Finger Foods (6 months+)

[VickyB20]

Tried a 'new' one today, which both my 2 year old and 8 month old boys devoured with much relish!!  And seriously easy to prepare too.  (I have heard various things about what age eggs are ok so you may like to check first or be careful if there are allergies in the family.)

Eggy Bread:- One egg, beaten.  Add a splash of baby's milk.  Cut a piece of bread into quarters (remove crusts if necessary).  Dip bread pieces into egg on both sides (using a fork is easiest) and put into a pan with a little unsalted butter.  Turn after a minute or so or until egg is cooked.  Cut bread pieces into manageable sized 'soldiers'.

I served it with a side of veg batons for variety and vitamins!

I just loved that I could prepare the same meal for the children of such different ages!

Vicky
xx

[lovedtodeath]

Wondering if anyone has a BLW recipe with pumpkin in it? If not, I will try to cobble something together this weekend and let ya'll know how it goes. I will probably do quick bread with applesauce and pumpkin added. Curious to see any others.

Here's a good one: Sweet potato pancakes:

Use any good pancake recipe that calls for aproximately one cup of flour, omitting salt and sugar, mash up a can of sweet potatoes with a fork and add to the batter. Fry in unsalted butter. My little guy loved them, and with the sweet potatoes they turn out softer than regular pancakes.

[VickyB20]

Here's one I regularly do that you could easily add pumpkin to...

Take last night's (!) left-over mashed potato (it's especially nice if mixed with sweet potato mash too) and cooked veggies.  Chop the veggies small and mix them all up together in a bowl.  Add some grated cheese too if you like.  Heat some oil and/or butter (I mix both - gives a good flavour) in a non-stick frying pan.  Mould the mash/veg mix into 'burgers' of any size and fry on either side until golden brown.  They keep in the fridge for a couple of days too - you can either microwave them or pop them in the oven for 10 minutes to warm them up.

My boys love this.  The version they had today was made with potatoes, sweet potatoes, carrots, courgettes, ruby chard, spinach and soya beans.  I actually break up the 'burgers' into smaller pieces for them to pick up because otherwise most of them ends up in the catchy bibs!  For dinner, they had these with veggie meatballs (from the Finger Foods book) and a serving of peas & sweetcorn.  These potato burgers are fab because other food on the tray tends to stick to them too!!

Vicky
xx

[nona]

when you use pumpkin, are you using canned pumpkin (eg the kind used for pumpkin pies)?

also, when do you make the finger foods (ie in advance or on the spot)?

i have a very impatient eater! 

[VickyB20]

Nona - Mine are really impatient too.  I tend to have a box of 'cheese & veg straws' (from the Finger Foods book again - I posted the recipe on this thread... I think!!) that they can be getting on with whilst I finish preparing their food or get it to a good temperature.  Potato cakes, fish cakes, risotto, etc., I tend to prepare in advance and then warm for mealtime.  Eggy bread or omelette I'll do 'on the spot'.  So it depends really; mostly on what else is going on during the day!!

Lovedtodeath - hope you're all feeling much better now.

Vicky
x

[lovedtodeath]

I make them in advance if it is something just for him and put it in the freezer. The pancakes work well warmed in the toaster. Other things like broccoli or carrot sticks I put in a ziplock bag in hot water. I don't like using the microwave. He will also eat things that I have prepared for the family dinner (cabbage, green beans, potatoes, egg noodles) I just dish his out first or run it under cold water so it is close to room temperature for him.

I use canned pumpkin. You can substitute it watered down 1:1 for milk in recipes.

My DD also liked to eat green beans, sweet potatoes and beets straight from the can so no prep work there.

[Lippy Chick]

Banana Muffins:

300g / 1 1/2 cup Wholemeal Self Raising Flour
115g / 1/2 cup Butter melted
75g / 1/3 cup Light Muscovado Sugar
4 large bananas.
2 large eggs.

Oven 375 F or 190 C (I did it on 170 C as we have a fan assisted oven)

Method:
1.  Mash bananas with potato masher until quite thin, (mine had a few lumps, not smooth)
2.  Add butter and melt.
3.  Add sugar and eggs and stir this mixture together.
4.  Add flour and stir to combine only, don't over beat.
5.  Put into muffin tins (I used cupcake size, rather than muffin size).
6.  Bake for 10-15 mins and take out when skewer comes out clean.
7.  Leave on wire rack to cool.  Eat warm.

