Spiced Potato and Spinach Cakes

I often cook an extra jacket potato intending to cook something for my son.  This was the way I used up my last cooked jacket from the fridge.  I would think they would be great for baby led weaners and the reluctant spinach eater (adult or child!)

Potato and Spinach Curry Cakes - makes 6

Ingredients

1 Cooked jacket potato
50g, 2 blocks chopped spinach, cooked as per pack instructions
1 tsp garam masala
1 tsp mango chutney
1/2 tsp curry paste (I used a hot one you could use more for adults or adventurous sorts or a milder paste for kids who aren't into spice)
1-3 tsp wholemeal flour
Handful of breadcrumbs (I used sourdough but you could use any)
1 Egg
1 tsp, drizzle of oil

Method

Preheat the oven to 200oC / 400F

Mash the potato and mix with the cooked, drained spinach, spices and chutney.  Add enough flour to make it formable into cakes (if you chose to boil your potato to make this, make sure it's drained very well.)  Make into cakes, dip in egg and then the breadcrumbs then put on a tray and drizzle with the oil.

Bake in the oven for 20 minutes until hot through and crispy on the outside.

Serve with salad, mango chutney or rice (for the ultimate carb overload!)  My son only ate one of these but on his previous meals over the weekend, that's a bit of a result.

If you like these, have you tried broccoli nuggets or chicken nuggets?

This post has been linked up to meatless monday here.

Homemade tomato sauce for babies, toddlers and the whole family

It is my right to revisit posts of yore, especially when I've changed the cooking method.  This is my recipe for a basic tomato sauce which is great for loads of uses.  When I blogged about this before, I wasn't spending as much time on my posts and it's a long way back.  I was also really lazy and rarely took pictures (not that my pictures here are fabulous.  Photographing a sauce is tricky.)  I also wanted to review, for my own benefit as much as anyone, just how many ways I use this sauce and in how many recipes (I know it's a lot).

Slow Cooked Tomato Sauce - makes loads but freezes well

Ingredients

4 tins of tomatoes (or use a pack of passata and some tomatoes)
1-2 onions (optional)
4-5 cloves of garlic, peeled
2 carrots, chopped up finely
2 red orange or yellow peppers (capsicums), frozen ones are fine
A sprig of rosemary

Method

Bung all of the ingredients into the slow cooker.

Put on high and let it bubble away for a good few hours, think a good 4-6 (remember a slow cooker only uses as much energy as a lightbulb).  Towards the end of cooking, if liked, use a spoon to prop the lid up slightly to let out some steam, this helps to thicken the sauce.

Puree the sauce in a blender.  Freezes fantastically.

Be assured that the quantities and combinations are up to you.  No onions?  Miss them out.  Fancy more garlic?  Stick it in.  Want something more spanish?  Why not use some paprika?  It's up to you although I would say it's a great idea to have this as a fairly simple "base" and add flavouring when you cook.

How can you use it?  Here's my list of ways:

1.  As a simple tomato sauce with pasta.  Just heat it up, mix it in to cooked pasta and add cheese if liked.  Great for babies just starting on finger foods (lovely and messy!)

2.  Extend that pasta possibility by adding prawns or tuna.

3.  Thin it down and make a tasty soup

4.  Chicken pasta bake

5.  Alternatively mix it with cooked bacon and cooked chilli for pasta amitriciana.

6.  Pizza, just make sure you make the sauce good and thick.

7.  Vegetarian Lasagne

8.  Meatballs (although I should say I might review this recipe soon, that batch does not look like my best.)

9.  Prawn pasta bake

10.  Prawn stew

Oat and Mango biscuits for babies and toddlers

Some crumbly biscuits, slightly sweet but no added sugar.

You might never have encountered dried mango before.  My son likes dried fruit (who doesn't) and I saw a pack in CO-OP recently.  Most dried mango contains added sugar but this didn't.  I have to say it was delicious.  I'm not much of a fresh mango fan but this was like a sweet, tangy fruit leather.

