Kinder Kitchen recipe for babies - aubergine dip

Aubergine dip (from 6-8 months)

 

Ingredients:

1 aubergine
1/2 garlic clove
1 teaspoon tahini paste
Juice of ½ lemon
Optional: tablespoon of olive oil

Method:

1. Wash the aubergine and place in the oven at 180°C for 30minutes. Remove and leave to cool for 10 minutes
2. Now remove the flesh from it's skin with a spoon (it should come away easily) and place the flesh with all the other ingredients into a bowl
3. Mash together with a folk or blend once or twice with a hand blender

Kinder Kitchen Serving Suggestions:

Serve on it’s own, with bread or as a dip with carrots and celery.

Today's nutritious recipe from Kinder Kitchen - homemade baked beans

My daughter is nearly 20 months old now and being the keen cook that I am I have cooked for her most days. I know many of your will find it difficult to coo everyday but my philosophy is that we do what we can. My recipes are available to you all to make the cooking process a little easier and give you ideas - hopefully!?

Anyway after 14 months of cooking for her - what do you know. She has become a fussy eater!!! One thing I have learnt from this experience is that no matter how many different foods you introduce to your baby/ies, no matter how many homemade meals you make - there may come a time when they just get fussy and that is just how it is and you can't blame yourself. Well that's what I am telling myself. Anyway, at the moment she loves three things: baked beans, pasta with tomato sauce and pizza. I decided the other day to make my own homemade baked bean sauce and I served it with pasta and it was a success. You just use the basic tomato sauce recipe (although i have varied it slightly below) and add a tin of cannelloni beans to it.

Homemade baked beans (from 9 months)

Ingredients:

1 tin of tomatoes
½ medium onion
1 garlic clove
1 teaspoon mixed herbs/teaspoon of fresh thyme
1 teaspoon of oil
1 tablespoon tomato ketchup (helps to sweeten the sauce although you do not need to add this)
1 drained tin of cannelloni beans

Method:

1. Add a teaspoon of oil to the saucepan and add the finely chopped/grated onion and crushed garlic. Fry on a low heat for 5 minutes
2. Add the tin of tomatoes, mixed herbs/thyme and ketchup and some black pepper
3. Cook on a low heat for 10 minutes and then add the tin of beans and cook for a further 10 minutes
4. Stir the mixture a couple of times and once cooked remove from the heat and serve with pasta, on toast or just on it's own.

Kinder Kitchen Serving suggestion:

This recipe is great for adult too - just add a pinch or two of dried chilli's to liven up your taste buds and senses on a Sunday morning!

Today's nutritious recipe from Kinder Kitchen - Apple and prune puree

Apple and prune puree (from 6 months)

Ingredients:
4 apples
6 dried prunes
½ teaspoon of cinnamon
A little water

Cook:
1. Wash and peel the apples, remove the core and cut into small chunks
2. Place the apples, prunes, cinnamon and enough water so that the fruit is sitting in about half an inch of water into a saucepan and place it’s lid on
3. Cook the fruit in a low heat for 10 minutes
4. Once cooked puree with a hand blender and leave to cool

Suggestions:
For babies at the weaning stage this is great on it’s own. I find this a great cure for constipation in older children. Spoon over vanilla ice cream or add to plain yoghurt or serve with pancakes.

Today's nutritious recipe from Kinder Kitchen - Mauritian aubergine

My daughter absolutely loves this meal. My partner is Mauritian and his mother serves up the most wonderful tasting vegetable dishes - more to follow. I serve it with freshly cooked rice. It is quick and simple to make and very easy to eat as the vegetables are nice and soft. Should you wish to puree the vegetables after cooking, it is best to remove the curry leaves beforehand.

Mauritian aubergine (from 6-8 months)

Ingredients:
1 medium aubergine
1 tomato
1 small onion
1 teaspoon freshly grated ginger
1 crushed clove garlic
15 curry leaves
A little water if needed

Cook:
1. Peel and chop the onion finely. Fry the onion in a saucepan for 5 minutes
2. Meanwhile wash and chop the aubergine and tomato into small squares
3. Add the garlic, ginger and curry leaves to the onion and cook for a couple of minutes before adding the aubergine and tomato. If you find the vegetables sticking to the bottom of the pan, add a little water. Do give the dish a stir every five minutes or so.
4. Place the lid on the pan and cook on a low heat for 20-25 minutes

Suggestions:
Delicious served with rice, with pitta bread or cold as a salad.
For smaller babies it is best to remove the curry leaves otherwise they are fine to eat. You do not have to add all the ingredients and can leave either the ginger, garlic or curry leaves out if you wish.

