Three Quick and Healthy Recipes for Back to School

Spinach Breaded Bites

Let’s start with the recipe that kids love the most, perfect to pack in a lunchbox for school when you don’t want to miss out on a complete and varied meal. The spinach breaded bites are packed with carbohydrates, proteins, and vitamins, thanks to their tasty vegetable filling made even more appetizing by a crunchy cornflake coating.

And do you know what their real strength is? They’re as crispy as delicious fried turnovers, but much healthier, as we’ll be making them with the Girmi FG86 air fryer without using any fats.

For 6 spinach breaded bites, you will need the following ingredients:

• 12 slices of sandwich bread
• 2 medium eggs
• 50 ml soy milk (you can substitute with cow’s milk or your preferred plant-based milk)
• 150 g fresh or frozen spinach
• 1 pack of mozzarella sheets
• Salt and pepper
• Corn flakes, as needed

Method:

Start by cooking the spinach in a pan with oil and salt for a few minutes, then let them cool and squeeze them well.

Next, take the sandwich bread and flatten it with a rolling pin as if it were a sheet of dough, then cut it into circles about 10 cm in diameter.

In a bowl, beat the eggs with the milk, adding salt and pepper.

Now, you’re ready to fill two bread circles with some spinach and a slice of mozzarella sheet. You can substitute the mozzarella with sliced cheese, cutting the slices into circles at least one centimeter smaller than the bread circles.

To seal the bites, press around the edges of the bread with your fingers to make sure the borders stick together well.

Finally, dip the spinach bites into the beaten egg and then coat them in crushed corn flakes to create the breading.

Now it’s time to bake. For a crispy result, cook them for 15 minutes at 180°C in the air fryer.

Air Fryer Flatbread Chips

Air fryer flatbread chips are a healthy alternative to the usual fried potato chips that kids love. Paired with a cottage cheese and tomato dip, they have nothing to envy from chips with ketchup in terms of taste and are perfect as a complete snack or even a light and quick meal.

We’ll prepare them together in the Girmi FG86 air fryer, without using any fats.

To make them, you’ll need:

• 1 flatbread
• 1 teaspoon sweet paprika
• Dried herbs of your choice (thyme, oregano)
• 2 pinches of salt
• 30 ml extra virgin olive oil

For the dip:

• 40 g tomato paste
• 300 g cottage cheese
• 2 pinches of salt
• 40 ml extra virgin olive oil
• Chives to taste

Method:

Cut the flatbread into small triangles like nachos and brush them with a mix of sweet paprika, extra virgin olive oil, salt, and dried herbs. Then cook them in the air fryer at 200°C for 5 minutes until crispy.

Meanwhile, prepare the dip by blending the cottage cheese, tomato paste, salt, and oil with the Girmi TR05 food processor. Garnish with chopped chives if desired. For a lighter dip, you can partially or completely replace the oil with cow’s milk or plant-based milk.

Place the dip in a lidded container and the chips in another: when it’s time for a snack, you can dip the chips in the sauce without worry, as everything is made with healthy and nutritious ingredients.

Arugula Crêpes

And here’s a vibrant recipe to replace the classic sandwich with a delicious, veggie-based alternative that you can fill as you like. There’s no better way to get kids to enjoy vegetables than by reinventing them in the form of one of their favorite dishes: stuffed crêpes. Here’s how to make a version with arugula that will forever banish kids’ reluctance toward this fragrant leafy green.

To make 15 crêpes, you will need:

• 150 g type 1 flour
• 400 ml whole milk
• 2 medium eggs
• 200 g arugula
• Salt, pepper

You can fill your crêpes with whatever you like, but here are the ingredients for a tasty and nutritionally complete version:

• 300 g stracchino cheese
• 250 g prosciutto crudo (cured ham)
• Cherry tomatoes to taste

Method:

For this recipe, the Girmi TS36 crepe maker will be incredibly useful with its practical “Prepare, Dip, and Cook” system. Simply dip the plate into the liquid batter inside the wide, flat bowl provided to use the right amount of batter and achieve a perfect result.

We recommend preparing the batter in advance and letting it rest for half an hour, then stirring one last time and pouring it into the bowl of the Girmi crepe maker. You can also make the crêpes the night before and store them in the refrigerator covered with plastic wrap, so they are ready to fill when needed.

To make the batter, blend the arugula together with the milk using the Girmi FR23 blender, then pour the liquid into a bowl, add the eggs, and whisk by hand. Add the sifted flour, salt, and pepper, and continue mixing until you get a smooth and uniform batter.

Now pour the batter into the bowl of the Girmi TS36 and dip the plate into the batter to collect the right amount. Cook the crêpe for a few minutes on one side, and when it releases from the plate, flip it and cook it for a few minutes on the other side.

Now that the crêpes are ready, you can fill them with the suggested ingredients or anything you prefer and fold them into a book shape.