C4K Muesli Bars
Makes: approximately 20 bars

Ingredients:

• 2 cups rolled oats
• 1 cup rice bubbles or rice krispies
• 1 cup sultanas
• 1/2 cup chopped dried apricots
• 1/2 cup dried berried (goji berries & cranberries used in the picture)
• 1 cup mixed seed (chia, sesame & flaxseed used in the picture)
• 3/4 wholemeal SR flour
• 250ml honey
• 150ml coconut oil or melted butter

Method:

• Preheat oven to 180 degrees Celsius and prepare a brownie tin by lining and greasing.
• Mix all cereals, fruit and seeds into a mixing bowl and combine well, add in the SR flour until completely coated.
• Heat the honey and coconut oil over gentle heat until starting to slightly bubble, once bubbling stir through the dry mixture until well combined and coming together.
• Place the mixture into the prepared brownie tin.
• Once you have filled the tin use the base of drinking glass to press down to compact all ingredients into the tin.
• Bake for 35-30 minutes or until slightly golden on top, remove from oven.
• Leave in tin for at least 10 minutes before moving to a cooling rack.
• Allow to be completely cooled and set before cutting and cut with a very sharp and hot knife for the most crumble free outcome.

Recipe Notes:

• Store in an airtight container for a maximum of 5 days
• This recipe is freezer friendly

Disclaimer: C4K Kitchen does not hold any responsibility for the consumer using this recipe including the storage guidelines and time frames recommended in the recipe notes.  The consumer holds all responsibilities to ensure that food hygiene and safety standards are adhered to.

C4K Lasagne
Serves: 6

Meat Sauce Ingredients:

• 500g minced meat (beef, pork or a combination)
• 1 tablespoon minced garlic
• 1/2 teaspoon onion salt
• 1/2 teaspoon celery salt
• 1 onion, finely diced
• 1 stalk celery, finely diced
• 1 carrot, grated
• 1 zucchini grated
• 100g sweet potato, grated
• 1 portion of C4K Kitchen’s Mumma’s Magic Sauce
• 1 box dry lasagne sheets

White Sauce Ingredients:

• 1/2 head cauliflower
• 1 cup natural yoghurt
• 1/2 cup light sour cream
• 1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 1/2 cup grated cheese

Meat Sauce Method:

• Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a large heavy based frying pan add in the garlic, salts, onion and celery into the frying pan and sauté for 2 minutes until the onion starts to soften
• Add in the mince meat, using your wooden spoon to break up the mince as you brown it off for about 5 minutes
• Add in the MMS and the grated vegetables and simmer for about 10 minutes until the grated vegetables have softened.

White Sauce Method:

• Remove the leaves from the cauliflower and cut into small chunks, stem included and either boil or steam until full cooked through.
• Puree the cauliflower and then stir through the yoghurt, sour cream, salt, garlic powder and parmesan cheese until well combined.

Lasagne Construction:

• Preheat your oven to 180 degrees Celsius.
• Place 1/4 of the meat mixture into the base of an oven proof lasagne dish and spread evenly, then cover fully with the dried lasagne sheets, you may need to crack some of the sheets to ensure the mince mixture is completely covered.
• Cover the lasagne sheets with 1/4 of the white sauce mixture and spread evenly.
• Repeat with the remaining mixtures of; meat; pasta; white sauce finally finishing with a layer of the white sauce.
• Evenly sprinkle the tasty cheese over the top of the lasagne.
• Bake in the oven for 20-25 minutes until the cheese is golden brown and the lasagne sheets are soft.

Slow Cooker Method:

• Prepare the meat sauce and white sauce as described above
• Place 1/4 of the meat mixture into the base of slow cooker bowl and spread evenly, then cover fully with the dried lasagne sheets, you may need to crack some of the sheets to ensure the mince mixture is completely covered.
• Cover the lasagne sheets with 1/4 of the white sauce mixture and spread evenly.
• Repeat with the remaining mixtures of; meat; pasta; white sauce finally finishing with a layer of the white sauce.
• Evenly sprinkle the tasty cheese over the top of the lasagne.
• Place a clean tea towel over the top of the bowl and then place on the lid.
• Cook on LOW for 4-6 hours or HIGH for 2-3 hours.
• What is the benefit of SCing a lasagne? It delivers the flavour profile of a next day lasagne with the delicious same day freshness.

Recipe Notes:

• Store covered in the fridge for a maximum of 3 days
• This recipe is freezer friendly to be consumed within 3 months

Disclaimer: C4K Kitchen does not hold any responsibility for the consumer using this recipe including the storage guidelines and time frames recommended in the recipe notes.  The consumer holds all responsibilities to ensure that food hygiene and safety standards are adhered to.