As it is naturally super sweet, I used some for these biscuits.  A big hit with my 23 month old.  He ate four as a snack.

Oat and Mango Biscuits - makes around 24 depending on size

Ingredients

90g Plain flour
25g Porridge oats
70g Unsalted butter
35g Unsweetened Dried Mango, finely chopped
1 tsp Vanilla extract
1 tsp Water

Method

Preheat the oven to 200oC or 400F.

Put the flour, oats, butter, mango and vanilla extract into a food processor.  Process for a minute or so, it will start to come together.  Add as much water as needed to bring to a dough, I just needed 1 tsp.

Kneed lightly and then roll out until 2mm thick (just less than a tenth of an inch).  Cut out the shapes you like and place on a baking tray lined with baking paper.  Bake for 7-8 minutes, (possibly slightly less as mine were a little overdone) until starting to brown.

Cool on a wire rack.

Hmm.  Brew.

These freeze well if frozen raw interleaved with baking paper.  You can cook them from frozen in a preheated oven as before for 8-10 minutes.  Mine were done in 8.

Singapore Noodles for Toddlers (and parents)

If I have a philosophy, it's probably to introduce interesting foods to kids in the healthiest way I can.  I also like to challenge what is traditionally seen as 'kids food'.  I have a lot of sympathy with Antonio Carluccio's comments recently (even if I question his credentials as a famously fat man) that children's menus make kids fat.

The 'typical' children's menu features chips, chips and more chips.  If you're lucky there's a pasta dish on there, pasta is fine but it just makes me think "yawn".  Isn't there anything more interesting?  The silly thing is loads of kids go to nurseries nowadays and in my experience of two local nurseries, their food is far more interesting and presumably they have no issues getting kids to eat it.

So, I urge you to be a little bit brave with your toddlers and older kids.  There might be some refusals, there might be some less than positive reports but really, why don't we feed food which is closer to what we'd like to eat?  After all if you don't you're setting yourself up for a lifetime of cooking two meals.

That said, I'd be spinning a yarn if I didn't tell you that all of the prawns were eaten along with a couple of pieces of pepper and a few noodles.  It was a hit but my son has his favourites and prawns are probably the thing he would eat for every meal if I let him.

Singapore Noodles - serves 2 adults and 1 toddler

Ingredients

1 onion, peeled, halved and sliced into half moons
2 cloves of garlic, finely sliced
a splash of oil
1 sweet pepper (capsicum), finely sliced
150g dried noodles of your choice
1 tsp curry paste (a mild one if your child isn't into spicy foods, mine is so we used Madras)
1 tsp turmeric powder
200g small cooked prawns, defrosted if frozen (defrosted weight shown)
2 tsp soy sauce
Fresh coriander (cilantro) to serve

Method

Boil the kettle.

Have everything ready to go as this is quick.  Heat the oil in a wok and put in the onion, put the noodles on to boil and boil for 1 minute less than the pack instructions (this is because you are going to stir fry them later).  My pack said 4 minutes so I cooked them for 3.

Add the garlic, curry paste and turmeric to the wok and cook for a minute or so.  Add the pepper and cook for a minute, the noodles will probably be done by now.  Drain them and add to the wok with the prawns and soy.  Stir fry until everything is hot.

Serve up into bowls adding coriander if liked.  Allow your child's portion to cool a little if they're still young.

This had a kick and a nice flavour.


Singapore is one of the most lovely places I've been too.  I'd spent 5 weeks travelling around South Asia and struggled.  I hadn't realised how hard it would be to constantly feel like you're being scammed.  I think it's something which particularly goes against English sensibilities.  Singapore though is more British than Britain in lots of ways.  They'd had national politeness week just before I visited.  For all that, despite visiting, I never ate Singapore noodles in Singapore so I can't vouch for their authenticity!

