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.