Green Pasta :)

We always try so hard to pack in those greens and I have discovered one way to make it very appealing. Pairing spinach and kale with bow-tie pasta (or any pasta of your choice)

As a general rule for feeding pasta, I always overcook it to make it super soft, easy to chew and saute the cooked pasta in a splash of butter,Parmesan and black pepper.

As for the pasta sauce, I decided to break away from the traditional marinara and try my luck with some "greens". It worked for now, I'm sure he will catch on and call me out someday! If he doesn't, his dad will. Lets enjoy this while it lasts, but hey - it was yummy so lets just go with the flow.

Green Pasta

Ingredients :

Cooked pasta
Half onion (finely chopped)
1 Tomato (finely chopped/tomato paste)
Spinach-Kale puree
1 clove garlic
Oregano, Basil, Salt to taste
Half a cube of cream cheese triangles ( the secret ingredient that makes everything so YUM )

Method :

Saute onions and garlic till fragrant. Add in the tomatoes and spinach puree. Bring to boil and season with herbs and salt. Turn of the gas and add the cream cheese cube and blend well.

Add cooked pasta and serve :)

Easy - peasy - super yummy!

Finger Food : Savory Semolina Pancakes

When you are tired of the snack or breakfast combos such as - yogurt+banana, berry smoothies or peanut butter and crackers, you can try this variation. Veer is not really a fan of the usual flour pancakes as they are dry without the syrup and the syrup is way TOO sweet for his liking (thank god for no sweet tooth, right?)

I tried these savory pancakes with a Greek yogurt dip that I picked up from TJ - Kale and Spinach Greek Yogurt Dip (Click Here )

Semolina Pancakes

Ingredients :
1/4th Cup Roasted Semolina(Rava)
2 tbs greek yogurt (plain)
1/4th Cup water ( adjust based on how thick you want the pancake)
Salt
Garlic Powder
Turmeric
Cumin
Shredded Cheese ( can also use grated veggies )
Butter

Method :

Combine all the above ingredients(except cheese/veggies) in a bowl and mix thoroughly. On a griddle add some butter (to grease) Use a small ladle to transfer the pancake batteron the griddle and spread evenly. Sprinkle cheese on one side and flip eventually.

The pancakes are usually crisp and a fun afternoon snack with a dip or with tea/coffee ( for you! )

Fall classic : Spiced Pumpkin and carrot soup

Oh dear god its Fall! No more care free summer, its that time of the year where we cant dress the babies up too warm but have to convince them to throw on a light jacket with socks and shoes! Yikes... SO HARD!

Its also that time of the year where there are pumpkins everywhere.. so in the spirit of using in season produce, here is a yummy spiced pumpkin soup that worked well with Veer. (and not to forget his constant sniffles) Can't wait to stop the (Nosefrida) nightmare on the poor soul. Liquid slightly spiced soups, definitely help calm those sniffles.

Pumpkin and carrot soup (served with quinoa and warm semolina bread)

Ingredients

1 small sweet pumpkin
Half a small carrot
Quarter boiled potato (optional)
1/4th cup unsweetened almond milk (or any other milk of your choice)
1 small shallot
1 clove garlic
1 pinch nutmeg
Oregano to taste
1 tsp organic maple syrup/honey (over 1 year)
Salt and Pepper to taste
Parmesan cheese (optional)

Method :

Steam/Oven roast the small pumpkin and steam the carrot and potato.
In a deep pan shallow fry the garlic and shallot, add in the oregano. Once fragrant, add in the boiled/roasted veggies, nutmeg, salt, pepper, maple syrup/honey and mix thoroughly. Finally add the almond milk and bring to boil. Blend the soup in a blender and garnish with Parmesan cheese (optional)

I served this soup with a side of quinoa and some fresh semolina bread that I picked up this morning from a local bakery.

Happy Fall!

Lunch : Beet soup with Buckwheat crackers

Maybe it is the color or the self lingering sweetish taste of Beet itself, Veer almost jumps out of his seat when he can see Beets for lunch. As the weather is changing on us, he has caught a mild cold and a runny nose. So I thought maybe some warm beet soup may help soothe him. He was quite a happy baby after his meal and even tried to grab the spoon and eat himself ( obviously splashing the bright red all over himself)

If you care about what your baby is wearing or if you are planning to feed your baby outdoors, please carry a bib or better still an extra pair of clothes :)

Roasted tomato and Beet soup

Ingredients :

2 small roma tomatoes coarsely chopped
1 clove garlic
1 small beet ( peeled and grated fine) ***
1 small onion
salt and pepper to taste
Oregano to taste
Vegetable broth/warm water
Olive oil

Method :
 Place the coarsely chopped tomatoes on a cookie sheet and drizzle olive oil, garlic and oregano on it. Roast the tomatoes till they are soft at 350F (about 15 minutes).
Personally I am a fan of toasted or sauteing vegetables instead of steaming them. Roasted helps retain the nutrients and enhances the taste of the veggies.

