Baby Led Weaning

Growing healthy babies with healthy appetites

Posts Tagged ‘vegetarian’

Bunny's Studenty Toasty Pizza

Wednesday, December 27th, 2006

This recipe has reminded me of the fact that when I was at university I thought it was genuinely witty that we had a sign above the toaster in our student flat that bore the legend 'Make Toast, Not War'… <Aitch wipes tears of  thirtysomething mirth from eyes>.

“Thought you might like this uber easy recipe (using the word loosely!). It
requires no doughmaking, ideal for lazy types like me. This is how we used to
make pizza at uni when we'd spent all our food money on beer
;-)

 
Toast Pizza (aka
Cheese on toast with vegetables)
 
1 slice of
bread
Tomato
puree
Cheese of
choice
 
Lightly toast your
bread so the bottom won't be soggy. Spread a thin layer of tomato puree over the
top (you can make it yourself, but we use Organic Tomato Puree from Waitrose –
no added salt, hurrah). Cover with cheese – The Weeble is partial to mozzarella
and cheddar. Bung under the grill until the cheese is melted and bubbling. ALLOW
TO COOL! Molten cheese has thermonuclear properties!
 
If you are like me
and a bit slapdash with the cheese, you'll probably have burnt crusts, so cut
those off. Cut your “pizza” into strips (for bubbas; leave whole for older
children and mummies) and serve! Weebs really likes this, especially the way the
mozzarella can be made to stretch for miles when cool and
rubbery.
 
It occurs to me that
if you substitute another veg puree for the tomato, that would use up some of
that leftover puree we all seem to have… and also sneak in some vegetables
should you need to do so!
 
We're going to try
it again tomorrow with some small bits of cooked chicken embedded in the
cheese.”

Related Posts:

Tags: , , , , ,
Posted in Recipes · 2 Comments »


Spanish Omelette (with peas, because everything Babybear eats Must Contain Peas)

Thursday, November 23rd, 2006

The thing I hate about making A Proper Spanish Omelette is getting the damned potatoes fried without burning the onions. Yes, you should do it separately but honestly, who has the time?

So I stick the potato in the microwave and bake it. Heresy, obviously. (Should I expect the Spanish Omelette Inquisition?)

Meanwhile, cut your onion into attractive segments and fry it gently in olive oil or, as Moomin would say, 'the grease of your choice'. Mix up a couple of eggs. Chop up your cooked potato (who can be bothered peeling it, by the way? Not I.) Throw it in with the onions and fry for a while until the potatoes take on a bit of colour. Shouldn't take more than a few minutes.

Pour over your egg and staunchly resist the temptation to faff around with it. You might have wanted to add a bit more before putting the egg in, by the way. Drop some frozen peas onto the uncooked egg, as popping something green into the recipe will make you feel like A Better Parent. Cook for a few minutes and then flip it or if you are too much of a coward you could finish it under the grill.

This makes enough for Babybear and myself for lunch, she loves it and it's pretty healthy all told, so long as you aren't avoiding eggs for allergy-style reasons.

Related Posts:

Tags: , , , , ,
Posted in Recipes · 3 Comments »


Fiona's Fillable Finger Food Patties

Wednesday, November 22nd, 2006

Always nice to hear from someone who appreciates our efforts (although by the sounds of things it's really Moomin's efforts). Even nicer when she pays it forward with another recipe. Thanks Fiona.

“Since I've had so many great ideas from your blog
(I'm about to try the chickpea burgers) I thought I'd share one back.  This has
been our favourite 'staple' finger food for going out and about and can be
varied in lots of ways.
 
Fiona's Finger Food Patties

3 tablespoons plain flour
3 tablespoons milk
1 egg
a little butter for frying
the filling of your choice
 
  • crack the egg into the four and mix well
  • add milk a little at a time to form smooth
    batter
  • add some filling – I've used: mashed banana and
    cinammon, green beans and cheese, peas, sweetcorn, leftover sweet potato – you
    get the idea
  • heat a frying pan with butter then when it is
    smoking slightly pour in fritter sized circles of batter (about a dssp each I
    reckon).  Cook over medium heat and when wee bubbles of air appear at the top,
    flip over and cook another couple of mins.
My baby loves these – they can be taken out and
about easily…are nice on their own or spread with soft cheese or whatever else
you fancy.”

