Kai With Sole

NCEA exams have come to an end and it's time is celebrate! For the majority of the Year 13 students, it's a milestone in their life and an end to their secondary education.

The time has come to plan their futures, get a job, organise tertiary education, leave home and all its comforts and stand on their own two feet. But before they leave the safe environment of the school and fly the nest, they seem compelled to party. The majority of Year 13 students have turned 18 and are mature enough to vote and purchase alcohol but are still vulnerable enough to overindulge with their drinking habits. Our Year 13 Food and Nutrition team thought it would be sensible to include some simple and tasty teenage party foods in this week's column munchies that could be quickly made by anyone and served at the start of a party. This is when everyone is hungry and stomachs need to be lined with food to slow down alcohol absorption.
The colourful bruschetta looks festive and cheerful. It is a mix of salad vegetables served on small slices of grilled garlic bread. It is a safe food to be served at parties and barbecues because it doesn't have any high-risk ingredients which have the potential to contribute to illness if left at room temperature for over two hours.
The mini meatballs are a favourite at any social gathering and they can be baked in the oven beforehand or on a barbecue as the party progresses.
The mince mixture can also be shaped into large rounds to be cooked as hamburger-size patties. Serve the mini meatballs on a platter with your favourite sauce in an accompanying small dish.
Place toothpicks in the meatballs so the guests can easily handle the food.
Fresh fruit kebabs are a sweet and juicy way to eat a variety of seasonal fruit. They are usually served at the end of a meal, but with teenage parties, there are no rules and any time is a good time. If you want the fruit kebabs to look impressive, then secure the pointed end of the skewer into half a rock melon or honeydew melon laid cut-side down on a serving plate.
There are many other foods that can be served at a teenage party. Remember to include an antipasto platter of cheese, crackers, meats and vegie sticks along with dips of hummus, salsa and guacamole. And if you are cooking on the barbecue, make sure the meat is cooked properly, especially chicken. Test that the juices run clear and are not pink and don't leave it sitting around for more than an hour at room temperature on a warm summer's day or evening.
Enjoy these foods and remember to keep it simple and serve it on time for teenagers. Better still, get them to be responsible and prepare these dishes themselves.
The Kai with Sole team wish you all a happy and safe festive season and summer holiday. This is our last article for the year, as the team are all leaving school and pursuing their individual careers and aspirations.
It has been a valuable and rewarding challenge to prepare our food feature and we hope it has informed and inspired you to think about what you eat and enjoy the process of preparing your own home-made kai with ease and contentment. We'll see you again in February with a whole new team.
By Katy Power and the team at Spotswood College, Year 13 Food and Nutrition class.
MINI MEATBALLS
Makes 25-30
500g mince
1/2 onion finely chopped
1 egg
1/4 cup breadcrumbs
2 tsp soy sauce
2 Tbsp tomato or barbecue sauce
1/4 tsp salt - pepper
1/2 tsp nutmeg (optional)
1/ Preheat oven to 180.
2/ Mix all the ingredients into a large bowl with a fork to break up the mince.
3/ Roll into small, even-sized balls and place on an oven tray.
4/ Bake for 20-25 minutes until golden brown and cooked.
5/ To test if they are done, cut one in half and the meat will be light brown in colour and crispy noodle salad not pink. To serve, arrange on a large plate with your favourite dipping sauce such as satay, barbecue, chilli, salsa or tomato.
COLOURFUL BRUSCHETTA
1 long french stick
1/2 red capsicum
1/2 green capsicum
1/2 yellow capsicum
1/4 long cucumber
1/4 red onion
50g garlic butter
1 Tbsp olive oil
salt - pepper to taste
1/ Preheat the grill to 200 fanbake.
2/ Cut the french stick into small slices and spread with garlic butter. (Add 2 tsp crushed garlic to 50g of softened butter or margarine.)
3/ Place the bread onto an oven tray and grill lightly until just golden.
4/ Peel the onion and cucumber and dice on a chopping board.
5/ Wash the capsicums, remove the seeds and dice finely.
6/ Mix the capsicum, onion, cucumber together in a bowl. Add 1 Tbsp of olive oil and season with salt and pepper.
7/ Place a small spoonful of the capsicum mixture on each piece of toasted bread.
8/ Arrange on a serving platter and garnish with parsley.
You can spread a layer of hummus over the toasted bread, which will combine with the capsicum mixture and add extra flavour.
FRESH FRUIT KEBABS
Fruit choose a selection of 4 to 5 fresh, firm and seasonal fruits such as apple, banana, grapes, strawberries, kiwifruit, apricots, peaches, nectarines
2 Tbsp lemon juice
2 Tbsp fruit juice
marshmallow lollies -2 per kebab
1 packet of wooden skewers
1/ Wash or peel the fruit and mcdonalds asian salad calories cut into suitable-size pieces.
2/ Place the fruit that browns quickly in a small bowl and coat with the lemon and fruit juice (apples, banana, apricots, peaches).
3/ Arrange the fruit and salad fingers merchandise marshmallows on a wooden skewer. Vary the colourtextures of the fruit to make a colourful kebab.
4/ Leave 3-4 centimetres of the skewer without fruit so it can be picked up easily.
5/ Present the kebabs on a platter or secure into half of a rock melon.

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