English Muffins

These English muffins were a hit with Izzie who seems to have grown tired of toast for breakfast.

The recipe was taken from Gill Rapley's The Baby Led Weaning Cookbook, where I always go back for basic baby-friendly recipes. You can actually find the recipe here. It's very easy but it takes a while, so make sure you have plenty of time.

English muffins are so versatile, you can even use them as buns for a burger, so it's worth keeping a few in the freezer.

See them in action with my version of Eggs Benedict.

Almond & Apricot Scones

Great with the No Sugar Jam these scones will sweeten your little ones afternoon.

Makes 6 small scones.

Ingredients:
1 1/4 cup of Self-Raising Flour
1/4 cup Ground Almonds
1 Tbsp Baking Powder
50 g Coconut Oil set or cold
100 g Dates
1/4 cup of (dairy-free) Milk
6 dried apricots chopped

Preparation:
Pre-heat the oven at 220 C.

In a medium bowl, sieve the flour and baking powder. Add the ground almonds. Mix in the coconut oil with your hands until you achieve the consistency of breadcrumbs.

In a food processor, blend the pitted dates with the milk until the dates are chopped and mixed in with the milk. Add this mixture to the breadcrumb mix until you achieve a soft dough slightly wet. If needed, add teaspoons of milk.

Finally, add the chopped apricots.

Lightly flour a surface area and stretch your dough to the height of 2 cm. Using a 5 cm round cutter, cut rounds. Repeat until there's no dough left.

Place the scones on a baking sheet lined or greased and put then in the oven for 12 minutes or until golden brown.

Raw Raspberry Jam (No Sugar, no Pectin, no Cooking)

My girl loves fruit but berries were always her least favourite, so I've been thinking of different ways of adding berries to her meals. An easy way was to use jam but this was not ideal because not only had the fruit have to be boiled (thus losing nutrients) but I'd also need sugar or to add pectin. Then, I was mind-blown by this No Pectin Refrigerator Jam which uses chia seeds to set the jam! I couldn't have been happier. Izzie loved it too!

It has some crunch due to the raspberry seeds and the chia seeds. I'm thinking of sieving the raspberries and grinding the chia seeds just to see how it turns out. After all, I don't want Izzie to become one of those people who only like seedless jams.

Coconut Panna Cotta (Dairy Free and Sugar Free)

For Easter, I wanted to make a light fresh dessert we could all have. I had read some time ago about panna cotta using coconut milk, so I had to try it as Izzie loves her homemade coconut milk yogurt. I garnished with a simple raspberry coulis with a teaspoon of honey but this won't be needed if your fruit is sweet enough.

Coconut Panna Cotta (serves 3)

Ingredients:
1 can of full fat Coconut milk (over 60% coconut minimum)
2 tsp of Agave Syrup or honey
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp Agar Agar flakes

Preparation:
Melt the milk in the pan on a low heat. Add the syrup, vanilla extract and Agar Agar and keep stirring for around 5 minutes. Don't allow the mixture to boil. Turn off heat and sieve the mixture into a jug to get rid of any flakes that didn't melt completely.

Pour the mixture into 3 ramekins lined with cling film (this allows you to remove the panna cotta without any risk of accidents. Leave in the fridge to set for at least 2 hours.

Serve with fresh fruit or coulis of your choice.

*Meal Idea* Eggs Benedict (or a vegetarian, healthy, baby-friendly version)

What's not to like? Homemade English muffins, poached egg and whatever else you can think of. In our case, we added mushroom sauce (mushrooms in Oat Cream with paprika), guacamole, blanched mangetout and kale lightly fried in coconut oil. For a splash of colour I added a smudge of our own fermented red cabbage rubykraut.

The portion might have been overestimated for my snacker but the egg and the muffin went down a treat!

Red Kidney Beans Falafel

This is a super easy falafel recipe. It's yummy and we have used it to stuff pittas and complement couscous salads.

Makes 6-8 falafel.

Ingredients
1 can of red kidney beans drained
2 garlic cloves chopped
1/2 teaspoon of turmeric
1 teaspoon of cumin
1 spring onion sliced
1 tablespoon of plain flour
1 handful of chopped coriander
Olive oil to grease the baking sheet and brush the falafel

Preparation
Pre-heat the oven to 200C.

In a large bowl combine all of the ingredients and mix until it forms a "dough".

Grease a baking sheet by lightly brushing it with olive oil. Shape the bean mixture into small balls. Place them on the baking sheet and brush them with a little oil.

Bake them in the oven for about 15 minutes or until golden brown.

Rosemary & Thyme Mini-Crackers

I've been looking for a savoury cracker recipe for a while. Unfortunately, most crunchy crackers have some sort of cheese to add texture and as we're dairy-free, we had to settle for a more cream cracker crunch.

The thinner you roll them, the crunchier they will be. Izzie was a bit suspicious of them at first but they soon became a staple of her snack plate.

