BLW recipes

Super-easy baby friendly banana loaf cake

2008-04-17T21:44:00.004+01:00

This is a sugar free, dairy free, easy, yummy, healthy recipe which I use a lot as a baby friendly cake and it is a great way to use up some spare bananas.

1lb bananas
5 oz wholemeal flour
4 oz raisins
3 oz porridge oats
2 oz chopped nuts (optional)
4fl oz sunflower oil
half teaspoon vanilla extract or almond essence

Mash the bananas, mix together with all the other ingredients. Spoon into a greased 1lb loaf tin and bake at 190c for 50-60 mins until golden.
This makes quite a firm loaf but it is lovely and healthy too!

Lamb Tagine

2007-11-07T19:38:00.000Z

Not completely my recipe but I have adapted and added to it.

Ingredients:
500g boneless lamb shoulder, diced (I get the butcher to chop it up for me so it is even easier!).
1 (or 2 small) onion chopped
2 cloves garlic chopped/grated
1 thumb sized piece of ginger grated
1 generous table spoon corriander seeds
1 generous teaspoon cumin seeds
1 teaspoon cinnamon
2 tablespoons honey
2 tablespoons tomato puree
2 tins chopped tomatoes
1 tin chick peas, drained
3 carrots, chunkily chopped

300g cous cous
handfull of dried apricots chopped
handfull raisins
500ml hot stock/boiling water
1/2 lemon juice

Looks like a lot of ingredients but it is really easy I promise!
Gently fry the onion, ginger and garlic in a little oil, crush the spices and add them put the lid on and cook for a few mins until they are soft.
Add the lamb, carrots, puree, honey, tomatoes and bring to a simmer.
Cover and put in the oven at 160 for 1 1/2 to 2 hours. Take the lid off for the last 45 mins to help it thicken. Add the chickpeas 20 mins before the end.

To make the cous cous mix the cous cous with a tablespoon or 2 of olive oil and the lemon juice.
Add the hot stock/water mix and cover with cling film. Leave for 10 mins.
After 10 mins mix in the apricots and raisins with a fork (it's nice with some chopped mint or corriander if you have it but I usually don't!)

Thats it - I mix JJ's in with the cous cous so he can scoop it all up in one.

Sweet potato and kidney bean burgers

2007-09-12T19:07:00.001+01:00

Whizz up one slice of bread to make breadcrumbs.

Peel and chop 2-3 sweet potatoes and put in a bowl with a splash of water, cover with clingfilm, pierce and microwave for 3 mins.

Meanwhile chop and fry a small onion/shalotte and add a tin of kidney beans for the last couple of mins. Whizz up in a blender until coarsley chopped.

Mash the sweet potato, mix in the onion and beans and a thick slice of cheese or two cut into tiny cubes. mould into little burgers - probably makes 10-12 burgers.

Cover in breadcrumbs and fry in oil/butter for a few mins each side until browned and crispy.

I have frozen some before cooking so will let you know what they are like when I defrost and cook them.

Butternut squash casserole

2007-08-23T18:35:00.000+01:00

This is a meal we have eaten for a long time and is perfect for JJ and he loves it.

Fry one chopped onion and some garlic for a few mins till soft. Add 1 tsp of ground cumin, 1 tsp ground corriander and 1/2 tsp of ground turmeric and fry for another minute. Add some chopped mushrooms, one small butternut squash peeled and cut into pieces which our baby can handle (chip shape or chunks) and fry for another minute or two. Add one tin of chopped tomatoes and a tin of kidney beans and a splash of water if it seems a bit dry and cook with the lid on for about 20 mins till the squash is cooked.

We eat this with rice or jacket potatoes and salad. You could swap/add other veg if you wanted.

Chicken in a bag

2007-08-22T19:11:00.000+01:00

Make an envelope out of 2 pieces of foil - I lay them on top of each other, fold it in half then turn in 2 edges and leave the top open. Then for JJ I put a couple of mini fillets of slice up a normal breast, a squeeze of lemon, a tomato quartered or a few cherry one and some herbs if there are any kicking about - you could use anything really. Fold down the last egde of the foil, put it in a baking tray and in a hot oven (220c) for about 20-25 mins. It is good for JJ as it stays really nice and soft and juicy and full of flavour.

For adults it is nice with white wine, bacon, mushrooms etc put in the bag.

Banana yogurt, berry yogurt

2007-08-20T18:55:00.000+01:00

Another embarrassingly simple recipe (well not even a recipe really) but may provide inspiration for anyone struggling with healthy desserts.

JJ loves 1/2 a mashed banana (really ripe ones work best) mixed with a couple of tablespoons of greek yogurt. It is yummy and no sugar like most of the kiddies yogurts on sale.

We also nuke some berries (he likes blueberries best) for 1 min in the microwave and add these to some yogurt. If they are a bit sour I add a little dash of maple syrup to just sweeten them slightly.