****You also have the option to steam the beets  instead of grated and sauteing them. If your baby likes texture, the grated beets add a nice feel to the soup. If your baby is a fan of velvety soups, then I would steam the beets.***

In a deep pan, saute the onions and grated beets. Add the vegetable broth and roasted tomatoes. Bring to boil. Finally add salt and pepper and blend the soup to get a thick/chunky consistency. You can add more broth/water based on the consistency your baby likes.

We had this soup with Buckwheat crackers and a little quinoa on the side for a complete meal.
For the buckwheat crackers we use, please click here : Buckwheat Crackers

Tomato ricotta pasta sauce

Veer loves pasta! It's the only form of food he knows enough to ask me for it. I think it is extremely endearing when your baby says pasta without the "s". :)
Oh well, so I found a system that works. Tangy tomato pasta sauce with a veggie and protien boost. Say hello to our baby friendly pasta sauce that can be made husband friendly by adding hot sauce or chili flakes and yay - you can whip a meal for the household!

Our secret pasta recipe from our home to yours 😄 enjoy!

Ingredients :

Whole wheat cooked pasta sautéed in butter
2 plum tomatoes
Half a green pepper
Half a small carrot
Half a zucchini
One small onion
One clove garlic
Herbs : oregano and basil
2 tsp olive oil
2 tbs ricotta cheese
Parmasean cheese to garnish

Method :

Dice the onion, carrots, zucchini and garlic and sauté the vegetables in olive oil. Add the herbs to this mixture.
In an oven roast the green pepper and tomatoes for 30 minutes (drizzle olive oil on the veggies and place them on a cookie sheet to roast)
Once roasted, blend tomatoes and green peppers and add to the sauted vegetable mix. Add in a little water to get adjust the consistency to your liking. Add the ricotta to this mixture and mix well.

Season with pepper, herbs and a pinch of sugar. ( I usually avoid salt as parmasean has a salty taste to it)

Add the cooked pasta to this sauce and season with parmasean cheese.

This is a hearty and heavy meal that we enjoy once a month 😄

Dinner : Roasted asparagus soup

Yes you read it right .. asparagus! Roasting vegetables helps retain the nutrients and also enhances the taste. So I tried my luck with roasted asparagus. I paired it with brown rice but next time around i think quinoa or barley would go better with the soup.

Ingredients :

Asparagus (chopped the spears )
Quarter boiled white potato
Leeks (white only)
Small onion
Maple syrup (half teaspoon)
Salt and lime to taste
Olive oil

Method :

Drizzle olive oil on the asparagus in a baking sheet and bake it at 400F for 15 minutes or till it is extremely tender.
In a pan, sauté the onions, leeks and potatoes. Add the asparagus once roasted and some vegetable stock or water. Bring to boil.
Blend the veggies and use a strainer to seperate the asparagus chunks from the soup. If you baby can appreciate the silky asparagus feel free to leave the strands in.

Transfer this strained soup to the deep pan or crock pot and season with maple syrup, salt and lime.

Serve with brown rice or quinoa.

A good addition to this soup is sweet corn kernels.

Enjoy and stay healthy! 

Finger Food : Almond Roti

Teething is NEVER fun! But what it makes you do is give foods that the little one's can chew one. One random invention was this "Almond Roti"
I am all for teething biscuits/crackers once in a while, especially when they are doing well on meals. How much can they possibly munch on if they have eaten a good breakfast/lunch.
I somehow noticed that my cracker monster started spitting out the teething biscuits for a few days in a row. Maybe his taste buds are developing and he could taste what I taste - an after taste! Most of the baby crackers/biscuits etc have this funky after taste which is so not fun.

Anyways, that promoted me to experiment in the kitchen for something chewy and packed with nutrients!  I tried a go at this Almond roti.

Ingredients :
Whole wheat flour
Almond Meal ( Blended whole almonds)
Almond Butter
Almond milk

Method :
Mix the whole wheat flour and almond meal together and knead with almond milk to form a play-dough like texture.

Use a rolling pin to make small flat round rotis and roast them on the griddle. Once done, spread almond butter on the rotis, and serve small easy pieces.

It was fun to watch him say " Mooo" (MORE) and he chewed on a few pieces for quite some time.