Monday, Week 1 - Sweetcorn Fritters

Today was a busy and very enjoyable one.  I have a plan of what we will be making each day of each week, but also need to be flexible because we are getting a palate of food each week from a charity called FareShare London.  To keep costs down, I will need to use as much of what is delivered as possible.  I can be flexible when I need to be, but it does make me feel slightly uncomfortable!!

I had planned on ordering the stuff online, but couldn't find anyone to deliver on Monday morning, so I got to Kennington about 9.30am and went straight to Tesco to buy all the bits and pieces for the week and carried it to the adventure playground - I was sweating it was so heavy - but I felt good -  I am doing something that I believe in and is community building and promoting healthy eating!

Of course, if you know me, you will know that I only prepare vegan food and we are also avoiding nuts over the next 6 weeks so this avoids obvious allergy issues, the halal issue and the kosher issue all at once, making it possible for almost everyone to enjoy the prepared food. 

Sweetcorn Fritters

1 tin sweetcorn
1 tsp baking powder
3/4 cup flour
1/2 cup soy milk
1 tsp coriander
1 tsp cumin
(food colouring if you so choose)

oil for frying
sweet chilli sauce and ketchup for dipping

I had 4 kids in the kitchen helping to make the goods but the boys made a dash for it after they made their first batch.  This left the girls who were happy to make the rest.  They asked if they could put food colouring into the mix, so of course that's what we did.  Red in one batch, blue in another and yellow in another.  The fourth batch was colour-free.  They plated them all up - 2 for everyone - about 50 children and served them some fruit - pineapple and grapes - and juice. They got 2 big bowls for the sweet chilli sauce and ketchup for dipping and served them to the masses.  I got some great feedback which meant I could breathe a sigh of relief - I was so nervous the kids wouldn't try them.  Some kids wanted more and a lot of them had never tried sweet chilli sauce and liked it.  So - a first, easy dish that can easily be made at home with things from the cupboard.  There you have it. 

Sweetcorn is gluten free, so if you use gluten free flour, you could have yourself a gluten free snack.  It also contains good amounts of zinc, magnesium, copper and iron and contains the antioxidant ferulic acid, which is important in the prevention of cancer.