Related Posts:

Tags: , , ,
Posted in Recipes · 1 Comment »


Hub2dee's Porridge Pancakes

Thursday, November 16th, 2006

Hub2dee is a chap, although I didn't immediately twig that. He posts on Mumsnet (and he's not even a mum… they are very lax about these sort of things.)

Anyway, there had been some discussion on Mumsnet of the Glaswegian tradition of lining a kitchen drawer with baking parchment and pouring leftover porridge into it to be eaten later when it had set. Much of the discussion had centred, most irritatingly, around the 'grossness' of such a practice, to which I should have replied that if you were devastatingly poor, oppressed by slum landlords and working a hard day in a shipyard you maybe weren't so precious about these sorts of things but I didn't cos I was too chicken.

Anyway, Hub2dee went away and thought about this recipe in the context of Baby Led Weaning, bless him, and came up with this fantastic 'recipe' for porridge pancakes. There aren't any measurements, it's a bit trial and error-tastic but the babies love them. I've posted a photo of Babybear enjoying some in the Photos folder.

Basically, put a thin layer (oh I don't know, 4mm deep) of porridge oats into a round flat bowl (I have a tupperware which fits the bill and has a lid for keeping in the fridge, hurrah.)

Then add enough expressed breast milk or water to cover. If you are formula feeding then you can do as I do and add a scoop of formula powder to the mix before adding the water. Give it a wee stir, smooth over and stick it in the microwave for about a minute, sometimes more, sometimes less. Depends on your bowl, your microwave and your baby's personal taste.

You should be left with a solid pancake that looks a bit dried-out and flap-jacky on the top. DO NOT touch it or fanny about with it, leave it alone, it needs to cool and set.

I tend to make one up at night before I go to bed then stick it in the fridge, so that when we get up I can peel it (well, it really is just the skin of the porridge which I appreciate is un petit peu gross) and cut it into segments and feed it to the baby.

Apparently you can add things to the porridge, cheese, fruit etc, but I think I like the simplicity of the original recipe. We made it with cheese once and the baby ate it but I thought it was a bit stinky and it fell apart more easily. Oh, and if I'm making some to go out I don't bother with the milk.

As you know I don't yet have much of a clue about allergies (phew) but I believe that although oats do contain gluten it's not the freaky-deaky coeliac disease kind so I use these as a bread substitute. You can spread Philly or hummus on them to your heart's desire.

(As a complete aside, you would not BELIEVE what the 'renowned childcare expert Gina Ford' is doing to Mumsnet. She's trying to get them closed down cos some of their members had a pop at her. Have a look at www.mumsnet.com if you don't believe me…)

Post Script
We have recently discovered that the desirability of the porridge pancake is entirely dependant on the quality and nature of the porridge. We had been using some fancy-schmantzy organic oats from Sainsbury's to make them and they turned out brilliantly, all light and porridgey but still held together well. Cut to the horror of the Scott's Porage Oat… a Jock classic and I'm ashamed to admit absolutely keech for making these pancakes. The oats seem to be five times as large as the ones from Sainsbury's and so they fall apart immediately. They don't even seem to absorb the milk that well, and as for the mess… one porridge pancake can wreak absolute devastation and havoc… they're going back in the cupboard for Anzac biscuits and I'm going back to Sainsbury's as soon as I get a minute.

Post Post Script. Where does it say on the recipe that you should cover the dish with clingfilm? Nowehere, that's where. Yet one of the mothers who most complained that she could not get this recipe to work has just sent me this image as evidence. Can you spot the mistake, pancake fans?