Even more inspiration for fussy babies, toddlers and older kids

Back in February I posted a list of recipes with hidden fruit or vegetables.  My son has been going through a slight aversion to fruit and vegetables recently.  No, that's not true, he still likes fruit and vegetables, he just doesn't like what I want to give him (whatever that might be), it's a control thing.  He wants to make sure he's making the choices not me.  Ah, toddlers!

Anyway, my little toddler doesn't realise (yet) that I'm still sneaking in some insurance fruits and veggies just to make sure he's getting his five a day (to be fair my husband doesn't realise this either...)

1.  Fried Rice.  Unhealthy right?  Perhaps not, especially when you pack it full of vegetables.  It's easy to include ingredients like peas, mushrooms, onions etc.  I think mushroom fried rice is my favourite recipe (and my son loves it too.)

2.  Pizza.  Ha, I must be mad starting this list with fried rice then following it up with pizza?  This isn't any ordinary junkfood though, this pizza recipe has 6 hidden vegetables in it (there's even one in the crust); if you top it with mushrooms and sweetcorn that's 8!  Surely the ultimate fusspot food?

3.  The pasta bake; a fantastic way to get more vegetables into your kids.  When you make pasta with a sauce, it's easy to go heavy on the pasta which is a useful source of carbohydrate but not much else.  In a bake you can include all other kinds of ingredients, peppers, mushrooms, courgette etc.  Why not try this chicken pasta bake recipe?

4.  Broccoli nuggets have to be one of my most popular recipes.  It would be wrong of me to say this is a hidden vegetable, they are green after all but for some kids refusing vegetables can be as much about their shape, form or texture and trust me, these are blooming tasty.  A reader said on the comments "I just made these and my boy of 10 months wolfed down two as soon as they were cool, I think they are fantastic and even my partner had one and he NEVER eats broccoli!" 

5.  Noodles can be a great way of including ribbons of vegetables.  Make them colourful and even if your child does notice them, they might be interested to try.  My Pad Thai recipe includes peppers and mushrooms  as does my prawn stir fry.

6.  Stews are a great place to hide pulses if your child isn't keen.  This is a great, flavourful chicken stew with borlotti beans and chorizo.  Delicious for kids and parents and makes expensive meat ingredients go further.  Alternatively sneak lots of root vegetables into a beef stew.

7.  My first attempt at a sugar free carrot cake wasn't a total success in my opinion but my son liked it.  Loads of hidden fruits and vegetables in there.

8.  Fajitas!  Why not try a bit of spice?  Kids are way more adventurous than most parents give them credit for.  When my son was very little I used to feed him a toned down version of chilli, this was also great in quesadillas and another way to sneak in those extra vegetables.

9.  Beanburgers.  Sneak in those vegetables and pulses!

10.  Thai curry - mushrooms are in here but there's no reason why you couldn't increase the vegetables.  Maybe some green beans?

So if your child isn't keen on the vegetable kingdom, keep heart.  Keep offering them in their 'natural' form but if you have an insurance policy then you aren't going to be feeling so pressured about whether s/he decides to eat that carrot or that bean and I'm sure half of the battle is just easing up the pressure.

Prawn Pasta Bake for the whole family

There is something about baked pasta dishes which feel somehow more indulgent and satisfying than normal pasta.  For me I also find I can squeeze more vegetables in and reduce the quantity of pasta per person.

I just made this for my husband and I but I know my son would love it.  Mushrooms and prawns are two of his favourite things.  That said, the prawns are optional and more for a protein source than flavour.

Prawn and Vegetable (or just vegetable) Pasta Bake - serves 2 with leftovers (or would easily serve 2 adults and a toddler)

Ingredients

160g Dried pasta, I used penne
60g sweet red pepper (capsicum), diced finely
150g Sliced Mushrooms
A little oil
1 tsp Sweet (not hot) smoked paprika
200g Home made tomato sauce (I used this recipe)
150g Frozen prawns, defrosted (or 120g chilled prawns), small ones are fine.  (Optional)
200ml Milk, use full fat if cooking for a baby or toddler
1 tbsp Cornflour
80g Vintage or Extra mature Cheddar or Parmesan

Method

Fry the mushrooms and pepper in the oil until slightly coloured.  Put into a bowl.  Cook the pasta to 1 minute short of the pack time suggested (my pack said to cook for 10-12 minutes so I cooked for 9).  Rinse the pasta under a cold tap in a sieve to cool quickly.

