Transforming Junky Into Funky
Apr 26th, 2008 | By admin | Category: Foods
School holidays have rolled around again, meaning hungry tummies aplenty. Naomi Mitchell meets a Nelson woman aiming to transform the diet of teenagers.
Charlie Ainscough’s job is one that many people would dread - feeding dozens of hungry teenagers every day.
But Ainscough, a chef for 17 years, loves it - and her enthusiasm is catching on.
She has recently taken over running the cafe at The New Hub.
The cafe, previously run on contract but now taken over by the centre itself, has undergone a Jamie Oliver-style transformation.
“Now we really are pursuing healthy eating,” says Ainscough.
Out go sugar-laden energy drinks and deep-fried food, and in come milk and vege-laden nachos.
The switch to healthy eating, which is being promoted by health and community organisations across Nelson and New Zealand, couldn’t come soon enough for Ainscough.
She is often shocked by the eating habits of many teenagers.
“Some of them are eating McDonald’s nine or 10 times a week.
“If you can get them eating healthy it improves their memory, not just improves their behaviour. The two go hand in hand.”
Since Nelson is a lush area for growing fruit and vegetables, Ainscough believes there is little excuse for young people not to eat healthily. But she accepts it can be hard for parents who work all day to then have to put dinner on the table.
Fortunately, she has plenty of ideas to make the process easier, and is sharing them during youth cooking courses she runs at the centre.
Giving teenagers some power is crucial, she says.
Ainscough, who is also the centre’s recreation manager, looked at how teens’ favourite unhealthy meals could be made healthier, and alternated the not-so-good dishes with healthy ones.
“For the nacho salsa I make a really good vegetable base with tomato, zucchini, capsicum, corn, silverbeet and kidney beans. We only use light sour cream and they love the taste.”
Instead of greasy toasties, she uses low-fat spread and wholemeal or wholegrain bread.
Milkshakes are made with skim milk and Ainscough says the teenagers are none the wiser.
Until her free supply of apples fell through, she had a bowl of apples on the counter to which the hungry hordes could help themselves.
“They would all just disappear.”
Changing attitudes can require a bit of work too.
She recalls one teenager who insisted he did not like mushrooms, but when they were put in a pasta dish he ate the whole bowl.
“A lot of it is brought down by parents too and what they like and cook.”
The organisation’s cooking courses cover a range of foody topics such as pizza-making and even producing a good cup of coffee.
The Hub is also hosting special short-courses for the holidays.
“Food can be a fantastic thing where it brings people together. Of course it can be healthy, and it doesn’t have to be difficult or expensive.”
Eating seasonally is a key factor in keeping costs down, says Ainscough.
“In the UK you can buy anything all the time, but in New Zealand there are definite seasons.”
The arrival of colder weather will see the crockpot switched on and casseroles and soups served up to warm chilly bodies.
Potatoes, kumara, carrots and other root vegetables are plentiful and inexpensive during winter months and they can make nutritious and filling soups.
Ainscough has found teenagers are keen to get stuck into making pizzas, which can be inexpensive and nutritious.
“You can really load up the pizza with veges. They can be really delicious.”
Using pita bread as a base is another good idea, she says.
For more information about The New Hub’s courses these holidays, visit http://www.nelsonhub.org/
There are also great healthy eating tips and lots of recipes at http://www.feedingourfutures.org.nz/
Home-made pizza
A tasty, healthy and easy-to-make version of a classic family-pleaser.
Base:
2 cups of flour
4 Tbsp margarine
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 cup trim milk
Toppings:
(Use what you have from the list below, or any number of combinations)
Tin of spaghetti
Onion
Pineapple chunks
Tomato sliced
Red pepper sliced
Mushrooms
Grated edam cheese
Turn oven on to 200deg.
Sieve the flour and baking powder, rub the margarine into the flour until the mixture is like coarse breadcrumbs.
Make a well in the centre, add the milk and mix until a stiff dough.
Turn out onto a floured board and kneed lightly.
Roll it out (use a bottle if you do not have a rolling pin) to fit a greased pizza dish or pie tin. Cut away the extra dough.
Spread over tinned spaghetti or tomato puree, chopped onions, pineapple pieces, tomato slices, pepper strips.
Cover with grated cheese, cook for 20 minutes.
Pita bread can be used as the base of the pizza if time is limited.
Healthy ambrosia
1kg of yoghurt
1 small tin of crushed pineapple in natural juice (drained)
1 tin of boysenberries (drained)
2-3 cups of small marshmallows
Mix all ingredients together, chill for a couple of hours and serve.
Serves four to six.
Kumara meal in a moment
A fresh, tasty and light dish that is great for breakfast, brunch, lunch or dinner.
A super-quick meal with a variety of different fillings.
Scrub the kumara and microwave on 100 percent power for three minutes each or until soft.
Split and top with your chosen filling.
* Bacon and apple: finely chopped cooked bacon, unpeeled grated apple, light sour cream, chives or parsley.
* Pickle and cheese: your favourite pickle, thin slices of cheddar cheese, sour cream.
* Mussels: finely chopped mussels, coconut cream, black pepper, finely sliced spring onions.
* Mediterranean: chopped ham or salami, roughly chopped tomatoes, pesto sauce and grated parmesan cheese.
Banana french toast
A tasty variation on traditional french toast.
2 bananas, peeled and roughly chopped
1/3 cup milk
1 egg white
6 slices of wholemeal bread
1 Tbsp margarine
Place the bananas, milk and egg white into food processor and blend until smooth (or mash the banana and mix well with the milk and egg white).
Transfer mixture into a shallow bowl.
Dip bread one piece at a time into mixture and turn to coat both sides.
Heat one teaspoon of the margarine in a non-stick frypan over a moderate heat.
Add bread and cook for 2 minutes each side until golden.
Repeat with remaining slices of bread, adding more of the margarine for each slice of bread.
Serve warm with sliced mango and maple syrup.