Related Posts:

Tags: , ,
Posted in Recipes · 43 Comments »


French Toast/Eggy Bread

Wednesday, November 8th, 2006

Right, so at nearly eleven months we have finally dived in on the egg eventually (partly in an effort to 'bind' my poor daughter's poo back to some sort of solidity, I admit). We are big fans of French toast in this household, but only, and I mean only, made with Scottish Plain bread. If you think you've tasted white bread before, think again, for they don't some any whiter than a plain loaf, in all its doughy, burnt-crusted gorgeousness. Stupid foofy cotton wool bread tastes weird with egg, I think, so try to get the doughiest loaf you can.
Obviously you know how to make it, just crack a couple of eggs into a dish large enough for your bread, fling in the slices and then prick with a fork so that it better absorbs the egg. Once you are satisfied that the bread is suitably eggy, drop it into some warmed olice oil in a frying pan and fry it until golden-ish. Some people eat this with sugar but they are mostly American. I'm strictly savoury myself.

Related Posts:

Tags: , , , ,
Posted in Recipes · 3 Comments »


Rowan's 10-minute pizza recipe

Tuesday, November 7th, 2006

Appearently this really does take 10 minutes… which makes it rather a handy little recipe to have at our disposal. I bet it would be good cold as well.

This is a really quick pizza, takes literally 10 minutes from entering the kitchen
to putting in oven.

Make dough by mixing 4 parts self raising flour with
1 part butter and rubbing until you get breadcrumb type mixture. (it's faster if
you grate the butter straight from the fridge) –  4oz flour to 1 oz butter makes 3
small pizzas.

Slowly add about 50 ml milk a splash at a time and stirring
with a spoon each time until you get a dough. You might not need it
all.

Knead with hands in bowl (or get handy toddler to help…) and split into
pieces depending on how many pizzas you want.  Or leave it as one massive one,
whatever.

Put dough on oiled baking tray and smoosh with fingers until it is
the right size, it doesn't have to be even.

Spread on some red pesto sauce
straight from the jar.

Add veg of choice (the Munch likes thin strips of
courgette (use a potato peeler) or carrot, peas, beans, bits of
broccoli, that sort of thing…)

Daintily dump some grated cheddar cheese on top.

Put in oven,
Gas Mark 6, for about 10 minutes for hand sized, longer for bigger.

Cut into pieces
and eat yours while waiting for the rest to cool.



Related Posts:

Tags: , , , ,
Posted in Recipes · 1 Comment »


Moomin's Onion Bhaji recipe

Sunday, October 29th, 2006

Once again, Moomin's struggle to keep her daughter allergy-free bears fruit for all babykind in the form of these easy and delicious bhajis. And parentkind too, by the sound of things.

Grate one medium potato and half an onion.
Add 75g gram flour and a splash
of water.
Add spices of your choice – I used a bit of cumin and
coriander.
Drop one tablespoon into hot oil and fry for 4 mins each
side.
This mix made six bhajis, but I don't imagine we'll be freezing that
many as Minky, Mr Moomin and I are polishing them all off!

These were a
big hit and will work as another picnic lunch. Hooray!

Related Posts:

Tags: , , , , ,
Posted in Recipes · 6 Comments »


Jenn's Pecan Lentil Burgers

Monday, October 23rd, 2006

I've rescued this recipe from the relative obscurity of the comments section of one of Moomin's recipes, it was posted by one of our many Jenns and it really does sound amazing. I'm not completely sure of the temperatures, they sound American to me, but I wouldn't think of doing the pecans at anything over 180degrees in an electric oven (in Scotland. If you're from abroad then you'll have to work things out for yourselves). I'm also wondering if pistachios would substitute for pecans, which are kinda hard to get hold of round my way. However, we've not given Babybear any nuts yet so this might be a strictly adults-only recipe in our house for a while. No bad thing, I should say…

I've got one to share that is a crowd pleaser. I made them for a party and everyone copied the recipe.


Pecan Lentil Burger



3/4 cup uncooked green lentils


3/4 cup pecans


4 cloves garlic


1 1/2 teasppon cumin


1 1/2 teaspoon coriander


1 teaspoon chili flakes


3 tablespoons olive oil


3/4 cup bread crumbs (may use wheatless bread such as spelt, or any kind of wheatless subsitute)


1 egg (optional-I've made it without and they were fine)



Cook lentils according to package directions until tender…approx 25 minutes. Drain.



