Baked Chicken Katsu for the Whole Family

I'd been planning to make something like this for my son for a while and I'd had the breadcrumbs in the cupboard waiting but with one thing and another I'd never got round to it.

As it happened, it was a great idea, just my son decided to take one look at the sauce and said "no".  He's not much of a dunker though and I reckon this would be a great dish for the dunkers out there (children and adults) and hey, if not, it's still some pretty good home made chicken goujons or nuggets without any junk.

Traditionally Japanese Katsu is served fried with a fairly sweet curry sauce.  I wanted to reduce the fat by baking and introduce the sweetness with vegetables rather than sugar.  A pretty good result.  If you want to make it for adults only though you might like the sauce a little spicier so just add more curry paste.

Chicken Katsu - Serves 2 Adults and 1 Toddler

Ingredients

Chicken

2 Large Skinless Chicken Breasts
1 Egg
Approx 100g, 3.5oz Panko (Japanese) breadcrumbs
Vegetable or Spray Oil

Katsu Sauce

50g, A scant 2oz Sweet Potato, peeled and chopped
Half a carrot, chopped
1/2 a Small onion, chopped
1 Clove Garlic
1 tsp Vegetable Oil
2 tsp Chopped Ginger
2 tsp Medium Curry Paste
200ml, 7 fl oz Tinned Coconut Milk
1 tbsp Soy Sauce

Method

Preheat the oven to 200oC.

Make the sauce by sweating the potato, carrot and onion in oil until softening.  Add the garlic then the curry paste and ginger.  Add in the coconut milk and soy.  Bring to the boil, cover then then simmer for 20 minutes.  When the vegetables are cooked, puree in a blender. You can make the sauce ahead, refrigerate and warm up in the microwave later.

While the sauce is cooking, cut the chicken into nugget shapes or strips.  Whisk the egg then coat the chicken in the egg and the crumbs.  Top tip, use one hand to dunk in the egg and the other for the breadcrumbs.  It helps reduce the "oh no, I've just breadcrumbed my hand" effect.

Put the chicken pieces on a tray and either sprinkle or spray with oil.  Bake for 15-20 minutes or until cooked through.

Serve the chicken with the sauce and rice, salad or stir fried vegetables.

And now for the begging!  I've been shortlisted for a Brilliance in Blogging BIB award by Britmums!  Thank you very much if you nominated me.  

If you like the look of my blog and feel so inclined, I'd be honoured if you could help a bit more by voting for me in the 'food' category on this link.  The top rated, most voted for blogs will get through to the final so I'm reliant on people who like what I write to vote.  Please take a second to do it.  All you have to do is open the link, type in your name and an email then click on "Mamacook" in the food category.

Thank you and happy eating!  :-)

Spice Biscuits

Biscuits without much sugar are pretty tricky but I gave this a go and they were very popular with the wee man.  Not strictly sugar free in a way as there's honey in them (so not baby friendly; sorry) but still much less sugar than a normal biscuit.

They're pretty crunchy and certainly spicy.  Also they're dairy free, wheat free (if you use gluten free oats) and egg free.  You never know when you need a good allergy friendly recipe!

Spice Biscuits - makes 8-10

Ingredients

100g, 3.5oz Porridge Oats
25g, a scant 1oz Dessicated Coconut (unsweetened)
2 tbsp Runny honey
2 tbsp Vegetable oil
1/4 tsp Baking Powder
1-2 tsp Cinnamon (depending on how much you like your spice)
A sprinkle of nutmeg
1/2 Vanilla extract

Method

Preheat the oven to 160oC / 320F / Gas Mark 3.

Mix the oats, coconut, baking powder, cinnamon and nutmeg together.  Separately mix the honey, oil and extract.

Mix the dry and wet ingredients together and then mush together.  Roll into balls and squish down onto a greased baking tray.

Bake for approx 20 minutes.  Allow to cool on a wire rack.  Keep once cool for 2-3 days in an airtight box or tin.

A bit of news... I've been shortlisted for a Brilliance in Blogging BIB award by Britmums!  Yes really! I'm so excited.  Thank you very much if you nominated me.  If you like the look of my blog and feel so inclined, I'd be honoured if you could help a bit more by voting for me in the 'food' category on this link.  The top rated, most voted for blogs will get through to the final (and seeing as I make no money from my blog, I'd love to get to go out for a night out!  I'm easily pleased!)

