Black Bean Brownies

Original recipe from Minimalist Baker. A hit with all the kids!

Black Bean Brownies

Ingredients

425 g can black beans, well rinsed and drained (I used fresh cooked beans around 1 3/4 cups)
2 large flax eggs (2 heaping Tbsp flaxseed meal + 6 Tbsp water)
3 Tbsp coconut oil, melted (or sub other oil of choice)
3/4 cup cocoa powder (I used carob powder because I was cooking them for my toddler)
1/4 tsp sea salt
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
Heaped 1/2 cup (105 g) organic cane sugar, finely ground. (I used coconut palm sugar)
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
Optional toppings: crush walnuts, pecans, or dairy-free semisweet chocolate chips (I used hazelnuts)


Method

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (176 C).
Lightly grease a 12-slot standard size muffin pan (I used a silicon friand tray).
Prepare flax egg by combining flax and water in the bowl of the food processor. Pulse a couple times and then let rest for a few minutes.
Add remaining ingredients (besides walnuts or other toppings) and puree - about 3 minutes - scraping down sides as needed until smooth.
Spoon into muffin tray with room at the top for rising.
Sprinkle with crushed nuts or chocolate chips.
Bake for 25 minutes or until the tops are dry and the edges start to pull away from the sides.
Remove from oven and let cool for 30 minutes before removing from pan.
They will be tender, so remove gently with a fork.
The insides are meant to be fudgy.
Store in fridge or freezer.

Smoky Baked Cauliflower

This was so delicious even my two year old keep trying to take it from me, and cried when it was all gone. Use any spices you like with the paprika or stand alone is great too. Trader Joe's* Everyday Seasoning or Everything But The Bagel Seasoning work well.

Smoky Baked Cauliflower

Ingredients

1 head of cauliflower
1 tsp smoked paprika
1 tsp Himalayan pink salt
1 tsp seasoning of choice (optional)
Olive oil


Method

Preheat oven to 375F and prepare a large baking tray with foil and a drizzle of olive oil.
Slice cauliflower into 1/2" slices and place on baking tray.
Sprinkle the top side with 1/2 tsp of smoked paprika, salt & seasoning (if using).
Drizzle some olive oil over the top and bake for 30 minutes.
Flip over the cauliflower and season with remaining amounts and bake for a further 30 minutes.
Allow to cool slightly before eating, break up into pieces of leave whole for presentation.

*If you can't get Trader Joe's in your area here are the ingredients list to try to wing your own;

Everyday Seasoning contains;
Sea salt
Mustard Seeds
Black Peppercorns
Coriander
Onion
Garlic
Paprika
Chili Pepper


Everything But The Bagel Seasoning contains;
Sesame Seeds
Sea salt flakes
Dried Mince Garlic
Dried Minced Onion
Black Sesame seeds
Poppy seeds

Mini Potato & Spinach Fritattas

Adapted from a recipe on The Spruce.

Mini Potato & Spinach Fritattas

Ingredients

1/4 cup olive oil (or other cooking oil)
1 onion (chopped small)
4 green onions (chopped, separate the greens from the bottom)
4 cloves garlic (minced)
2 medium potatoes (thinly sliced)
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. black pepper (divided)
1 12 oz. package tofu (firm, drained and pressed)
2-3 Tbls soy sauce
4 tbsp. nutritional yeast
1/2 cup wilted spinach
Optional: cheese


Method

First, drain and press your tofu. Most tofu will taste best if you press it first because tofu is like a sponge - the more water you gently press out of it, the more delicious flavors it can soak up!

Once your tofu is well-pressed, pre-heat the oven to 325 degrees.

In a large frying pan, sautee the onions, garlic, and bottoms of the green onions in olive oil for 2-3 minutes.

Add potatoes, salt and pepper, and sautee for 10-15 minutes, stirring occasionally until potatoes are golden brown.

Blend tofu, soy sauce, and nutritional yeast in a food processor or blender until well mixed. Mixture will be somewhat thick. Add green onions and potatoes and pour into a greased pie pan.

