{banana & date pikelets with hermie}

It has been a long time since I posted a blog post on here. 

There are many excuses however that main reason is because we are expecting our third little person. Now that I'm over halfway, I'm finally able to muster up some energy to put a bit of love back into my cooking. This does not mean however that I can always find the energy to go to the shops and buy all my ingredients for those 'special' recipes that I really want to try.

So, these pancakes are a favourite of mine to make and eat because they have few ingredients and are tasty and easy. When you look over at your fruit bowl and see a sad, tired looking banana you don't have to make a banana cake anymore but can have a go at these instead. They are not only a breakfast food in our house but an afternoon snack choice too for the little ones.

I hope you enjoy (and might even have them for Mother's Day breakfast tomorrow!) xx

4 Medjool dates, seeds removed
1 large ripe banana (~180-190 grams), peeled
20 grams nuttelex (or butter or coconut oil)
180 grams Self-raising flour
sprinkle of bi-carbonate soda
280 grams milk of choice (I use soy milk to make it dairy free)

1. Add dates into TM bowl and chop 10secs/speed7. Scrape down sides of bowl.
2. Add banana and nuttelex into bowl and mix 5secs/ speed4. Scrape down sides of bowl.
3. Add flour, bi-carb soda and milk into bowl and mix 10secs/speed 4.. Scrape down sides of bowl ready for pouring pikelets into fry pan.
4. Heat fry pan on a medium heat and pour pikelet size drops into pan to cook. Flip over when bubbles appear on the surface.
5. Serve with you choice of toppings. Ours are maple syrup & cream, ice-cream, jam or plain.

Makes 18-20 pikelet size morsels

TIP: I use a 30cm frypan to cook 4 at a time. I find this saves a lot of time versus a smaller pan and I can make a coffee in between batches :-)

{chicken nuggets in hermie}

I was looking around the internet and social media trying to gain a little inspiration for something new Miss A could try eating. Everywhere you see, children love eating with their hands to feel what a new food is like and nuggets fit perfectly into this category. The trouble is, is that nearly every recipe I have found, contains a bit of parmesan cheese and uses an egg wash before crumbing. These are 2 things that Miss A cannot eat. 

Therefore, the below recipe is my take on the classic Chicken Nugget albeit a bit healthier and full of those ‘hidden’ vegetables that all parents like to sneak in. I find by adding a good amount of veggies means that the chicken breast does not dry out too much and the nuggets are still moist to eat. Enjoy xx

6 weet-bix

500-600 grams chicken breast, cut into ~4cm chunks
drizzle of garlic oil

1 small zucchini

1 leek, white part only, cut into 2 

300 grams sweet potato, cut into ~1 cm slices
5 turns of the ”Chef’s Choice” Sicilian style seafood seasoning or to taste (optional) - See note

1. Pre-heat oven to 200C.

2. Place weet-bix into TM bowl and crush 3secs/ speed 6. Set 2/3’s aside in a small shallow bowl. Place the rest of the weet-bix in a large bowl that will be used to combine all ingredients.

3. Place chicken into TM bowl. Mince 2-3 times/ 1-2secs/ closed lid position/ turbo. Set aside in the large bowl. 

4. Place zucchini, leek & sweet potato into TM bowl and chop 3secs/ speed6. Add garlic oil over the chicken. You don’t have to add the garlic infused oil however, I find it adds another layer of flavour to the nuggets. Saute 3mins/ varoma/ stir speed/ reverse. Add to chicken in bowl & add seasoning or salt if using.

5. Mix with your hands and form either nugget style shapes or balls. Coat in the reserved weet-bix crumb and place on a lined oven tray. (This mixture is quite wet but works well if you use one gloved hand to make the nugget and one ‘naked’ hand to crumb the nugget.)

6. Once all nuggets/balls are complete, give them a quick spray of olive oil over the top.

7. Place in a pre-heated oven for 15minutes. Take the nuggets out and flip them over. Increase the temperature of the oven to 220C and bake another 10 minutes or until golden.

8. Take out of the oven when done and cool slightly before serving with your favourite tomato sauce.

Makes 40-45 nuggets.

Tips: These can be cooked in a frypan instead of oven baked however, they might end up a bit oilier. Also, I have used weet-bix to absorb a bit of the moisture in the mix however, a good batch of bread crumbs thrown in would do the trick too. Finally, I like to use a white zucchini because my Miss A loves to scrutinize her food before eating and it does not stand out as much in the mixture as the more common green zucchini.

Note: This seasoning looks like this:

{muesli bars in hermie}

One of the classic lunch box snacks that we all know is a muesli bar. However, these days when you visit the local supermarket and pick up a box, they are fill with who knows what; many an ingredient that is either a number or hard to pronounce. They are often very sugary and filled with not much. These ones below are great because although quite sweet with dried fruit, you can control what and how much you like to add and most of the other ingredients are easily substituted for an alternative. Having said that, I make these as a dairy free muesli bar for Miss A and the rest of the family loves them too. The use of coconut butter gives them a lovely aroma and fills the house when baking with a beautiful scent. Feel free to use nuts instead of seeds however, we also have a nut allergy in the house and make do without.

120 grams dried (sulphite free) apricots
140 grams butter (or substitute.... I use half nuttelex, half coconut butter to keep it dairy free)
70 gram rapadura sugar (or brown)
160 grams rolled oats
80 grams plain flour
30 grams sultanas
30 grams currants
3 tablespoons sunflower seeds
3 tablespoons pepitas

1. Pre-heat oven to 190C and line a 20cm square tin.
2. Place apricots into TM bowl and chop 10-15secs/ speed 5. The time will depend on how dry your fruit is and how large the apricots are. Set aside.
3. Add butter and sugar into TM bowl and melt 2.5mins/ 80C/ speed 1.
4. All the remaining ingredients and mix 15 secs/ speed 2/ reverse.
5. Pour into prepared tin and press down with the back of the MC.

