Savoury muffins - an idea for a snack with vegetables. Perfect for children, even the youngest

 

Introducing solids can be tricky. Looking for new recipes, inspiration, worrying whether a given meal is healthy and has all the nutrients, finding time to prepare it, child's skills. Sometimes it is worth using recipes that can be prepared in larger portions and then freeze it. The capacity of a young child's stomach is equal to his fists. That is very small, so to prevent food waste - freeze it. The muffins came out delicious, I couldn't resist myself and ate most of it. They taste best fresh. I would say they are best when child has already some chewing skills as the muffins are moist and when the child squeezes them, they form lumps that are difficult to swallow. If I were to make an adult version (picnic or breakfast), I would add spices such as salt, pepper, nutmeg and chilli :-)

Makes 12 servings:

• 2 eggs
• a few broccoli florets (a glass - I used a frozen one)
• a glass of peas (I used frozen)
• a large carrot
• chopped dill
• 3 glasses of flour
• half a cup of plain yogurt
• half a glass of milk
• 1/4 cup rapeseed oil
• a glass of grated cheese (I used cheddar)
• 1.5 teaspoons of baking powder

Method:

Grate the carrots on a fine-mesh grater. Pour milk, oil, yogurt into a bowl, add 2 eggs, broccoli (cooked) and peas and blend everything. Add the rest of the ingredients. Mix thoroughly. Grease the cupcake tray using oil and then lightly sprinkle with flour. Put the dough into moulds. Bake in an oven preheated to 180C for 30 minutes.

Cream of carrot - a super simple recipe for a nutritious soup

 

Sometimes there is nothing left in the fridge, no chance to go to the shop, then I use what I have. Onions, garlic, ginger, potatoes and carrots are ingredients that last for long and I usually have them in my kitchen. You can tune it a bit by adding coconut milk, orange juice or tomatoes, but simple carrot soup also taste good from time to time.

Ingredients 4 portions

• 800g of carrots
• 200g of potatoes
• 2 onions
• 3 garlic cloves
• 1cm of ginger
• paprika, fenugreek, salt, pepper
• 50ml of single cream
• spoon of oil or olive oil

Method:

Fry the chopped onion, garlic, ginger in oil. When the vegetables are soft, add the chopped carrots and potatoes. Pour with water and cook until the vegetables are tender. Finally, season and add single cream. Blend.

Chocolate millet pudding - an idea for a gluten-free / low fodmap breakfast or dessert

 

Recently, I was looking for inspiration for a breakfast or snack that would be perfect for low fodmap diet. We now know that it's not gluten that worsens IBS symptoms, it's fructans in grains. However, wherever fructans are present, there is also gluten. In stores we will not find food labeled - low in fructans. That is why people suffering from IBS and following the principles of a low fodmap diet, it is recommended to choose gluten-free food

Makes 4 servings:

• half a cup of millet
• 2 cups of lactose-free or plant-based milk
• 4 teaspoons of cocoa
• 20g of dark chocolate
• 2 teaspoons of peanut butter
• banana
• 4 teaspoons of sugar
• half a teaspoon of cinnamon
• A method of preparing:

Method:

Boil the millet in water in the proportion of 1 to 2. That is, half a glass of millet per glass of water. You can do this the day before. I used the leftover millet from my dinner. Then put the millet, milk of your choice, sugar, cinnamon and cocoa into the pot. Cook until thickened. Add peanut butter, chocolate and banana. Blend everything. Transfer to the dishes in which you will serve

Coconut and rhubarb chia pudding, nutritious and delicious breakfast

 We use rhubarb to make puddings. It is very sour and makes extraordinary desserts with a lot of flavours that you can't get bored with. I admit that preparing rhubarb is a little bit time consuming , so I often prepare a little more. Last time I've made a lot and used for the cake, porridge for a children etc. Coconut and rhubarb turned out to be a good combination and the whole thing was topped with crushed cocoa beans and chocolate. Delicious.