Cook 45-50 minutes, until top is firm and cooked all the way through.

While your frittata is still hot, sprinkle the top with

Healthy Blueberry Muffins

Original recipe from Sweet As Honey. You can use any berry you like! These were for my son so I used whole meal flour like in the recipe but you can substitute for GF baking flour!

Healthy Blueberry Muffins

Ingredients

1 3/4 cup wholemeal flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon optional
2 egg replacers
1 cup non dairy milk
1/3 cup virgin coconut oil melted, or vegetable oil
1/2 cup maple syrup or agave syrup
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup frozen  blueberry, raspberry or berries of your choice


Method

Preheat the oven at 350 F (180 C)
Spray a 24 holes mini muffin tray with oil. Set aside.
In a large mixing bowl, combine the wholemeal flour, baking powder and ground cinnamon.
In another bowl, whisk the egg replacers with milk, melted coconut oil, agave and vanilla extract.
Combine the wet ingredients with the dry ingredients.
Stir until a muffin batter forms with no lump.
Stir in the berries.
Fill in the mini muffin tray with the muffin batter. Fill up to 3/4 full.
Bake 15 minutes at 350 F (180 C) or until golden brown on the sides.
Cool down few minutes in the tray then transfer to a cookie rack to fully cool down.

Easy Quinoa Muffins

Original recipe from Power Hungry.

Easy Quinoa Muffins

Ingredients

1 cup cooked quinoa or mixed grain (I used quinoa, buckwheat & millet)
2 mashed very ripe bananas
½ cup rolled oats (certified GF, as needed)
1 Tbls hemp seed hearts
¼ teaspoon fine sea salt


Method

Preheat oven to 375F. Grease, line or spray mini muffin tin (I use a silicon tray).
In a medium bowl, stir together the quinoa, banana, oat bran, hemp seed hearts and salt until blended. Divide batter between prepared cups (add toppings, if using).
Bake in the prehetaed oven for 20 to 25 minutes until golden brown and set at the centers.
Transfer to wire rack and cool for 15 minutes and then remove from tin. Serve warm or cool completely.

Coconut Almond Balls

Coconut Almond Balls

Ingredients

2 cups medool dates, chopped finely
1/2 cup Sunflower Seeds
1/4 cup Cashews
1/4 cup Almonds
1/4 cup shredded Coconut (4%)


Method

Blitz all ingredients except the coconut in a food processor.
Form into balls and roll in coconut.
Let sit on parchment paper in the fridge for 30 minutes.
Also freeze very well!

Toddler Squash Soup

This is a great first soup for your toddler. It's thick, sweet and full of vitamins! You can use any squash or sweet potato. I make broccoli and spinach puree but steaming then blitzing and storing in ice cube trays in the freezer, bagging once frozen. You can add them to pasta sauces and soups and they don't change the taste :)

Toddler Squash Soup

Ingredients

1 butternut squash, skinned, gutted and cut into small pieces
1 cup coconut milk
1/4 tsp all spice
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp iodized salt
broccoli puree


Method

Place butternut in boiling water or stock (enough to cover) and bring to boil.
Cover and simmer on a low-medium heat until butternut is soft.
Drain the excess liquid but reserve a little in case you need to thin out the soup.
Use a hand blender or blender to puree the squash and add in other ingredients.
When I serve I add in two tablespoons (one ice cube size) of broccoli puree to the bowl.
Serve with wholemeal toast strips.

Toddler Zucchini Brownies

I'm a bit weird about giving my toddler caffeine or sugar so I adapted my zucchini brownie recipe for him.

Toddler Zucchini Brownies

Ingredients

2 cups whole wheat flour or your own mix
¾ tsp. xanthan gum (omit if using a flour blend that has xanthan gum)
1½ tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt
1 cup coconut sugar
1/4 cup maple syrup
¼ cup unsweetened applesauce
¼ cup melted unsalted butter or margarine, or coconut oil
2 tsp. vanilla extract
1/2 cup carob powder
2 cups shredded zucchini
1/4 cup hemp seed hearts (for topping) - you can add these into the mix to if you like.