Chunky Bacon and Bean Soup

It might officially be spring; the weather may be slowly improving in the UK but I still woke up to frost this morning.  On the 20th April!

So, in my book, soup season is still here and this is a substantial, chunky, fill you up, thrifty kind of soup.  Is there any better kind?

Chunky Bean and Bacon Soup - Serves 2 adults and 1 toddler

Ingredients

200g Chopped bacon (smoked or unsmoked)
3 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
100g Chopped courgette (zucchini)
500g of Passata
A bay leaf
2 tsp Chopped fresh rosemary (or 1 tsp dried)
1 small tin (175g drained) of pinto beans, or the equivalent of dried beans, cooked
1 rounded tsp pesto

Method

Fry the chopped bacon in a saucepan.  In the meantime, chop up the courgette and garlic, then add to the pan.  Fry it all together until the bacon is looking cooked and the courgette and garlic are softened.  Add the passata, bay leaf, rosemary and pinto beans.

Bring to the boil then lower to a simmer for 10 mins or so.  Add the pesto and serve.

Gyros (Pork Kebabs) for the Family

I have the dubious honour of making "The worst tzatziki I've ever tasted" according to a Greek friend of mine.  To be fair, the tzatziki I'd made that day was very poor.  Shocking really.  My mistake was trying to use low fat non Greek yogurt.  In my defence I was a student living in a small town with only a poor choice of supermarket options and there was no Greek yogurt in stock (the answer should have been "don't make tzatziki then.")

So I'm probably on a loser here and Yiannis will probably message me on facebook and tell me my Tzatziki looks like milk or something (sorry Yiannis).  But being the glutton for punishment I am I've tried to make a Gyros type dish at home.

It's been some years since I've been to Greece but I used to love getting Gyros from the stalls.  Delicious grilled meat with salad and various sauces / dips.  Often served with chips in there too but I've missed them out, this is unhealthy enough.  I think this would be great if the pork were barbecued.

Gyros with Tzatziki - serves 2 adults

Ingredients

300g Pork Belly slices without rind

2 tbsp Olive oil

3 Cloves garlic

1 tbsp Chopped fresh oregano (or 1 tsp dried)

1 tsp White wine vinegar

1/4 Onion, grated

1/2 a Dried bay leaf, crumbled

Tzatziki

100g Cucumber, grated

1 Garlic clove, very finely minced

3 tbsp Full Fat Greek Yoghurt

1/4 tsp Salt

1/2 tsp Olive oil

To serve

Tomato slices

Cucumber slices

Chilli sauce (optional)

Flat breads (see method comments)

Method

Crush the garlic and grate the onion for the pork, mix the marinade ingredients with the pork and leave to marinade overnight.

To make the tzatziki, grate the cucumber and put into a sieve with the salt.  Press out as much liquid as you can and discard the liquid.   Mince the garlic clove very finely and mix the yogurt, garlic, cucumber and olive oil.  Taste and season if needed.

Preheat the grill to high when ready to cook and grill (broil) the pork until browned and cooked through.  It would be great on a barbecue.

Slice up and serve with the cucumber, tomato, tzatziki and chilli sauce if liked in a flat bread.

Traditionally gyros is served in Greek pitas which are thicker and softer than the pittas we are used to in the UK.  I've not found something quite right in the UK (I'm not paying £10 to get them from the internet thank you) but the above flatbreads weren't a bat substitution albeit a bit small.  I would have preferred to wrap the fillings but they came folded so it was a bit messy to eat it all but tasty.

I've not tried this recipe on my toddler yet, I think he'd love the tzatziki, he's a bit garlic mad but I think this would be a great recipe for school aged kids.  Children love that sharing and personalising bit!

Just have a few napkins on hand...

Lettuce Wrapped Pork for Adults

Another quick and easy recipe, less than 10 minutes to make.  Great when the grown ups are hungry once your little one is in bed.

This is based upon a kind of Thai version of Yuk Sung.  My brother in law who is an excellent cook used to make this when I came to visit as a student.  Much to my shame I didn't ask for the recipe but this is what I remember it tasting like.

