Easy cheesy biscuits

May 19, 2024May 18, 2024Leave a comment

I love having friends with children a similar age to ours over for playdates. Having a house full of happy, playing kids as well as the company and conversation of our friends brings me great joy. When the kids are running around with their friends they tend to burn up a lot of energy so I like to have some snacks on hand for when they get hungry. Although sweet biscuits and cakes tend to be popular I like to do some savoury treats as well as too many sweet ones can make them a bit hyper and moody. These super simple cheese biscuits only take a few minutes to mix together and tend to be popular with kids and adults alike. You can use your favourite cutters to cut them into lots of fun shapes which also makes them more appealing.

Easy cheesy biscuits

Cooking time: 5-10 minutes mixing, 13-15 minutes baking
Dietary info: vegetarian
Serves: makes about 20 small biscuits, but it really depends on your size of cutter

50g butter or baking spread
50g cream cheese
50g plain white flour
50g grated Cheddar (I use a mild Cheddar but use whatever one you like best)

Cream together the butter and cream cheese.
Stir in the flour to make a dough then mix in the cheddar and knead until it is evenly distributed.
Roll out on a floured surface and cut into whatever shape you want with a biscuit cutter.
Bake at 160 C fan for about 13-15 minutes until golden brown then serve warm or cold.

A few tips to prep ahead:

These keep for about a week in an airtight box at room temperature or in the fridge.

Some tasty little twists…

Swap the cream cheese for ricotta, or try different grated cheeses such as red leicester or gouda instead of the cheddar.
Season the biscuits with a pinch of paprika or black pepper, or dried herbs such as oregano or finely chopped rosemary.
Swap the plain flour for wholemeal, spelt or rye flour for a stronger flavour.
Try different shaped cutters depending on what your children like, the aim is to make them fun and appealing.
Add finely chopped sundried tomatoes or olives along with the grated cheese for extra flavour and texture.
Sandwich two biscuits together with some cream cheese for an extra cheesy sandwich biscuit.

Baby bites…

There is no need to adapt this recipe for a baby, although cheese is naturally quite high in salt so only give them to a baby in limited amounts.
These make good finger food for baby led weaning.
For further guidance on feeding a baby see my baby bites page.

Sweet lime meatballs

May 12, 2024May 12, 2024Leave a comment

Despite the beautiful weather my children both have rotten colds. This means that they are more fussy about their food and more hangry. Therefore I’ve been wheeling out a lot of the quick and easy firm favourites to get dinner on the table quickly and increase the chance that it is eaten. As I’ve written about before, meatballs are usually a winner with my children so they have featured a lot, but I’ve been trying to cook them with different flavours to at least have some variety. As a nod to the lovely warm, sunny weather we have had in the last week I have chosen light, fresh flavours of lime and ginger for this recipe. The tang of the lime and vinegar nicely balances the sweetness of the carrot and the heat of the ginger, to make the meatballs into a dish that is both satisfying and fresh, perfect for the Spring or Summer.

Sweet lime meatballs

Cooking time: ~30 minutes
Dietary info: dairy free, gluten free as long as the meatballs are (vegetarian and vegan options in the tasty twists)
Serves: 4

600g meatballs (ready made or homemade)
300g carrots (about 2 large ones)
Zest of 2 limes
1 heaped tsp ground ginger
50ml white wine vinegar

Put the carrots, lime zest, ginger and vinegar in a saucepan with enough water to cover the carrots.
Bring to a simmer and cook until the carrots are tender (about 8-10 minutes) then puree, adding more water if it starts to dry out or you need it to reach a thick but pourable sauce consistency.
Dry fry the meatballs in a non-stick saucepan until they are browned on the outside.
Add the sauce to the meatballs and either simmer in the saucepan or transfer to an ovenproof dish and bake in the oven until the meatballs are cooked through (no pink in the centre – about 10 minutes on the stove or 15 in the oven, though they can have about 10 minutes longer than this to allow the flavours to develop more. Add more water if it starts to dry out.
Serve with your choice of accompaniments.

A few tips to prep ahead:

If you are making your own meatballs then you can make and shape them the night before and leave in the fridge in a sealed container (separated with greaseproof paper if in multiple layers) until you are ready to cook them.
Make the sauce and keep in a sealed container in the fridge for up to 3 days.
On the night, brown the meatballs, add the sauce, cook and serve.