Ingredients for 2 servings:

• 1/4 cup desiccated coconut
• 1/4 cup of chia seeds
• 1.5 cups of milk (cow or plant milk)
• spoon of honey
• chocolate (2 cubes)
• 2 teaspoons of crushed cocoa beans
• stewed rhubarb (about 150 ml)

Method:

Rhubarb: wash and chop. Transfer to a pot and cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally. Cook until the water evaporates and the rhubarb mousse becomes thick. I prepared the rhubarb the day before. I made a little more of it and used it for various dishes.

Pudding: heat the milk in a pot, add desiccated coconut and cook for about 10 minutes. Add seeds and set aside, mix every now and then so that the seeds do not stick together. While still warm, mix it with honey. Transfer to any cups or glasses. Place the rhubarb on top. Put in the fridge overnight. Serve with chocolate and cocoa beans

Green curry with salmon, prawns and chickpeas - idea for fish meal

This green curry is an idea for a meal with fish and prawns. Additionally, full of vegetables and easy to prepare - you need only one pot to make it. Seasoned as you like so can suit even the smallest gourmets

Ingredents:

• 500g of salmon
• 200g prawns (I've used already peeled and pre-cooked)
• a can of chickpeas (240g)
• 2 onions
• 4 cloves of garlic
• 4 stalks of celery
• 2 cm of ginger
• a bunch of chives
• fenugreek, cumin, coriander, cardamom, turmeric, salt, pepper
• 200g of green beans
• 150g of mange tout
• 400 coconut milk light (can)
• spoon of rapeseed oil

Method:

Using oil, fry finely chopped onion, celery, garlic, ginger, spices and chives in order. Pour water (just to cover the vegetables) and cook until the vegetables are soft. Pour in coconut milk and blend. Put pieces of salmon, prawns, chickpeas and vegetables - beans and mange tout into the cooking sauce. Simmer for another 15 minutes. Serve with your favourite toppings such as couscous, rice, papadoms or naan bread.

Sorrel soup with hard boiled egg - idea how to use sorrel

When I was 10 years old I remember walking with my grandmother at her allotment picking sorrel. Then she would make sorrel soup with potatoes, bacon, egg and a lot of butter. Delish. I have done a slightly slimmer version but still tasty. It is quite sour so may not appeal to everyone. Sorrel is quite rich in vitamins A and C, but vitamin C dies at a high temperature, so eating this soup to increase your vitamin C intake makes no sense. It also contains smaller amounts of calcium, potassium, iron, magnesium and zinc. There is also a lot of confusion around oxalates, however occasional consumption has no negative effect on health

Ingredients:

• 500g potatoes
• big carrot
• 2 stalks of celery
• 2 onions
• 4 garlic cloves
• 4 bay leaves
• spoon of butter
• 50 ml single cream
• 200g sorrel
• 4 eggs

Method:

Fry the finely chopped onion and celery in butter. When they soften, add garlic and fry for a while. Pour water or broth (about 1.5l). Add diced potatoes and carrots and bay leaves. Cook until the potatoes are tender. Chop the sorrel and add when the vegetables are soft. Add cream, mix and bring to a boil. Serve with a hard-boiled egg.

Courgette fritters - fried without fat

Vegetable pancakes or fritters can be prepared from various vegetables, e.g. carrots, cauliflower, sweet potatoes. Unfortunately, to make them crispy we fry them in a large amount of oil and these vegetables absorb it a lot. So, from a healthy, low-calorie vegetable, we create a fatty high-calorie meal. Below I give you an alternative to deep fried fritters.

Ingredients for 2 servings:

• 3 small courgettes
• small onion
• 2 garlic cloves
• 6 tablespoons of wholegrain flour
• 2 tablespoons parmesan cheese (finely grated)
• 2 tablespoons of chopped chives
• salt, pepper, nutmeg

+ Greek yogurt or cottage cheese, radish to serve

Method:

Grate courgette, onions and garlic on a cheese grater. Add salt and put it on a sieve ale leave it fo 10 min. Squeeze it to drain excess water.  Transfer to a bowl and mix with flour, sesame and spices. Fry in a Teflon pan without fat. About 4 minutes on each side. Serve with Greek yogurt or cottage cheese and sliced radish. They taste good hot or cold