Roast pecans at 300 – 325 for 10-15 minutes. (Use your own discretion
with temperature and timing because I find the pecans can burn fast)
Set aside.


In food processor, mince garlic;add pecans, mince;add lentils,
spices, bread crumbs and olive oil. Puree until dough-like. Put mixture
into big bowl and work in egg if you choose to. Form into patties and
fry on pan with a bit of oil.



Delicious!


Related Posts:

Tags: , , , , ,
Posted in Recipes · 2 Comments »


Blackened peppers with cream cheese

Wednesday, October 11th, 2006

Babybear really likes these and they are easy to make so I'm happy to oblige.

You can grill the peppers or oven-bake them but I find the easiest thing to do is stick a fork into the bit where the stem is and then lay it onto the gas ring… I mean, I'm not actually recommending that you do that as it's probably some sort of hellish fire risk so I couldn't possibly… but it's certainly what I do. Turn the pepper round when it starts to soften and bubbles of brown/black start appearing. Should smell LOVELY, by the way.

When it's done all over, stick it in a plastic bag and let the skins steam for a while. I tend to wash/rub off the burned bits under a cold running tap which has the advantage of cooling the peppers down. There was some publicity a while back about burned things having a carcinogenic effect so I am always pretty careful to scrape off any bits that are left.

Don't get me wrong, these aren't completely soft peppers, they still have a bit of bounce to them, but the gas ring thing takes about 5 minutes and really takes the edge off the raw taste which I myself amn't that fond of.

Then, you know, slice the three cheeks of the pepper and then you'll probably be left with one longer thinner bit. Oh god, you know how to cut up a pepper. I think I normally cut the bumcheeks in half (ouch!) so I end off with a good few long pieces.

Anyway, spread some Philly or cream cheese on the slices and there you have it. Babybear likes them and you can leave the pepper pieces in the fridge for a couple of days. God knows I've probably totally over-explained this 'recipe' but the point is that at least it's not more bread and cheese…it's peppers and cheese.

Related Posts:

Tags: , , , ,
Posted in Recipes · 6 Comments »


Franny's Home-made Baked Beans

Monday, October 9th, 2006

We gave Babybear some Heinz baked beans tonight with cheese and toast (what's not to like, you'd think)  but actually she wasn't that fussed for them. I must say it did occur to me as I was eating mine that they did taste very salty.
So I haven't actually made these before but I've had the recipe for ages. What was holding me up, you ask? Why, the molasses… I've searched high and low, from health food shop to supermarket for it to no avail. However, some Christian soul has finally put me out of my misery and told me that treacle (which I have in the damned cupboard) is the same thing. Durrrr.
Anyway, Franny's recipe and her comments are below. Apparently they are very tasty. I'm not 100% sure about the bean soaking bit as I am rarely that organised so I reserve the right to used tinned haricots.

8 oz haricot beans

1 lb toms, skinned and deseeded (I used tinned and it is ok if maybe a little runny)

2 tbsp tomato puree

2 tbsp molasses

2 tsp mustard powder

3/4 pint hot stock (that's three quarters, not 3 or 4 )



Soak
beans overnight in large bowl covered with cold water. Drain well, put
in sauce pan and cover with cold water by at least 2 ins. Bring to
boil, skim surface, cover pan and cook at rolling boil for 30 mins.
Drain well. Preheat oven to GM 2. Put beans in large casserole and stir
in all remaining ingredients. Mix well. Cover casserole and cook for
2.5 hours. Stir gently and cook for another 35 mins or until tender and
sauce thickened. (normally takes up to 4 hours to get really tender and
not too runny IME).


Freezes well and is popular with dads as well as
children. I normally cook at least double and freeze lots. It has been
pointed out to me that with having to cook them for so long, and with
baked beans being so cheap, that it is probably cheaper to buy them,
but I would far rather have this sort with no salt and no artificial
sweeteners. I think baked beans are a truly healthy food but the tinned
sort normally have a lot of rubbish added. These are easy to make and also
make the house smell lovely.

Related Posts:

Tags: , , , , , ,
Posted in Recipes · 3 Comments »


« Older Entries