Some tasty little twists…

To make your own meatballs take 600g mince of your choice, add a pinch of pepper and 1 tsp ground ginger then mix with your hands until well incorporated.
- Form the mince into small balls about 1.5-2 cm diameter with your hands then cook or store in the fridge.
- If the mince is not clumping together enough then you can add an egg or egg replacement to help bind it.
Make this vegetarian or vegan by using ready made vegetarian or vegan meatballs, or making your own with vegetarian or vegan mince (you may need the egg / egg replacement to help it stick together).
Serve with noodles or rice to make this more substantial (rice is gluten free and vegan, there are gluten free and vegan noodles available but you have to check the packet).
Serve with a crunchy salad e.g. shredded lettuce, grated carrot and chopped herbs, or steamed or stir fried vegetables such as beansprouts, shredded Asian greens, sugar snap peas or sliced sweet peppers to increase your vegetable intake.
Serve sprinkled with sliced fresh chilli, chilli flakes and / or a squeeze of lime for extra zing.
Replace the meatballs with diced beef for an alternative meat option (depending on the cut it may need longer cooking) or with tempeh, tofu or mushrooms for a vegan version.

Baby bites…

This recipe is already low salt if you use low salt or homemade meatballs so no need to adapt for a baby.
Chop, mash or puree to suit your baby’s preferences and stage of weaning.
For further guidance on feeding a baby see my baby bites page.

Chocolate ying yang: cream and ganache slice & low fat cookies

May 5, 2024Leave a comment

Baking is a real treat for me and I love excuses to bake and try new things. I love to cook for my team when we get together in person for a team meeting and usually ask for requests as I like the challenge of trying different recipes. This month the two requests were chocolate and something low fat. I remembered a recipe that I had made years ago that used egg whites rather than fat and whole eggs to make a chocolate cookie. I remembered that the result was moist and chewy in the inside and crispy on the outside. Starting from this idea of using egg whites I experimented to make these low fat cookies, which are also incredibly quick and easy to make, dairy free and easily adapted to be gluten free too. Now I was left with a lot of egg yolks so decided to go in the opposite direction – something that was more indulgent both to make and eat – like the balance of ying and yang. I created this chocolate cream and ganache slice based on bits from a number of different recipes I’d tried before and inspired by millionaire shortbread in reverse. Rather than a caramel middle topped with dark chocolate, there is a silky chocolate custard cream topped with a caramelised chocolate ganache. It is great fun to make, particularly bubbling the chocolate cream as it thickens to a wonderful creamy custard consistency, and also wonderfully decadent to eat. The picture is only of the chocolate slice this week though, as the low fat cookies got eaten before I remembered that I had wanted a picture of them.

Chocolate cream and ganache slice

Cooking time: 60-90 minutes plus chilling time at the end
Dietary info: vegetarian
Serves: makes about 36 slices

Base

350g plain flour
A pinch of salt
185g butter, cut into chunks
1 large egg

Chocolate cream

5 tbsp cornflour
4 tbsp cocoa powder
175g caster sugar
A pinch of salt
750ml whole milk
6 large egg yolks
225g dark chocolate, broken into pieces
30g butter

Ganache topping

370g white chocolate, broken into pieces
150ml double cream
A pinch of salt

To make the base, either rub the butter into the flour with your fingers or pulse in a food processor until it resembles fine crumbs.
Stir in the egg and mix (or pulse more in the food processor) until it sticks together as a dough, adding a little cold water if it is too dry and crumbly.
Press evenly into a 9×14” tin lined with greaseproof paper.
Bake at 160C fan for 30-40 minutes until it is golden brown and sandy to the touch.
Whisk together the cornflour, cocoa, salt and sugar the mix in the egg yolks and 120 ml milk until smooth.
Heat the remaining 630 ml milk to a simmer in a saucepan then whisk into the cocoa mixture.
Return the mixture to the pan and cook over a medium heat, stirring constantly until it is bubbling then continue to cook for a further 2 minutes to fully cook the flour.
Pour the chocolate cream over the base and allow to cool.
To make the ganache topping place the white chocolate in a thin layer in an ovenproof dish and bake at 100C fan for 60-90 minutes, stirring vigorously every 15 minutes, until it is golden brown and smelling caramelised. Try to get it as smooth as you can each time you stir it.
Scrape the chocolate into a heat proof bowl and allow to cool until it is starting to solidify.
Add the cream and salt to the chocolate and heat the bowl over a pan of gently simmering water, or in 20-30s blasts in the microwave, stirring gently until it is all mixed together to form a smooth ganache.
Spread the ganache over the chocolate cream and leave to cool at room temperature for about an hour.
Transfer it to the fridge for at least 4 hours before removing carefully from the tin, slicing (use a very sharp knife of you want this to be neat) and serving.

