Tomato, Carrot and Kale Spaghetti

So this recipe was created by my friend Meg for her little boy Calvin, and I asked her if I could feature it on LTY.  I made this recipe last month and I think that it is going to be my new go-to spaghetti sauce.  I doubled the recipe and froze the sauce and its so nice to have on hand in a pinch.  Please ignore Little Frances’ reaction – she may be the only child in history to not like marinara sauce! This recipe is delish.
Ingredients:

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1/2 of a large onion chopped, about 1/2 cup
• 2 cloves of garlic, or a teaspoon of jarred garlic
• a handful of baby carrots chopped, about 1/2-2/3 cup
• 2 16 ounces cans of whole tomatoes, no salt added.
• 1/2 teaspoon basil
• 1/2 teaspoon oregano
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 2 shakes of red pepper flakes or 1/8 teaspoon – omitted
• 2 handfuls of chopped kale, approximately 1 cup
• Spaghetti or other type of pasta – we used spinach spaghetti to add just a little extra green to our meal!

Steps:

1. Heat oil in a saucepan.
2. Add onion, garlic and carrots and cook for 5-7 minutes.  Stir occassionally.
3. Start water boiling for pasta.
4. Drain juice off the tomatoes and add the tomatoes to the pan.
5. Add basil, oregano, salt, red pepper flakes if using, and kale.
6. When water boils, begin cooking pasta.
7. Bring sauce to a boil, crushing the tomatoes.
8. Reduce to simmer and cover and cook on low.  A minute or so before the pasta is done, blend the sauce using an immersion blender, or place it in a blender or food processor
9. Serve the sauce over the pasta and sprinkle with parmesan cheese.

Misc: Don’t you think Little Frances’ spaghetti looks a little bit like a heart? Serve it with salad or a side of steamed broccoli and you have a nice family meal.
Timing: The ingredients can technically be introduced at 1 year, although with noodles I would suggest waiting until 18 months or you feel like your little one can handle chewing the noodles.
Difficulty: 3 out of 5. It was pretty easy, but it did have a lot of steps and you can’t just throw everything in at once and let it cook.
Epicutie Rating (see left side of page for rating descriptions):
Confused. So Little Frances does not like spaghetti!  Until fairly recently she did not even like noodles, although now she loves them.  Usually even if she does not love something, she will eat it if I give it to her by hand and/or add a little cheese, but this she was not willing to eat this after a bit or two.  We are going to keep working on spaghetti sauce until she likes it!

Little Joy and Little Asher:  YUMMY IN THE TUMMY

Although Little Elizabeth is not yet old enough for solids, it seems she wanted a little taste of what we were eating and she reached down and helped herself to some of my salad!   More on her first foods in the next few weeks.

Veggie Frittatas

 Easy, delicious and good for you!!!!

Ingredients:

• Cooking spray or preferably silicone cupcakes liners
• 4 eggs
• 3-4 tablespoons milk (eye ball it)
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/3 cup your favorite cheese, shredded or cheese blend (I have done part skim mozzarella  cheddar, cheddar/Parmesan combo, colby, etc)
• 4 whole sun dried tomatoes, packed in oil and chopped
• 1/3 cup green pepper, chopped

Steps:

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees
2. Spray muffin tin with spray or line with silicon liners
3. In a bowl whisk together eggs, milk and salt.
4. Optional:  Place bell peppers in a small bowl with water, cover and microwave for one minute to soften the peppers.  My Little Asher does not prefer the pepper crunch and I do not min accommodating.
5. Add peppers, tomatoes and cheese to egg mixture--stir to combine.
6. Distribute mixture evenly among 12 muffin cups.
7. Bake at 375 for 14 minutes.

ALLERGY ALERT:  EGGS

Timing:  One year due to eggs.

Storage:  In the fridge for 2 days.  Microwave well to reheat.

Difficulty: 1 out of 5; Honestly the hardest part is chopping and the chopping is minimal here.  This is fast breakfast or even a breakfast for dinner option! 

Nutrition:  (using part skim mozzarella, per frittata) 36 calories; 3 g protein; 2 g fat

Tip:  The silicone liners are a HUGE time savor.  They make clean up fast and serving them even easier.  If you do not have any, its a great kitchen "gadget" for not much money.

