Food / 12 February, 2023 / My Baba

3 Fuss-Free Family Recipes From Ciara Attwell

Food blogger, cookery writer, busy mum and founder of the hugely successful My Fussy Eater brand, Ciara Attwell is on a mission to show you how to keep everyone happy at mealtimes. Ciara’s new Fuss-Free Family Cookbook includes healthy, quick ideas for breakfast, lunch and weekday dinners to snacks, salads and sides. With a few simple tweaks to her recipes, Ciara Attwell ensures that every dish suits adults and children. Here are three of our favourites.

Ciara Attwell’s fuss-free family recipes

Chicken Ceasar Pasta Salad

All the delicious flavours of a Caesar Salad bulked out with pasta for a filling, family-friendly lunch.

Ingredients

For the salad:

• 1 small bread roll (70g)
• 1/2 tbsp oil
• 1/2 tsp garlic powder
• salt & pepper
• 300g pasta
• 1 little gem lettuce, chopped
• 240g cooked chicken pieces

For the sauce:

• 100g fat-free Greek yogurt
• 50ml semi-skimmed milk
• 50g Lighter than Light mayonnaise
• 1 tsp Dijon mustard
• 1/2 tsp garlic powder
• 50g grated parmesan
• salt & pepper

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 200°C Fan/220°C/Gas Mark 7.
2. Cut the bread into small pieces to make croutons and place on a baking tray.
3. Drizzle on the oil, add the garlic powder and a little salt and pepper and mix well.
4. Bake for 8–10 minutes until the croutons are crispy.
5. Meanwhile, cook the pasta according to the package instructions. When cooked, drain and rinse under cold water to cool it down.
6. Add all the sauce ingredients to a large bowl. Mix in the chicken pieces until they are fully coated in the sauce.
7. Add the drained pasta and lettuce and mix again.
8. Divide the mixture between four bowls to serve, with the croutons on top

Serving suggestion:

If your children prefer food to be separated on the plate, portion out some pasta before you mix it with the chicken and sauce. You could leave out the lettuce and replace with some chopped crudités.

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Roasted Red Pepper Gnocchi

Use a jar of roasted peppers to make an easy and delicious sauce for gnocchi. Packed with flavour, and so quick too.

Ingredients

• 360g drained jar of roasted red peppers
• 2 garlic cloves, peeled but left whole
• 1/2 tsp oregano
• salt and pepper
• 1 tin chopped tomatoes
• 500g gnocchi
• 125g mozzarella ball
• handful of fresh basil leaves

Method

1. Add the roasted red peppers, garlic, oregano and a little salt and pepper to a blender and blitz until smooth.
2. Add the chopped tomatoes and blitz again.
3. Pour this mixture into a large frying pan or shallow casserole dish on the hob and simmer on low for 5 minutes.
4. Add the gnocchi, mix well and continue to simmer on low for another 7–8 minutes until the gnocchi is cooked through.
5. Tear the mozzarella ball into small pieces and lay these on top of the gnocchi.
6. Pop the dish under the grill for 3–4 minutes until the cheese has melted.
7. Top with fresh basil leaves.

Serving suggestions:

Serve the adults’ portion with a side salad and the kids’ portion with some garlic bread.

Sesame-Crusted Cod Tacos

Ingredients

For the sesame-crusted cod:

• 3 skinless cod fillets (approx. 360g)
• 2 medium eggs
• 50g Panko breadcrumbs
• 3 tbsp sesame seeds
• 1/2 tsp lemon pepper (or 1/4 tsp black pepper)
• 1/4 tsp salt
• spray oil

For the tacos & salad:

• 8 mini tortilla wraps
• 2 little gem lettuce
• 1 medium carrot
• 300g cucumber
• 50g red cabbage
• 50g tinned sweetcorn
• handful fresh coriander

For the sauce:

• 100g fat-free Greek yogurt
• 3 tbsp Lighter than Light mayonnaise
• 2 tbsp tartar sauce
• 1/2 tsp garlic powder

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 200°C Fan/220°C/Gas Mark 7 and line a baking tray with parchment paper.
2. Crack the eggs into a bowl and whisk with a fork.
3. Add the Panko breadcrumbs, sesame seeds, lemon pepper and salt to a large plate and mix well.
4. Take one whole cod fillet, dip it in the egg and then roll in the Panko breadcrumb mixture until it is fully coated. Repeat with the remaining two cod fillets.
5. Place the cod fillets on the lined baking tray and spray the top and sides of the fish with spray oil. Bake for 18–20 minutes, ensuring the fish is fully cooked in the middle.
6. In the meantime, prep the tacos and salad. Toast the tortilla wraps in a dry frying pan for 1 minute on either side. Cut the lettuce, red cabbage, carrot and cucumber into thin strips. Place these vegetables, the sweetcorn and the coriander in individual bowls or on one large chopping board.
7. Make the sauce by mixing the yogurt, mayonnaise, tartar sauce and garlic powder together in a bowl.
8. When the fish is cooked, cut the fillets into bite sized pieces.

Serving suggestions:

Younger children may find this easier if you separate the items out on their plate and cut the tortillas into triangles.

Recipes are taken from The Fuss-Free Family Cookbook by Ciara Attwell. The Fuss-Free Family Cookbook is out now (Lagom).