Method

Preheat oven to 350F/180C. Grease a 7"x11" cake dish, I use a piece of baking paper at the bottom as well.
In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, xanthan gum, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
In the bowl of your electric mixer, beat sugar, maple syrup, applesauce, butter/margarine/oil, and vanilla extract for 30 seconds.
Add carob powder & flour mixture and continue beating for about 1 minute, until mixture resembles wet sand.
Add the shredded zucchini and mix on low until combined.
Pour brownie batter into pan and smooth down.
Sprinkle extra hemp seed hearts over the top of brownie batter.
Bake for 30 minutes, or until brownies are set. This will have a soft center, if you want a harder brownie, leave in for an extra 10mins.
Allow to cool slightly and slice with a sharp knife or pizza cutter.

Vegan Products - October 2017

A few newly found vegan products, tried and tested just for you...you're welcome!

Miyoko's Creamery Fresh Vegan Mozz, this was pretty good but honestly for me maybe not worth the price tag. I think you're looking at $8-$12 for block. It did have the taste of mozzarella which is great but the texture was very flakey/gritty so not at all like mozzarella. It melted ok though as you can see in my lasagne picture. Tried it with Insalata Caprese Crackers too.

These Simple Mills Garlic & Herb crackers I got from a discount store here in Jacksonville called Solomon's Ventures. They were ok but had a strong bready taste and were a bit dry I like to taste what's on the cracker - not the cracker itself sometimes.

I got these Go Raw dried salads from Solomon's Venture's also, they were interesting that's for sure LOL. Not bad just didn't have anything special about them, basically like kale chips.

I really did not like these Brad's Crunch Kale Chips and full disclosure they came from a discount store and even if they weren't expired may have been there because they were not stored optimally. Never the less I didn't like the taste of whatever the flavor was suppose to be.

I really love Australian brand Freedom Foods. I think always vegan (of the products I've seen) and always a list of allergens (or lack there of). These are very crumbly but I love to keep them in my bag for when I need a snack. My 20 month old loves them too! Got these at Solomon's Ventures.

These Enjoy Life Seed and Fruit mix were a big hit with the kids I think mainly to do with the fact that they have vegan chocolate chips in them so making what could be boring for them seem exciting.

Bombay Bitchin' Sauce I had never heard of but got it discounted so I thought Id try it - OMG SO GOOD!!!! I loved whatever this dip was supposed to be lol

Enjoy Life again - these Soft Baked Ginger Spice Cookies definitely a hit with the whole family. They are soft and I prefer my gingersnaps hard so I can dip in my tea without having to do diving for them later but really no complaints about this product ;)

Found this Botticelli Bolognese Sauce I think at Publix on sale so I thought I'd try it. LOVED IT! Whole family loved it and the best part?? It has the vegan ground beef already added into the sauce! Will definitely be buying this product again - especially if its on sale ;)

This is a fantastic product if you're in Jacksonville. Gnarbucha organic vegan kombucha is divine!! It's a family owned small business with a lot of experience. I loved the Mango one! They sell out of their store or at the Jarboe Park markets every Saturday 2-5pm. If you bring back the bottle for a refill it's much cheaper - win win!

Got a free sample of these Beech-Nut Fruit & Veggie Melties at the baby gym we go to. They were pretty good actually! The taste like freeze dried fruit but melt faster in your mouth and are all the same dollop size.

Simply Nature Green Pea Crisps from Aldi (yes finally made it to check out their stuff). These were very tasty - will be buying these again!

Got this Little Salad Bar Roasted Red Pepper Hummus from Aldi also. Love their hummus and half the price of regular stores!

Tried this Equal Exchange Chocolate 55% cacao Almond because I used to love the small 55% cacao bites which I can never find anymore! I liked it a lot - had that smooth creamy texture I liked but tasted a little more dark chocolatey than the bites.