Epicutie Rating (see left side of page for rating descriptions):

• Little Joy:  Yummy in the Tummy;  She liked these even better the second time I made them--she ate three along with a pancake!
• Little Asher:  Yummy in the Tummy;  The first time we served this we only had the  frittatas and fruit and he ate like four of them.  The second time we served them we had pancakes with it since it was breakfast with dinner and he put up a fight because he wanted pancakes.  He is the strong willed one. He still loved it though, just wanted to let us know he wanted pancakes MORE--who doesnt?

Mixture

Before baking

Done!

Done!

YUMM!

WHAT IS THIS??

Lovely Lentil Stew

This is another great one from Dr Joel Fuhrman.  Its probably the easiest family food I’ve made, and can be eaten at as young as 8 months (as long as you leave out the pepper)!

Items:

• 1 cup lentils
• 3 cups water
• 1/2 medium onion, finely chopped
• 1 teaspoon black pepper
• 1 teaspoon basil
• 3 tomatoes, chopped
• 1 stalk celery, finely chopped

Steps:

1. Cook lentils in water for 30 minutes with onion, pepper, and basil.
2. Add tomatoes and celery and cook for an additional 15 minutes.

Difficulty: 1 out of 5!  Its so easy and only takes one pot, my kind of dish!

Timing: 8 months.  I would leave out the pepper and add it later if serving to children under 1 and using it as a family good.

Epicutie Rating: (See left side of the page for descriptions) Somewhat Yummy.  Little Frances ate this like a champ, but I wouldn’t say that she loved it.  For the record, mom and dad liked it pretty well for such a healthy food with no salt added!

Bean Nachos with Enchilada Variation

This yummy little recipe was taken from Eat to Live by Joel Fuhrman and modified to my tastes and kitchen ingredients. It also happens to be gluten-free, dairy-free if you are interested in that! This recipe seems like it would be great for working moms as it makes up in such a short amount of time.

Ingredients:

• 2 medium bell peppers, any color
• 1 small white onion
• 1 14 ounce can diced tomatoes
• 2 cans black, kidney or pinto beans
• 1/2 cup frozen corn, thawed or fresh corn off the cobb
• 1 tablespoon dried or fresh cilantro
• 1 1/2 tablespoon chili powder
• 1 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
• cayenne pepper to taste (optional)
• 8 corn tortillas OR a bag of corn chips

Steps:

1. In a food processor or chopper, dice bell peppers and onion
2. Combine all ingredients on low heat until warmed through (approximately 10 minutes)
3. For nacho variation: Sprinkle bean mixture over nacho chips and serve.
4. For enchilada variation: Spoon bean mixture into corn tortillas, wrap and put in the oven and bake for 15 minutes at 375 degrees. Remove and serve.

Yield: Approximately 4 servings.

Miscellaneous:

• The original recipe called for the veggies to be more thoroughly cooked, but these particular veggies are so delicious and fresh tasting raw, especially with the cilantro, that I recommend just letting the recipe heat up enough to be warm.
• The original recipe also called for more corn, I do not like corn so I reduced the amount of corn.  I also used canned corn instead of frozen or fresh.
• I pureed one can of beans before adding it as Little Frances has been so picky about eating beans lately!
• Although Little Frances and I had this completely dairy free with some avocado on the side (I also added some jalapenos to mine), her dad added shredded cheese to the top.  I find that the flavors are delicious enough without the cheese.

Storage: Store bean mixture or enchiladas in the fridge for up to one week, reheat before use.

Timing: If you wanted to puree the bean mixture after cooking, this can be introduced as early as one year, however in its normal form, I recommend waiting until your child is a toddler as some of the chopped veggies and chips require molars to grind.  As with many foods, it is not ingredients, so much as how finely you chop them that determines how easily your little one can eat them.

Difficulty: I am giving this a 1 out of 5, although since it does involve using your stove I probably should give it a low 2.  It’s so easy – just chop, mix, warm, serve!