Lettuce Wrapped Pork - serves 2 adults

Ingredients

1 Small onion, thinly sliced in half moons
1 tsp Vegetable oil
350g, 12 oz Pork mince (or you could use chicken or turkey mince)
2 Cloves of garlic
2 tsp Chopped root ginger

Sauce ingredients
1 Hot dried chilli
Juice of 1 lime
2 tbsp Fish Sauce
2 tsp Sugar

To finish
1 tsp Cornflour (cornstarch)
30g Unsalted peanuts
A handful of coriander (cilantro)

To serve
Leaves of iceberg lettuce

Method

Mix the sauce ingredients together and set aside.

Slice the onion, chop the garlic and ginger.

Prep the lettuce.  Carefully separate each leaf, keeping it as whole as possible and rinse.

Heat a wok with the oil on a hob and add the pork, onion, garlic and ginger.  Stir until the pork is cooked.  Add in the sauce, bubble for a bit.  Mix the cornflour with cold water to make a paste and pour onto the pork.  You should find the sauce thickens and sticks to the pieces of pork.

I have to admit, I cheat and use salted peanuts and rinse off the salt (they're cheaper).

Add in the peanuts to the pork, stir in the coriander and serve.  Put a spoonful into a leaf of lettuce, wrap up and eat!

Update Made this again with turkey mince this time.  Super healthy and easily halved to cook for one.  Much cheaper, quicker and healthier than getting a takeaway!

I've linked this lovely old recipe up to the Spice Trail Ginger challenge.

Cheddar and Sweetcorn Muffins, for babies, toddlers and the rest of the family

This is a really easy recipe I came up with today while sat with my son.  I thought it would be a great one to cook together (and it would have been) but my son was far too engrossed in his meccano and didn't want to join me.  Of course once they were in the oven, he came running in saying "Want to help you bake now!"

Oh dear!  He was not happy with Mummy!

So we will have to do that another day.  The great thing about making muffins with kids is you make up a dry mix and a wet mix then mix the two together (but not too much) which makes it simple for kids to help with.

I served this with some tomato and pesto soup.  A bit of a hit.

Cheddar and Sweetcorn Muffins - Makes approx 12 - 16

Ingredients

140g, 5oz Self Raising Flour
Freshly ground black pepper
70g, 2.5oz Natural Greek Yogurt, put into a jug and make up to 125ml with milk
3 tbsp Oil
1 Egg
90g, 3oz Frozen Sweetcorn
70g, 2.5oz Extra Mature Cheddar (Extra sharp)
Extra oil for greasing

Method

Preheat the oven to 180oC / 350F / Gas Mark 5.

Put the flour and pepper into a bowl.

Weigh the yogurt into a jug and make up to 125ml with milk.  Crack in the egg, add the oil, sweetcorn and cheese.  Whisk together.

Oil a mini muffin tin (or mini cupcake / fairy cake tin).  Add the wet mix into the dry and stir until almost but not completely combined.

Spoon into the tin and bake for 14 mins (or thereabouts) or until they spring back when pressed.

Take out of the tins (it might help to loosen with a blunt knife) and put onto a cooling rack.  Best served  warm but certainly fine cold and you can always warm them up for a few secs in the microwave.  Freeze well.

If you've liked this recipe, please could you nominate me in the Food category of the Britmums Brilliance in Blogging (BIBs) awards?  The URL of my website is http://mamacook.blogspot.co.uk/ or http://mamacook.blogspot.com/ and my twitter handle is @Mamacook_blog.  Thank you for reading, please comment!

Orzotto (Pearl Barley Risotto) for babies, toddlers and grown ups

I'd heard about speltotto but I didn't realise until fairly recently that making a risotto with barley is actually a traditional thing in parts of Italy (well so Wikipedia tells me).  So, I gave it a go.

First of all, the downsides.  It takes a lot longer to cook than a risotto.  The upsides though are pearl barley is about half the price of risotto rice, it's a source of fibre and it has more flavour of it's own unlike arborio which acts more like the canvas rather than the painting.