This makes 24 cupcake size or 12 muffin size. 

I gave Alice one today and it was all she could manage.  The large muffin tins I think would be too big right now for her.

Someone asked about pumpkins, I think you could add it into this recipe instead of banana.

Enjoy!!

Pauline

[Lippy Chick]

Tuna Croquettes:

1 tin tuna
2 large potatoes
lime juice  5-6 splashes
half a slice of bread crumbs (I used wholemeal bread)
2 tablespoons butter

Oven temperature 220c (with a fan assisted oven I used 200c) 425f

Method:

1.  Peel, boil and mash potatoes
2.  Flake tuna and add to potatoes
3.  Add slashes of lime juice, mix well
4.  Mix in butter.
5.  Grate the bread into breadcrumbs
6.  Roll into thumb sized shapes and roll in the breadcrumbs  (makes about 30-40)
7.  Put in oven proof dish and cook in oven for about 20 mins until browned and cooked through.

Either eat straight away or freeze.  I did try to fry them in oil and they just melted.  Did about ten like that, then did the rest in the oven and they came out really crisp and stayed together nicely.  They freeze well and then I just leave them out of freezer until defrosted, then cook in the oven for about 15 mins on 180c (160C fan assisted) or 350f.  They have gone down a storm and I need to make more.

Pauline

[Freya'sMum]

Basic Cheese Sauce

My girls don't like sauces on their food, but they do like to 'dip' - basic cheese sauce is a firm favourite in this house:

1oz (gluten free) plain flour
1oz butter
300-450ml whole milk (depending on how runny you want your sauce)
grated cheese to taste
1 tsp dijon mustard
ground black pepper to season

Apologies for mixing the metric/imperial measurements! Just pop the flour, butter and milk into a saucepan, heat and whisk until bubbling, reduce heat and simmer for a few minutes, add cheese, mustard and pepper and whisk until cheese melted, and serve!

Yum!

Ax

[Lippy Chick]

Pancake recipe:

100g plain flour
pinch of salt
1 egg
120 ml milk
120 ml water

1.  Put flour and salt in a bowl.
2.  Make well in the flour and crack egg into middle.
3.  Add half of the milk and start to whisk from the centre out and add the milk until it is all mixed without lumps.
4.  You can set aside for 30 mins, but James Martin reckons you don't need to.
5.  Use a small amount of oil in pan and put a small amount of mixture into the hot pan, enough just to cover the bottom.
6.  Heat until it bubbles then turn over and heat again.

[fifibobandmore]

My DS#2 loved my eggy pockets.

Vegetarian
Good source of protein, calcuim and iron
Good for the whole family

1 Wholemeal pitta bread
1 egg scrambled with milk
2 cherry tomatoes cut in half
4 sticks of cucumber

Stuff the pitta bread with scrambled egg and lay tomatoe halfs and cucumber sticks on the side. My ds#2 loves digging the egg out of the pitta bread with his fingers and he just puts it straight in his mouth. It is also really quick to make and idea for a light snack

[Freya'sMum]

For los who prefer something with a bit of flavour... contains whole egg!

Thai Salmon Fishcakes

whizz up in a food processor

25g fresh coriander
3 tbs sesame seeds
zest of 1 lime
1 large clove garlic
1 tsp fresh ginger
up to 1 fresh red chilli (depends on how spicy your lo prefers)
4 spring onions

in a bowl beat 1 egg and a tbs fish sauce, mix in herb mix (above) and then mix in 2x tins skinless/boneless pink or red salmon (I use Sainsburys skinless/boneless wild Canadian pink salmon @ 79p for a large tin) - be sure to drain the salmon really well before adding otherwise the fishcakes will be too wet!

shape into fishcakes (approx 6 medium, or as many little ones as you can make), coat in flour if you like (optional) and then shallow fry in a dribble of sesame oil

Delicious hot or cold for all the family!

Ax

[lisi's mum]

steamed fennel is a big hit here as one of dd's very first foods - the ribs keep some texture to the leaves and she sucks the pulp off. To make it more interesting for the rest of us:

Fennel Baked With Parmesan Cheese

Preparation Time: 5 minutes Cooking Time: 15 minutes
Serves: 4

Ingredients
6 fennel heads, trimmed, quatered
butter
pepper
3 tbsp grated parmesan

Instructions

1. Cook the fennel in salted water until it is tender. It is important to get this right: the fennel should not still be crisp, on the other hand it should not be floppy either.