Meanwhile make the white sauce by heating the milk in a microwave until boiling.  Mix the cornflour with a splash of water to make a paste.  Mix slowly into the boiling milk. If it doesn't thicken immediately put back into the microwave for 30 secs or so watching all the time (it can boil over).

Mix the tomato sauce, pasta, vegetables, prawns and paprika together and put into a baking dish.  Top with a drizzle of the white sauce (it doesn't need to form a layer) and then sprinkle over the grated cheese.

I prepared this in advance and chilled the dish then cooked this in an oven from cold at 190oC, it took 25-30 minutes but if you preheated your oven and cooked immediately 20-25 minutes would probably work.

I had a portion left and reheated it the next day at work, it was nice to have something comforting from home for lunch.

If you liked this recipe, why not try this?

What's in your fridge?

Oh, just for a bit of fun, I was inspired by a post on Veggie Mama to take a photo of my fridge.

I'm not sure what my fridge says about me, apart from the fact it's fairly new and so not too dirty.   The level of veg is typical, I have no problem eating veg, I just eat too much of everything else too and a bit too much booze...

Dare you share yours?

Wholemeal pizza for the whole family (loads of hidden veggies)

I don't usually make pizza with wholemeal dough but I'm trying to get a bit healthier with my diet so I came up with this.  I've never tried putting vegetables into the dough before but it worked.  This is also the lightest wholemeal pizza base I've ever eaten.

The secret to a really light and flavourful dough is in the proving.  You do not have to just do one proof, even if you use easy blend yeast like I did.  More proving is more air and more flavour.  Of course, there is a limit.  Once the yeast runs out of food, you end up with a dough with no structure but there's nothing wrong with proving 2 or 3 times, perhaps even 4.  When you think about it, especially if your children eat their tea at a different time to you (like mine does) this multiple proving can be a blessing.  I will explain as I go along.

This is definitely a weekend recipe; that said, I did try to get my (23 month old) son involved but he just started eating mushrooms.  Older kids would definitely have fun with this though.  They could help mould the dough (you could give them some to make into bread rolls or just for fun) they could help top the pizza too.  Involving kids in what they eat is surely a good way to ensure they are invested in the process and likely to give it a go?

This can be meaty, veggie, fishy, it's up to you!

The salt is on the low side because I'm trying to limit it thinking of kids but if you want you can increase to 1 tsp.

Wholemeal Pizza - serves 3-4 easily, suitable for all the family (and babies on finger foods too)


Ingredients


For the base
350g, 12.5oz Wholemeal flour
1 tsp Sugar
1 courgette (zucchini), grated
1/2 tsp salt
1 tbsp Olive oil
Sprig of Rosemary, chopped
1 pack (7g) of easy blend yeast

For the sauce
I made a batch of tomato sauce in the slow cooker using this recipe.  It's a recipe full of vegetables but you only need a few tbsp.  To thicken it up, I propped open the lid slightly for the last hour.

Toppings
2 balls of mozzarella
a small handful of grated parmesan

Optional toppings
My son had fried mushrooms and sweetcorn (frozen)
I had tinned anchovies
My husband had finely chopped chillis and pepperoni

Method

A good few hours (think 6-7 at least) before you're thinking of eating, mix the flour, grated courgette, sugar, rosemary, salt, oil and yeast in a bowl.  Add 200ml of warm water (approx 1 part boiling water to two parts cold is the right kind of temperature) and mix to a dough.  I found this dough was far stickier than I expected and I had to use a lot of flour each time I kneaded it.  I suspect this is due to moisture coming out of the courgette but it's not a problem, just flour your hands and the bowl.

