Nor'West News: June 16, 2022

12
Food tastes very
important for
young ones
HOME & HEATING
Thursday June 16 2022
Keep cosy with
RD Petroleum
this winter
Food writer Nadia Lim’s latest book YUM! is all about
helping parents show their children that food is fun, good
for them and part of family time. She is joined by cook
Annabel Inglis and paediatric dietitians Jenny Douglas and
Lisa Daniels to ensure the recipes pack in the goodness,
but are still appealing to children and their parents.
Carrot & Feijoa Mini Muffins
Makes 24
Subtly sweetened with just carrot and
fruit, these muffins are perfect for baby-led
weaning. They also make a great portable
snack for toddlers when you are out and
about. If it’s not feijoa season, you can use
one small (227g-235g) can of crushed pineapple
in natural juice (drain well first).
Ingredients
1¼ cups plain flour
3 tsp baking powder
½ tsp ground cinnamon or mixed spice
¾ cup finely grated carrot
1 free-range egg, lightly whisked (or 1
flax egg)
1 tsp vanilla essence or extract
¼ cup natural unsweetened yoghurt
¾ cup mashed ripe banana
75g butter, melted
¼ cup finely diced feijoa flesh
Directions
Preheat oven to 200degC. Grease a 24-hole
mini muffin tin.
Sift flour, baking powder and cinnamon/
mixed spice into a large bowl. Loosely toss
through grated carrot using your hands.
In another bowl, whisk egg, vanilla,
yoghurt, banana and butter until well
combined. Stir through feijoa.
Make a well in the dry ingredients and
add the wet ingredients. Stir until just
combined – do not overmix (to ensure a
lighter muffin).
Spoon batter into the muffin tin holes,
dividing equally – you can fill them to
the brim. Bake for 15-20 minutes until
light golden and muffins spring back
when lightly pressed in the centre. Leave
in the tin for 5 minutes before removing
and transferring to a wire rack to cool
completely.
Note: The muffins will keep in an airtight
container in the fridge for up to two days,
or in the freezer for up to two months.
Green Pikelets
Makes 14
These green pikelets are perfect as an
introduction to baby-led weaning with
their soft and mushy texture. Exposing
baby to bitter tastes, such as broccoli and
spinach, without the inclusion of sweeter
vegetables, encourages baby to become
accustomed to more savoury tastes.
Ingredients
½ large head broccoli
1 large handful spinach (tough stalk
removed) or baby spinach
3 free-range eggs
½ cup fortified baby rice cereal
olive oil, for frying
Directions
PHOTO: MATT QUEREE
AND ISABELLA HARREX
Cut broccoli into florets and discard the
stalk. Place in a food processor and blitz
until very finely chopped. You need 1 cup
for this recipe; measure to check you have
the correct amount and return to the food
processor. Add spinach, eggs and baby rice
and process until smooth.
Heat a drizzle of oil in a large cast-iron or
non-stick fry pan on a medium heat.
Cook pikelets in two batches. Add
tablespoons of mixture to the pan and
cook for 2-3 minutes on one side, before
using a fish slice to carefully flip over and
cook on the other side, until set and lightly
browned. Add a little more oil between
batches as needed. Serve warm or cold.
Tip: These will keep for 1-2 days in a
sealed container in the fridge. Alternatively,
you can freeze by storing in a sealed
container or ziplock bag, separating
pikelets between layers of baking paper to
prevent them sticking together.
RD Petroleum (RDP) is a familiar sight
for farm and rural residents around the
Canterbury region, however now days urban
residents also enjoy the same excellent
customer service for which RDP is known for
in rural communities, through their home
heating diesel.
RDP began its home heating diesel delivery
service to the lower South Island’s main urban
centres of Christchurch, Timaru, Dunedin
and Invercargill a number of years ago.
Customer demand has continued to increase
year upon year, and RDP has responded
with specialised improvements to its delivery
equipment.
The trucks that deliver RDP’s home heating
diesel in each urban centre are drawn from
the company’s extensive vehicle fleet. This
means they have the latest communication
and GPS tracking technology on board, so
the operations team always know where they
are and how far away they are from their next
delivery stop.
RDP’s home heating diesel trucks come
equipped with a specially-designed hose,
through which the diesel is pumped from
the truck into house tanks. The length of
the hose allows the trucks to access tanks
without having to enter the property, avoiding
damaging the driveway. RDP is the place to
go if you require diesel conveniently delivered
to your home and as a loyal RDP customer
you’re offered discounted pricing and can
become eligible for value-added benefits.
For all enquiries please phone
0800 44 00 14, or visit the RDP website at
https://www.rdp.co.nz/home-heating or
signup at apply.rdp.co.nz/home-heating