15.

5mm CMYK: 240mm x 200mm with 100mm flaps

MICHAEL MEREDITH and

Food for Good

This beautiful, fresh cookbook
delivers excellent recipes for daily
meals as well as the opportunity

MICHAEL MEREDITH and

to give back: buy a book and we
give a lunch to a Kiwi kid in need.
Eat My Lunch is a thriving social enterprise
whereby for every lunch ordered they give
a lunch to a child in a low-decile school in
Auckland, Hamilton and Wellington.

Developed by renowned chef Michael

Meredith, the delicious recipes in this book
include dinners as well as salads, wraps,
sandwiches, soups, sweet treats and
essentials. They are family friendly and
easy to make.
Easy, tasty
Food for Good reflects the warm, positive, family meals
can-do spirit of Eat My Lunch and is a
practical must-have for every kitchen.

I KI D
A LU
ND

VE
I

A
Cover design: Kate Barraclough
CH WE G
TO A K I

W
Cover photographs: Tamara West

N
FOOD www.allenandunwin.co.nz
 FOOD FOR GOOD

Our special thanks to the children from To my mum, Metita, for bringing us up with what means she had,
Mangere Central School who are pictured
and to my three daughters, Sophia, Tahlia and Ella, in whom alofa
eating their lunches throughout this book.
has come full circle and for which Im very grateful.
First published in 2017 Michael
Copyright Eat My Lunch & Michael Meredith, 2017
Images copyright Tamara West, 2017 To the two loves of my life, Ella and Toby,
Props kindly provided by Tony Sly, Factory Ceramics,
for showing me that love has no limits.
Bec Plowman Ceramics, Rachel Carter, Freedom, Lisa
Mooi Mooi and Father Rabbit.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be

reproduced or transmitted in any form or by
any means, electronic or mechanical, including
photocopying, recording or by any information
storage and retrieval system, without prior
permission in writing from the publisher.

Allen & Unwin

Level 3, 228 Queen Street
Auckland 1010, New Zealand
Phone: (64 9) 377 3800

Email: info@allenandunwin.com
Web: www.allenandunwin.co.nz

83 Alexander Street
Crows Nest NSW 2065, Australia
Phone: (61 2) 8425 0100

A catalogue record for this book is

available from the National Library
of New Zealand

ISBN 978 1 877505 88 1

Design by Kate Barraclough

Set in 9.5/13.5 pt Sofia Pro

Printed and bound in Asia by

C&C Offset Printing Co. Ltd

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 FOOD FOR GOOD

Con t e n t s
INTRODUCTION 11

LUNCH 16
SALADS 48
SOUPS 84
DINNER 94
TREATS 138
EXTRAS 168
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS 183
INDEX 185

