Family Recipes: 5 Quick, Easy and Healthy Dinner Recipes Parents and Kids Will Love

Clean plates, coming right up!

Annabel Karmel, a leading children’s cookery author and food expert gives us quick and easy recipes that (somehow!) manage to be both healthy and tasty. The best bit? The kids and parents love it. So if you’re cooking dinner for the whole family, there’s no reason for you to be making a dish for the parents and separate dish for the kids.

Click through the slideshow to check out Annabel’s favourite quick, easy and healthy family recipes, to make dinnertime a dream. 

Prep: 10 minutes
Cook: 15 minutes
Makes: 4 portions

Ingredients:

– 4 x 150g (5oz) skinless salmon fillets
– 25g (1oz) unsalted butter, softened
– 2tbsp chopped fresh dill
– 4tbsp Japanese panko breadcrumbs
– ½ tsp grated lemon zest
– Salt and black pepper

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 180C/350C Fan /Gas 4 and line a baking tray with non-stick baking paper.
2. Arrange the salmon fillets on the baking sheet and season.
3. Mix the butter and dill together, then spread the herb butter over one side of each fillet.
4. Press the breadcrumbs onto the butter, and sprinkle over the lemon zest.
5. Bake for 12-15 minutes, or until the salmon is cooked but still pink in the middle, and the crust is lightly golden and crisp.

From Busy Mum’s Cookbook

Prep: 15 minutes
Cook: 10 minutes
Makes: 14 Goujons

Ingredients

– 2 large skinless chicken breast
– 7 slices Parma Ham
– 2 tsp runny honey
– Salt and black pepper
For the Sauce
– 200g (7 oz) crème fraiche
– 2 tbsp fresh green pesto
– Squeeze of lemon juice

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 200C/ 400 Fan/ Gas 6 and grease a baking tin.
2. Place the chicken breasts on a board. Cover them with cling-film, then bash them with a rolling pin until they are slightly thinner.
3. Remove the cling-film and slice each breast into 7 goujon-shaped strips.
4. Cut each slice of Parma ham in half. Wrap each goujon in a piece of Parma ham, then place on the prepared baking tray.
5. Drizzle over the honey, then roast for 10 minutes, until cooked through and crisp.
6. Mix together the crème fraiche, pesto and lemon juice and season. Serve hot (heated through in a small saucepan) or cold with the crisp goujons.

From Busy Mum’s Cookbook

Prep: 5 minutes
Cook: 6 minutes
Makes: 4 portions

Ingredients

– 4 large courgettes
– 3 tbsp olive oil
– 2-3 garlic cloves, crushed
– 250g (9 oz) cherry tomatoes, halved
– 2 tbsp fresh green pesto
– 50 g Parmesan cheese, grated
– Salt and black pepper

Method

1. Put the courgettes through a spiraliser to make long spaghetti-like strands.
2. Heat 2 tablespoons of the olive oil in a large frying pan over a medium heat. Add the garlic and fry for a few seconds, then add the spiralled courgettes to the pan.
3. Toss over a high heat for 2-3 minutes, until just softening, then remove and set aside on kitchen paper.
4. Return the frying pan to the heat, add the remaining olive oil, then fry the tomatoes for 2 minutes.
5. Season, add the spiralled courgettes, pesto and grated Parmesan, toss until heated through and serve immediately.

From Busy Mum’s Cookbook

Prep: 15 minutes
Cook: 12 minutes
Makes: 4 portions

Ingredients

– 200g (7 oz) potato, grated
– 6 spring onions, sliced
– 75g (3 oz) cooked chicken, diced
– 50g (2 oz) frozen peas
– 25g (1 oz) Parmesan cheese, grated
– 1 large egg, beaten
– 1 tbsp plain flour
– A little vegetable oil and a knob of butter
– Salt and black pepper

Method

1. Put the grated potato into a clean tea towel and squeeze out the liquid. Put all the other ingredients into a bowl and season well.
2. Heat 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil and the butter in a small 20 cm (8 in) frying pan.
3. Add the potato mixture and flatten out. Fry for 5 minutes until lightly golden.
4. Put a large plate over the rosti in the frying pan, turn the pan upside down so that the rosti is on the plate cooked side up.
5. Heat another tablespoon of oil in the pan. Slide the rosti back in the pan to cook on the other side for about 7 minutes until cooked through. Cut into wedges and serve.

From Annabel’s Family Cookbook

Prep: 15 minutes
Cook: 4 minutes
Makes: 4 portions

Ingredients

– 150g (5 oz) quinoa
– 1 carrot, grated
– 1 bunch spring onions, thinly sliced
– 4 tbsp canned sweetcorn kernels
– 100g (4 oz) shelled edamame beans, cooked and refreshed under cold running water
– Salt and black pepper
For the Dressing
– 2 tbsp rice wine vinegar
– 4 tbsp olive oil
– 1 tbsp runny honey
– ½ tsp grated fresh root ginger

Method

1. Put the quinoa and 300ml (1/2 pint) of water into a small saucepan.
2. Cover, then bring to the boil. Stir and turn off the heat, then re-cover and set aside until all of the water has been absorbed.
3. Season and leave to cool.
4. Place the cooked quinoa in a large bowl with the grated carrot, spring onions, sweetcorn and edamame beans.
5. Combine all of the dressing ingredients in a small bowl, then add to the salad and mix well before serving.

From Busy Mum’s Cookbook

Read more: Healthy Snacks for Every Member of the Family

Looking for more? Keep little ones busy with Annabel’s handy Baby & Toddler Recipe App (with over 250 delicious recipes). We hear this is the recipe for clean plates! Available via the app store – or visit www.annabelkarmel.com for more information.