So this is my recipe, this is my first attempt and I have to say it was pretty good.  My son had seconds and he's been a bit of a fuss pot recently.  Personally I would have cooked it 5 mins longer than the 40 minutes I did but it was still delicious.  It would be able to take more robust (and less traditional) flavours than a risotto too without being overpowered.  A strong mature goat's cheese would be nice or even blue cheese.  But this is what we had and it was good.  Not bad for leftovers and some cheap grains.

Chicken and Pea Orzotto - serves 2 adults and 1 toddler

Ingredients

1 Small onion
2 Cloves of garlic
2 tsp of chicken fat or butter (see note below)
150g, 5.5oz Pearl Barley
1/2 tsp White wine vinegar
850ml, 1.5pints Chicken stock (preferably home made)
A bay leaf
200g, 7oz Cooked chicken
100g, 3.5oz Frozen small peas

To finish
2 generous tbsp Parmesan or other cheese of your choice
Small knob of butter
Parsley if liked

Method

If you've had a roast chicken at the weekend, this is a great way to use up leftovers.  Make stock from the bones and you will probably find once it cools there is a thin layer of fat on the surface.  Well it might sound weird but why not use this to fry your onions?  Ok, not up for that?  Use a little butter.  Anyway, peel and finely chop the onion and gently fry in a frying pan in the chicken fat or butter until softened.  Put the stock onto heat up with the bay leaf until simmering.  Add the garlic and then the pearl barley.  Stir around a bit then add the vinegar followed by a ladle of stock.  Stir around and then add the stock bit by bit as you would with risotto although as it takes far longer, I would be a bit more gung ho and add a few at a time early on to avoid extreme boredom!

Once you get to about 35 mins, slow the addition of stock and taste the barley, cooking for longer if needed.  As I said I stopped at 40 minutes but I think 45 would have been a smidge better.  Some Orzotto recipes I have seen say it takes 20 minutes but mine was still too firm by then.

Once the barley is pretty much cooked, add in the peas and chicken and continue to cook until they are hot through.  Once hot, add the butter and cheese and beat in, taking off the heat.  Leave to stand for a few minutes then serve sprinkled with parsley if liked.

Make it Thrifty
This is already a thrifty recipe due to using barley rather than risotto rice.  I have heard since posting this though that soaking the barley overnight in cold water reduces the cooking time which will save energy.  I will give it a go and let you know!

As this not only uses leftover ingredients but also substitutes barley which is half the price of risotto rice, I've linked this up to credit crunch munch on fabfood4all and fuss free flavours.  I've added the blog hop on below if you want to join in!

Are you a "good enough" mother?

I was introduced to the concept today of being a "good enough" mother (or father, whoever the main caregiver is).  Like many Mums I've done it all, breastfed for a year, beaten myself up about not using reusable nappies, beaten myself up for not going to enough Parents and Tots groups, beaten myself up about being tired, beaten myself up for not breastfeeding for longer.  There's a lot of beating that goes on in households nowadays, fortunately not of children but it's still potentially harmful.

Irrespective of what you think of the original concept, by Donald Winnicott, it's like a mind worm.  This idea is stuck in my head.  It's such a freeing concept.  The whole idea is that perfection isn't necessary.  All kids need is parents who are "ordinarily devoted" or "good enough" to protect kids from the extremes, the worst knocks.  Basically keep them clean, dry, fed, safe and loved but it's ok not to be perfect.  How you do that is up to you and largely instinctive.  It's also ok to start drawing back a little as they age and even desirable.

I like this idea.  I really do.  I like many parents, sat feeling inadequate in comparison to others.  Mothers are not perfect.  No mother is perfect, no parent is perfect, whatever image they like to portray the world.  We all get angry, tired, resentful and most of all feel guilty about the choices we make or don't make, especially when that means spending time away from our children.

All we can do is our best.  We don't expect to be perfect at anything else in life we've never done or experienced before do we?  Kids don't come with instruction manuals and the more books you read about how you 'should' do it, the more confusing it gets.  What's more there is no firm idea of what the perfect parent 'should' be, every theory contradicts another.  The more I learn of different families, the more I'm convinced that the 'answers' are individual.  Not all families are best breastfeeding, baby wearing and cosleeping.  Some are, some are best off doing one or more of those things.  Not all families are best off doing sleep training techniques, for others it's a life saver.  Some kids are big eaters, some aren't.  Some kids walk, talk, potty train and start reading at different ages.