Chocolate low fat cookies

Cooking time: 20 minutes
Dietary info: dairy free, gluten free option
Serves: makes 12-15 cookies

6 egg whites
300g icing sugar
172g cocoa powder
3 tbsp plain flour or plain gluten free flour
1.5 tbsp water

Whisk the egg whites until frothy.
Sift in the sugar, cocoa and flour then stir in the water and continue to beat until thick and glossy.
Spoon tbsps of mixture onto a lined baking tray and bake at 160C for 12 minutes.
Serve warm or room temperature.

A few tips to prep ahead:

The slice can be made and kept in the fridge for about 5 days.
The cookies will keep in a sealed container at room temperature for 3-4 days.

Some tasty little twists…

Swap 50g flour for 50g ground almonds or hazelnuts in the base of the slice for a nutty flavour note.
Fold in 50g finely chopped almonds or hazelnuts into the cookies just before spooning the mixture onto the baking sheet for added crunch.
Add some finely grated orange zest or a few drops of orange essence to the chocolate cream or the cookies for a hint of chocolate orange.

Baby bites…

This recipe is not aimed at babies.
For guidance on feeding a baby see my baby bites page

Peanut prawns

April 28, 2024April 27, 2024Leave a comment

Apart from having to be careful about allergies, I have found peanut butter a very easy and useful food for young children. It is popular, simple to use and versatile: from sandwiches to cookies and energy balls. My children also love just eating spoonfuls of it as a snack. However, given how often it features in the breakfast and snack foods that I prepare I find I use it surprisingly little in our dinners. I decided to make this simple prawn dish to remedy this omission. It is inspired by a very pared down take on satay sauce, but without any coconut milk and simpler spices as I was working with the ingredient I had in my kitchen, in a hurry, on a weeknight. It also doesn’t have any added salt or sugar making it a useful midweek dinner for small children when you want dinner on the table quickly.

Peanut prawns

Cooking time: 10-15 minutes
Dietary info: pescatarian, gluten free, dairy free (see the tasty twists for vegan and vegetarian versions)
Serves: 3-4

400-500g prawns (I used a mixture of small prawns and king prawns), fresh or frozen (defrosted if frozen), and cooked or raw is fine
50ml white wine vinegar
1 heaped tsp smooth peanut butter
1 scant tsp cornflour
½ tsp ground black pepper
1 heaped tsp ground ginger
A handful dry roasted peanuts (optional)

Mix together the peanut butter, cornflour, pepper and ginger then stir in the vinegar gradually to make a smooth liquid.
Put the prawns in a saucepan and add the sauce.
Bring to a gentle simmer and cook until the prawns are hot and cooked through (pink and opaque all the way through), and the flavours of the sauce have melded together (about 5-6 minutes). Add some water if it starts to dry out.
Serve sprinkled with a handful of peanuts (omit for young children) and your choice of accompaniments.

A few tips to prep ahead:

Mix together the ingredients for the sauce and keep in a sealed container in the fridge for up to three days.
On the night cook the prawns in the sauce and serve.

Some tasty little twists…

Add coconut milk to the sauce if you want a richer dish.
If you prefer a spicier flavour, add 1 tsp curry powder and / or ½ tsp chilli flakes to the sauce, or serve scattered with sliced fresh chilli. You can also scatter with some chopped fresh coriander leaves for added flavour and freshness.
Replace the prawns with chicken or turkey strips for a meat version.
Marinate the prawns or meat in the sauce for between 1 and 24 hours if you want to intensify the flavour.
For a vegetarian version you can poach eggs in the sauce instead of using prawns or cook the sauce separately and serve with lightly boiled and peeled eggs.
For a vegan version replace the prawns with tofu, tempeh or a mixture of vegetables such as mushrooms, aubergine, sweet potato and bean sprouts. Cook until the vegetables are tender. If using several different types of vegetables you may want to add them at different times to take account for different cooking times and prevent any getting over cooked.
Season with soy sauce and / or honey if you like it saltier or sweeter (but do not give honey to babies under 1).
You can increase the cornflour to 2 tsp if you prefer a thicker sauce. You can also remove the cooked solids from the sauce and bubble it vigorously, stirring for 1-4 minutes before serving to thicken it further.
Add 1-2 handfuls of sliced vegetables at the same time as the prawns to increase your vegetable intake and make the prawns go further, such as sliced sweet peppers, bean sprouts, sliced mushrooms, chopped aubergine, mange tout, sugar snap peas, carrot batons, sliced Asian greens, water chestnuts, bamboo shoots or courgette batons. Cook until the vegetables are just tender.
Serve with cooked noodles or rice to make it more substantial (rice is gluten free and vegan, and you can get gluten free and vegan noodles).