Today's nutritious recipe from Kinder Kitchen - Carrot, lentil and coriander puree

Carrot, lentil and coriander puree (from 6 months)

Ingredients:
175 grams carrots
175 grams potatoes
1 teaspoon ground coriander (you can always just add ½ teaspoon at the beginning)
50 grams ready to cook lentils
½ pint formula milk

Cook:
1. Wash and peel the carrots and potatoes and roughly chop
2. Place all the ingredients into a saucepan, with the lid on and bring to a boil.
3. Then reduce to a simmer and cook for 30-40 minutes, until the lentils are nice and tender (Check every now and then that there is enough liquid in the saucepan and top up if need be with milk or water)
4. Once cooked puree with a hand blender and leave to cool

Suggestions:
This meal is ideal for freezing or will keep fresh in a cold fridge for up to 3 days - just remember to reheat it thoroughly.

Today's nutritious recipe from Kinder Kitchen - Green pea and spinach puree

Green Pea and spinach puree (from 6 months)

Ingredients:
100 grams frozen peas
100 grams spinach leaves
2 tablespoons breast/formula milk

Cook:
1. Wash the spinach leaves and add them with the peas to a pan of boiling water and then simmer for 3-4 minutes.
2. Remove the vegetables from the water and add 2 tablespoons of breast or formula milk and blend together into a smooth consistency. You can always add a little more milk to make the mixture wetter.

Suggestions:
Adding a pinch of nutmeg or some fresh parsley will make this dish a little tastier.

Nutritional values:
Iron-tastic!

Today's nutritious recipe from Kinder Kitchen - Chicken and parsnip puree

Chicken and parsnip puree (from 6 months)

 

Ingredients:

300 formula milk
350g parsnips
110g chicken breast

Method:

1.  Wash and peel the parsnips, and chop into small pieces
2. Slice the chicken into small slithers
3. Add the chicken, parsnip and milk into a medium sauce pan and cook on a low heat for 15 minutes
4. Remove from heat and puree with a hand blender or pass through a metal sieve

Suggestions:
You could always add a bay leaf or a little thyme or parsley to the mixture to get your child used to different flavours. A grate of nutmeg would also add something different to this dish and goes well with parsnips.

Today's nutritious recipe from Kinder Kitchen - Baby friendly banana cake

This recipe is a winner with babies, children and adults alike. Great for an afternoon snack or a lunch box treat and so quick and easy to make. Also ideal for using up those black bananas sitting in the fruit bowl that no one wants to eat but you can't bring yourself to throw away.

Baby friendly banana cake (from 12 months)

Ingredients:

4oz butter

2oz sugar

7oz self raising flour

2 eggs beaten lightly

2 large or 3 medium, very ripe bananas mashed with a fork

2 tsps. good vanilla essence

Method:

Preheat the oven to gas mark 4; 180C and grease a loaf tin

Mash the bananas with a sturdy fork

1. Cream the butter and sugar together and next whisk in the eggs, one at a time
2. Now add the mashed bananas, vanilla essence and flour and mix well together
3. Scrape the mixture into the loaf tin and bake for 40 minutes on gas mark 4; 180C and then lower the temperature to gas mark 2; 150C and cook for a further 30 minutes.

Once cooked, remove from the tin and leave to cool on a wire rack.

Kinder Kitchen Yummy additions:

If there is no history of a nut allergy in the family, you could replace 1oz of the flour for ground hazelnuts or almonds to the mixture. For chocolate lovers, you could add 50g of finely chopped dark chocolate to the mixture.

Kinder Kitchen Healthy Kids Recipe - Gnocchi with cheese, butter and herbs

Gnocchi with cheese, butter and herbs (from 9 months)

 

A great recipe for getting your baby used to the wonderful taste of different herbs.

 

Ingredients:

 

50 grams gnocchi

1 tsp. butter

2 tbsp. grated cheese

Fresh or dried mixed herbs (if fresh – great with finely chopped sage, parsley or basil)

 

Method: 

1. In a saucepan, cook the gnocchi in boiling water for 2 minutes or until they rise to the surface of the water. Drain and set aside (Depending on age of your baby, it is best to cut the gnocchi into two or three pieces)
2. In a frying pan, fry the herbs in the butter on a low heat
3. Add the melted cheese and the gnocchi
4. Once the cheese has melted, remove and once cooled add a little fresh pepper if your baby likes it

Kinder Kitchen Cooking Tip - Italian Gnocchi

Gnocchi are Italian potato dumplings and a great alternative to pasta. My little girl absolutely loves them and they are a great source of energy and fill her up too. You can find packets in the dried pasta section of the supermarket or some places will sell them fresh in the refrigerated section. The dried packets are great as a cupboard staple as you can add just about anything to them and they are ready in just two minutes!

For a great homemade recipe with illustrations and a step-by-step guide go to: http://foodnouveau.com/2010/10/destinations/europe/italy/how-to-make-gnocchi-an-illustrated-step-by-step-recipe/