Set a timer and knead for 10 minutes.  I suggest setting a timer because it's easy to think you've kneaded for that long when you haven't and the longer you knead, the better the texture (but it's hard work).  The dough should be pretty smooth after this but you will see the flecks of the courgette and rosemary.  Put in a bowl and cover.  I cut open a plastic food bag and oil it with olive oil to stop a skin forming on the dough, I then tuck it in around the dough ball.

When it's doubled in size, knock it back (reknead it briefly) and allow to rise again.  You can repeat this depending on how much time you have.

When you're about 60-90 minutes away from your child's tea time, take out the amount of dough you want to use for them, knead slightly and roll out onto floured baking paper which is on top of a chopping board.  Cover again with the oiled plastic and reknead the remainder in the bowl and cover that too (so then you have an extra prove for your own pizza base).

Allow the rolled out dough to rise a bit.

Preheat your oven to 220-230oC (around 440F) and if you have one, put a pizza stone in the oven to heat.  If you don't, use a heavy baking tray.  When your oven is hot and your dough has puffed up slightly, add a small amount of tomato sauce (I used about 1 tbsp for my son's pizza and maybe 1-2 for the adult ones).  You will think there's not enough sauce but if you add too much the pizza goes floppy and wet.

Add torn up pieces of mozzarella, again add way less than you think you need and some parmesan.  Add on the toppings of your choice, for my son he had mushrooms and sweetcorn.

Now, this is why I suggested you roll it out on baking paper on a chopping board.  You then take it to the oven on the board and slide the pizza (still on the baking paper) onto the hot stone or tray.  Trust me you do not want to be taking a hot pizza stone out of the oven if you don't need to and this way by cooking it on baking paper you stop the stone getting caked with cheese and tomato.

Now these bake pretty quickly, think 8-10 minutes, keep an eye on them as they do cook super fast. To remove, I just slide the baking paper with the pizza on directly onto a plate.

This was Mummy's pizza:

Cut into wedges, allow to cool a little and serve.

Also don't forget that cold pizza is surprisingly tasty and so this could even be a picnic option, just pack a few tissues!


I saw a link to this article on the guardian today.  I have to admit it annoyed me a bit.  I agree with the points regarding teaching cooking in schools.  I understand school curricula are busy but food and cooking is a public health issue of huge importance; as important as making sure kids get exercise.  I do take issue with demonising all of the food industry and the words "junk food".  What is "junk" exactly?  I mean, is this pizza junk?  In traditional terms you'd have to say "yes" but my son's pizza contained 8 different vegetables; courgette, pepper, tomato, carrot, onion, garlic, mushrooms, sweetcorn as well as unrefined grains.  Now that's very different to a commercially available pizza.  The problem is that definitions of "junk" can end up excluding items we want in kids diets like full fat milk, yoghurt or cheese.

Anyway, I like to think I'm doing my bit to promote home cooked food because for me, cooking something home made not only says "I love you" to the person you have made it for, it also has to be the furthest thing from my definition of "junk food" possible, even if what I've cooked is pizza.

Perhaps that should be my new tagline, Mamacook; food cooked with love; because that is what I do and why I do it.  I hope some of you will do the same. x

This has been linked up here.

Dairy Free Pancakes

Regular readers will know my son recently had a temporary lactose intolerance which meant he couldn't have normal milk for a few weeks.  My short experience has given me a lot of respect for people who have to cope with this every day.

So I've looked at my pancake recipe and adapted it to make it milk free.  If you have a lactose intolerance you may be able to use butter, it depends upon your sensitivity (I think, I'm no expert) but substitute for non dairy margarine if you need to.

