Baby chilli

With the nights drawing in, comfort food for chilli becomes all the more appealing. Chilli is a great dish for putting lots of hidden vegetables in, and the lack of spice in this dish is   made up for by the flavour! 

This dish can be a handy way to hide extra veggies in!

Ingredients

100g lean minced beef
1 white onion
1 small courgette
1 carrot
1 red pepper
1 clove garlic
1/2 tin kidney beans
400g chopped tomatoes
1/2 tsp cumin 
1/2 tsp ground coriander
1 small tbsp marmite (optional)
small pinch of chilli powder (optional)
olive oil 
1 salt-free beef stock cube

Methods

1. Finely chop all the vegetables and slice the garlic. 
2. Place the onions and garlic into a large saucepan to soften, but don't let brown. 
3. Add the rest of the vegetables to soften, then add the mince to brown. 
4. Crumble in the stock cube, then add the kidney beans, chopped tomatoes and spices. 
5. Allow to simmer for at least 30mins. 
6. Once all cooked serve with rice or with a jacket potato. 

Alternatives:

This can easily be made into a veggie chilli, just replace the minced beef with a mixture of lentils and cannellini beans and the beef stock with vegetable stock. 

See more of my dairy free recipes. 

Dairy Free Fish Pie

As promised, here is my recipe for dairy free fish pie. Feel free to adapt however you want, just make sure that you choose good quality fish for the pie. 

I quite like to cook, so I enjoy making these dishes when T is having his nap, but I understand that lots of people find cooking a chore! I try to maximise the number of dishes I can make at the same time, and freeze as much as I can to give myself more free time. 

I made this dish, potato and spinach cakes and butternut squash "chips" all at the same time, and it took under an hour to do. 

See some of the recipes already on this blog

Click on the pictures below to take you to some great dairy free recipes. 

Beef bolognese, Cottage Pie, Homemade hummus and Butternut squash with red lentils. 

Enjoy! 

The Simplest Sweet Potato Mash

When I'm running out of time, but need a quick addition to a meal, I turn to the stock of sweet potatoes I keep in the fridge. 

Sweet potatoes are a staple in our house 

Why bother to peel and boil them if you are making mashed sweet potato? Just take one small potato, prick several holes in the skin and place in the microwave. I find a small sweet potato can be cooked in as little as 2-3 minutes. 

Once cooked, cut in half (careful - it will be hot!) and scoop the flesh out into a bowl. I add a small dollop of dairy free spread and 30mls of my baby's regular milk-replacement formula and mix to a smooth consistency, (you could also used expressed milk or a non-dairy alternative such as Oatly milk). Let cool and serve!

Don't forget that this isn't only suitable for baby - you can make the same for yourself. Just replace the spread and milk with whatever versions you want. 

Dairy free finger foods

Baby led weaning is very popular at the moment. The philosophy centres around babies weaning at their own pace, and having food from the family's plate. Not such a bad idea, right? It means less cooking for you as you can just siphon things off of your plate and on to baby's. 

Not T - just a stock photo from pixabay.com! 

I don't always find this practical however. When we're out to eat, I can't always trust that our food will be made to the same strict dietary requirements that I do at home, so I tend to bring food for T with me wherever we go. 

Some babies aren't very keen on feeding themselves, whilst others scream at the sight of a spoon. I mix and match spoon-feeding and finger foods for T, as I find that this is the right balance for us. 

Fruit & Vegetable Shop

Things are looking amazing in my local fruit and vegetable shop right now. I think I need to start looking for some new recipe ideas...

Heritage tomatoes, round courgettes, globe artichokes and more...

Two dish batch cooking

Because of T's cow's milk allergy, I cook a lot of his meals from scratch so that I know exactly what is in them. 

To make things easier, I batch cook, but I also make more than one dish at once, especially if they have similar ingredients. 

Here, I'll show you a quick and easy way to make one-pot beef bolognese, and cottage pie with minimal fuss. 

"Creamy" Tomato Pasta Sauce

I use this pasta sauce as a base for so many other dishes. Why not try it for yourself?

Ingredients

1 tbsp organic rapeseed or olive oil. 

1 small courgette, grated. 

1 medium carrot, peeled and grated. 

1 small white onion, finely chopped. 

400g tin tomatoes, preferably organic

1/2 low salt vegetable stock cube (see here)

100mls water 

100ml milk equivalent: milk replacement formula, oat- or almond-based milk

Opt for fresh, seasonal veggies where possible. 

Optional substitutions or extras:
100g grated butternut squash
1 small finely diced red pepper
1 Garlic clove 

Method

1.  Place the onion in a heavy bottomed saucepan and fry in the oil until soft. 

2. Mix in the grated courgette and carrot and continue to fry on a medium heat. 

3. Once sweated down, mix in the tin of tomatoes, and stock cube and add the water

4. Cover and simmer for approximately 20-30mins. 

5. Once the sauce has reduced down, add in 6 scoops of milk replacement formula, or  enough plant-based milk to make the sauce the desired consistency. 

6. Allow to cool before serving

Blend as age appropriate for your baby. Older babies can have it as it is. 

Can be frozen. I divide it into ice cube trays to allow easy portioning. 

Serving ideas:

Defrost and mixed with pasta for a simple lunch

Mix in with cooked couscous for an easy lunch time dish. 

Use as the base for beef bolognese or tuna pasta stars

Also makes a great tomato base for older children to get hidden veggies into them! 

See more of my dairy free recipes.