Bought a Kat Von D vegan Ink Liner in Nerdrum. I also was sent a free Studded Kiss lipstick in Lolita. I even got free shipping! The quality of the products is undeniable. The eyeliner glided on and had a very thin firm line to make it very easy to be precise. It lasted a long time too, I think it's a waterproof one. The lipstick was matte but very moisturising and smelled wonderful. I don't think I've ever had a lipstick smell so good. The only complaint I have is that the color of the eyeliner wasn't what I thought it would be, the picture was fairly accurate but the color box it showed was a different shade of blue, it looks a lot darker on the picture than in real life. you can see on it was a very electric blue. I was looking for a darker blue but not navy.

I mentioned Blue Moose of Boulder hummus in my previous Vegan Products post but I found a couple more, Green Chili and Chipotle. The Green Chile was nice but a little spicy for me and the Chipotle was so spicy I couldn't eat it.

Found this Go Raw Orange Raw Chocolate at the discount store also. SO GOOD! I missed that Jaffa (orange chocolate) favour that doesn't seem to be popular in the USA (Think Jaffas in Australia and Terry's Chocolate range in the UK). I really enjoyed this and wished I had bought more, nice and creamy for a raw chocolate!

There's no secret I LOVE L'Occitane products. And most of them are vegan! The only animal products they use are beeswax and honey so those are always carefully listed in the ingredients.

This Shower Oil is amazeballs!!!! I especially am in love with the Almond one because it smells so divine but if you care more about Shea than almond sent this this new Shea range is great.

L'Occitane's shower oil is so amazing because it foams up like shower gel but leaves you skin feeling soft and supple but not oily. It really is magical!

Brew Dr Kombucha from Oregon is pretty tasty but I think the Superberry was my favorite followed by Clear Mind (which tasted a bit like ginger beer). I didn't like the Citrus Hops flavor so much.

I bought these Namaste vegan cup noodles from the discount store so full disclosure it may have just been because they were store poorly (I bought them the same month as their expiry) but they were horrible. So much so I couldn't even eat them - even the kids wouldn't eat them. The flavor packet was hard and thick so maybe moisture had gotten in if it's normally supposed to be powdered? That I couldn't say but they tasted rancid, I was so excited about them too. :(

I got this Charleston Favorites Peach Slow Burn Hot Sauce from Food for the Southern Soul at the discount store (also available at Publix). It was pretty good although I didn't taste a ton of peach. The sugar is definitely vegan, I checked with the manufacturer. Was lovely in my Buffalo Tofu Bites.

I got these Earth Grown Veggie Burgers from Aldi and they were really good! Full of vegetable chunks, my toddler loved them!

Corn Fritters

Great for toddlers! Although my toddler mainly picked out the corn to eat at first by the end of the meal he was eating the whole thing. The rest of the family liked too! Original recipe from My Whole Food Life.

Corn Fritters

Ingredients

2 cups organic corn kernels
1 Tbls nutritional yeast
1/2 cup organic cornmeal
1 cup whole wheat flour (or GF)
1 cup water
1/4 cup chives/green onions chopped finely
1 large garlic clove minced
2-3 Tbls oil
salt and pepper to taste


Method

Preheat oven to 425F.
Throw all the ingredients in a bowl , and mix by hand until the batter comes together.
Lightly oil a large saucepan on low - medium heat.
Using a 1/4 cup scoop out a few Tbls worth of mixture into the pan and sear for 1-2 minutes on each side.
Repeat these steps until all the patties are seared.
Lay the patties on a parchment lined baking sheet.
Bake for 20 minutes, stopping in the middle to flip them over. Enjoy!

Chickpea Balls

Original recipe from One Handed Cooks.

