I am adding these recipes specially with Babies & Toddlers in mind, due to many requests of my followers. I will try and submit these in stages ..... So, Please bear with me.
I have done some intensive research and also gathered some ideas from memories from my beloved Mother “Jagdish Kaur Attalia.”
It’s time that you revert back to “Old Grand Mother Tales”.
It’s Proven & tested that the best Food for a child is Fresh and home grown.
However, Please ensure that you discuss the diet with your Doctor, just incase a child has allergies of some sort. Keep an eye open for Citric based fruits.
First Stage ~ Baby Food
It’s a perfect time to introduce your baby to a range of fresh fruit and vegetables when they begin to eat solids. Nothing beats nutritious, home-made baby food bursting with wholesome fresh seasonal fruit and vegetables.
Top Tips to Get Started
Begin by introducing small quantities of pureed Vegetables and Fruits.
Add Formula or Cooking liquid to pureed Fruits & Vegetables to achieve the desired consistency to suit your baby. Babies generally prefer very moist foods. (It is also know some mothers to use Breast milk.)
Gradually increase the thickness and texture of Fruits & Vegetables purees as your baby learns to chew. Team fresh Vegetables with other ingredients like chicken or meat once the simple purees are accepted and expand the range of vegetables offered. Some babies may be very fussy about eating new foods but don’t give up try again at another time.
As you introduce new foods, watch your baby for signs of a reaction or allergy.
Avoid offering Strawberries until your baby is 12 months old as some babies have a severe reaction to Strawberries.
Remove seeds and pips from Fruits before using to make baby food.
Peel and / or trim Vegetables if necessary.
It’s best not to add sugar or salt to baby food.
Remember, baby food is given in addition to the breast or bottle.
Storing Home-Made Baby Food
It’s essential to keep all cooking equipment and utensils very clean.
Use clean Fruits & Vegetables only boards for chopping fruit and vegetables.
Store individual serves of baby food in clean airtight containers for 1 day in the fridge or store in the freezer for up to 1 month. It’s best to defrost baby food overnight in the fridge.
First stage - Fruits & Vegetables purees
Fruit purees
Start with the simple flavours of pureed apple or pear.
Apple Puree - use 2 Golden Delicious or Granny Smith Apples
Pear Puree - use 2 Beurre Bosc or Packham pears.
1. Peel and chop the fruit and place in a saucepan with 2-3 tablespoons water.
2. Cover and bring to the boil over medium heat. Reduce heat and cook until very tender.
3. Use a blender or food processor to puree the fruit until very smooth.
4. Add a little breast milk, formula, orange juice or cooking liquid to achieve the desired consistency for your baby
Popular fresh fruit puree/mashes:
Apple and pear – poached and pureed
Peaches and apricots – poached and pureed Banana
Papaya or pawpaw – remove skin and seeds
Papaya and Banana
Custard apple – use ripe fruit and remove the skin and seeds
Avocado – use ripe fruit and discard skin and seeds and add a little fresh orange juice if desired
Fresh Vegetable purees
To begin, try your baby on simple pumpkin, carrot and potato or kumara (orange sweet potato) puree. Try them separately, and as baby accepts the flavours gradually introduce your baby to a range of vegetables in various combinations.
Pumpkin puree – use ½ small Butternut or Jap pumpkin
Kumara puree – use 1 medium Kumara
Carrot puree – use 2 carrots and 1 potato
1. Peel and chop vegetables into a 2-3cm dice.
2. Steam, boil or microwave vegetables with a little water until tender.
3. Use a blender or food processor to puree the vegetables until very smooth.
4. Add breast milk, formula or cooking liquid to achieve the desired consistency to suit your baby
Popular Vegetable Puree / Mash combinations:
1. Zucchini and potato – 1 medium potato and 1 medium zucchini
2. Parsnip, Kumara & Spinach –1 medium Parsnip, 1 small Kumara and 20g baby Spinach leaves (trim stems with scissors prior to cooking)
3. Carrot and Pumpkin – 2 Carrots and a wedge of Butternut Pumpkin
4. Cauliflower and Potato – 250g Cauliflower florets and 1 Potato
Friday, May 8, 2009
Saturday, May 2, 2009
Apple Shrimp Pasta
Pasta (farfalle) (Bow-ties) – 1 lb
Shrimps Fresh De-Veined) – ½ lb
Lemon Juice Fresh - 3 tbsp
Salt – ½ tsp (To Taste)
Apples - 3 med sized
Black Pepper - 1 tsp
Coriander Fresh to garnish
Method:
Marinate shrimp in salt and lemon juice for around half an hour. Cook quickly in simmering water. 5-7 minutes is ample time for shrimp, overcooking makes it tough and chewy. Peel apples, slice thinly into ½ inch pieces.