Milk Free Banana Pancakes - makes plenty to eat now and for the freezer

Ingredients

225g SR flour
2 ripe bananas, peeled
300ml water
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 eggs

For frying - a knob of butter or non dairy margarine

Syrup (optional if butter is tolerated, or use maple syrup if you can't eat butter.)
3 tbsp light muscovado sugar
1/4 - 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
Splash water
20g approx butter

Method

Blend the flour, bananas, water, vanilla and eggs together.  Heat a non stick frying pan on a medium to high heat.  Put the knob of butter or marg onto some greaseproof paper and quickly rub it over the pan. Do this carefully, don't burn yourself!

Pour three approx 5cm, 2 inch diameter pancakes in the pan and flip over when bubbles appear and burst on the top.  You will need to keep adjusting the heat as you go.  Cook on the second side until browned.

To make the syrup if using, heat the sugar, cinnamon and water in a pan until the sugar is dissolved.  Swirl don't stir the pan.  When it starts boiling up, add the butter and take off the heat, swirling to melt in and it will form a nice, thick syrup.

For babies and toddlers, serve these as they are, they don't need the syrup.  They make ideal breakfast, pudding or snack food.

If you've liked what you've read, please vote for me in the Britmums Brilliance in Blogging (BIB) awards in the "Tasty" category.  All of the shortlisted nominees are here and the voting form is here.

Also it must be awards season because I'm going for a MAD blog award too.  Please nominate here for any applicable categories if you feel so inclined!  (You don't need to nominate in every category if you don't want to.)

I've linked this here and here.

Chicken and Bean stew for Toddlers and Adults

This was inspired by a recipe on the good food website but I've changed some of the instructions and the cooking method and I'm very pleased with the results.

If there can be a summery stew then this is it.  Vibrant with tomatoes, paprika and pepper but full of nutritious chicken and borlotti beans.

Chicken Stew for Toddlers and Adults  Would easily serve 2 adults and a toddler with leftovers for the freezer

Ingredients

6 Chicken thighs, skin removed (you can leave in the bones, see later)
80g Chorizo sausage, chopped into chunks
2 garlic cloves, sliced
500g Passata (sieved tomatoes)
1 tsp mild smoked paprika
1 whole red pepper, chopped into small pieces
1 Tin of Borlotti beans, drained (240g drained weight)
Parsley, to serve

Method

Fry the chicken in a dry non stick frying pan until browned.  Put into a slow cooker.  Fry the chorizo until the fat is starting to run then put into the slow cooker too.  Use a tbsp boiling water to deglaze the pan and pour that in.

Add the passata, paprika, pepper, beans and garlic to the slow cooker and cook on high for around 3-4 hours or until the chicken is fully cooked and soft.

If you've used bone in thighs, take them out and slip out the bone (it will come out easily) then return the chicken meat to the cooker.

Serve up either as it is with parsley on top and crusty bread on the side or mixed in with pasta (a good choice for toddlers with big energy needs) or with salad or vegetables if you prefer.

I've put some in the freezer because as it's a slow cooked meal it does freeze and reheat well (the chicken breaks up a little).

It's funny because this is the kind of adult food my husband and I eat a lot, every time I give my son something strongly flavoured he's not had before, I'm still slightly surprised when he eats it, (even though he's a curry fan) but he didn't just eat it, he LOOOOOVED it.

Super cheap recipe to make too. I think the chicken was around £1.99, the chorizo about 70p for the quantity I used and the remaining ingredients were pennies.

If you have any chorizo left, why not make my chorizo and lentil soup?

If you've liked what you've read, please vote for me in the Britmums Brilliance in Blogging (BIB) awards in the "Tasty" category.  All of the shortlisted nominees are here and the voting form is here.

Also it must be awards season because I'm going for a MAD blog award too.  Please nominate here for any applicable categories if you feel so inclined!  (You don't need to nominate in every category if you don't want to.)

Sugar Free Baking Linky

Well here is my second ever attempt at a linky.