Chickpea Balls

Ingredients

1/2 small brown onion, chopped
1 carrot, chopped
1 celery stick, chopped
1 zucchini, chopped
1/4 cup mushrooms, chopped
1 clove garlic, crushed
2 - 3 tbs extra virgin olive oil
1 x 400g tin chickpeas, drained (I used fresh, around 1.5 cups)
1 Tbls vegan mayonnaise
2 Tbls quick GF oats
1 Tbls wholemeal plain flour (brown rice works to)
3 Tbls freshly squeezed orange juice
3 Tbls flat leaf parsley


Method

Preheat your oven to 200°C. Line a baking tray with baking paper.
Combine the onion, carrot, celery, garlic, zucchini and mushrooms in a food processor.
Process until finely chopped but not pureed.
Heat the oil over medium in a small frypan and sauté the processed vegetable mix for
around 5 minutes (stir occasionally and be careful not to burn).
Meanwhile, combine the chickpeas, mayo, oats, flour and orange juice in the processor.
Process until the chickpeas are in small pieces (but not completely smooth). Add the parsley.
Combine the chickpea and vegetable mix, form small balls (around a tablespoon size or smaller).
Place on the baking tray and bake for around 30 - 40 minutes or until the balls are golden brown.

Basil Zucchini Mini Muffins

Original recipe from One Handed Cooks.

Basil Zucchini Mini Muffins

Ingredients

2 flax eggs**
1 cup non dairy milk
2/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
2 1/2 cups plain flour (1 cup brown rice, 1 cup sweet white rice, 1/2 coconut)
1 tsp salt
1 tbsp baking powder
3 small zucchini, grated
2 tbsp basil, finely shredded
1/2 cup vegan Parmesan cheese grated, plus extra for grating on top (I used nutritional yeast)


Method

Preheat the oven to 200 degrees celcius and grease or line a 12 cup muffin tray. -
Combine the eggs, milk, and olive oil in a medium bowl. -
In a separate large bowl combine the flour, salt and baking powder. Make a well in the centre and add the egg mixture. Stir until just combined, being careful not to overmix. -
Add the zucchini, basil and parmesan cheese and stir to combine. -
Fill the muffin cases approximately 3/4 full, top with extra Parmesan cheese and bake for 20-25 minutes or until golden brown on top.

**Flax Seed Egg = 1 egg
1 Tbls ground flax seed
2 1/2 Tbls water
Mix and let sit for a few minutes

Vegetable Rice Cakes

Original recipe from One Handed Cooks, changed for vegan/GF.

Vegetable Rice Cakes

Ingredients

1 cup cooked brown rice
1/3 cup GF breadcrumbs**
1/2 cup vegan grated cheese
1 cup sweet potato, peeled and diced
1/3 cup corn kernels
1/3 cup frozen peas
1 carrot, grated
1/2 brown onion, finely chopped
2 flax eggs*
2 tbs olive oil
1.5 cups GF breadcrumbs (for dredging)


Method

Steam or boil sweet potato, peas and corn until soft.
Use a fork to mash the sweet potato. Set aside.
In a small fry pan heat 1 tsp olive oil.
Add onion and carrot, lightly fry until soft. Set aside.
In a large bowl, combine cooked rice, bread crumbs, flax egg, cheese. Add all vegetables and stir until well combined.
Take large tablespoons full of mixture and mold into small patties. Dip each patty to coat in breadcrumbs. Continue with remaining mixture.
Heat remaining oil in a large frying pan over medium.
Lightly fry the patties for a few minutes on each side. Remove and drain on a paper towel.

* Flax egg = 1 Tbls Flax meal + 2.5 Tbls water, mixed and let sit for a minute.

** I keep all my GF bread end crusts and any broken pieces and process them into breadcrumbs and keep in the freezer.

Bulk Baby Oatmeal

This is a simple oatmeal I prepare for my baby every morning. He's been eating it since he was around 1 year old. I keep a selection of chopped steamed fruits and vegetables in the freezer so I can just add them in before microwaving. Apple was the go to fruit until he started getting a bit constipated and so we switched to pear which has worked great. Now I keep steamed chopped pears and add an extra item such as apple, strawberry, peach, beets or butternut squash. I chop and steam them and then put them in ice cube trays to freeze, around 2 Tbls per serving. I use one cube of pear and one of another item in the oats so essentially around 1/4 cup of chopped steamed fruit/veg, which you could use fresh also. I make a batch of the dry ingredients (oats and cinnamon) and keep them in an air tight container.

