Haricot Bean and Mushroom Gratin for Babies, Toddlers and Adults

This is a yummy meal in itself or could be a great side dish for Christmas dinner (with the handy benefit of having something which feels like a main dish should a vegetarian arrive.)

I would think it would scale up pretty well but I would keep it fairly shallow in the baking dish to avoid it being too runny.

Haricot Bean and Mushroom Gratin - serves 1 toddler and 1 adult with vegetables on the side

Ingredients

6 medium sized mushrooms, cut into a thick slice
Spray oil
3/4 tin of haricot beans, drained (in retrospect I should have scaled this up to use a whole tin so feel free to do so, that would make more sense!)
1 very low salt chicken stock cube, e.g. Kallo low salt or Heinz baby
1-2 cloves of garlic, chopped finely
1 tsp Fresh Thyme, chopped
1 tsp Fresh Rosemary, chopped
3 tbsp Double Cream
25g Grana Padano, Parmesan (or use vintage vegetarian cheddar if you're a non meat eater)

Method

Preheat the oven to 200oC, 400F.

Fry the mushrooms in the spray oil until colouring up well.  Add the garlic and soften slightly.  Take off the heat.  Mix the stock cube with 1-2 tbsp boiling water (enough to dissolve it, use a whisk if you need to), add the cream to the stock and then add to the mushrooms with the rosemary and thyme.  Tip in the haricot beans then pour into a baking dish in a shallow layer.

Grate the cheese on top and bake in a preheated oven for approx 30 mins or until bubbling throughout and golden on top.

Allow to cool until at a safe temperature for your baby before serving.  Would be great for babies who have a pincer grip, just check the beans are soft enough.   Needs a touch of salt for adults.

Falafels for Babies, Toddlers and the Whole Family

This is genuinely a whole family recipe.  If I don't say so myself, I'm really impressed with myself for these and it's all completely my invention.

Falafels - makes approx 8-10 (more if you make them smaller) 

Ingredients


1 onion, finely chopped
1 clove of garlic, finely chopped
Spray oil
1 small courgette (zucchini), grated
1 tin of cooked chickpeas (garbanzo beans), drained (240g drained weight)
Small handful of coriander (cilantro)
1/4 tsp hot chilli sauce (I used Encona West Indian Hot Pepper sauce, not authentic but my favourite) - optional if making for babies
1/2 tsp sweet paprika (ie not the spicy kind)
2 dsp cornflour
Olive oil for brushing

Method

Saute the onion and garlic in some spray oil or a little olive oil until softened.  Add the grated courgette and cook until it's shrunk back a bit (driving off the moisture.)  Allow to cool.

Add the drained chickpeas, coriander, sauce if using (I did and my 18 month old loved them), paprika and two thirds of the onion mixture to a food processor.  Process well, it won't go completely smooth.  Tip out into a bowl and add in the remainder of the onions and the cornflour.  Shape into patties and put onto a lined baking tray slightly oiled and chill until ready to cook.

Preheat an oven to 200-220 oC.  Brush the tops of the falafel with oil and bake for 20-25 minutes.  Serve for babies or toddlers broken up slightly with strips of pitta bread or for adults serve in a pitta bread with tomato, cucumber or salad, mayo and extra chilli sauce.  Yum!

This would be great with babies doing baby led weaning.  You know your child better than I do so use your judgement with the spicing.  I know my son would have been fine with the garlic and paprika, I probably would have tried him with the chilli sauce because he's an adventurous sort.

Come to think of it, I'm planning to give him some keema curry from the freezer for tea.  This could be an interesting nappy day!!!

This has been submitted to the Diet Dessert Dogs linky!

Sugar Free Cheesecake for babies, toddlers and the whole family

Cheesecake with no added sugar?  Really?  Yep.  Bang on!  I've done it!  So this is a cheesecake which you can feel comfortable giving to your baby (if on textured food), toddler and the whole family without feeling (too) guilty.  There are variations below for very young babies too.  This is linked up here.

The cunning idea is to use wheatgerm rather than biscuits which saves a lot of sugar.  Surprisingly if you've never used wheatgerm it is subtly sweet anyway.  Definitely an adequate substitute in my mind. My husband (used to my white chocolate cheesecake) was slightly less convinced.
Cheesecake for Babies and Toddlers - serves 4 adults / 6-8 toddlers

Ingredients

2 Dessert / Eating apples
80g Dried Apricots
Splash of boiling water
40g Unsalted butter
60g Wheatgerm
200g Full fat soft cheese

Method

Peel and core the apples and cut into chunks.  Put into a saucepan.  Chop the apricots into quarters and add to the pan with the water.  Boil for 5-10 minutes or until the apple is softened.  Puree in a blender with as little of the water as you can get away with until really smooth.

If your baby is just weaning, this is a great puree to give either on it's own or mixed with yoghurt; alternatively mix with soft cheese as below.  The puree (on its own) freezes well too.

Allow the puree to cool.

Melt the butter and add the wheatgerm and mix well.  Put into individual flan cases or ramekins or press into a ring on a plate.  Chill until ready to continue.

Mix approx 150-200g of the puree with the soft cheese (to your taste).  Whisk well to get rid of lumps.  Pour onto the chilled wheatgerm 'biscuit' base and chill for a couple of hours before serving.

Keeps for 24 hours in the fridge.

Sugar free wheatgerm and oat biscuits for babies and toddlers

I've been struggling for a sugar free biscuit for some time.  This almost gets there.  It's not really sweet but passed the test with my son.  He's already eaten all of his tea and his pudding and saw these on the cooling rack.  He pointed to them so I gave him one.  3 biscuits later...

My only reservation is they are really crumbly so I will experiment with reducing the amount of wheatgerm and increasing the amount of flour which should improve the structure.  That said, they hold together a little better when cool and my son coped with them.  They'd be pretty awesome with cheese actually.

Wheatgerm and oat biscuits for babies and toddlers makes 20-30

Ingredients

50g Plain Flour
150g Wheatgerm
50g Porridge Oats
100g Unsalted butter
1 Egg yolk

Method

Preheat the oven to 180oC.  Prepare two baking trays by lining them with non stick baking paper.

Mix the flour, wheatgerm and oats in a bowl.  Add the butter and rub in until it resembles coarse breadcrumbs.  Add the yolk and knead in the bowl until it comes together.

Roll the dough out on a floured surface (it will crack a little).   Cut out the biscuits in the shape of your choice.  I used a hexagon to avoid waste!

Put onto the baking trays and bake in the oven for 12-15 mins or until browning at the edges.  Allow to cool a little on the trays then put onto a cooling rack.