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 FOOD FOR GOOD

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 Introduction
Were very excited to be publishing this collection
of recipes developed by Michael and the team
here at Eat My Lunch.
Eat My Lunch is a social enterprise that we
started in June 2015 to make it easy for Kiwis to
help other Kiwis. We were shocked to hear that
one in four children right here in New Zealand
live in poverty and go without lunch every day,
and we wanted to help to create change by
providing lunches for those children. It works like
this: you buy one lunch for yourself, and another
lunch will be given to a child right here in New
Zealand who cant afford their own.
Buy One. Give One.
Weve been blown away by the success of
this. In our first two years, we have given around
450,000 lunches to Kiwi kids in need at 46
low-decile schools in Auckland, Hamilton and
Wellington. We do this with the help of more than
3000 volunteers, who come in every morning to
help make the lunches and deliver them, and
also with the help of our dedicated team of Eat
My Lunch workers. Youll see photos of some of
these amazing people in the pages of this book,
as well as some of the kids who get the lunches.
Earlier this year, we also launched Eat My
Dinner, with a range of tasty, family-friendly
dinners that are delivered to homes. For every
dinner bought, we give a lunch to a child
who needs one. This has been a major new
development for us, and were thrilled to be
able to share some of our dinner recipes with
you in this book.
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Michael Meredith, internationally acclaimed
chef and restaurant owner, helped to start Eat
My Lunch, and with the team has developed the
delicious meals for Eat My Lunch, Eat My Dinner
and this cookbook. The recipes include salads,
sandwiches, wraps, soups, dinners and sweet
treats, and they range from simple, wholesome
food for children to gourmet treats for adults.
We hope youll enjoy cooking from this
book and that it will prove to be one of your
favourites. Purchasing this book is yet another
way that you can help to make these childrens
lives better: for every book you buy, well also
give a lunch to a child in need.
Theres no doubt that providing these
lunches is helping Kiwi kids. Nutritious food is a
fundamental, basic need, and it is essential for
these children to have good food in order to be
able to learn at school. We receive such positive
feedback from schools about childrens improved
concentration and behaviour, their improved
health. Importantly, we are also told that they
are just happier in general, knowing that
they are going to receive a meal every day.
We cant thank everyone who is and has been
involved with Eat My Lunch enoughand that
includes you, as a buyer of this book. You have all
helped to make a difference.
Lisa King, Michael Meredith and the Eat My
Lunch team
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RARE ROAST BEEF AND CARAMELISED
ONION PRETZEL ROLLS
1 tablespoons mayonnaise (see
Extras)
1 tablespoon wholegrain
mustard
1 teaspoon horseradish
6 pretzel rolls or rolls of your
choice
2 handfuls mesclun
250 g sliced rare roast beef
cup caramelised onion jam
bread and butter pickle
(optional)
180 g Edam or Swiss cheese,
sliced
FoodForGood_TXT_FINAL.indd 18-19
Lunch FOOD FOR GOOD
Feeds 6
Our pretzel rolls are custom-made for us. If you have a
German bakery near you, look for a similar product, as these
really elevate this sandwich and complement the fillings.
Place mayonnaise, mustard and horseradish in a bowl and whisk
until well combined.
Slit each pretzel roll from top to bottom but not right through, so
you have two flat surfaces to work with but the halves are still
hinged together.
Dollop and spread mayo mix on both sides of each roll. On each
base place some mesclun and roast beef, followed by onion jam,
pickles (if using) and sliced cheese on top. Close the lid to serve.
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PENNE BACON SALAD WITH BASIL
PESTO AND CHERRY TOMATOES
250 g penne pasta
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
113 cups (200 g) frozen peas
1 cup (150 g) frozen whole
sweetcorn kernels
1 medium red capsicum, halved
and deseeded
salt and pepper to taste
1 red onion, finely sliced
250 g rindless bacon
23 cup (100 g) cherry tomatoes,
halved
1 handful baby spinach
13 cup basil pesto
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Salads FOOD FOR GOOD
Feeds 46
This salad is a real crowd pleaser! Eat warm with the pesto
mixed through or enjoy as a cold salad for lunch or dinner.
Cook penne as per packet instructions. Rinse and drain, and allow
to cool.
When thoroughly drained, transfer penne into a bowl large
enough to mix your salad. Add olive oil and toss through gently to
loosen the pasta.
Bring a pot of water to the boil. Add peas and sweetcorn and
blanch for 2 minutes. Drain well and when cool add to pasta.
Preheat oven to 200C. If your oven is big enough, you can cook
the bacon, capsicum and onion simultaneously, as they require
similar temperatures and times.
Lay capsicum halves flat on a baking tray. Season with plenty
of olive oil and salt, and roast until blistered (approximately
10 minutes). Remove from the oven, and when cool enough to
touch cut into thin strips and add to salad.
Place the slices of onion on a baking tray and season with salt,
pepper and olive oil. Place in the oven. After 5 minutes give it a
quick turn to prevent burning, then cook for a further 5 minutes
or until onion is sweet and roasted. Set aside and add to salad
when cool.
Lay bacon on a lined tray and place in the oven. Cook for about
1215 minutes. Cut it into strips.
Add cherry tomatoes to salad. Gently toss together all of the
ingredients and season with salt and pepper to taste. Transfer to
a salad bowl and garnish with baby spinach and bacon. Drizzle
generously with pesto.
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 Dinner FOOD FOR GOOD

Din n e r

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CHICKEN, PANCETTA
AND POTATO BAKE
800 g new potatoes, scrubbed
12 cups water
3 teaspoons salt
2 tablespoons olive oil
400 g skinless, boneless free-
range chicken thighs
salt and pepper to taste
handful fresh oregano leaves,
roughly chopped
handful fresh thyme leaves
3 garlic cloves, finely minced
4 tablespoons extra virgin olive
oil
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
1 punnet yellow or orange cherry
tomatoes
1 x 400 g tin cherry tomatoes
6 slices pancetta, chopped into
large pieces
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Dinner FOOD FOR GOOD
Feeds 46
This is an easy all-in-one meal for the family.
Preheat oven to 200C.
Place potatoes, water and salt in a large saucepan, bring to boil
and simmer for approximately 15 minutes or until soft. Drain and
crush potatoes roughly in an ovenproof dish.
Meanwhile, heat oil in a large frying pan on medium-high heat.
Season chicken with salt and pepper and add to pan. Sear on both
sides until golden brown. Remove from heat and place on top of
potatoes.
Mix together herbs, garlic, oil, balsamic vinegar, salt and pepper
in a bowl and whisk well to combine. Drizzle over chicken and
potatoes and add fresh and tinned cherry tomatoes.
Bake for approximately 30 minutes. Place pancetta on top and
cook for another 10 minutes (or until chicken is cooked).
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 Dinner FOOD FOR GOOD

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 Treats FOOD FOR GOOD

BANANA PEANUT
BUTTER BISCUITS
Makes 12 biscuits
Biscuits Who doesnt love peanut butter and banana together? Another
cup caster sugar creation by Bread & Butter Bakery & Cafe, who make these to
cup brown sugar go into our lunches.
40 g butter
40 g peanut butter
Preheat oven to 160C.
1 small egg
45 g plain flour In a medium bowl, beat sugars, butter and peanut butter until
teaspoon baking powder creamy. Add egg and beat well.
teaspoon baking soda
Sieve dry ingredients together and add to creamed mixture. Mix
Filling until all ingredients are well blended.
cup icing sugar
20 g butter, softened Pipe two-dollar-coin-sized blobs on to a lined tray and bake for
banana, mashed 20 minutes. Cool completely.
teaspoon lemon juice
For the filling, sieve icing sugar on to softened butter. Mix well.
Add banana and lemon juice and mix until smooth. Depending
on the banana, extra icing sugar may be required to produce a
consistency that is thick, creamy and smooth but holds its form.

Pipe or spoon filling on to the flat half of one biscuit and sandwich
with another biscuit.

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