Carrot Pancakes

2007-08-20T18:51:00.000+01:00

Place 1/4 cup of flour, 1 teaspoon of baking powder and 1 egg in a bowl, mix together and gradually whisk in 1/4 cup of milk. Add to this about 100g (2 carrots) finely grated and mix well. Melt some butter in a frying pan, add a table spoon of the batter for each pancake, cook till bubble appear, flip over and cook till golden.
Voila.
JJ like them spread with cream cheese.
I am going to try a spicy version with some ginger, cinnamon etc so will update when I've given it a go.

Cinnamon apples

2007-08-20T18:47:00.000+01:00

So quick and easy it's almost embarrassing but JJ (and I) love them.

Just peel and core a couple of eating apples, slice into wedges, sprinkle with cinnamon, put in a bowl and cover with cling film, pierce it once and cook for 1 min in the microwave, stir, cook for another 30 seconds-1 min until soft but not mush. Delicious.

I like them with ice cream, JJ with natural greek yogurt.
You can also bake the wedges in the oven in a dish with a couple of blobs of butter for a less slippy version. I prefer the nuked ones though.

Quesadillas

2007-08-14T19:55:00.001+01:00

You could use any filling but we did spinach and cheese (JJ loves it and trying to up the iron intake!)

to make 1 quesadilla you need
2 flour tortillas
some soft cheese
1 ball of frozen spinach
some grated cheddar

Cook and drain the spinach.
spread a thin layer of soft cheese over a tortilla, sprinkle over the chopped spinach and some grated cheese. Place the other tortilla on top.
Heat up a frying pan and when it is hot add the tortilla sandwhich (no oil). Cook for a couple of minutes until golden and a bit crispy then turn over and cook the other side.
I use a pizza cutter to cut it into small wedges.

Filled pancakes

2007-08-14T19:46:00.000+01:00

Make a pancake batter (any recipe or double up the mini pancakes one)
Make the pancakes then add one of these fillings...

Spinach and ricotta
I used about 2-3 balls of frozen spinach which I cooked for about 5 mins then squeezed out the water and chopped up.
Meanwhile I fried off a finely chopped onion.
Mix the onion, spinach and 1/2 a tub of ricotta ( I reckon cottage cheese would also work)
Spread over a pancake and roll up. Let it cool a bit so it is easier to slice up into rings.

Berries and cream cheese.
I added a handful of blackberries, handful of raspberries (frozen or fresh) and some blueberries to a pan with a tiny sprinkle of sugar and cooke dit on a low heat for 10 mins or so until the fruit had broken down. Let it cool a bit.
Spread a pancake with a thin layer of philly and some berries and roll up and slice - messy but lovely!

Mini BLW Pancakes

2007-08-14T19:37:00.000+01:00

Another from Aitch's blog - see the link

3 tablespoons plain four
3 tablespoons milk
1 egg

Mix the egg and flour and gradually add the milk a bit at a time while whisking.
Heat a little oil/butter in a pan and add a table spoon of the batter. Cook on one side till little bubbles appear on top (a minute or 2) then flip to cook the other side.

I have added grated cheese to the mix which was nice, also 1/2 a mashed banana and some blueberries. You could try adding anything really!
I also added 1/2 teaspoon of baking powder which made them a bit fluffier.

Oat, cheese and apple scones

2007-08-14T19:28:00.000+01:00

I got this recipe from Aitch's blog recipe section. - see link.

200g self raising flour
1 tsp baking powder
50g buttter
50g fine oatmeal (I used readybreak as it was inthe cupboard)
1 tsp sugar
125g cheddar cut into small cubes
2 apples cut into small cubes
5-10 tbsp milk

Heat oven to 200 c
Sift flour and baking powder into a bowl.
Rub in the butter until it looks like breadcrumbs.
Stir in the oatmeal and sugar.
Add the cheese and apple.
Add the milk a bit at a time until it makes a stiff dough.
Pat out onto a floured board until about 2cm thick.
Cut into scones using a cutter or a knife (finer shape may be good for some LO's but JJ like the round ones!)
Bake on a greased tray for about 15-20 mins. It would have been nice to brush the top with milk or egg or something.

We enjoyed them spread with butter - enjoy!

Fluffy smoked haddock and potato pie

2007-08-14T19:18:00.000+01:00

JJ loves this and so do we. If it is a bit too sloppy for him to pick up I mix in some breadcrumbs to stiffen it up which works well.

750g potatoes (floury mashable ones)
300-400g smoked haddock (or a mixture of smoked and unsmoked - I often add more as we love fish)
200ml milk
1 bunch spring onions (I have used leeks too which works well)
1/2 creme fraiche
100g of cheese (I often add a bit more)

Peel and boil the potatoes for about 15 mins
Pu the milk and spring onions in a pan, add the fish, cover and simmer for about 8-10 mins until cooked.
Save the milk and onions for later. Flake the fish and check for bones.
Mash the potatoes using the milk and onions (you may not need all of it) and then mix in the creme fraiche.
Fold in the fish and 1/2 the cheese.
Put in an oven proof dish, sprinkle over the rest of the cheese and bake at 200 c for about 20 mins till golden.
JJ loves it with broccoli (but then he loves everything with broccoli!)

Welcome

2007-08-04T19:07:00.000+01:00

As promised here are some recipes I have used whilst following BLW. Some of them are my own, some are borrowed and some are my versions of borrowed recipes.