Teen treats

Active youngsters can find creativity in cuisine these school holidays

24 short bamboo skewers or long toothpicks

1 tbsp olive oil

BY SHAFEEN MUSTAQ

The school holidays have begun and we all know that sometimes it equates to adults scrambling for activities and teens getting quickly bored at home.

Well, there’s a solution to that - a fun, easy solution. Cooking! And no I don’t mean it in an Auntyji kind of way, “Beta, learn how to make dal roti for your marriage!” Cooking is an excellent form of de-stressing and results in some fabulous results (when done correctly).

So here’s a few recipes for the teenagers in school holidays. The complexity level is zero so anyone can do these and learn the basics of getting in and around the kitchen with minimal damage. They are quick easy and fun, and very very yummy. Enjoy!

Cucumber lemon and mint drink

One of my favourite nonalcoholic-make-anytime-anywhere drinks for spring, this is a light and easy concoction that cleanses the palate and soothes the soul.

1. Fill half a glass with lemonade

2. Chop up a handful of mint and a quarter of a cucumber into thin slices and drop into the glass

3. Top up with soda or sparkling water

4. Cut a wedge of lemon or lime and perch on rim before serving Easy. Fresh and fantastic!

Caprese on a stick

These nibbles can be used as snacks or an entrée, and are quick, easy and fun to make and eat. Younger children can help in making these, provided the skewers are not too sharp. Use firm, ripe cherry tomatoes and good-quality fresh mozzarella for these salad skewers. They are perfect for that movie marathon you have organised for ten friends (Beware, they are so good-looking your mum might get you to make these for her next big party).

24 grape or cherry tomatoes

24 medium-sized basil leaves

250 gms fresh mozzarella, drained, cut into 1-inch cubes (try bocconcini, or better still, baby bocconcini, you won’t have to cut them)

Sea salt to taste (for a variation, try smoked salt)

Freshly ground pepper

Thread one tomato, a basil leaf and a cube of mozzarella onto each skewer. Repeat the process until all 24 skewers are ready. Lay the skewers on a serving platter. Drizzle olive oil over them and sprinkle generously with salt and pepper. Serve at room temperature.

Can you Cannelloni?

I love pasta. I absolutely love it. I know it’s eating a bowlful of carbs and its usual partner in crime is a stringy, soft, yummy melted cheese which isn’t that great for you either, but when it comes to cannelloni I can’t help myself! So here is a quick and easy recipe to try at home and enjoy all those carbs and cheese! In moderation that is, and don’t repeat the dish for at least two weeks…

500ml tomato paste or pasta sauce

600g ricotta cheese (low-fat, if desired)

250g cooked mince (lamb or beef)

2 tbsp flat-leaf parsley, chopped

2 tbsp basil, chopped

1 egg

½ cup grated parmesan

Salt and cracked black pepper to taste

1 cup grated low fat mozzarella San Remo readymade cannelloni

Preheat oven to 190°C. Lightly grease a 20cm x 28cm x 4cmhigh ovenproof dish. Pour in a quarter portion of the tomato paste, spreading evenly over base of dish. Keep aside. Place ricotta, mince, parsley, basil, parmesan, egg, salt and pepper in a large bowl and mix to combine. Take each cannelloni tube and stuff with the ricotta mixture. Lay tubes side by side in the dish.

Spoon over the rest of the tomato paste to coat the tubes, using enough to suit your preference. Sprinkle with mozzarella cheeses and bake for 25 minutes or until golden. Serve warm with a green salad.

Chocolatey

Chocolate Cake

I saw a picture on Instagram and I fell in love. It was of a chocolate cake with chocolate icing topped with M&Ms and fenced with Kitkats. I wanted it, and badly! I made myself this yummy, impractical, fattening delight for Eid. But it was easy to make and tasted absolutely out of this world.

Chocolate cake mix (you can make it from scratch, but why reinvent the wheel?)

1 pack (350gms) M&Ms

1 pack of 12 medium sized Kitkat chocolate bars

For the chocolate icing

1 cup icing sugar

1 tsp cocoa

1 tbsp butter or margarine

1 tbsp milk

Bake the chocolate cake from the mix, as per the instructions on the pack. Leave to cool on a wire rack. Prepare the chocolate icing by mixing together all the ingredients to form a smooth consistency. Next, transfer to a serving dish and ice the top and sides evenly with the icing mix. Before the icing sets, quickly but evenly dress the top with M&Ms starting from the outside edge of the cake, making a concentric circle in a different colour until you reach the centre. Ensure that you leave at least a centimetre gap from the edge of the cake and the outermost concentric circle. Gently fence the sides with Kitkats. Leave to set and then serve