In my blog I feature a lot of baking which contains no added sugar or savoury versions of foods which typically are eaten as sweets.  Why do I do this?  Well originally I perhaps took government guidance to heart that babies are "sweet enough already" but as my son has got older, it's made me question my approach to cooking, baking in particular and wonder whether it is necessary to include as much sugar as I normally would.  I have nothing against using sugar and I would rather use sugar for my son than artificial sweeteners but to protect his teeth and keep him interested in a wide range of foods, it seems like a good idea to limit ultra sweet foods in his diet.

So this has prompted me to come up with several recipes which contain no added sugar or are savoury versions of 'normal' baked goods.  A lot of these are sweetened with dried or fresh fruit which isn't without its nutritional problems, however, at least they include significant amounts of fibre, vitamins, minerals and other healthy stuff which sugar lacks.

My favourite recipes have to be my no added sugar biscuits, scones and my date loaf (pictured above) but what are yours?

So, here is my linky and here are the 'rules' (rules control the fun remember?)

• Please link back to this post within your post.
• Please link up baking recipes, sweet or savoury which contain no added sugar, honey, syrup or artificial sweeteners.
• Please link up as many recipes as you like and spread the word!

Add your link below by clicking on the little oval saying "add your link"!

Carrot Cake for babies and toddlers

I adapted this from a recipe I found on the Good Food website to make it without added sugar.

I've called it "5 a day cake" because it has so much hidden fruit and veg in it; clementines, sultanas, carrots and apples.  If only I'd pushed it one more...   Really it's a carrot cake and what could be more appropriate at Easter?  I'm not suggesting cake should substitute for fresh fruit and vegetables, but in my view, if you are going to have cake anyway, why not have some healthier ingredients in there?  Much better than a pack of chocolate buttons for your little angels anyway.

This isn't super sweet but it was a hit with my son so I've included it.  Adults might find not find it sweet enough for their tastes but you could always add a little icing when your little one isn't looking...

5 a day Carrot Cake for babies and toddlers - makes 12 squares

Ingredients

100g unsalted butter
100g sultanas
Juice and zest of 2 clementine
150g SR flour
1 tsp mixed spice
1 tsp ginger
1/2 tsp bicarbonate of soda
2 eggs
100g carrot, grated
50g apple grated (including the skin but not the core)

Method

Heat the juice, zest and sultanas in a microwave for 1 minute.  In a separate bowl melt the butter in a microwave.  Mix the two together.

Preheat the oven to 160oC (fan oven).

Grease and line a small baking dish.  Mine was 22cm square.

Weigh out the flour, spices, bicarb, carrot and apple into a bowl.  Add the eggs to the butter / juice mix then quickly mix into the dry ingredients.  Once mixed, pour into the baking dish.

Then put into the oven for 20-25 minutes or until fully cooked and springing back when pressed.

Allow to cool, then cut into 12 squares (or the size that you like).

Keeps in a tin for a day or so, freezes well.

If you like this, why don't you try the recipe for date cake with no added sugar?

If you've liked what you've read, please vote for me in the Britmums Brilliance in Blogging (BIB) awards in the "Tasty" category.  All of the shortlisted nominees are here and the voting form is here.

Also it must be awards season because I'm going for a MAD blog award too.  Please nominate here for any applicable categories if you feel so inclined!  (You don't need to nominate in every category if you don't want to.)

This has been linked to Friday Food Flicks.

Kachumber (Indian Salad)

Who says Indian has to be unhealthy?  Far from it.  Despite the use of ghee in traditional Indian cookery, there is also a wonderful use of vegetables.

This is my take on Kachumber, a traditional Indian salad.

Kachumber - serves 2 adults

Ingredients

1/2 large onion, finely diced
Approx 2 inches / 5 cm cucumber, finely diced
2 ripe tomatoes, finely diced
1/2 tsp sugar (miss out if on a sugar free diet or substitute for a natural sweetener)
Juice of half a lemon (or lime)
Salt to taste
A large pinch of chilli powder (or garam masala if you prefer it milder and more fragrant.)

