Halloumi salad for toddlers and adults

I cannot, in all honestly proclaim this as a success.  Not the halloumi, oh no, the halloumi was wolfed down, it was the salad bit he was less keen on.

Still, how many of us can claim we'd tried something that adventurous as a toddler?  I certainly liked the whole dish and I'd be tempted to give him halloumi again, perhaps just served in a different way, maybe following my suggestion further down, maybe off the barbecue with grilled prawns and coleslaw on the side?  A nice change from the usual sausages and burgers.

If only we had the weather for a barbecue...

Halloumi Salad - serves one adult and one toddler

Ingredients

Approx 100g (3.5 oz) Halloumi, sliced
A large handful of baby spinach leaves, washed
2-3 large ripe tomatoes
Extra virgin olive oil
Balsamic or white wine vinegar (optional)

Method

Brush a non stick pan with a little olive oil and heat.

Put the salad leaves on some plates along with some sliced tomatoes.  Fry the halloumi in the pan until browned on each side.

Put on top of the salad and dress with olive oil and vinegar if liked (I only used a tiny drizzle of olive oil on my son's portion.)  Only serve about a third of the cheese to your toddler as it is pretty salty as cheeses go.  The great thing about this is it is the matter of moments to make.  We whipped this up after Mums and Tots and were eating within minutes.  My son is not the most patient of customers!

If you want to include more carbs for kids, you could always include some cooled boiled new potatoes (I'd definitely do this if I'd had some ready) or follow this up with some fresh fruit and a slice of apple and carrot cake.

I've linked this up to Meatless Mondays!



And I've also linked up here!

Only 10 minutes to cook for your toddler?

I know what it's like being a mum.  At best you have 10 minutes of time to spend on cooking for your child.  You've got back through the door from Mums and Tots or you lost track of time while playing with playdoh.  I do understand this is why so many mums want to turn to prepared foods.

So, here are my top ideas for an emergency "need to cook some food RIGHT NOW" for your toddler moments without resorting to a smiley face or a cheese string!  Think about it, this has to be quicker than most preprepared foods.

1.  Something from the freezer.  No, this isn't copping out.  If you have taken time, perhaps at a weekend to make a big batch of keema curry, bolognaise, tomato sauce or meatballs, this is the time you reap in the rewards.

2.  Scrambled eggs.  Are eggs the ultimate fast food?  One of the few food sources of vitamin D too.

3.  Mushroom pasta.  One of my son's favourite dishes even now (he'd live on mushrooms or prawns if I let him.)

4.  Quesadillas.  The way to use all kinds of bits and bobs and sneak vegetables into your child's diet.  Just include cheese and from then on the world is your oyster.

5.  Poached egg on toast.  Cook this by putting boiling water into a saucepan then lowering the heat right down until it's below simmering point.  Crack in a fresh as possible egg and time for 4 minutes, scoop out, drain and serve on toast.  (Runny eggs for over 1 year olds only.)

6.  Courgette pasta, great for that glut of courgettes at this time of year and a great way to put some vegetables into your child's diet if they're a little reluctant.

7.  Stir fried noodles.  Noodles are great because even the dried ones take less than 5 minutes to cook; stir fry them with other lovely ingredients and bob is, in fact, your uncle!

8.  Sandwiches.  The emergency fall back for me.  My son loves pate.  Not ideal from a salt point of view but just be careful with the rest of the diet for the day.

9.  Pitta, vegetables and dip.  Hummus is a great choice, interesting flavour, monounsaturated olive oil, sesame, pulses and garlic and some kids just love to dip.

10.  Mussel and broccoli pasta, I've put this last as I realise it might be a bit scary but it's so quick and I humbly like to think it's restaurant quality food for your toddler.

So next time you're reaching for a pack, why not give one of these a go?