C4K Cutter Cookies
Makes approximately 120 mini cookies (amount will vary depending on cookie cutter size)

Ingredients:

• 75g butter, softened
• 1/2 cup caster sugar
• 1 egg
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla essence
• 3/4 cup plain flour
• 3/4 cup SR flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 tablespoon custard powder
• 1 tablespoon milk

Method:

• Using electric beaters or mix master cream the butter and sugar until the butter has light and fluff
• Add in the vanilla and the egg and beat for another minute until well combined
• Add in both flours and the baking powder gradually and beat on a low speed scraping down the sides to ensure the butter mix is being well combined.
• Lastly add in the milk and beat on medium speed for 1-2 minutes until the mix resembles clumpy wet sand.
• Turn the mixture out onto a sheet of baking paper and gently knead the mixture until it comes together to form a smooth ball of dough. Separate the mixture into 2 or 3 sections to make it easier to work with. Loosely cover the un-used portions with some plastic wrap so they do not dry out
• Place a piece of baking paper over the top of the dough you are working with and use a rolling pin on top of the baking paper to roll it out to the desired thickness, picture shown is about 2mm thick.
• Remove the top sheet of baking paper and place it on a baking tray.
• Use your cookie cutters of your choice across the entire rolled out section of dough and very gently transfer the cookies to the sheet on the baking tray. Knead the remaining dough and repeat the process of rolling out the dough between baking paper and cutting the cookies out and transferring to the baking sheet until all the dough is used
• Place the baking tray in the fridge for 30 minutes to allow the cookies to cool, this is an important step as it helps give the cookies a crisp ness that kids love.
• Preheat the oven (again this is important due to the short cooking time) to 180 degrees Celsius and once oven is hot take the oven trays from the fridge and place them directly in the oven and cook the biscuits for 8 minutes. The cooking time will vary depending on the size and thickness of your cookies but 8 minutes is perfect for tiny teddy size.

Recipe Notes:

• Store in an airtight container or airtight storage containers for a maximum of 2 weeks
• This recipe is only freezer friendly to freeze the dough

Disclaimer: C4K Kitchen does not hold any responsibility for the consumer using this recipe including the storage guidelines and time frames recommended in the recipe notes.  The consumer holds all responsibilities to ensure that food hygiene and safety standards are adhered to.

C4K Chocolate Cutter Cookies
Makes: approximately 120 mini cookies (yield depends on cookie cutter size)

Ingredients:

• 75g butter, softened
• 1/2 cup caster sugar
• 1 egg
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla essence
• 3/4 cup plain flour
• 3/4 cup SR flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1 tablespoon milk

Method:

• Using electric beaters or mix master cream the butter and sugar until the butter is light and fluff.
• Add in the vanilla and the egg and beat for another minute until well combined.
• Add in both flours, cocoa and the baking powder gradually and beat on a low speed scraping down the sides to ensure the butter mix is being well combined.
• Lastly add in the milk and beat on medium speed for 1-2 minutes until the mix resembles clumpy wet sand.
• Turn the mixture out onto a sheet of baking paper and gently knead the mixture until it comes together to form a smooth ball of dough, separate the mixture into 2 or 3 sections to make it easier to work with. Loosely cover the un-used portions with some plastic wrap so they do not dry out.
• Place a piece of baking paper over the top of the dough you are working with and use a rolling pin on top of the baking paper to roll it out to the desired thickness, picture shown is about 2mm thick.
• Remove the top sheet of baking paper and place it on a baking tray.
•  Use your cookie cutters of your choice across the entire rolled out section of dough and very gently transfer the cookies to the sheet on the baking tray. Knead the remaining dough and repeat the process of rolling out the dough between baking paper and cutting the cookies out and transferring to the baking sheet until all the dough is used.
• Place the baking tray in the fridge for 30 minutes to allow the cookies to cool, this is an important step as it helps give the cookies a crisp ness that kids love.
• Preheat the oven (again this is important due to the short cooking time) to 180 degrees Celsius and once oven is hot take the oven trays from the fridge and place them directly in the oven and cook the biscuits for 8 minutes. The cooking time will vary depending on the size and thickness of your cookies but 8 minutes is perfect for tiny teddy size.

Recipe Notes:

• Store in an airtight container or airtight bags for a maximum of 2 weeks
• This recipe is freezer friendly for the uncooked cookie dough.

Disclaimer: C4K Kitchen does not hold any responsibility for the consumer using this recipe including the storage guidelines and time frames recommended in the recipe notes.  The consumer holds all responsibilities to ensure that food hygiene and safety standards are adhered to.