Bulk Baby Oatmeal

Ingredients

2 cups Oats
1 tsp Cinnamon


Method

Grind the oats in a food processor or coffee grinder until reduced o a fine grain.
Add in cinnamon (or any other spice) and mix well - how much you add is up to you but rule of thumb for me is around 1 teaspoon cinnamon to 2 cups ground oatmeal.
If you want to add something different everyday then just skip mixing it in with the oats.
The scoop I use is an old coffee scoop for it holds around 1 Tbls. The serving suggestion below is what my baby eats now at 18 months. At 12 months I gave him half as much because the larger amount he would never finish but now he eats it all, and a banana too :)


To Serve

Take two scoops of oatmeal mix (around 2 Tbls), around 1/4 cup non-dairy milk and 1/4 cup of fruit/vegetable of choice and microwave for around a minute (we have a 1700W microwave and I find 70 seconds is perfect).
Mix oatmeal and fruits well, I use a fork to mash everything together.
Wait till cools to an eatable temperature.
Sometimes I sprinkle with hemp seed hearts, ground flax or chia seeds.

Chickpea Flour Mini Frittatas

This is great recipe for mini frittatas that doesn't use soy and you can really add any vegetable you like. I was surprised how good these were and how well they stay together. Great for toddlers/baby's first finger food. I grated mine but you can chop also. I'm keen to try with sweet potato. Original recipe from The Mostly Vegan. This recipe made about 16 mini frittatas. Spraying your tins with oil will make them very easy to get them out.

Chickpea Flour Mini Frittatas

Ingredients

1 zucchini, grated
2 carrots grated
1 cup chickpea (garbanzo bean) flour
2-3Tbls nutritional yeast
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1/2 tsp onion powder


Method

Preheat oven to 400 F.
Combine chickpea flour, nutritional yeast, baking powder and salt in a bowl with 1 1/4 cups water.
Whisk to combine and set aside while preparing the veggies.
Heat olive oil over medium-high heat in a skillet.
Add all vegetables to skillet and cook until veggies cook down and begin to brown/soft, about 7 minutes then mix into flour mix.
Grease the mini muffin tin.
Divide mixture between muffin cups.
Bake for 30 - 35 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean and frittatas are beginning to brown on top.
Remove from oven and allow to cool for 10 minutes (this allows the batter to set) before removing from tin and cooling on a rack.
Depending on your muffin tin, you may have to use a knife or offset spatula to gently loosen sides of frittatas before removing from tin.
Serve warm or allow to cool completely before storing in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
Frittatas can be reheated in the microwave but are best when warmed in the oven or toaster oven at 400 F for 10 minutes.

Sweet Potato Rice Balls

A toddler/first solids recipe that is easy to hold and full of nutrition :)

Sweet Potato Rice Balls

Ingredients

3 medium sweet potatoes
1 1/2 cups cooked brown rice
2 Tbls hemp seed hearts
1 Tbls coconut/braggs liquid aminos
2 Tbls coconut flour
shredded coconut


Method

Preheat oven to 375F.
Wash and pierce sweet potatoes and cook for 20 minutes each side.
Change oven temperature to 300F.
Allow to cool and remove skin.
When cool enough to touch place them in a large bowl and mash well but leave some solid pieces.
Mix in brown rice, hemp seed hearts, aminos and flour.
Place shredded coconut in a bowl and prepare a baking sheet with baking paper.
Spoon about a Tablespoon of mixture and make a ball in your hands, coat in shredded coconut and place on baking sheet.
Repeat until done and then bake for 20 minutes, turning half way through.
Allow to cool completely before serving.
You can freeze left overs.