Baby bites…

This recipe is already low salt so no need to adapt for a baby (if you don’t add soy sauce). Most of the salt comes from the prawns so if you want to make it lower salt, soak the prawns in fresh water for about 30 minutes then drain before using.
Omit the peanuts when serving to young children and babies as they can be a choking hazard – you can serve topped with some extra peanut butter instead if you want.
Chop, mash or puree to suit your baby’s preferences and stage of weaning
For further guidance on feeding a baby see my baby bites page

No refined sugar chocolate fudge cupcakes

April 21, 2024Leave a comment

I love hearing the children tell other people about the things we have done for that insight into which things are really important to them. When my daughter has been telling people about our holiday this week two things have featured heavily: going to the waterpark, and the fact that our accommodation was right next to an ice cream shop. As you might guess, this meant that ice creams ended up being a regular treat throughout the holiday. This means that there has been a period of adjustment from the amount of sweet treats they got on holiday to the normal levels at home. I like them to be able to have and enjoy treats as part of their normal diet so have also tried to develop a range of healthier treats that they like, such as fruit based ice creams, jellies and bakes, so that they can have more of these kinds of treats. This is an exampe of this – chocolate cupcakes are sweetened with pureed dates rather than refined sugar. Date puree is still high in sugar but comes with more fibre and nutrients, and you can use less of it as it tastes sweeter per gram. The date puree also makes the cakes very moist and fudgy.

No refined sugar chocolate fudge cupcakes

Cooking time: 40 minutes
Dietary info: vegan
Serves: makes about 13-14 cup cakes, 1×8 inch square or 2×6 inch round cakes

Cakes

1½ cups all-purpose flour
⅓ cup dried dates
1 teaspoon baking soda
¼ teaspoon salt
⅓ cup cocoa powder
1 cup water
⅓ cup vegetable oil
1 tablespoon white vinegar
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Icing

½ cup freshly boiled water
60g plant butter
1 cup dried dates
pinch of salt, optional
2 tbsp cocoa powder
1 teaspoon vanilla extract, optional

To make the cake, soak the dates in just enough freshly boiled water to cover them until they are soft, then puree to a smooth paste with the soaking water.
Mix together all of the dry ingredients for the cake then add the wet ingredients one at a time, mixing to a smooth batter between each addition.
Line a cupcake tin with cupcake cakes.
Spoon the batter into the cupcake cases (about 1-2 tbsp batter per case, they should be ½ – ⅔ full).
Bake at 160 C fan for 15-20 minutes until the cakes are springy and a skewer inserted into the middle of the cake comes out clean.
Remove from the tin and allow the cakes to cool while you make the icing.
To make the icing soak the dates in the freshly boiled water until they are soft, then puree to a smooth paste with the soaking water.
Cream the plant butter to smooth then beat in the other icing ingredients.
Spread or pipe the icing on the cooled cup cakes and serve.

A few tips to prep ahead:

The cupcakes will keep in an airtight box for about 3-4 days at room temperature.
The icing can be made ahead of time and kept in a sealed container in the fridge for an additional 3-4 days before spreading it on the cakes.

Some tasty little twists…

Miss out the cocoa or replace with carob powder for a lower caffeine version.
Add pieces of dried fruit, such as chopped apricots or raisins, or fresh / frozen fruit such as raspberries to the batter or add a whole raspberry to the top of each cake before baking.
Bake the batter as a whole cake (8 inch square tin) and cut into squares to serve instead of baking as cup cakes or in 2×6 inch round tins and layer them together as a two tier round cake. The whole cakes might take a few minutes longer to bake than the cupcakes.
Put a scant tbsp of batter in each cupcake case, then add a scant tsp nut butter such as peanut or almond, in the middle of each cake and top with another scant tbsp of batter and bake for nutty chocolate cupcakes, or spread the cooled cupcakes with nut butter rather than icing for a variation.

Baby bites…

This recipe is already low salt so no need to adapt for a baby, but you can leave out the cocoa powder for babies under 1 or replace with carob powder to make it lower caffeine.
Dates are high in natural sugars so feed in limited amounts to young babies and children.
These are good baby led weaning treat foods as they are easy for babies to hold themselves and soft to eat.
For further guidance on feeding a baby see my baby bites page

Holiday seafood stew

April 14, 2024April 13, 2024Leave a comment

We are very lucky to be on holiday this week. I forget just how lovely holidays can be until we are actually on one. Having got a bit fed up with the cold, wet British winter we decided that, instead of going up to Scotland to see my mother in law, we would meet up with her somewhere sunny. We decided on the Canary Islands as it was the warmest place we could get to for a flight time that felt manageable with the kids. It has been wonderful to feel warm and soak up the sunshine for a week and the kids have had a brilliant time running around and splashing in the sea and swimming pool. We usually go for self catering accommodation when we go on holiday as we find it gives us more flexibility which we find relaxing. However, cooking in a new kitchen with limited equipment and ingredients is quite different to cooking at home. I enjoy the challenge but do find myself going for very simple food that is easy to make and generally popular with the family, such as this easy seafood stew. It barely seems like a recipe but I wanted to share it for those occasions where you want something homecooked with minimal ingredients and effort. It can also be easily adapted to suit different ingredients, equipment and tastes.