Epicutie Rating: Somewhat yummy! (See left side of the page for descriptions)

This gets a solid Yummy in the Tummy in enchilada form from Little Frances, however in nacho form she realized that she could hold the chip a certain way and all of the bean mixture would just slide right off so that she could get to what she really wanted – the chips!

Daddy, with his mountain of cheese!

Little Frances, so excited because she managed to get her hands on some of it!

Here is Little Frances eating this at a previous time in enchilada form (with white tortillas).

Spinach and Brussels Sprouts Marinara

This is a MIRACLE RECIPE! As I mentioned, I have been reading “Eat to Live” by Joel Fuhrman, and I am trying to make major changes in our diet, one of which is to make sure that we greatly increase our green vegetable intake.

I originally made this recipe with no intention of putting it on LTY because I didn’t think that Little Frances would touch it!  If any of you have read the book, you know that I took a few liberties with his recommendations (namely I added salt and a little bit of parmesan cheese), but between that and the recipe, we managed to get Little Frances to GOBBLE, and I mean GOBBLE down Brussels sprouts! Amazing.

Not only that, this recipe is so easy, I cannot say enough good things about it. Try it, try it, try it!

Ingredients:

• 1 pound Brussels sprouts
• 14 ounces baby spinach
• 1/4 cup water
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 small onions, chopped
• 1 (14.5 ounce) can no or low salt chopped tomatoes
• 1 tablespoon Dr Fuhrman’s VegiZest or other no-salt seasoning

Steps:

1. Steam the Brussels sprouts and spinach for 8 minutes, or until the Brussels sprouts are almost tender.
2. Meanwhile, heat the water in a large pot and water sauté the garlic and onion until the onion is tender, about 5 minutes.
3. Add the Brussels sprouts and spinach, chopped tomatoes, and VegiZest.
4. Simmer for 10 minutes.

Yield: 4 servings

Miscellaneous:

• Since I do not have VegiZest or another no-salt seasoning (I have ordered some for future use), I just used a little bit of salt, some pepper, onion powder, and a dash of cayenne pepper.
• I only had frozen spinach and Brussels sprouts, and it turned out fine.  I used much less than 14 ounces since frozen spinach is more concentrated than baby spinach.
• Although the recipe doesn’t call for it, and is also not recommended, I did sprinkle a little bit of parmesan on this for added flavor.

Timing: If you used a no salt seasoning, this can be introduced as early as 9 months, as long as it is will mashed or pureed before serving.

Difficulty Rating: 2 out of 5!!! It dirties two pots, that’s the only reason it gets a 2.  Its really so simple and fast.  It’s the perfect side dish.

Epicute Rating: Yummy in the Tummy! <----- See left side of the page for descriptions.

I believe the word I am looking for is shovel!  Look at Little Frances go!

Vegetarian Chili

Recently I have been reading a book called, “Eat to Live” by Joel Fuhrman, and it has been making me seriously rethink how I view nutrition… well long story short, it made me pull out a cookbook called “My Father’s Daughter” that I bought last year and then subsequently forgot about because it just didn’t suit my cooking style and the recipes called for all kinds of weird ingredients that I can’t find in Russia.  Anyway, I reread and sifted through the recipes and I came up with a few that I have been testing at home that I plan to share on this blog. 

Side note: I am so excited to finally be adding a recipe that calls for lentils!  Its about time I helped out Kelly with this particular category of foods.

Ingredients:

• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 1/2 large onion, peeled and finely diced
• 1 large carrot, peeled and cut into 1/4 inch dice
• 1/2 large, red bell pepper, seeds and ribs removed, cut into 1/4 inch dice
• 2 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
• 3/4 teaspoon mild chili powder
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/4 teaspoon, freshly ground black pepper
• 1 teaspoon chipotle in adobo
• 1 28-ounce can whole peeled tomatoes with their juices
• 1/2 dark lentils
• 1 14-ounce can black beans, rinsed and drained
• 1 14-ounce can kidney beans, rinsed and drained
• Big pinch coarse salt
• 3 tablespoons tomato paste

Steps:

1. Heat the olive oil in a medium soup pot over medium heat.
2. Add the onion, carrot, bell pepper, garlic, chili power, cumin and black pepper.  Cook, stirring for 15 minutes, or until the vegetables are softened.
3. Add the chipotle, stir and combine.
4. Turn the heat up to high, add the tomatoes and their juice, crushing them a bit with your wooden spoon, and bring to a boil.
5. Reduce heat to low and simmer for 40 minutes.
6. Add the lentils and the beans.
7. Fill one 14-ounce can with water and add it to the pot, along with the salt.
8. Bring to a boil, lower the heat, and simmer for 40 minutes.
9. Stir in the tomato paste and cook for 20 mire minutes, or until the lentils are soft and the flavors melted.

**My mom called right before Isla started eating so I didn’t get any pictures of her eating or the final product. Mea culpa.

Yield: The book says 4, but I would say that in my family we could stretch it to at least 6.  I’d call this a generous 4.

Miscellaneous:

1. I just rinsed the beans and lentils together since I didn’t want to get more than one colander dirty.  It worked fine.
2. I used kidney and white beans since I cannot buy black beans.
3. Also, I left out the chipotle in adobo! I don’t have it and I am not a fan of the flavor.  I still enjoyed the taste.
4. I also left my apartment for over two hours and left it simmering, instead of the 40 minutes the recipes requires, before adding the tomato paste.  Again, it was fine.

Difficulty Rating:  3 or 4. This one is a tough one for me.  I am giving it a 3 because it only dirtied one pot and one colander.  Normally it would have been a 4 because you had to come back 3 times to add things in, and it takes about 2 hours.

Epicutie Rating: Somewhat Yummy! <----See left side of the page for descriptions.

Sources say that Little Frances really enjoyed this, but she had had a long, tough day, so she didn’t gobble it down.  Considering her usual touchy evening taste buds, I think she must have liked it!

Turkey and White Bean Chili

This is one that I found in The South Beach Diet Quick and Easy Cookbook.  While I am definitely not putting Little Frances on the South Beach Diet, this recipe looked like one that she might enjoy.

Ingredients:

• 1 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 medium onion, coarsely chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 lb turkey cutlets, cut into 1/2 inch pieces
• 1 tbsp chili powder
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• 1 (15 oz) cannellini beans. rinsed and drained
• 1 (14.5 oz) can Mexican diced tomatoes
• 1 cup lower-sodium chicken broth
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Steps:

1. Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat.
2. Add onion and cook, stirring occasionally until softened, about 5 minutes.
3. Add garlic and cook 1 minute more.
4. Add turkey, chili powder, and cumin; cook, stirring often, until turkey is no long pink inside, about 5 minutes.
5. Add beans, tomatoes with juice, and broth; bring to a boil.
6. Reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer until flavors blend, about 15 minutes.
7. Season with salt and pepper to taste and serve.

Timing: This can be served as early as 9 months, however in certain cases I would wait until as late as 12 months depending the broth you used or your babies teeth and comfort in chewing meat.

Difficulty: I would give this 1 out of 5 – especially since I cheated and used already made rotisserie chicken that I bought from the grocery store!

Miscellaneous:

• If you don’t have white beans on hand, almost any bean will work with this versatile dish.
• Consider topping with a sprinkle of cheese, onions, or even avocado.

Epicutie Rating: Somewhat yummy! --- See left side of the page for descriptions.

Little Frances gobbled up the first few bites, but even after that she was still receptive to my encouraging her to eat it!

Lisa’s Pizza (Dough)

Most pizzas are all about the toppings!  This recipe, however is all about the dough.  This is a fun, unusual recipe that you will love.  I don’t know where it came from other than my mama.  She used to make it for me when I was a kid, and yesterday I pulled it out again… I don’t know how I forgot about it for so long because I think this will become a new old favorite!