I'll let you into a secret.  None of it matters.  I'm good enough, you're good enough.

Here's some quotes and a link if you'd like to do some more reading.

For Winnicott this hub is provided by unconscious processes within "an ordinary mother who is fond of her baby" (Winnicott,1952) : a "good enough mother", who learns best how to look after her baby not from health professionals and self-help books but from having been a baby herself ."She acts naturally, naturally " (Winnicott, 1988). Winnicott suggests that during pregnancy a mother develops "a state of heightened sensivity" which continues to be maintained for some weeks after the baby's birth. When this heightened state passes, the mother has what Winnicott calls a "flight into sanity" and she begins to be aware of the world which exists outside of her state of "primary maternal preoccupation" with her infant (Winnicott,1975). Nonetheless the good enough mother continues to provide an environment which facilitates healthy maturational processes in her baby. She achieves this by being the person who wards off the unpredictable and who actively provides care in the holding, handling and in the general management of the child. The good enough mother provides physical care and meets her baby's need for emotional warmth and love. She also protects her baby against those parts of her from which murderous feelings are brought forth when, for example, her baby screams, yells and cries continuously. By containing her own hateful feelings about her baby, and using them to intuit the baby’s terror and hate, the good enough mother facilitates her baby's feelings and expressions of omnipotence by adapting to his needs until such time as he gradually begins to feel safe enough to relinquish these feelings. At this stage the process of integration can start and the baby begins to develop a sense of "me" and "not me" (Winnicott, 1975). To achieve this shift from the baby's total dependence to relative dependence the good enough mother has, by a gradual process, to fail to adapt to her baby's needs in order that the baby can begin to learn to tolerate the frustrations of the world outside of himself and his mother (Winnicott,1965).

That's right, hate is actually ok.  The best piece of advice I had before my son was born was from one of my sisters "There will be times you want to throw him out of the window.  That's ok as long as you don't do it!"

I hope you've been interested by this, it has been an eye opener for me taking some pressure off my shoulders I'd felt for nearly three years and in some ways I didn't know was there.  I hope it does the same for you.

Oh and while you're here, I normally blog about food so please, take a look at some recipes (but it's ok if you buy some ready prepared food!)

Cheese Biscuits for Babies and Toddlers

My son has turned into a fusspot.  It was bound to happen and all kids go through these stages.  It can be difficult to get anything into him which is good for his bowels if that makes sense!  Sorry to get all graphic!  He has a "I don't like that" moment on a daily basis nowadays but as I've said before many times on my blog and on forums; the only sure way to have a fussy child is to stop offering foods.

That said, sometimes we all need a change and it livens up our jaded palates to have something new.  So here is a recipe for some cheese biscuits.  Definitely great for toddlers but because the texture is reasonably soft, like a cross between a biscuit and a scone, they might also work for babies who are on finger foods.  Just be guided by your child and obviously stay with them when eating.

Cheese Biscuits - Makes approx 12

Ingredients

45g butter
60g Extra mature or vintage (extra sharp) cheddar, grated
1/2 tsp smoked paprika
75g wholemeal self raising flour (or wholemeal biscuit flour with 1 tsp baking powder)
40g Crushed shreddies
1 egg

Method

Preheat the oven to 180oC / 350F / Gas Mark 5.

Grate the cheese and add to a food processor with the butter, paprika, flour and shreddies.  Process the ingredients together then add the egg.  The mix should now be slightly sticky.

Roll into walnut sized balls and squish down a bit.  Place onto a greased baking tray.

Bake for 15 mins at 180oC.  Cool on a wire rack.  Once cool keep in an airtight box for a day or so.

If you've liked this recipe, please could you nominate me in the Food category of the Britmums Brilliance in Blogging (BIBs) awards?  The URL of my website is http://mamacook.blogspot.co.uk/ or http://mamacook.blogspot.com/ and my twitter handle is @Mamacook_blog.  Thank you for reading!

Spicy Baked Chicken for Grown Ups

I cooked this for the first time when I was in on my own.  My son is in bed by 7pm and I'm not used to eating before his bedtime routine so I try and get something ready for when he's in bed.  This often means something quick or something I can sling in the oven while he's having his pre bed milk.