Holiday seafood stew

Cooking time: 20-30 minutes
Dietary info: pescatarian, dairy free, gluten free (vegetarian and vegan versions in the tasty twists)
Serves: 4-6 depending on what sides you serve it with

800-900g seafood (we used prawns and squid rings)
800g passata
Water
2 tbsp dried mixed herbs
6 tbsp white wine vinegar
1 tsp ground black pepper

Put the passata into a large saucepan, fill the container it was in half full again of water and add that to the passata.
Stir in the herbs, vinegar and pepper and bring to a gentle simmer.
After about 5 minutes add the seafood and continue to cook until the seafood is cooked through (opaque all the way through and tender) and the sauce has developed a rich umami flavour then remove the seafood with a slotted spoon and serve with your choice of sides (see the tasty twists) and the sauce to pour over everything.

A few tips to prep ahead:

The whole dish can be made and kept in the fridge for about 3 days, or frozen for a month.
On the night simply heat until hot all the way through (or defrost then heat) then serve.

Some tasty little twists…

Serve with pasta, crusty bread, gnocchi, mashed potato or rice to make this more substantial (potato and rice are gluten free options).
Serve with a crunchy salad, or a selection of vegetables (steamed, boiled or fried depending on what you like and what equipment you have handy) to increase your vegetable intake. I served this stew with slices of aubergine fried in olive oil with 1 clove grated garlic (or a pinch of garlic powder) and sprinkled with herbs
Replace the white wine vinegar with balsamic vinegar for a richer flavour.
Add drained, pitted olives along with the seafood to add extra flavour, and a bit of a salty, savoury flavour, or chopped anchovies or diced sundried tomatoes.
Replace the prawns with diced chicken or turkey, any mince, cut up burgers, diced sausages or meatballs for a meat version.
Replace some of the seafood with firm fish for variety.
For a vegetarian version you can replace the seafood with eggs. Break the eggs on top of the sauce and poach them for a few minutes until cooked.
For a vegan version replace the seafood with cooked pulses e.g. lentils, butterbeans, chickpeas, and a mixture of your favourite diced vegetables such as aubergine, courgette, cabbage, green beans, onion, sweet peppers, mushrooms etc.
Add other seasoning to the sauce such as chilli flakes, grated or crushed garlic, or diced onion
Keep the seafood and sauce together and serve as a chunky soup, topped with a handful of croutons (gluten free ones if you are making this gluten free) and a swirl of dairy or plant based cream.
If you separate out the sauce you will probably find you have more sauce than you need, which can then be used for other dishes over the next few days rather than having to cook new sauces from scratch e.g. as a sauce for pasta sprinkled with cheese, as a sauce spread on flatbreads or tortillas, topped with your favourite pizza toppings and grilled or baked as a quick homemade pizza, as a sauce for grilled meat, fish or vegetables etc.

Baby bites…

This recipe is already low salt so no need to adapt for a baby. If you want to make it lower salt soaked the seafood in water fo 15-30 minutes and drain before cooking and if doing the olives “tasty twist”, drain the olives if they are in brine and rinse them before adding them too.
Chop, mash or puree to suit your baby’s preferences and stage of weaning
For further guidance on feeding a baby see my baby bites page

Fennel orange pork meatballs

April 7, 2024May 12, 2024Leave a comment

I’ve written quite a lot about meatballs as they are a particular favourite with my family. I often buy ready-made meatballs from our local supermarket as they are really tasty and make a very quick and easy mid week dinner. However, I also like to make my own. When I do I like to try different seasonings that you wouldn’t normally find in shop bought ones. I think fennel is a lovely pairing for pork so I have used that here along with other aromatic spices and a sweet and tangy satsuma sauce. Orange goes well with watercress so I’ve also added a few handfuls of that to serve to add a freshness and peppery heat to the dish.