Ingredients:

• 3 cups of flour                        
• 1 tsp sugar
• 1/2 tsp salt                          
• 1 1/2 tsp active dry yeast
• 1 1/2 tsp dried basil                 
• 1 cup tomato juice (warm)
• 3/4 tsp cayenne pepper                
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• Tomato/marinara/pizza sauce of choice
• Cheese of choice, I use mozzarella
• Toppings of choice

Steps:

1. Stir sugar and yeast into warmed tomato juice and place in warm, draft free place for
   5 minutes.
2. Combine flour, salt, basil and pepper in a bowl. 
3. Combine olive oil with tomato juice mixture and stir into flour mixture.
4. Turn out onto lightly floured board and knead until smooth and elastic (5-10 minutes).
5. Cover with towel and let rise in a warm place to double its size (about 1
   hour).
6. Punch down and pat into a greased 12 inch deep dish pizza pan.
7. Let rise for about 30 more minutes covered with a towel in a warm place. 
8. Preheat oven to 475 F.
9. Brush pizza lightly with olive oil.
10. Top as desired.
11. Place pizza on bottom rack of oven and bake for 5 minutes.
12. Lower the temp of your over to 400 F and bake for 25-30 minutes or until crust is golden.

Timing: Because of the cayenne pepper crust, I would wait until 1 year to introduce.

Difficulty: 3 out of 5, its not that hard, but I am always nervous about how much the dough “rises”.

Miscellaneous:

• You can also make this with whole wheat flour without sacrificing flavor, but you must make it with a little less flour.  I recommend first making it with white flour so that you have an idea of the dough’s consistency.
• It is very important that you put the dough in a WARM place.  I put mine on the radiator.
• I make this on a baking stone, not a deep dish pizza pan, and it works fine.
• I also find that it does not need to cook quite as long as the instructions say, but I know that each oven is different.

Epicutie Rating: Yummy in the Tummy! ----See right side of the page for descriptions

She gobbled it right up that day and the next! Hooray.

Also, don’t forget about our fundraiser for Kai!  For a donation of ANY AMOUNT (even $1), you can be entered to win a 13 cup Kitchen Aid Processor!  For details, click here:

• http://littletummyyummies.blogspot.com/2011/11/help-kai-and-win-13-cup-kitchen-aid.html

Ground Chicken Mini-Pizza Burgers

I cannot remember how I came across this recipe (with modifications), but it met all my criteria for a good meal – healthy, not too many ingredients, and easy for little ones to self feed with, so I thought I would give it a try!  And as a BONUS, it’s a combo of two of Little Frances’ favorite foods – pizza and hamburger.

Ingredients:

• 1 pound ground chicken (although any ground meat will work)
• 1/2 cup Italian bread crumbs
• 1 cup mozzarella cheese
• 1 cup of marinara or pizza sauce of your choice (divided into two 1/2 cup portions)
• 1 tablespoon Italian Seasoning
• 3 dashes black pepper
• 2 dashes garlic salt OR 1 teaspoon garlic powder (I used garlic salt)

Steps:

1. Pour 1/2 cup pizza sauce in bowl and combine with bread crumbs, cheese, pepper, garlic salt or powder and Italian seasoning.
2. Add ground chicken and mash together for 2-4 minutes to insure that all ingredients are thoroughly mixed.
3. Spoon mixture into a 12 serving muffin tin.
4. Make an indentation into each pizza-burger with the back of a spoon..
5. Use the remaining pizza sauce to evenly fill the dents in the pizza-burgers.
6. Bake for 35 to 40 minutes at 350 degrees; cheese and sauce will be bubbly.
7. Remove pizza-burgers from the muffin pan and set on a paper towel to let any fat drip off.

Yield: 12 pizza-burgers

Timing: This one is tricky.  According to some baby food makers, all of the ingredients can be introduced as early as 9 months, however with all of the spices, I would not have given it to little Frances until she was 12 months so I will mark it as both below and you should use your best judgment.

Difficulty: 2 out of 5, easy peasy, especially if using premade marinara sauce.