Method

Mix all of the ingredients in a bowl, taste and adjust the seasoning to your liking.

If you've liked what you've read, please vote for me in the Britmums Brilliance in Blogging (BIB) awards in the "Tasty" category.  All of the shortlisted nominees are here and the voting form is here.

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Snack ideas for toddlers

I was recently sent some snack products by a large company who supply snacks to the baby and toddler market.

Anyway, I tried one of the products on my son, I won't lie, he did like it but it got me thinking, how much do people spend on snacks like these?  You can easily pay anything up to around 50p a pack, maybe more.  This could seriously mount up.  Also what nutrition do they provide?  I'm sure it varies significantly (I'm not saying everything is bad but is it really necessary to feed your child crisps, even if they don't contain sugar or salt?)

So, here are some top tips for interesting snacks which won't break the bank and won't be full of anything you'd prefer not to be feeding your child.

1.  Dried fruit.  Not for every snack as it is high in sugar but there's no harm occasionally (and better than chocolate).  Why not mix up some bits and bobs like the dried apple, sultana and date mix here?

Tasty and full of fibre.

2.  There's no need to buy rice cakes specifically for babies or toddlers, just buy normal adult ones and make sure they have no salt and sugar added.  My son used to nibble on these quite a lot as a baby.  He's gone off them now, well they are a little bland I can't blame him.  Add a little hummus to make more exciting!

3.  Clementines / satsumas etc are the ideal portable snack.  They have their own wrapping, don't need chilling and they're easy to peel.  A fantastic source of vitamin C too.  Ideal for growing kids.  You may need to cut up for younger kids.

4.  Cheese is a great snack if you're at home (if you're out and about then it will need to be kept cool.)  Again, there's no need to choose pre wrapped cheese pieces aimed at children, they cost a fortune and the quality and maturity of the cheese isn't anywhere near as good as regular cheese aimed at adults.  The processed kinds are often produced using rejects and offcuts so I'd rather give him the prime cheese I'd eat myself.  There's no reason why kids can't eat mature cheese either.  If you buy mild cheddar for your kids, have a taste of it and realise how flavourless it is!

Also mix it up a bit.  No need just to stick to cheddar.  My son has nibbled on vintage cheddar, feta, brie and even some parmesan (I was cooking and he wanted to try it, a surprising success.)  Just be careful on the salt content of the day if you chose cheese for a snack.

5.  Snack biscuits.  I posted a recipe recently for some cute biscuits.  Ok, biscuits are never going to win any awards for health even if there is no added sugar or salt but at least if you're making them yourself you can include butter rather than hydrogenated fats (which may contain trans fatty acids), exclude salt and sugar and include nutritious ingredients like wheatgerm.

6.  Vegetable sticks.  Why keep vegetables just to mealtimes?  My son particularly likes raw carrot but you could try sweet red pepper (capsicum), cucumber, celery etc.  Add a dip like hummus if your child is keen.  Mix up the colours of the vegetables to look vibrant (and give different nutritional benefits) and you might have a little vegetable lover on your hands before you know it.

7.  Popcorn.  Yes, really!  You don't have to add loads of salt and sugar.  If you do want to add in more flavour, why not add some mild sweet paprika or cheese?

8.  Muffins.  I have loads of muffin recipes on this blog from sweet to savoury.  Why not try some cheese and pepper muffins?  What's more is because they freeze well you can grab some out of the freezer before heading out and in this sunshine a couple of hours later, they'll be ready to eat.

9. Halved grapes.  Always halve grapes until your child is able to cope with them but better to be safe than sorry.  It's one of the most common foods for babies and toddlers to choke on.  That said, once halved, they are a great snack and a much loved one for most kids.

10.  Toast.  Might sound odd but peanut butter on toast or bread isn't a bad choice nutritionally for kids.  They need fat in their diet and by choosing a low salt, low sugar brand it helps the overall nutrition of the snack.