Butternut Spiced Quinoa Balls

This original recipe is from Kids Spot. I thought they were a bit bland but my 18 month old loved them. There's not reason why you couldn't swap the butternut for acorn squash or sweet potato.
This recipe made quite a big batch so uncooked ones can go in the freezer, separated at first but once frozen into a ziplock bag.

Butternut Spiced Quinoa Balls

Ingredients

1/2 butternut pumpkin (cut into wedges, seeded)
1 tbs olive oil
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp ground coriander
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
1/2 cup quinoa
1 cup broccoli (broken into florets)
1 red onion (finely grated) (I used regular onion and cooked it first)


Method

Preheat the oven to 180°C (350F) and line 2 baking trays with baking paper.
Put the pumpkin into a bowl, add the olive oil and spices and toss to coat.
Arrange the pumpkin in a single layer on a lined tray and bake, turning halfway through cooking, for 25 minutes or until soft and caramelised.
Remove from the oven and set aside until cool enough to handle.
Meanwhile, place the quinoa in a fine-meshed sieve and rinse thoroughly under cold running water. Transfer to a heavy-based saucepan, add 1 cup (250 ml) water and bring to the boil over high heat. Reduce the heat to low, cover and simmer for 10 minutes.
Turn off the heat and set aside, without lifting the lid, for 4 minutes.
Fluff the quinoa with a fork and leave to cool.
Bring a small saucepan of water to the boil. Add the broccoli and cook for 2 minutes or until tender. Drain well.
Scoop the pumpkin flesh from the skin and place in a bowl.
Squeeze the liquid from the grated onion and use paper towel to pat the onion dry.
Add the onion, broccoli and quinoa to the pumpkin and mash together until well combined.
Dollop teaspoon-sized balls of mixture onto the remaining lined tray.
Bake the balls, turning halfway through cooking, for 30 minutes or until golden brown.

Sweet Potato Pancakes

Brilliant baby/toddler recipe. You can sneak in a green veg like spinach and it's virtually undetectable.

Sweet Potato Pancakes

Ingredients

1 baked sweet potato*
1 banana
dry ground oatmeal
handful baby spinach, finely chopped


Method

Mash sweet potato and banana until gooey.
Mix in spinach.
Add in small amounts of oatmeal until the mixture is thick enough to form patties in your hand.
Lightly fry on each side until golden, around 3 minutes either side.
Transfer to paper towel and serve once cooled.
I freeze these and then pop them in the microwave for 30-40 seconds.

*Bake sweet potato, stab a few times with a fork, at 375F for 40-60 mins turning halfway through.

Snowballs

Baby recipe, these are a great way to get rid of any rice or bananas that are about to get mushy.

Snowballs

Ingredients

1 ripe banana
1/2 cup cooked rice
1/4 cup coconut flour
Shredded coconut
1/4 tsp cinnamon
coconut or non dairy milk


Method

Preheat oven to 300F.
Mash banana and mix well with rice, cinnamon and flour.
Add a little coconut milk if mixture is too dry.
Roll mixture into small balls and dredge in shredded coconut.
Place balls on a lined baking tray.
Bake for 5 minutes on each side, keeping an eye on the coconut as it can burn easily.
Let cool before giving to baby.
I freeze mine and pop them in the microwave for 10-20 seconds.

Baby Cheesy Pasta

This is an easy recipe to introduce baby to pasta and solid foods. It's easy for them to pick up and soft enough for them to chew. My 18 month old loved this past, to eat and to throw ;)

You can also add in pureed spinach or pumpkin for variety.

Baby Cheesy Pasta

Ingredients

4 cups cooked spiral pasta (I used whole wheat)

1/4-1/2 cup nutritional yeast

1/4/-1/2 tsp Himalayan salt

1 Tbls coconut oil

Method

Once pasta is cooked and drained, coat well with the coconut oil.

Add nutritional yeast, adding more to taste and mix well.

Sprinkle over the salt if using and mix well.

Make sure pasta is cool enough to touch.