Miscellaneous:

• I made my own bread crumbs by putting brown bread into a chopper.  I have to do this with any recipe that calls for bread crumbs since you cannot buy them where I live.  Usually I season them with Italian Seasoning, but as this recipe already had a tablespoon of Italian Seasoning. I didn’t do it.
• In addition, I thought that the recipe as is, called for too much Italian Seasoning so I only used half a tablespoon.  I find a little bit of it goes a very long way.
• The next time I make this recipe, I am going to add 1/2 cup butternut squash to the mixture along with 1/4 cup milled flaxseed.  I bet it would be just as good and be even healthier!
• I also have not found a bottled marinara or pizza sauce that I like where I live so I always just make my own.  Its so easy!  Just put a 26 oz jar whole, peeled tomatoes in a blender with 1/2 cup water, 1/2 cup carrot puree (optional), 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder, a pinch of cayenne powder and blend.  Then add 1 bay leaf and simmer on medium heat for 20 minutes.  Its super easy. For this recipe I just skipped the bay leaf and didn’t cook it because I knew that it would cook for a while in the oven.

Epicutie Rating: Somewhat Yummy --- See right side of the page for description

I think Little Frances would like this better if served first thing.  She is usually not as receptive to new foods when she has a tummy full of foods she already likes, although the first couple of bites she seemed to like it.

Also, don’t forget about our fundraiser for Kai!  For a donation of ANY AMOUNT (even $1), you can be entered to win a 13 cup Kitchen Aid Processor!  For details, click here:

• http://littletummyyummies.blogspot.com/2011/11/help-kai-and-win-13-cup-kitchen-aid.html

Easy, Healthy, Delicious Chili

Chili is such a great meal because it can usually be made quick, healthy, be eaten by the entire family, and covers all the food groups, which saves from needing to make multiple side dishes.  I also love Chili because everyone has their own special recipe that they love and they will compare notes with me! 

Before I found this recipe, I had my own that I could make in 10 minutes, but I have been converted.  This one takes a teeny bit longer, but its still very easy to make, and extremely healthy.  I started giving this to Little Frances at 10 months, mixed in with one part Chili, 3 parts carrot puree.  Now that she is a bit older, and has more teeth and is more open to seasonings, I give it to her as is.  I can also attest that this purees really well for younger babies or babies with fewer teeth.

I found this recipe in Deceptively Delicious with a few tiny alterations. 

Ingredients:

• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 chopped red onion
• 1 lb lean ground turkey or beef
• 2 cloves garlic
• 1 tbsp chili powder, or to taste
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/4 teaspoon sweet paprika
• 1/8 tsp pepper
• 1 (15 oz) can chopped tomatoes
• 1 (26 oz) carton reduced fat, low sodium chicken broth
• 1/2 finely chopped red pepper puree
• 1/2 cup carrot puree or finely chopped carrot if you don’t have any puree on hand
• 1/4 cup cornmeal (You cannot find regular degerminated ground corn meal in Russia like you can in the states, so I substituted it for a very coarsely ground corn meal that I found.  It was a happy accident because it turned out even more delicious and is probably a little bit healthier since it is pure corn without additives!  I encourage you to look for something similar in your local grocery.)
• 2 tbsp flaxseed meal
• 2 (15 oz) can kidney beans, drained and rinsed

Steps:

1. Coat the bottom of a large pot with cooking spray and set it over medium heat.
2. When the pot is hot, add the oil.
3. Add the onion and cook until it begins to soften, about 2 minutes.
4. Meanwhile, sprinkle the meat with the garlic, chili powder, salt, paprika, and pepper. (This is the only time I actually seasoned the meat before putting it in the pot as it seems like an unnecessary step and dirties an extra bowl.  Usually I just throw them on top of the meat afterwards and it turns out just fine.)
5. Add the meat to the pot and cook, stirring occasionally, until the meat is no longer pink, 5 - 6 minutes.
6. Stir in the tomatoes.
7. Add the broth, red pepper, carrot, cornmeal, and flaxseed meal, and stir well.
8. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer, covered 15 - 20 minutes, or until the flavors have blended.
9. Stir in the beans and cook a little longer, just to heat them through.

Yield: It all depends on how much you eat, for a regular adult, 8 servings, but for me only about 6… I love this recipe so much that I usually eat until I am totally stuffed!

Storage: I plan to store this in the refrigerator for 1 week and frozen for up to 2 months.  This is not scientific.

Difficulty: 2 out of 5. This is a really, easy quick recipe to make, and it doesn’t require a lot of ingredients, which I love.