Cook pasta separately, making sure to keep the pasta covered with water at all times while cooking.
Mix sliced apples with the apple sauce (or lemon juice) and black pepper.
When all are done, toss together in a large salad bowl, garnish with chopped coriander and refrigerate for half an hour, as this pasta is best served cold!
Chef’s Tip: Apple Sauce – 3 tbsp (optional, can be substituted with more lemon juice)
Remember, if the water is running low, never add cold water, always add warm water separately. This will keep the pasta from hardening and going all dente.
Shrimps Fresh De-Veined) – ½ lb
Lemon Juice Fresh - 3 tbsp
Salt – ½ tsp (To Taste)
Apples - 3 med sized
Black Pepper - 1 tsp
Coriander Fresh to garnish
Method:
Marinate shrimp in salt and lemon juice for around half an hour. Cook quickly in simmering water. 5-7 minutes is ample time for shrimp, overcooking makes it tough and chewy. Peel apples, slice thinly into ½ inch pieces.
Cook pasta separately, making sure to keep the pasta covered with water at all times while cooking.
Mix sliced apples with the apple sauce (or lemon juice) and black pepper.
When all are done, toss together in a large salad bowl, garnish with chopped coriander and refrigerate for half an hour, as this pasta is best served cold!
Chef’s Tip: Apple Sauce – 3 tbsp (optional, can be substituted with more lemon juice)
Remember, if the water is running low, never add cold water, always add warm water separately. This will keep the pasta from hardening and going all dente.
Coolers~Mango Agua Fresca
Mango, Ripe – 2 large
Orange Juice – ½ glass
Agave nectar or Honey - 1 tsp
Lime freshly squeezed Juice - 1½ tsp
Lime wedge
Mint leaves for garnish
Water, Ice Cold -1½ cups
(Or Sparkling Water - Soda)
Method:
In a blender, combine Mango (Peeled, Pitted & Diced) and Water and blend until smooth.
Pour through a strainer into ice-filled glasses.
You should end up with about 1 cup of liquid. Stir in Lime juice and Agave.
Garnish with Lime and Mint, and serve.
Serves 2
Chef's Tip: This recipe was inspired by Maria Gonzales, a street food vendor and Whole Planet Foundation borrower, who lives in León, Nicaragua.
This light, refreshing drink popularized in Central America is a terrific thirst quencher on a hot summer day.
You could add Fresh Orange & Lemon Juice in this recipe too.
The trick with making Agua Fresca (Spanish for "fresh water") is to infuse the water with fruit essence without turning it into a smoothie or slushy drink. Feel free to experiment with other flavours such as Strawberry, Watermelon, Cantaloupe and Honeydew.
Orange Juice – ½ glass
Agave nectar or Honey - 1 tsp
Lime freshly squeezed Juice - 1½ tsp
Lime wedge
Mint leaves for garnish
Water, Ice Cold -1½ cups
(Or Sparkling Water - Soda)
Method:
In a blender, combine Mango (Peeled, Pitted & Diced) and Water and blend until smooth.
Pour through a strainer into ice-filled glasses.
You should end up with about 1 cup of liquid. Stir in Lime juice and Agave.
Garnish with Lime and Mint, and serve.
Serves 2
Chef's Tip: This recipe was inspired by Maria Gonzales, a street food vendor and Whole Planet Foundation borrower, who lives in León, Nicaragua.
This light, refreshing drink popularized in Central America is a terrific thirst quencher on a hot summer day.
You could add Fresh Orange & Lemon Juice in this recipe too.
The trick with making Agua Fresca (Spanish for "fresh water") is to infuse the water with fruit essence without turning it into a smoothie or slushy drink. Feel free to experiment with other flavours such as Strawberry, Watermelon, Cantaloupe and Honeydew.
Friday, May 1, 2009
Mojito ~ Strawberry
Strawberry Syrup - 1 tsp
Lime juice - ¼ cup
Brown Sugar - ½ cup
Lime peel - 1 ½ tsp
Strawberries fresh - 4
Mint fresh sprigs
Club Soda - 3 cups
Sugar (superfine) - 1 ½ tsp
* Take a frozen Glass, dip the rim in Lime Juice and Dip In fine sugar.
