Discover Mexican Food for Cinco de Mayo

Mexican food is a favourite cuisine here Inside the Wendy House, so when we were offered a selection of Discovery products to help celebrate Cinco de Mayo (5th of May), I jumped at the chance.  Any excuse to cook up a delicious Mexican feast!

We received a bag containing Perfect Fajita Kit, Fajita Season and Sauce, Green Jalapeno Relish, Garlic and Herb Soured Cream and Medium Salsa.

I was also challenged to come up with a recipe using some of the Discovery products to share here on my blog.  So here is my recipe for Vegetarian Cinco de Mayo Enchiladas using Fajita Season and Sauce and the Fajita Kit.

Ingredients

Discovery Fajita Season and Sauce

Discovery Tortilla Wraps

250g mushrooms sliced

2 onions sliced

oil for frying

bag of Quorn Pieces

150ml single cream

1 free range egg

Mexicana cheese grated

Discovery Sour Cream

Discovery Jalapeno Relish

Method

1:  Fry onions and mushrooms for 5 minutes then add Quorn pieces and continue to fry.
2:  Add pot of Fajita seasoning from the Season and Sauce and cook through until coated.
3:  In a jug, mix together the cream, egg and Sauce (from the Season and Sauce).
4:  Fill and roll each Tortilla Wrap with a spoonful of the spicy Quorn, onion and mushroom mixture.
5:  Put into an ovenproof dish and cover with the creamy sauce.
6:  Top with grated Mexicana cheese.
7:  Put into a pre-heated oven at 200 degrees for 20-25 minutes until golden brown and bubbling.
8:  Serve with Discovery Sour Cream and Jalapeno Relish and a side salad.

Delicious and very easy to do!


So enjoy a fiesta this May the 5th and celebrate Cinco de Mayo with your own Mexican feast, made easy thanks to Discovery foods!

Science X from Ravensburger

Ravensburger are probably best known for their puzzles, but the launch of their new range of activity kits is opening up the world of discovery to children aged 8 and over, nurturing a love of science. The Science X launch collection has three sizes to choose from; Mini kits with six amazing activities each; three Midi kits with twelve activities and completing the range are two Maxi kits with up to twenty fun tasks.

Each kit contains lots of interesting and exciting experiments and activities that children will want to explore and they will keep them busy for hours!

Kizzy was sent a Simulating Nature kit that explores the mechanics of how plants and animals adapt for their survival.  The set includes a full colour booklet that has details of the activities and ideas for extending the experiments, along with lots of facts to keep even the most curious kids satisfied.

The set includes a set of colourful cards featuring photographs to inspire discussion and get children thinking about the topics.

Almost everything you need to carry out the experiments is included apart from a few household bits and bobs such as sticky tape, scissors etc.  

Kizzy loves science and was delighted to get stuck in making models of spinning seeds, moving hands, fish tails and other natural phenomena.  She explored why Polar Bears are white and how insulation works. She planted Nasturtium seeds in pots.  The activities are all very hands on and kept Kizzy engaged and entertained as she explored natural science.

Ravensburger’s Science X collection will open the world of discovery with these fun and exciting science kits for children in time for National Science and Engineering Week which runs from 15th-24th March 2013.

Making Perfect Fajitas

We are big fans of Mexican food here Inside the Wendy House, so we were pleased to try out the Perfect Fajita Kit from Discovery.  Each kit contains wraps, a topping and the cook in spice sachet.  

The kits are tailored for different tastes.  The Mild Mexican Fajita Kit includes a smoky BBQ flavoured spice mix and comes with a sour cream topping.  The Medium Fajita Kit is spicier and comes with a salsa sauce.

They make it so quick and easy to conjure up authentic Mexican fajitas that all the family will love.  My kids love making up their own fajitas. They are fun and messy!

I made mild Quorn Steak and Mushroom Fajitas by flash frying onions, mushrooms and Quorn beef strips with the spice mix.  We added salad, grated cheese, some salsa and the sour cream topping to make perfect fajitas.  

Discovery have some great recipe ideas for other things that you can do with their Tortilla wraps.  The Tortizza is a pizza using a wrap as a base.  Top it with salsa or tomato sauce and grated cheese and cook for 5-10 minutes in an oven at 220 degrees.

You can also make a Tortilla Quiche by lining a loose base sandwich tin with a wrap.  You can add your favourite quiche filling and top with a mixture of 200 ml creme fraiche, 142 ml single cream and two eggs beaten together and seasoned.  Cook for 25 minutes at 200 degrees.

I will definitely be trying these recipes and when I do I'll feature them in more detail on the blog.

For more details on Discovery's range of Mexican food plus other recipe ideas take a look at the website:

www.discoveryfoods.co.uk

Spring into Summer with Ryvita

Ryvita has been around since 1925, producing delicious crispbread.  It has been a store cupboard staple in most homes over the years.  But now with the help of Valentine Warner, author of "What to Eat Now", you no longer need to stick to having your Ryvita with a slice of cheese and some pickle!  Using seasonal produce, Warner has come up with some ultimate seasonal toppings to compliment a variety of Ryvita.

