Delish Garlic Mushrooms with Tuna Cous Cous
I'm always looking for tasty, quick kids meals for my little one. As you know I weaned my little one on flavoursome, tasty food and I want to 'keep up the good work' so to speak. I don't want to fall into the trap of always giving her her favourite foods - because her favourite foods could very quickly turn into the ONLY foods she eats. I want Aaliyah to always be willing to try something new when it's put in front of her.... which brings me onto MUSHROOMS. My little one loves vegetables but mushrooms just aren't on her favourites list - possibly the texture she's not too sure about. Not prepared to draw a line under mushrooms just yet though, I decided to put them in anyway disguised amongst some of her favourite foods - tuna, cous cous, and bell peppers. When I mentioned mushrooms would be going in, she did pull a face - but I put them in anyway. Fully aware that children's taste buds are continually changing, I want Aaliyah to give them a good go before she finally decides she doesn't like mushrooms.
I'm a firm believer that any vegetable or meat can taste nice, provided it's in the right recipe - prepared using complimentary herbs and spices. Garlic mushrooms are an absolute favourite of mine, so I stir-fried the mushrooms with garlic to give them a lovely taste, and sliced them a little thinner than I normally do to tackle the texture issue.
The result.... she wolfed down a whole bowlful and 'mushrooms' weren't even mentioned!
Serves family of four. Total preparation and cooking time: 10-15 mins.
Ingredients
Cous Cous:
- 200g (7oz/ 1 cup) cous cous
- 375ml (14fl oz/ 1 1/2 cup) boiling water
- Salt to taste
Yummy Dressing:
- 1 tbsp olive oil1
- 1/2 tsp minced garlic
- 1/4 tsp ground black pepper
- 5 white mushrooms - washed, finely sliced1 spring onion - chopped
- 1 1/2 tsp dark soy sauce
- 1 x 160g can of tuna (in spring water) - drained
- Juice of half a fresh lime
- 1/2 red bell pepper - washed, diced
Method
Place the cous cous in a bowl, pour in the water, add the salt, stir and cover. Set aside for 5 mins until the water has been absorbed. Then fluff with a fork.
Heat the oil in a non-stick frying pan and add the garlic, black pepper, mushrooms, and spring onion. Stir-fry for a few minutes until the mushrooms begin to soften, then add the soy sauce and cook for a further minute or two. Once cooked, add the to the bowl of cous cous (after it has been fluffed).
Then flake in the tuna, add lime juice, and the red pepper (for a much-needed sweet crunch). Stir everything together and serve immediately whilst still warm. Alternatively serve cold as a fab, healthy, lunch box filler.
Note: When cooked this is a big quantity of food! I like to make a big batch and serve some to my little one for lunch, and pack a big batch for hubby's lunch box too. Equally perfect for those with a bigger family or older children with a bigger appetite. Saves you a lot of time! It will also last in the fridge for a few days.
Tip: Leave out the tuna to make this meal suitable for vegetarians.