Method:
In a tall frozen Glass, add Sugar, 3 Strawberries, 5 mint leaves and a splash of Soda Water. Lightly muddle. Squeeze juice from the Lime, Strawberry Syrup into the glass; (add Rum) Stir and fill glass with ice. Top off drink with Soda Water. Garnish with the remaining Strawberry and a sprig of Mint.
You got yourself a real Cuban Mojito
Chef's Tip: The original Mojito is made with Lime, not Lemon...
Mojitos are known to taste even better with Gold Rum (Alcohol).
I prefer to make Sugar Syrup, in this case Brown (Raw) Sugar Syrup and bottle it.
Superfine Suger - Blend normal Sugar to make your own suferfine Sugar.
Lime juice - ¼ cup
Brown Sugar - ½ cup
Lime peel - 1 ½ tsp
Strawberries fresh - 4
Mint fresh sprigs
Club Soda - 3 cups
Sugar (superfine) - 1 ½ tsp
* Take a frozen Glass, dip the rim in Lime Juice and Dip In fine sugar.
Method:
In a tall frozen Glass, add Sugar, 3 Strawberries, 5 mint leaves and a splash of Soda Water. Lightly muddle. Squeeze juice from the Lime, Strawberry Syrup into the glass; (add Rum) Stir and fill glass with ice. Top off drink with Soda Water. Garnish with the remaining Strawberry and a sprig of Mint.
You got yourself a real Cuban Mojito
Chef's Tip: The original Mojito is made with Lime, not Lemon...
Mojitos are known to taste even better with Gold Rum (Alcohol).
I prefer to make Sugar Syrup, in this case Brown (Raw) Sugar Syrup and bottle it.
Superfine Suger - Blend normal Sugar to make your own suferfine Sugar.
Coolers~Strawberry & Watermelon
Strawberries, hulled - 2 cups
Watermelon de-seeded - 1 cup
Ice Crushed - 1 cup
Sugar -1 ½ tbsp
Fresh Mint for garnish
Strawberry- Water - 1 b0ttle
Method:
Blend Strawberries, Watermelon, Ice and Sugar into a smooth purée.
Pour into tall glasses and top off with sparkling Water.
Garnish with Mint and serve.
Makes about 2 drinks
Chef's Tip: I prefer to make Sugar syrup and keep it bottled in the fridge.
Use appropriate Fruit Flavoured Sparkling Chilled Water to enhance the flovour. Strawberries and Watermelon have long been the perfect summer pair. In this light, vitamin-packed homemade cooler, we think they shine particularly bright.
Watermelon de-seeded - 1 cup
Ice Crushed - 1 cup
Sugar -1 ½ tbsp
Fresh Mint for garnish
Strawberry- Water - 1 b0ttle
Method:
Blend Strawberries, Watermelon, Ice and Sugar into a smooth purée.
Pour into tall glasses and top off with sparkling Water.
Garnish with Mint and serve.
Makes about 2 drinks
Chef's Tip: I prefer to make Sugar syrup and keep it bottled in the fridge.
Use appropriate Fruit Flavoured Sparkling Chilled Water to enhance the flovour. Strawberries and Watermelon have long been the perfect summer pair. In this light, vitamin-packed homemade cooler, we think they shine particularly bright.
Carrot Salad with Lemon Hint
Carrots Shredded – 1 Cup
Chopped Fresh Dill Fresh Chopped - 1 ½ tbsp
Scallion chopped – 1tbsp
Lemon Juice – 1tbsp
Olive Oil Extra-Virgin– 1tbsp
Clove Garlic, Minced - ½ Small
Sea Salt – to taste
Black Pepper Coarse Ground - To Taste
Method:
Whisk Lemon juice, Oil, Garlic, Salt and Pepper to taste in a medium bowl.
Add Carrots, Dill and Scallion; toss to coat.
Tangy lemon and fresh Dill make a bright dressing for shredded Carrots.
Chef’s Tip: You could also add finely chopped Coriander and fresh Green Chillies fine thin sliced.
Chopped Fresh Dill Fresh Chopped - 1 ½ tbsp
Scallion chopped – 1tbsp
Lemon Juice – 1tbsp
Olive Oil Extra-Virgin– 1tbsp
Clove Garlic, Minced - ½ Small
Sea Salt – to taste
Black Pepper Coarse Ground - To Taste
Method:
Whisk Lemon juice, Oil, Garlic, Salt and Pepper to taste in a medium bowl.
Add Carrots, Dill and Scallion; toss to coat.
Tangy lemon and fresh Dill make a bright dressing for shredded Carrots.
Chef’s Tip: You could also add finely chopped Coriander and fresh Green Chillies fine thin sliced.
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