The recipes are perfect for the long, warm days ahead.  From a zesty new potato and broad bean salad atop Original Ryvita as a lunchtime treat, to a Steak Tartare piled high on a Cracked Black Pepper Crisbread for an al fresco meal to the Ryvita Sunflower Seeds and Oats Crispbread Crumble to end a summer's eve, there is a recipe that will tantalise your tastebuds!

RYVITA SUNFLOWER SEED AND OAT CRISPBREAD CRUMBLE RECIPE

4 Ryvita Sunflower Seeds and Oats Crispbread

2 small Cox's Apples (peeled, cored and chopped small)

3 tbs dark, runny honey

1 tbs lemon juice

3 tbs sultanas

1 small thumb of ginger finely chopped

5 tbs water

6 tbs clotted cream

6 dates chopped

8 walnuts chopped

orange zest grated

Put apples in a small pan with water, ginger, honey, lemon juice and sultanas.  Simmer for about 12 minutes until stewed.  Add an extra splash of water if needed while cooking.  Allow to cool.  Chop dates and nuts.  Spread 1 1/2 tbs clotted cream on each crispbread.  Cover with a layer of warm apple.  Scatter on dates, walnuts and orange zest.  Enjoy!!

I love how versatile Ryvita is.  Valentine Warner says:
"..the endless flavour combinations and topping ideas continue to inspire me."

I have a favourite Ryvita topping.  It is my Ryvita Mexican Fiesta.  Smother a Ryvita Sweet Chilli Thin with a spoonful of warm refried beans, blob on some Discovery Hot Salsa sauce and sprinkle over grated Mexicana cheese.  Pop under a hot grill just until cheese melts.  Squirt on some Discovery Sour Cream topping.  You can pop on a couple of sliced Discovery Jalapenos if you like it extra hot!  Yummy!!

Why don't you try one of these recipes, or come up with your own idea for a healthy, tasty snack or meal using one of Ryvitas variety of crispbread!  The website has lots of ideas!

Follow Ryvita on Twitter and Facebook for more recipes, news and competitions.

Ryvita are available nationwide in supermarkets.
Original RRP 98p
Thins: Sweet Chilli, Multiseed,Cracked Black Pepper RRP £1.89
Flavoured: Cracked Black Pepper, Sweet Onion RRP £1.45
Fruit Crunch RRP £1.45
Crispbread: Original, Dark Rye RRP 88p Multi-Grain, Sesame RRP £1.15
Whole Seed Topped Crispbread: Sunflower Seeds and Oats, Pumpkin Seeds and Oats RRP £1.45
Minis: Salt and Vinegar, Cheddar and Onion, Sweet Chilli and Cream Cream and Chives RRP 48p or £1.89 for a six pack.
           

Celebrate Cinco de Mayo Mexican Cookery with Discovery

Making Fajitas for Cinco de Mayo 

Cinco de Mayo is a celebration held on May 5th, that commemorates the Mexican Army's victory over the French forces at the Battle of Peubla in 1862, under the leadership of General Ignacio Zaragova Seguin.  The celebration recognises Mexican heritage and pride.

What better way to celebrate Cinco de Mayo than by having a delicious Mexican meal courtesy of Discovery's range of authentic Mexican ingredients.

I was sent a box full of Discovery goodies including their brand new Preservative Free Tortillas to try out in honour of Cinco de Mayo.  It contained everything needed to make Fajitas:

Tortillas
Salsa (mild, medium and hot)
Guacamole
Sour Cream
Jalapenos
Fajita Table Sauce
Fajita Seasoning (medium)
Fajita Paste (mild and hot)

All I needed to add were the peppers, onions, mushrooms and Quorn pieces to create fabulous veggie fajitas.

I used the Mild Fajita Paste to season the veggie mix that I flash fried.  The Preservative Free Tortilla were the softest most pliable wraps I've ever used.  Discovery definitely has the recipe perfected.  They can be heated in just 8 seconds in a microwave.

The seasoning was deliciously mild but very tasty with a smoky flavour.  The paste bound the veggie mix together.

Ella tucked in, adding the hot Salsa and Table Sauce to add a spicy kick to her Fajitas.  She said they were "super nommy!"  (Teen speak for delicious!!)

Kizzy liked her Fajita smothered in the creamy Sour Cream topping which was lovely.  She loves putting her own wraps together and said "It is fun and easy to do.  They are really yummy!"

We thoroughly enjoyed our Cinco de Mayo feast thanks to Discovery.  Mexican food is one of our favourite choices and we were all very impressed by Discovery's products.  Ian called the range of sauces, toppings and salsas "condiment heaven!"  The Preservative Free Tortilla were the best I've ever used.  They didn't stick together, were very pliable and tasted good...perfect for wrapping up a delicious Fajita.  It is such a fun menu choice.

The Discovery website includes a great Vegetarian recipe section and a fun kids' Make and Play section so you can have your own Mexican Family Fiesta!  You can buy the full range online.  Stockists include most major supermarkets including Asda, Sainsbury's, Tesco and Morisson's.

The preservative free wraps are available in Sainsbury's for £1.59.