That said, it's still difficult on your own.  It's difficult to motivate yourself to eat well and I do prefer to eat reasonably healthy food.  This is so easy though that even the least motivated and tired parent will manage it.

Spicy Baked Chicken - Serves 1 tired Mummy

Ingredients

2 Skinless, boneless chicken thighs

Marinade
1 tbsp Thai Chilli Sauce or Chilli Dipping Sauce
1 tbsp Soy Sauce
Juice of half a lime
1/4 tsp Ground Coriander
1 tsp Sugar
1 tsp Grated Root Ginger

Salad
Strips of cucumber
1 tsp Soy Sauce
2 tsp Rice or White Wine Vinegar
1/2 tsp Sugar

To serve, sesame seeds (optional)

Method

Mix all of the marinade ingredients together then rub into the chicken, cover and refrigerate until ready to cook.

Cook in an oven at 200oC / 400F / Gas Mark 6 until cooked through and sticky.

Mix salad ingredients apart from the cucumber together then mix in with the cucumber.

Serve the chicken, salad and rice if liked sprinkled with sesame seeds if liked.

I'd love to say this was good cold but I've got no idea.  It was tasty hot!  I suspect it would be pretty good though which is why I've linked it up to the allergy friendly lunchbox linky.

Tomato and Pesto Soup - Great for the Whole Family

A super quick and tasty soup here.  Incredibly cheap too.  Easily enough to feed two hungry adults or two adults and a little one.

Generally I tend to cook tomato soups and sauces for a long time but I experimented here and I'm really happy with the results.  The result?  A surprisingly delicious, sunny pulpy bowl of gorgeousness.  If you can drag your kids away from the orange stuff in a tin, give it a go.  For one the adults will like it and I'm a big fan of giving kids food which doesn't have to have a smiley face on it to make it attractive, especially if it involved good bread and dunking (most kids and adults in my experience are fans of both.)

Quick Tomato and Pesto Soup - Serves 2 Adults and 1 Todder

Ingredients

1 tsp Olive Oil
2 cloves garlic
1 Tin chopped tomatoes
1 Pack of passata (mine weighed 500g, 17.5 oz)
1 tsp Sugar
Black Pepper
1/4 tsp Salt (optional)
2 tsp Pesto (substitute for vegetarian pesto if avoiding animal rennet)

Method

Crush or finely chop the garlic.  Fry the garlic gently in the olive oil until releasing the fragrance but not browning.

Add the tomatoes, passata, sugar, pepper and salt if using.  Bring to the boil and simmer for 5 minutes.  Add the pesto and serve.  Great with sourdough and proper butter.

Yes, yes I know for all my sugar free baking I've just included sugar in a savoury dish but it is a small amount and with the tomatoes it really lifts the flavour.  Perfect food when it's cold outside but warm inside your heart (or you're just longing for warmer days.)

Shhh... don't tell but this is also really cheap to make.  The tomatoes and passata cost 67p together, the pesto cost £1 for the jar but there's loads left to make this vegetarian lasagne or to just stir through pasta.  What's more I made the bread myself so I'm feeling kind of virtuous right now and so is my pocket!

Rarebit Fish for the Whole Family

The cooking time on this will vary depending on the size of your fish fillets (particularly the thickness) and whether you are cooking fish fillets from frozen or fresh.  Just be aware of this and keep an eye on them.

This came to me while lying in bed at 3:30am wondering why I couldn't sleep.  The answer came to me that I was a bit disorganised.  This happens to me, if I have something on the following day, I have to get things ready the night before, otherwise I'm a mess.  Anyway, sleeplessness is bad but it is surprisingly good for creativity.  That moment between sleep and awake is where your mind wanders and finds new ideas.  So this is my new idea while thinking "I've not packed up the car", "will I have time to go for a run in the morning?" "Where is my sports bra..."

Rarebit Fish - Serves 3

Ingredients

Three fish fillets, I used pollock (approx 150g, 5oz in weight)

Rarebit topping

100ml, 3.5oz Ale
100g, 3.5oz Extra Mature (sharp) Cheddar
2 tsp Cornflour (cornstarch)
1 egg yolk
1 rounded tsp mild French Mustard

Method

Heat the ale in a saucepan, when warm, mix the cornflour with a little water to make a paste and gradually mix it into the warm beer off the heat until it's thickened slightly.  (Traditionally you'd make a roux for this but the cornflour method is easier.)