Coleslaw for the whole family

I was inspired by my son's nursery to make coleslaw.  Although he's had potato salad before, it was just something which hadn't occurred to me to make until I saw it on the menu but it's great at this time of year (and in this weather) as it's a hardy salad as comfortable alongside hot food as cold stuff and let's face it, who knows what's happening from day to day?

Coleslaw - serves 2 adults and a child as a side dish comfortably

Ingredients

140g, 5oz White cabbage
70g, 2.5oz Carrot
2 small apples
3 tbsp mayonnaise (commercial mayonnaise if feeding to babies as this is pasteurised)
1 tbsp yoghurt
1 tsp olive oil

Method

Shred the cabbage, i.e. take odd the outer leaves and then cut off one of the sides then slice fine slices using a sharp knife.  As I was serving this to my toddler, I then also cut into short lengths, approx 2cm long (a little less than an inch) to make it less likely he'd get weirded out by it.

Wash or peel the carrot and grate on a coarse grater.  Core the apples but don't peel and cut into small slices then across the slice a couple of times.

Mix all of the ingredients together with the prepared fruit and vegetables.  Chill until ready to serve.

If you want to mix things up, use red cabbage, fennel, kohlrabi or even peeled and grated broccoli stalk (tastes quite cabbagy).  You could also add in other ingredients like raisins if you like although personally I think the apple gives enough sweetness.

My son gave this a go and ate half of the portion I gave him.  Not bad considering he also only ate half of the sausage and none of the sourdough on his plate (he loves sausages and sourdough.)  Some days you just aren't all that hungry!  Good thing was there was some left for later for Mum and Dad and maybe even a spoonful for my lunch tomorrow if I get in quickly...

I've also put in a new label with this post of "lunch box food" as I'm sure loads of people with older kids would find this useful.  Obviously include an ice pack in the box, coleslaw needs to be kept cold.

Here's a lovely wintery coleslaw made with red cabbage, it looks fantastically colourful I think:

I've linked this up to Scottish Mum's Funky Foodies and to Crisp Photo Works food photography linky!

Courgette and Feta Bites for babies and toddlers

This is a variation on the Broccoli nuggets recipe I posted in April which has become my most read recipe.  I can understand why, it can be difficult to get kids to like vegetables and anything in a small, easily holdable form is a winner with toddlers.  (Although one person admitted they had them as a beer snack!)

This is also a great recipe for baby led weaners as although cheese and bread are salty, with only 1/12th of a slice of bread and less than 6g of cheese per 'bite' it's far better than giving a sandwich.

This is a variation I encourage you to try, especially if your courgette plants survived the onslaught of local slugs (mine, unfortunately did not) and you're currently trying to find new and interesting ways to use them in cooking.  I don't know if you're like me but I love growing courgettes but I seem to be the only person in my family who likes to eat them!

Courgette (zucchini) and feta bites - makes 12

Ingredients

1 slice of bread, cut into small cubes
140g courgette (zucchini), grated
70g feta cheese, crumbled finely
2 eggs

Method

Preheat the oven to 200oC, 400F.  Oil a silicone mini muffin tin with olive oil (or use a small cupcake tin).  Fill each hole with a dsp of the mixture.

Bake for 16 minutes or until firm and well browned.

Serve with vegetables of your choice.

It's great to expose kids to different cheeses from a young age.  I've always hated hearing grown adults say "I don't like cheese" or "I don't like fish" and was determined my son would not grow up this way. There are so many cheeses out there that there is bound to be at least one you like.  Fortunately my son is already a cheese fiend and recently at a local artisan cheese fair, around his second birthday was happily enjoying Stilton.  On Saturday he was stealing my mussels when we were out for lunch together.  I think the gift of enjoying food is such a great one to give a child.

If you have some feta cheese left, why not make some spanakopita?  Or why not try Spinach and Feta mini muffins?

If you do have a glut of courgettes, try making this courgette pasta recipe where the courgette really is the star.  Or make some courgette chips?  Absolutely delicious!

I've linked this up here and to Meatless Mondays!