Rosemary & Thyme Mini-Crackers

Ingredients:

175 g self-raising Flour
Pinch of Salt
1 tsp fresh Thyme, finely chopped
1 tsp fresh Rosemary, finely chopped
75 g Vegetable Margarine, diced
1 egg


Preparation:

Pre-heat the oven to 200º C.

Put the flour and salt in a bowl and rub in the margarine until the mixture looks like breadcrumbs. Add the rosemary and thyme, the beaten egg and mix it until the dough is soft.

Turn out on to a lightly floured surface and knead gently until smooth. Roll out to a thickness of 3mm.

Use a small cookie cutter to cut into rounds. Knead together whatever dough is left, roll again to the same thickness and cut dough. Repeat until there is no more dough left.

Place on a baking sheet and bake for about 12 minutes.

I keep them in an airtight contained lined with parchment paper and they keep for about a month.

Pesto

This super easy pesto is great to add to fusilli to make a quick, easy to eat to lunch. Just cook your pasta and once drained, mix the pesto with it.

I make it dairy-free, so no cheese. Even if I was adding cheese, I'd be very cautious with it because of the salt content.

Ingredients:

1 bunch of fresh Basil

1/4 cup of Pine Nuts

2 tablespoons of Olive Oil

1 tablespoon of Parmesan Cheese (optional)

Preparation:

Using a food processor or hand blender, whizz all the ingredients together making sure the pine nuts are all crushed into small little bits. If needed, add more oil for a better consistency.

Vegetable Fingers, Pitta & Hummus *Meal Idea*

This one is guaranteed to be a hit from as early as 6 months. It's easy and packed with goodness.

The littler ones might need some hummus pre-dipping but the older ones should have fun doing the dipping themselves.

Lightly steam a few carrots or any other veggies you like. Cut cucumber sticks and pepper slices and grill the pitta so it's just warm and soft. Serve it all with a big dollop of hummus.

*Pudding Idea* Avocado with honey & crushed walnuts

Avocados are super rich in healthy fats and packed with folate.

To make this lovely pudding, simply half an avocado, remove the stone, spread a teaspoon of honey (over 1 year olds only) or agave nectar and sprinkle with crushed walnuts (more healthy fats and omegas) and serve.

If your toddler isn't handy with a spoon, just cut it in chunks.

*Meal Idea* Bulgur Wheat with Roasted Butternut Squash & Red Pepper

Bulgur Wheat is a great alternative to rice. In this recipe, I tried to emulate a risotto but the bulgur makes it a lot lighter. I browned some onions and courgette and then cooked the bulgur with them. I also roasted a whole butternut squash and half a red pepper, drizzled with a little olive oil and a little rosemary and thyme.

Once the butternut squash and the red pepper was roasted, I just scooped the flesh out and plumped it on a bed of bulgur wheat and served it.

For myself, I sprinkled it with a little parmesan but for Isabel I just added fresh coriander.

Sugar-Free Rich Tea Biscuits

I absolutely stole this recipe from here. Patricia cooks the lovelies vegan, sugar-free food. I've been trying to get my hands on a good sugar-free biscuit recipe for ages. Although I'm trying to keep Izzie's tastebuds away from too much sweetness, a dry starchy snack can come in handy, especially when we are out and need to minimise the mess.

They're also so easy to make. We made big ones and also little ones for tiny hands, therefore, I can't tell you exactly how many this recipe yields but according to Patricia, it makes 550 g!

Vegan Wholewheat Sugar-Free Rich Tea Biscuits by Patricia is Cooking.

Ingredients:

325 g of Wholewheat Flour
125 g of Dates
125 g of Olive Oil
45 g of Cream (we used Oat Cream)
1 tsp Baking Powder
1 tsp Vanilla Essence
1 pinch of Salt
Milk as needed

Preparation:

Pre-heat the oven to 180º C.

Using a food processor, mix the dates with the flour and baking powder. I started off by blitzing the dates with my handheld blender as my food processor jug was too big to ensure the dates were well minced.

Once the dates are well mixed with the flour, add the remaining ingredients apart from the milk. If your mixture seems too dry, then add some milk. You want the mixture to not spring back when you poke it.

Using a rolling pin, stretch the dough until it's just about 2 or 3 mm thick and cut into shapes using a cookie cutter or a glass. Bake in the oven for 10-15 minutes. The thinner you cut them, the crispier they will be.

Orange and Raisin Scones

These lovely orange and raisin scones make an excellent easy breakfast. These scones are sweet without being loaded with sugar thanks to the sweetness of the orange zest.

They're so easy to bake and cook in less than 15 minutes.

As you can see by the picture, Izzie was ready to tuck in.

Orange and Raisin Scones 

Makes 6 scones.

Ingredients:

110 g plain Flour
1 tbsp Baking powder
30 g Sugar (we used Coconut Palm Sugar)
Pinch of Salt
30 g Coconut Oil
1 Orange grated rind
1/4 cup Raisins
1/4 Cream (we used Oat Cream), plus a bit more to glaze


Preparation:

Pre-heat the oven to 220ºC.