C4K Celebration Cookies
Makes: approximately 48 cookies (depending on size of cookie cutter)

Cookie Ingredients:

• 210g butter
• 150g caster sugar
• 50g icing sugar
• 1 egg, lightly beaten
• 400g plain flour

Icing Ingredients:

• 1 egg white
• 1/2 teaspoon lemon juice
• 1 1/2 cups sifted icing sugar

Cookie Method:

• Using an electric mixer cream the butter and the caster sugar together, continue to mix until it turns to a creamy texture.
• Add in the icing sugar and the beat and turn the mixer on until well combined.
• At the lowest possible speed, add in the egg and mix well then gradually add in the flour until a dough is formed.
• Gather the dough up into a ball and wrap in glad wrap and chill in the fridge for a minimum of 1 hour.
• Preheat your oven to 180 degrees Celsius and line 2 baking trays with baking paper.
• Place the dough onto a lightly floured bench and briefly knead until it because more flexible. Use a lightly floured rolling pin to roll out the dough to an even thickness.
• Use your chosen cookie cutters to cut as many as you can and use a cake spatula (or butter knife) to lay them on a glad bake lined cooking tray.
• Re-knead the remaining dough, roll and cut until all the dough is used.
• Place the entire tray uncovered in the fridge for 10 minutes and then bake for 6-10 minutes (depending on size and thickness) until slightly golden.
• Leave to cool on a wire rack completely before you decorate them

Icing Method:

• Lightly whisk the egg white and the lemon juice together in a bowl, gradually add icing sugar, whisking until smooth and combined.
• Colour the icing using the food colouring of your choice.
• Spread over the cookies and decorate however you like.
• Allow at least 1 hour for the icing to set before storing in an air tight container.

Recipe Notes:

• Store in an airtight container for a maximum of 2 weeks
• This recipe is not freezer friendly.

Disclaimer: C4K Kitchen does not hold any responsibility for the consumer using this recipe including the storage guidelines and time frames recommended in the recipe notes.  The consumer holds all responsibilities to ensure that food hygiene and safety standards are adhered to.

C4K Apricot Fruit Bars
Makes: approximately 24 bars

Ingredients:

• 200g dried apricots
• 1 cup orange juice or apricot nectar
• 1 1/2 cup rolled oats
• 1 1/2 cup desiccated coconut
• 1/4 cup flaxseed
• 1/4 cup chia seeds
• 1/4 cup coconut oil or butter, melted

Method:

• Place the dried apricots in a bowl and cover with the orange juice and soak overnight.
• Drain the juice from the apricots and place the soaked apricots and 1 tablespoon of the soaking juices into a food processor and process until smooth. Do not discard the remaining juice as it may be required.
• Add the oats to the food processor and continue to blend until smooth, repeat with all ingredients one by one.
• Add any small portions of the soaking juice as required to bring the mixture together if it is too dry.
• Once complete spread the mixture into a glad wrap lined brownie tin and refrigerate overnight.
• Cut into fruit bars or fruit squares.

Thermo Cooking Method:

• Place the dried apricots in a bowl and cover with the orange juice and soak overnight.
• Drain the juice from the apricots and place the soaked apricots and 1 tablespoon of the soaking juices into your thermo bowl. Do not discard the remaining juice as it may be required.
• Add all the remaining ingredients into the thermo bowl and blend on Speed 6 for 30 second.
• Scrape down the side of the thermo bowl with a spatula and add small portions of the soaking juice as required to bring the mixture together if it is too dry.
• Blend on Speed 10 for 5 seconds.
• Once complete spread the mixture into a glad wrap lined brownie tin and refrigerate overnight.
• Cut into fruit bars or fruit squares.

Recipe Notes:

• Store in an airtight container below 27 degrees for the maximum of 7 days
• This recipe is freezer friendly.

Disclaimer: C4K Kitchen does not hold any responsibility for the consumer using this recipe including the storage guidelines and time frames recommended in the recipe notes.  The consumer holds all responsibilities to ensure that food hygiene and safety standards are adhered to.

Baked Meatloaf
Serves: 6-8

Ingredients:

• 500g lean beef mince
• 500g sausage mince
• 1 onion, finely diced
• 2 carrots, grated
• 1 zucchini, grated
• 1 stalk celery, finely diced
• 1/2 leek, finely chopped
• 1 tablespoon minced garlic
• 3 eggs
• 200g stuffing mix (or breadcrumbs)
• 1 portion of C4K Kitchen’s Mumma’s Magic Sauce
• 1/2 cup chicken of beef stock

Method:

• Combine minces, all grated and diced vegetables, garlic, stuffing mix and eggs into a large mixing bowl, use your hands to mix all ingredients until well combined.
• Once combined shape the mixture into a log shape and place in an oven proof dish with raised sides.
• Pour the MMS and stock over the meatloaf and gently roll the meatloaf so coated.
• Cook in a 150 degree Celsius oven for 75-90 minutes, until cooked through.
• Serve with the meatloaf in slices topped with the sauce that the meatloaf was cooked in with the sides of mashed potatoes and steamed vegetables.