2. Drain in well and arrange in a generously buttered gratin dish. Be generous too, with the pepper mill. Sprinkle on the cheese.

3. Put into the oven at 200C, gas mark 6, until the cheese is golden brown and the fennel is bubbling vigorously in buttery juices.

Recipe from Jane Grigson's Vegetable book.

Jane writes of the recipe;
"My favourite fennel dish, the best one of all by far. The simple additions of butter and parmesan - no other cheese will do - show off the fennel flavour perfectly. The point to watch, when the dish is in the oven, is the browning of the cheese. Do not let it go beyond a rich golden brown".

It's delicious!

[lisi's mum]

You may have seen these on the menu if you've been skiing in Austria or the Dolomites, a staple in this area and seriously delicious!

Spinach dumplings - Spinat Knoedl - Canederli di Spinaci. Serves 4

60g onion
1 fat clove garlic
200g cooked spinach (I use frozen, thawed in the microwave) If you want to use fresh, you'll need about 400g, cook it then squeeze out as much water as poss before chopping.
2 eggs (you could use just 3 egg yolks if you're not doing egg whites yet)
50ml milk (water if you're nervous about milk)
30g cubes of cheese or ricotta (optional)
1tbs flour
150g day old white bread cut into 1cm cubes (crusts can be left on)
nutmeg
salt and pepper

fry finely chopped onion and garlic in butter.
Chop the spinach, add to onion mixture, season with S&P and nutmeg
Puree the spinach mixture together with the eggs
In a large bowl mix spinach mixture, milk, cheese & flour, then add the cubes of bread and mix thoroughly
let it sit for a good 15 minutes

take a handful of the mixture and form into a ball with wet hands
traditionally this is boiled in salted water, but I find it goes too slimy, instead I steam them for 20 to 25 minutes

for adults: serve with lots of melted butter and parmesan cheese over the top. Some like them with a gorgonzola cream sauce, but that's too much for me.

the link is an image, so you know what you're aiming for.
http://international.stockfood.com/results.asp?inline=true&image=263370&wwwflag=3&imagepos=15

I make a double amount and freeze before steaming. They can be steamed straight from frozen in the same amount of time.

Lisi won't touch spinach any other way, but devours these. Me too 

[babymunkey]

LENTIL CROQUETTES
175g green or brown lentils, pre-cooked or tinned
1 egg yolk
2 tbsp butter, softened
1 garlic clove, crushed
2 tbsp chopped parsley or 1 tsp ground cumin
Pinch of salt and pepper for seasoning
Flour, for dusting
1 egg, beaten
2 slices worth of wholemeal breadcrumbs
2 tbsp groundnut oil or similar for frying

Drain the lentils and leave to cool if home cooked.
Add the egg yolk, butter, garlic and parsley or cumin to the lentils, mix and add the seasoning
Shape into small sausages, squeezing quite firmly in the palm of your hand – ideally leave to rest in the fridge for 30 minutes
Dip the croquettes into the flour, then into the egg and then the breadcrumbs
Fry the croquettes in the oil, then drain on kitchen paper, cool and serve

VEGGIE MEATBALLS
1 tbsp oliveoil
1 sm red onion, finely chopped,
1 garlic clove, finely chopped
200g vegetarian mince (soya or quorn)
1 tsp dried mixed herbs
1 tbsp tomato puree
1 tbsp passata or tinned chopped tomatoes
11/2 slices bread, made into breadcrumbs
1 egg beaten
Pepper to season

Pre-heat the oven to 200c/400F/Gas Mark6
Heat the oil and fry the onion and garlic for 3-4 minutes until soft
Add the mice, together with the herbs, tomato puree and passata and cook for a further 5 minutes. Stir in the breadcrumbs, then remove from the heat
Cool to room temperature before mixing in the egg
Using your hands, mould the mixture tightly into walnut-sized balls
Place on a greased baking tray and bake for 20 minutes until browned

1 tip on the lentils recipe is to make sure the lentils are REALLY dry.......we ended up with a bit of a mushy mixture which was quite fun to try and dip in the eggs etc

I'm endlessly hunting for stuff like this now as we are having selective spoon refusal - i.e. if it hasn't got yogurt, fromage frais, custard or jelly on it he don't want it.......here's how eager he is for his yogs though!! Could he GET his mouth open any wider!!!