Sift the flour, baking powder, sugar and salt into a bowl. Rub in the oil until the mixture has the texture of breadcrumbs.

Add the orange ring and raisins and mix evenly. Then add the cream until you have a soft dough.

Roll out the dough on a lightly floured surface until it's about 2 cm thick and use a large cookie cutter or glass to cut out rounds of around 6 cm diameter.

Place on baking sheet and glaze with cream. Bake for 12-15 minutes or until golden.

Lentil & Beetroot Loaf Recipe

On this blog Patricia is Cooking I found a recipe for Beetroot and Gluten Burgers that looked delicious. This lady cooks the most amazing vegan, sugar-free food with the help of a Bimby/Thermomix. If you don't know what a Bimby/Thermomix is, it's a super expensive but highly effective food processor/cooker that basically does everything for you. I don't have a Thermomix unfortunately, but most recipes can be done with a normal food processor and your own hands and oven.

So I set off making a Veggie Loaf version of this and added some things along the way. It took me a long time to cook in the oven as the mixture needed to get drier but, in the end, it turned out delicious.

Ingredients:

2 Beetroots
2 Onions
200 g of Lentils
6 tbsp Vital Wheat Gluten
3 Garlic cloves
1 tsp Paprika
1/2 tsp Turmeric
1/4 Cashews (or any other nuts) crushed (make sure the bits are very small so your child doesn't risk choking)
1/2 tbsp Olive Oil
salt and pepper (optional for children)

Preparation:

Pre-heat the oven to 200ºC.

Blitz everything together in a food processor. Shape into a loaf. Line a tin with baking paper and put the loaf there.

Bake in the oven for 90 minutes.

If you'd like the outside to be crispy, brush the loaf halfway through with some olive oil.

Banana Muffins with Coconut Flour (sugar-free and gluten-free)

A friend of mine shared this amazing recipe from Wellness Mama and I played around with it because I wasn't happy about the amount of eggs. Izzie is not gluten free but we do like to vary our grains. These muffins are interestingly different and worth a try. I also sprinkled them with chia seeds for added calcium.

There's definitely a hint of coconut which adds to the sweetness of the banana. These would work as mini-muffins too. The secret is to get the batter just right. Not too thick but not runny either.

Izzie doesn't have a sweet tooth and these are very sweet so she is yet to finish a whole one. It's okay as Mummy doesn't mind eating whatever is left, though.

Makes 12 muffins.

Ingredients:
3 eggs
3 very ripe bananas
1/4 cup coconut oil or butter softened
1/2 cup coconut flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp vanilla essence
1/4 cup of milk (or more to thin)
Chia seeds to sprinkle on top

Preparation:

Pre-heat the oven to 200ºC.

Put all ingredients in a bowl and mix until smooth (an electric mixer may be needed). Add more milk if needed but only until the mix runs smooth (but not runny).

Divide the batter into a greased muffin tin. Sprinkle with chia seeds or any other seeds of your liking.

Bake for about 20 minutes or until it's golden and set in the middle.

Banana & Carob Brownies

These chocolate and sugar-free brownies were a hit with Izzie. They were moist and tasted just right and if you cut them into small squares, they're perfect for tiny hands. They also freeze really well as it makes about 25 small squares.


Ingredients:
3 very ripe bananas
3 eggs
125 g butter (we use dairy free organic margerine or coconut oil)
75 g carob flour
125 g plain flour
1 tsp baking powder

Preparation:
Pre-heat the oven to 180ºC.

Mash the bananas until they're all mushy with no lumps and, in a bowl, mix with the eggs. Add the butter melted.

In another bowl, mix the carob and plain flour and the baking powder and add them to the wet mix.

Pour in a greased 20 cm x 20 cm square tin and bake for 30 minutes.

Vegetable Stuffed Mini Pancakes

Makes 7 portions

Ingredients:

For the batter:
75 g plain flour
1/2 egg
100 ml milk
50 ml water
Oil (for frying)

For the vegetable stuffing:
1/2 grates courgette
1 grated carrot
2 sliced chestnut mushrooms
1 tbsp cream (I use a dairy free option)
1 tsp oil

Preparation:

In a mixing bowl, pour the flour and make a hole in the middle and drop the half egg and half of the milk. Mix everything until the batter gains consistence. Then, gradually, add the rest of the milk and water until the batter runs smooth.

Heat up a little oil in a frying pan. When it's really hot, pour 2 tablespoons of batter and let it run through the pan to thin it out. When the edges start raising and the middle is bubbling, turn the pancake and let it fry for 15-30 seconds. Repeat until there's no more batter.


In another frying pan, heat up a little oil to stir-fry the mushrooms, courgette and carrot. Add any seasoning to your taste (I like paprika and thyme). Finally, add the cream and turn down the heat until the cream goes a little thicker. Remove from heat and stuff the pancakes with the vegetable mix by folding or rolling.