Slow Cooker Method:

• Combine minces, all grated and diced vegetables, garlic, stuffing mix and eggs into a large mixing bowl, use your hands to mix all ingredients until well combined.
• Once combined shape the mixture into a log shape and place in an oven proof dish with raised sides.
• Pour the MMS and stock over the meatloaf and gently roll the meatloaf so coated.
• Cook on LOW for 6-8 hours or HIGH for 3-4 hours, you can tell it is ready when the meat is tender and almost falling apart when touched.
• Serve with the meatloaf in slices topped with the sauce that the meatloaf was cooked in with the sides of mashed potatoes and steamed vegetables.

Recipe Note:

• This recipe is best served in thick slices using a spatula or egg slide to plate as opposed to tongs as it a soft and tender meatloaf.
• This recipe is also delicious as meatballs baked in MMS instead of meatloaf.
• Store covered in the fridge for a maximum of 3 days
• This recipe is freezer friendly, to be consumed within 3 months

Disclaimer: C4K Kitchen does not hold any responsibility for the consumer using this recipe including the storage guidelines and time frames recommended in the recipe notes.  The consumer holds all responsibilities to ensure that food hygiene and safety standards are adhered to.

Mumma’s Magic Sauce
Mumma’s Magic Sauce which is also fondly referred to as MMS is a great staple sauce to have in your fridge and freezer at home instead of using store bought jar sauces and has the hidden addition of lots of hidden vegetables in the sauce that even the fussiest eater will never see.
Makes: 8 portions of 750-800ml per portion

Ingredients:

• 680ml bottle Tomato Passata (or tomato puree)
• 2 x 400ml cans whole peeled tomatoes
• 1 x 400ml can whole peeled cherry tomatoes
• 4 celery stalks
• 1 leek
• 2 onions
• 4 carrots
• 250g pumpkin
• 250g sweet potato
• 1/2 head cauliflower
• 1/2 head broccoli
• 2 zucchinis
• 1 red capsicum
• 2 tablespoons minced garlic or 6 garlic cloves
• 1 tablespoon mixed herbs
• 2 bay leaves
• 2 tablespoons chicken or vegetable stock powder

Method:

• Prepare all vegetables as required and cut roughly into about 3cm chunks.
• Place them into a large stock or soup pot and cover with the passata and canned tomatoes.
• Add in the garlic, herbs and stock powder than top up with enough water to just covered the vegetables.
• Bring the pot to the boil, then place the lid on the pot and reduce the heat to low and simmer for 60-90 minutes.
• To cook in the slow cooker cook on LOW for 6-8 hours or HIGH for 3-4 hours.
• Remove the Bay leaves, allow the sauce to cool slightly then use a stick blender to process the sauce until
• you have a smooth consistency

Thermo Cooking Mumma’s Magic Sauce
Makes: 3 portions of 750-800ml

Ingredients:

• 680ml bottle Tomato passata (or tomato puree)
• 200g carrots
• 200g zucchini
• 200g cauliflower
• 1 red capsicum
• 1 onion
• 1/2 leek
• 2 celery stalks
• 1 teaspoon celery salt
• 1 teaspoon chicken stock
• 1 tablespoon minced garlic (or 2 garlic cloves)
• 2 teaspoons mixed herbs

Method:

• Add in one vegetable at a time pulsing a couple time to chop the vegetables, repeat until all vegetables are chopped
• Add in the tomato passata and all remaining ingredients
• Cook on Speed 1, 100 degrees for 10 minutes
• Cook on Speed 2, 90 degrees for 15 minutes
• Allow to cool for 10 minutes (this step is essential otherwise you will be cleaning up a BIG mess)
• Blend on Speed 6 for 30 seconds, use a spatula to wipe down the sides of the thermo bowl
• Blend on Speed 10 for 7 seconds

Recipe Notes

To use fresh tomatoes instead of bottled and canned tomatoes use the following quantities:

• 680ml bottle tomato passata you need 1.5kg of fresh tomatoes
• 400ml can whole peeled tomatoes you need 800g of fresh tomatoes
• 400ml can whole peeled cherry tomatoes you need one punnet of cherry tomatoes
• You will need to taste as the sauce can be bitter depending on the ripeness of the tomatoes, to overcome the bitterness you can add in 2 grated apples to help sweeten the sauce
• Too peel the fresh tomatoes, use a sharp knife to gentle score the skin of the tomato with a cross and plunge the tomato gently into a large pot of boiling water for 2 minutes.  Remove from the boiling water and place into a bowl of cold water then peel.

Disclaimer: C4K Kitchen does not hold any responsibility for the consumer using this recipe including the storage guidelines and time frames recommended in the recipe notes.  The consumer holds all responsibilities to ensure that food hygiene and safety standards are adhered to.