Grate the cheddar and put it in the saucepan with the mustard and egg yolk.  Whisk constantly over a low heat until smooth.

Ideally if you have time, allow to cool.  Stick it in the fridge if it's going to be any significant time.

When you're ready to cook, preheat the oven to 200oC.  Spread the now thick rarebit onto the top of the fish.  Bake for 10-20 minutes (check how it's cooking and gauge it by the thickness of your fish.  Thin fish will cook quickly, thicker fish or using frozen fish which is suitable to cook from frozen will take longer, maybe even longer than 20 minutes.)

Serve with vegetables.  A big hit with my son.  This is heavy on the cheese so perhaps not for the smallest babies unless you take a small amount and mix it in with a non salty food.

If you've liked this recipe, please could you nominate me in the Food category of the Britmums Brilliance in Blogging (BIBs) awards?  The URL of my website is http://mamacook.blogspot.co.uk/ or http://mamacook.blogspot.com/ and my twitter handle is @Mamacook_blog.  Last year I was honoured to make it to the finals.  Thank you kind readers!

Sugar Free Sweet Potato Scones for Babies, Toddlers and The Whole Family

I realised the freezer was lacking in baked goods today so I rustled these up to replenish my stocks.  It is handy if you have a few baked goods which aren't (too) naughty in the freezer as they tend to defrost pretty quickly and it's great if you're heading out to friends houses with your little one.  Much easier than passing a pot of dried fruit back to my son while on the M42 today (and much safer I suspect).

A pretty good result.  Part of me is tempted next time to add a touch of treacle to the mix but that would ruin it's "no added sugar" status and you could always serve them with jam and butter.

Sweet Potato Scones - makes approx 12-14

Ingredients

2 small - medium sized sweet potatoes, baked in their jackets (see note below), you need 200g of flesh.
4.5oz, 125g Self Raising Flour (or plain / all purpose flour and 1.5 tsp baking powder, use wholemeal SR if liked)
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp cinnamon
A few grindings of nutmeg
A scant 2oz, 50g butter or margarine (use dairy free if you're avoiding lactose or milk protein)
Up to 3 tbsp Apple Juice
Milk to brush on top (optional)

Method

Preheat the oven to 190oC, 375F, Gas Mark 5.

Scoop out the flesh from the jackets, you will need around 200g, 7oz.  If you have less or more just adapt the other quantities.  Mash it with a fork and make sure it's cool or cold.

Mix the flour, spices and baking powder.  Rub in the butter or marg until it resembles breadcrumbs.

Mix in the mashed sweet potato and enough apple juice to bring together into a dough.  It needs to be fairly soft.

Pat out on a floured board until it's about 2cm thick (a scant 1 inch).  Either cut out shapes, or, as I prefer because I don't like waste, use a sharp knife and cut squares.  It saves the effort of rerolling even if they don't end up looking perfect (although my son didn't mind).

Place onto a floured baking tray and brush with milk if liked (miss out if avoiding dairy).

Bake for 12 - 16 minutes until cooked through (mine took 14) then cool on a rack until cool enough to serve your child.  Serve as they are or if you prefer with butter and jam or fresh fruit and even cream for older kids and adults.

Best served on the day but all scones freeze well.

To bake sweet potatoes, prick the skin and put on a baking tray (they can leak sticky juices).  Bake for approx 45 mins or until very soft when squidged.  Ideal to do when you've already got something in the oven as it saves on electricity.

If you like these why don't you try:

Sweet Potato Mini Muffins?

Or

 No Added Sugar Fruit Scones

If you've liked this recipe and want to give me a little bit of encouragement, please consider nominating me in the Food category of the Britmums Brilliance in Blogging (BIBs) awards?  The URL of my website is http://mamacook.blogspot.co.uk/ or http://mamacook.blogspot.com/ and my twitter handle is @Mamacook_blog.  Last year I was honoured to make it to the finals.  I do this for no cash at all, this is purely for the passion for food!  Thank you kind readers!

I've linked this up to the allergy friendly lunchbox linky as it's added sugar free, egg free, can be dairy free and soy free.