Fennel orange pork meatballs

Cooking time: 25-30 minutes
Dietary info: dairy free, gluten free, see the tasty twists for vegetarian and vegan versions
Serves: 3-4

500g Pork mince
1 tsp fennel seeds
½ tsp cumin
½ tsp ground coriander
¼ tsp cardamom
Pinch of salt, optional
a few handfuls of watercress to serve

Satsuma (orange) sauce

3 satsuma, peeled and chopped
250ml water
50ml white wine vinegar
1 tsp fennel seeds
½ tsp cumin
½ tsp ground coriander
¼ tsp cardamom

Sprinkle the fennel seeds, coriander, cumin, cardamon and salt over the pork mince then mix with your hands until well incorporated.
Form the mince into small balls about 1.5-2cm diameter.
Place the meatballs in a large ovenproof dish and cook over a medium heat on the stove until lightly browned on the outside then transfer to the oven to bake at 160C fan until cooked through (about 15 minutes). They are cooked when they are opaque all the way through and the juices run clear.
Put all of the ingredients for the sauce in a saucepan and bring to a simmer.
Cook until the satsuma has started to break down (about 8-10 minutes) then puree to a smooth sauce.
Serve the meatballs on a bed of watercress drizzled with the sauce.

A few tips to prep ahead:

Shape the meatballs and keep them in a sealed container (with sheets of Greaseproof paper between the layers if you are putting several layers in one box) in the fridge for up to 2 days.
Make the sauce and keep in a sealed container in the fridge for up to 3 days.
On the night, cook and serve the meatballs on the watercress. Either serve the sauce cold or heat through in a saucepan or the microwave.

Some tasty little twists…

Replace the pork with minced beef or chicken for other meat versions.
Replace the pork with a vegetarian or vegan plant based mince. You may need to use an egg or egg replacement and / or 1 tbsp plain flour (use cornflour to be gluten free) to bind it if it isn’t a mince that holds together on its own. You may also want to fry them in 1-2 tbsp olive oil if they don’t have much fat of their own.
Replace the satsumas with 1 large or 2 small oranges.
If you don’t like the texture of the fennel seeds, grind them before you add them.
Replace the spices in the meatballs and sauce with 2 tsp ras el hanout.
Serve with orzo, cous cous, quinoa or wrapped in a flatbread to make them more substantial (quinoa is a gluten free, and you can also get gluten free flatbreads and pasta).
Add 1-2 soaked and chopped dried apricots to the sauce to make it sweeter.
Cook the meatballs in the sauce for 3-4 minutes, adding more water if it starts to dry out) to infuse them with more of the flavours.
Replace the homemade meatballs with shop bought meatballs for a quicker dinner. If you want to add extra flavour sprinkle with the spices (grind the fennel seeds to spread them more evenly).
Serve on slices of orange as well.as the watercress for more freshness.

Baby bites…

This recipe is already low salt if you omit the pinch or salt so no need to adapt further for a baby.
Chop, mash or puree to suit your baby’s preferences and stage of weaning.
For further guidance on feeding a baby see my baby bites page.

Easter energy bites

March 31, 2024Leave a comment

Happy Easter! For many people, particularly children, chocolate has become an expected part of the Easter celebrations. Consequently, we have done multiple egg hunts with friends over the weekend. However, my daughter has quite a low tolerance for refined sugar and my son isn’t particularly keen on most chocolate. Having been desperate to try the chocolate bunny lollies being handed out at his swimming class he nibbled the ears before rejecting it for being “too chocolate-y”. Therefore I’ve tried making them a few different treats over the weekend that have an easter theme but are low in refined sugar and are not “too chocolate-y”. These energy balls are sweetened with dates and have a hint of chocolate through the cocoa powder. They were made Easter themed by shaping them in a mini easter egg silicone mould. They are also packed with healthy energy from oats and nuts and proved popular with my children so have proved a good snack and Easter treat as an alternative or addition to chocolate eggs and sweets.

Easter energy bites

Cooking time: 10 minutes to make, 30 minutes plus to chill
Dietary info: vegan, gluten free if you use gluten free oats
Serves: makes about 20-25 bites depending on how big you make them

½ cup porridge oats (about 45g) blitzed to a course flour consistency
½ cup whole pitted dried dates, about 110g
4 tbsp smooth peanut butter (I use one that doesn’t have any added sugar or salt)
1 tbsp cocoa powder
1 tsp vanilla extract

Soak the dates in freshly boiled water until they are soft then mash or puree to a thick paste with as much or as little of the soaking water as you need to achieve this.
Mix the date puree with all of the other ingredients to make a smooth dough.
Roll the dough into tsp sized balls or press into a mould and put in the fridge to firm up.
If the dough is too soft to take out of a mould neatly, pop it in the freezer for 10-20 minutes before unmoulding them.
Eat chilled or at room temperature.

A few tips to prep ahead:

These keep for about 5 days in the fridge.
They are a good snack for on the go, as long as you aren’t going to a nut free environment, so you can put a few in a small sealed container to take when you go out.