Epicutie Rating: Somewhat Yummy--See right side of page for descriptions  Even though this is big hit with mommy, Little Frances doesn’t seem to love it quite as much.  Although she doesn’t giggle when she eats it and squeal for more, she will still eat quite a bit of it and doesn’t seem to hate it.

Miscellaneous: When I told the hubs and my MIL and that I wanted to give this to Little Frances, they both looked at me like I was crazy!  Apparently they had seem Mr. Mom one too many times.  I am happy to report that this Little Frances has tried this many times without any unwelcome side effects!

Salmon with Carrots and Tomato

It isn’t very often that two pen pals get together (less than 2 times in three years to be precise)!  So when we found out that Little Joy and Little Frances were going to have the opportunity to finally meet, we mamas wanted to make something extra special to commemorate the occasion!  As a rule, we try not to make things that are very fancy on this blog, but sometimes it fun to experiments and I love to celebrate a special occasion with food.  :)  I have been wanting to try to make fish, so I decided to try our luck with salmon.  I found this recipe in The Healthy Baby Meal Planner by Annabel Karmel.  Like most fish, salmon is filled chock full of essential fatty acids (EFA), also known as omega-3s.  EFAs help fight off many diseases are important for brain development… some people say they can make you “smarter”.  You can find more about the health benefits and hazards of fish here.  Some fish may contain high levels of mercury, which can lead to mercury poisoning, however salmon is not generally considered hazardous.

Ingredients:

• 4 pen pals :)

• 2 1/4 cups carrots, peeled and sliced
• 5 oz salmon filet, deboned
• 1/2 tablespoon milk (or enough to cover the salmon, see method below)
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 2 medium ripe tomatoes, skinned, seeded and chopped.  To eliminate this step and make the recipe easier, you could also purchase a can of petit, diced tomatoes and measure out just under 1 cup.

• scant 1/2 cup Cheddar cheese, grated – i.e. do not pack the cheese into the measuring cup, there should be a lot of air cushion.

Steps:

1. Steam the carrots for 15-20 minutes, or until carrots are tender. 
2. Place the fish in a microwave dish, add the milk, dot with half the butter, and cover, leaving an air vent.
3. Microwave on HIGH for 1 1/2 to 2 minutes or until fully cooked.***See below for alternative cooking method
4. Melt the remaining butter in a saucepan, add the tomatoes, and sauté until softened and slightly mushy.
5. Remove the saucepan from the heat, and stir in the cheese until melted.
6. Mash the cooked carrots in the tomato mixture. 
7. Drain the cooking liquid from the fish, remove the skin, and double check that there are no bones.
8. Flake the fish and mix with the carrots and tomatoes.  You can also blend these two for younger babies or babies with no teeth.

Miscellaneous: I really like kitchen gadgets and so I try to get a couple every few months.  I bought this microwavable dish on Amazon.com for $6, and it has come in handy for several recipes.  If you do not own a microwavable dish with a vent, you can always cook the fish in the following way:

1. Place the salmon in a pan.
2. Pour over enough milk to cover the entire fish.
3. Simmer for 4 minutes or until cooked.

Timing: Fish can be introduced as early as 9 months, however as with any food, consult with your Doctor first.  The carrots and salmon break up quite small and so even without chewing this recipe (in my opinion) is safe for babies who are using their gums to mash, however, if you ever in doubt, puree!

Storage: Store in the fridge for up to two days.  This recipe makes quite a bit, so I could consider halving the recipe if you think that you will not be able to use it all in that time.  I would not freeze this recipe.

Difficulty: 4 out of 5.  This may be difficult for those with little cooking experience, and it also has several ingredients and steps.  I will be on the hunt for simpler fish recipes to try out!

Epicutie Rating: Yummy In The Tummy! Both Little Joy and Little Frances gobbled this one up!  They loved it.  Little Frances enjoyed it so much, Kelly suggested that we make a new rating called Yummy In The Tummy to the Max.  Even though this recipe was a little bit more complex than other recipes, it was worth it to see our girls enjoying the new flavors so well!

Little Joy clapping for JOY she loved this recipe so much!

Little Frances grunting for MORE! 

Our Epicuties!