Having donned my thinking cap on ‘How to make a healthier sausage roll’ — I started experimenting. I was introduced to quinoa (Keenwa) and kale by my Sports Nutritionist Scientist son in February. I’d heard of quinoa’s nutritional value, but I didn’t know how to use it in my cooking.

This recipe has been tested on the most pickiest of critiques — my nieces and nephews. It passed with flying colours on numerous occasions. If you make extra sausage rolls, don’t cook them until they are needed. Freeze them first while on the baking tray, then bag the uncooked sausage rolls to your preferred portions. They are great to have on a rainy day or as a snack after school or at get-togethers.

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups quinoa – cooked
• 1 1/2 cups kale – raw
• 1 large onion
• 1kg raw beef mince
• 1/2kg raw pork mince
• 4 eggs
• puff pastry sheets

Optional

• salt & pepper

Method

1. Preheat oven to 160C.
2. Chop and steam kale and onion in microwave
3. Let cool
4. Mix beef and pork mince in bowl.
5. Add eggs to mince mix. Mix well.
6. Add quinoa, kale and onion to mince mix. Mix well.
7. Lay out puff pastry, baste with egg wash.
8. Spoon mince mixture along one side.
9. Roll up pastry with mince mix inside, until 1-2cm overlap.
10. Use egg wash along side of rolled pastry – it helps glue pastry onto itself.
11. Cut slightly under rolled mince mix and and lay long sausage roll on baking tray.
12. Cut long rolls into quarters or sixths — depending on size required.
13. Glaze top of cut sausage rolls with egg wash before putting in oven.
14. Place on baking paper on baking tray and cook at 160C for 15-20min, until golden.

Kale chopped finely. Place onions in microwave and cook for 2 minutes on high, covered.

Side view of semi-softened onions with Kale laid evenly on top.

Beef mince and pork mince

Eggs, beating eggs, egg mix added to mince mix and then evenly blended.