Some tasty little twists…

Use different nut butters such as almond or cashew rather than peanut.
Omit the cocoa or replace with carob powder if you prefer a caffeine free version.
Add a pinch of cinnamon, nutmeg, and / or ground mixed spice for a more aromatic flavour.
Roll in cocoa powder for a truffle-like experience, or drizzle with melted dark chocolate for a more sweet-like treat.
Replace the vanilla extract with almond essence or orange extract for a different flavour.
Try different shaped moulds, roll them into balls or press flat then cut into squares depending on what appearance you prefer.

Baby bites…

This recipe is low salt and has no refined sugar (as long as there isn’t either in the peanut butter), however dates are high in natural sugar so you might want to limit these as a treat for young children, and omit the cocoa powder for babies under 1 to minimise their caffeine intake
Chop, mash or puree to suit your baby’s preferences and stage of weaning
For further guidance on feeding a baby see my baby bites page

Cookie cheesecake slice

March 24, 2024Leave a comment

As you might have gathered by now, I really love an excuse to bake. One of my favourite excuses is a team meeting. I have a really lovely team but with remote working we don’t all get together in person that often, therefore when we have a meeting together I love to bring along some baking to share with them all. A lot of the team were coming together this week for our quarterly team meeting and I wanted to make something Easter themed given it was the last time I’d see a lot of them in person before Easter. I decided to make cookies decorated with mini eggs. However, we also had several of the children’s friends over for playdates and I decided to cook pizza for them all for lunch. With all of the baking and lunch preparation in the kitchen I was rapidly running out of any space to put things down. Therefore when I took the cookies out of the oven I left the tray to cool on top of the oven where I was cooking the pizza. The heat from the pizza meant that the cookies continued to cook and ended up very dry. I wasn’t happy with this as I think cookies are best when they are crispy on the outside and soft and gooey on the inside so I decided to remake them. However, I don’t like food waste so I racked my brain for a nice way to use a batch of rather dry cookies. I hit on cheesecake as the biscuit crumbs are mixed with butter which moistens them, and covered in cream cheese filling which also adds moisture. I read a few cheesecake recipes and came up with the following recipe of a crushed chocolate chip cookie base covered in chocolate cheesecake topping to make a very chocolatey cheesecake slice. I reduced the sugar in the cookies and cheesecake topping so that it wouldn’t be too sickly and to allow the sourness of the cream cheese to balance the sweetness of the chocolate and cookies. They are also a nice reminder that cooking going wrong can be a fun opportunity to create something new and different.

Cookie cheesecake slice

Cooking time: 10-15 minutes cooking plus 2-3 hours chilling for the slice, add 25-30 minutes cooking and 70-90 minutes cooling if you are making your own cookies (see the tasty twists)
Dietary info: vegetarian, see the tasty twists for dairy free and vegan options
Serves: makes 1x 8” square tin of slice (16-25 squares)

Base

450g chocolate chip cookies (see the tasty twists for the cookie recipe)
150g butter, melted

Cheesecake topping

200g cream cheese
1 tsp vanilla extract
100g double cream
100g dark or milk chocolate

Crush up the cookies to make fine crumbs (I do this in the blender) then mix with the butter and press into the tin.
Melt the chocolate, either in a bowl over simmering water or in 30s blasts in the microwave, stirring between blasts then allow to cool slightly.
Whip the cream cheese and vanilla until light and fluffy (I use electric beaters) then add the cream and continue to whip until it is a light and fluffy mousse like texture then gently fold in the chocolate until it is combined .
Spread the cheesecake mixture over the cookie base and chill until set (about 2-3 hours)
Remove from the tin and cut into squares (16-25 squares depending on how big you want them) with a sharp knife and serve.

A few tips to prep ahead:

If you are making your own cookies they can be made 1-3 days before you make the slice and stored in an airtight box at room temperature until you need them.
The slice can be made and stored in an airtight box in the fridge for about 5 days.
Serve chilled or at room temperature.

Some tasty little twists…

Swap the dark or milk chocolate in the cheesecake for white chocolate if you want a sweeter slice.
Swap the milk and white chocolate in the cookies below for any combination of milk, white or dark chocolate, or nuts to suit your preferences.
Make this dairy free by swapping the butter, cream cheese and cream for dairy free plant based versions of each, and replacing any milk or white chocolate with dairy free dark chocolate.
- Make this vegan by doing all the swaps for the vegetarian slice and using vegan cookies.
Replace the vanilla in the cheesecake with almond essence, orange extract or 1 tbsp lemon juice for different flavours.
For a multilayered cheesecake, make two or three batches of the topping, each batch with a different type of chocolate in it then layer them one on top of the other.
Make your own cookies using the recipe below. This will make slightly more cookies than you need so you can enjoy a few of them as cookies as well.

