreish and if you can get the kids on board with these as a snack, you may even be able to wrangle the crisps away.

1 tin of chickpeas, drained and rinsed

Splash olive oil

Good pinch of dried rosemary or thyme

Good pinch of coriander seeds

Good pinch of smoked sweet paprika

Good pinch of turmeric

Salt and pepper

Preheat an oven to 220 degrees/gas mark seven. Toss the chickpeas around in a roasting tin with the rest of the ingredients. Get them well coated and then roast in the oven for 15 minutes or so until golden, crunchy and well coated in the seasonings. Serve warm or cool (they do go a bit soggy, but are still very tasty) and stuff in sandwiches or eat as a snack.

Apple and pear muffins

These are so lazy, you make them with puréed baby food. But they are quite healthy. Based on a Sophie Dahl recipe.

2 tsp of baking powder

1 tsp bicarbonate of soda

150g wholewheat spelt flour

150g oats

Approx 2 x 100g packs of baby food (pear and apple is great)

4 egg whites, lightly beaten

125ml natural yoghurt

200g agave syrup

1 apple or pear, peeled and diced

100g raisins

Preheat an oven to 190 degrees/gas mark five. Grease a muffin tray or, better yet, use one of those bendy, silicone muffin trays.

Mix all the dry ingredients together, then chuck in everything else. Mix thoroughly but briefly. Spoon into muffin cases or directly into non-stick muffin tins and bake for 25 minutes, or until golden brown. A skewer should come out clean. Eat on the day of making – these don’t improve with age.

See also itsa.ie

DOMINI KEMP recommends . . . Ó hArtagáin wholegrain bread, available from small independent retailers, is well worth buying. Delicious toasted with some hummus or as they recommend, fried in a little olive oil and topped with a fried egg. Yum