BLW Recipe: Meatballs with a Twist

Sophia really loves spaghetti bolognaise, it’s her very favourite! So when I saw some meatballs on offer the other day I knew they’d be perfect for trying out a new recipe for a different take on mince and spaghetti.

The ‘twist’ to my recipe is the fruity, creamy sauce which has four hidden vegetables making it healthy for the whole family.

I used pre-made meatballs to cut down on time but you could make your own meatballs and chill in the fridge ready to add into the recipe.

Serves: 1 baby and 2 adults generously

Ingredients:

vegetable oil for brushing the pan

12 lean beef meatballs

1 medium carrot, grated

1 onion, chopped

1 red pepper, chopped

1 courgette, grated

½ tsp smoked paprika

½ tsp curry powder

½ cup of unsweetened coconut milk

hot water from the kettle

125g wholewheat spaghetti

 

Method:

1. Brush the vegetable oil onto the frying pan and place over a medium heat. Add the onions and gently fry until softened and translucent.
2. Add in the carrot, pepper, courgette, paprika and curry powder and continue to cook until all the ingredients are soft.
3. Remove from the heat and transfer to a plastic jug or bowl. Allow to cool for a few minutes before adding in the coconut milk and blitzing with a hand blender. Add hot water until the sauce is the consistency that you like.
4. Brush another pan with oil and once hot place in the meatballs. Brown them all over and allow to cook for around 10 minutes.
5. Turn the hob to a low to medium heat and pour the sauce onto the meatballs. Allow to simmer gently.
6. Meanwhile, add boiling water to a saucepan and add in the spaghetti. Cook as the packet instructs.
7. Once the meatballs are cooked through and the sauce is bubbling, portion off your baby’s meatballs and sauce (Sophia had two meatballs and a large spoonful of sauce).Allow this to cool.
8. Season the remaining meatballs as you wish.
9. Drain the pasta and serve along with the meatballs and sauce.
10. Enjoy!

We all really enjoyed this meal and the meatballs were the perfect size for Sophia to pick up and eat. I’ll definitely be cooking this for my family again!

Sophia finished her meal with some natural yogurt. Yum!

BLW Recipe: Fruity Cheese on Toast

I got a new recipe book yesterday. It’s the River Cottage Baby & Toddler Cookbook. I’ve tried out quite a few of Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall’s recipes and enjoy watching the River Cottage TV programmes so was very excited when it came through the letterbox.

It has lots of information on nutrition and just what a baby needs to grow healthily which I found useful to look at. It also groups the recipes by season which is great if you like to use seasonal, local produce.

This lunchtime I decided to try one of the recipe’s out and it turned out to be delicious to both baby and mummy!

I adapted the original recipe slightly by adding carrot and using Red Leicester cheese instead of cheddar.

Serves: 1 adult and 1 baby

 

Ingredients:

3 slices wholemeal bread

1 apple, grated

½ large carrot, grated

60g Red Leicester, grated

 

Method:

1. Preheat the grill and toast the bread on each side.
2. Grate the apple into the bowl. There is no need to peel the apple but just double check there are no large bits of peel. Grate in the cheese and carrot and mix.
3. Pile the mixture onto the three pieces of bread and put back under the grill until the cheese is golden and bubbling.
4. Leave to cool a little then serve! We had ours with a little Greek yogurt for afters.

BLW Recipe: Carrot and Cumin Muffins

These little muffins are a perfect way to gently introduce your baby to spice. The cumin and carrot marry well to create a sweet flavour and a small kick of spice. With their moist middle and crumbly top they make a tasty lunch for babies and adults alike!

Makes: 12 small muffins.

Ingredients:

1 egg, beaten

½ cup full fat greek yogurt

⅓ cup vegetable/sunflower oil

1½ cups self-raising flour

1 tsp ground cumin

1 large carrot, peeled and grated

 

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 200^oc and line a cupcake tray with cases (you can use a muffin tin for bigger muffins).
2. In a bowl add the egg, yogurt and oil and whisk until combined. Sprinkle in the cumin and whisk again.
3. Slowly sift in the flower, mixing to combine. The dough is a soft, wet dough. Don’t be tempted to add anymore flour as this will make the muffins too dense.
4. Stir in the grated carrot until they are flecked evenly throughout the dough.
5. Spoon the mixture into the 12 cases and put into the oven for around 20 minutes or until they are cooked through and golden on top.
6. Serve! We ate ours with some juicy watermelon.