Chocolate chip cookies

115 g unsalted butter/baking spread
100 g light brown soft sugar
1 medium egg
1 tsp vanilla extract
275 g plain flour
1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 tbsp cornflour
100 g milk chocolate chips or chopped chocolate
100 g white chocolate chips or chopped chocolate

Beat together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy then mix in the egg and vanilla.
Add the flour, bicarbonate, cornflour and salt and mix again until incorporated into a smooth dough.
Stir in the chocolate and scoop generous tablespoons of the mixture onto a baking tray lined with greaseproof paper or a reusable baking sheet.
Bake at 170C fan for 12-14 minutes until golden brown but still a little gooey in the centre.
Measure out the cookies that you want to use for the cheesecake slice (as you will want them a little drier than cookies for eating straight away) and return them to the oven (you can eat any excess cookies just as cookies).
Turn the oven off and leave the cookies to dry out in the warm oven for about an hour as it cools.
Remove the cookies from the oven and allow them to cool completely then you can use them as your cheesecake base.

Baby bites…

This recipe is not aimed at babies or young children

Pork with sweet BBQ style sauce

March 17, 2024March 17, 2024Leave a comment

If you have read much of my blog you will know that it can prove tricky to get my children to eat much protein. They love meatballs and burgers (hence a lot of recipes using them on this blog) but often only have a mouthful of most other meat before turning to the carbs. Therefore it was a surprise when I made a dish of pork steaks with gnocchi and my daughter ignored the gnocchi, instead eating a very large amount of the pork. I think the secret is that the pork was cooked until melt-in-the-mouth soft and tender in a sweet and tangy spiced sauce so it has a lot of flavour but it is also very easy to eat. The sauce combination of tangy, sweet and spice was inspired by BBQ sauce but this version contains much less salt and sugar than most bought sauces. The tang comes from cider vinegar, the sweetness from carrots cooked until very soft and the spice is a mixture of spices such as cinnamon, cumin and coriander for fragrance with mustard and pepper for heat. My daughter loves spicy food so also often adds a sprinkling of chilli flakes at the table.

Pork with sweet BBQ style sauce

Cooking time: 40-60 minutes
Dietary info: dairy free, gluten free (vegetarian and vegan options in the tasty twists)
Serves: 4

400-600g pork shoulder steaks
300ml water
50ml cider vinegar
2 tsp garam masala
½ tsp cinnamon
½ tsp black pepper
1 tsp english mustard
250g carrots, peeled and sliced

Put the water, vinegar, garam masala, cinnamon, black pepper, mustard and carrots in a saucepan and bring to a simmer.
Cook until the carrot is soft (about 10-15 minutes) the puree to a smooth sauce.
Dry fry the steaks in a casserole dish until lightly browned on both sides (3-4 minutes per side) the pour the sauce over the steaks, cover the dish and bake in the oven at 160C fan for 30-40 minutes until the steaks are very tender.
Serve the steaks with the sauce and your choice of sides.

A few tips to prep ahead:

Make the sauce and keep in a sealed container in the fridge for up to 3 days.
On the night, brown the meat, add the sauce, cook and serve.
Alternatively, you can make the whole dish and keep in a sealed container in the fridge for up to 3 days.
On the night, reheat in a saucepan or the oven until hot all the way through (5-8 minutes) and serve.

Some tasty little twists…

Replace the pork with chicken thighs, a pork shoulder joint (cook for 1.5-2 hours) or beef stewing steak.
To make a vegetarian or vegan version replace the pork with slices of aubergine, large flat mushrooms, tempeh cut into thick steaks or vegan / vegetarian meat alternatives such as soy or Quorn based ones.
- For vegetarian / vegan alternatives you may need to fry them in 1-2 tbsp vegetable oil instead of dry frying them as they don’t contain much fat of their own.
Serve with corn on the cob, sweetcorn kernels, or a crunchy salad of grated carrot and shredded red cabbage dressed with vinaigrette for extra vegetables.
Serve with baked sweet potato, roast parsnips, rice, quinoa, (all gluten free) couscous or gnocchi to make this more substantial.
Sprinkle with chilli flakes to serve if you like a bit of extra heat.

Baby bites…

This recipe is already low salt so no need to adapt for a baby, but if you want to make it even lower in salt you can swap the mustard for mustard powder.
Chop, mash or puree to suit your baby’s preferences and stage of weaning .
For further guidance on feeding a baby see my baby bites page.