6. Bake for 20-25 minutes until golden. Cool in tin and then cut into squares.

Makes 20 squares.

Bon Appetit xx

Tips: This muesli bar mix is also great just as a morning muesli served with your choice of milk (e.g. cows, rice, oat, soy etc). Instead of pressing into a cake tin to make a slice, just spread thinly over a baking tray and bake to about 15 minutes instead.

{beef 'with hidden vegetables" meatballs in hermie}

Our family has just returned from a holiday in Singapore and on this holiday I discovered something very important. Miss A does not eat any food that is pre-processed. In fact, she spits it out and pulls a funny face.

On one hand, I should be happy and delighted that she likes my home made food. However, there are those times in your day when you're really tired and you look in your fridge and freezer and there is nothing already cooked to feed your family and you just wish you could feed them 'takeaway'.

Having said that, I also like to feed a variety of foods to Miss A and am always on the hunt for something new for her to try in her repertoire of weekly foods. This week, I had some beef mince in the fridge which I was originally going to make spaghetti bolognese with (one of the families favourites) but thought, lets try and make this mince more versatile. I looked at the rest of my fridge contents, and have come up with the following recipe.

2 slices wholemeal bread, torn roughly
170 grams zuchinni (about 1), chopped 4cm lengths
1 leek, chopped 4 cm lengths
20 grams olive oil
500 grams beef mince
salt to taste
Good shake of paprika
Garlic oil for frying (or vegetable oil)

1. Place bread into TM bowl and chop 5-10 secs/ speed 7. Remove and set aside.
2. Add zucchini and leek into bowl and chop 3 secs/ speed 6.
3. Add oil and saute 2 mins/ 100C/ stir speed/ reverse. Add to bowl containing bread crumbs.
4. Add mince, paprika and salt to rest of ingredients in bowl. Mix through thoroughly.
5. Form 3-4cm size balls and set aside on a tray ready for frying.

6. Using garlic oil, fry the meatballs until golden brown. I like to use garlic oil to add a bit of extra flavour. Serve with your favourite tomato based sauce with pasta or as is for your little one with some mashed potato.

Makes 25-30 meatballs.

Bon Appetit xx

Tips: If you run out of bread like I did for the bread crumbs, you can use a crushed up weet-bix as a substitute. Also, if you don't want to use garlic oil (or cannot find it) but still want the extra flavour, just add 1 or 2 garlic cloves at step 2. For a healthier version, you can bake these in the oven but you will have to turn them half way through.

{chicken congee in hermie}

When you are sick, a bowl of steaming hot chicken noodle soup always makes you feel better. Don't get me wrong, I still love a bowl of chicken noodle soup but there is something about a bowl of Chicken Congee that is just as perfect. It may be the ginger or the fact that it is so easy to eat, but when I was sick with a cold and my mum made it for me to feel better... I felt better. She also used to make barley water which I liked but this was nicer. I have also fed this to my 2 little munchkins Miss I and Miss A since quite small as it is quite healthy and easy to eat for babies. Some people prefer theirs with more texture and other with the rice broken down and the congee smooth. I consider myself to be right in the middle. If you prefer the latter, you could either cook it for longer so that the rice breaks down by itself or, you could give it a quick blend in the Thermomix at the end.

150 grams rice
1400 grams water
250-350grams chicken meat (parts with bones will provide more flavour) This is about 3-4 chicken thighs
Big thumb of ginger (or to taste)
8-10 dried scallops (optional)
2 spring onions
handful of coriander (or to taste)
2-3 lettuce leaves, cut into thin strips
white pepper to serve
fish sauce or salt (optional)

1. Add rice, water, chicken, ginger and dried scallops into bowl and cook 20mins/ 100C/ stir speed/ reverse.
2. Remove chicken and manually shred into pieces (If you are lucky enough to have 2 Thermomix bowls, then use the other bowl to shred 3-4secs/ speed 4). While shredding chicken, cook for a further 15mins/ 100C/ stir speed/ reverse with MC removed.
3. Re-add chicken back into TM bowl. Cook further 30mins/ 100C/ stir speed/ reverse.
3. Chop spring onion and coriander into about 1cm pieces. Set aside.
4. Check consistency of congee when finished cooking. If it is not thick enough to your liking, cook a further 5-10mins and check again.
5. Serve scooped into a bowl, with spring onion, coriander, lettuce and pepper sprinkled over the top. Serve immediately.

This time I didn't have any lettuce to add but it was still delicious

Bon Appetit xx

Tips: I already serve this to my nearly 8 month old Miss A and this is why I have not added any salt to the congee. For an adult serve, add a teaspoon or more of fish sauce for the saltiness. It adds a nice flavour. If this is too strong for you, soy sauce or salt will do the job too.

{homemade baby food in hermie}

Apple & Blueberry Puree

I have 2 beautiful daughters who are 6 1/2 months and 3 1/2 years old. With Miss A, we have just delved into the world of baby food again and using a Thermomix second time round has made it just that much easier. With Miss I, I used a pot, stick mixer or fork which work well but there's just more to clean up. Also, I find that if I make Miss A's food before our own dinner, the cleanup is even more efficient.

Below, I've listed a small sample of fruit and vegetables that can be used in combinations to make up a large variety of baby foods  for bubs. Make sure you progress trying new foods according to what your baby can handle eating and keep an eye out for any signs of allergies when trying new foods.

Fresh (raw)

This is great for 'on the go'. All you need is a portable bowl, and a fork to mash. No need to heat up.

avocado

mango

banana

apricots

peaches

pawpaw

strawberries

blueberries

Cooked (and then frozen for reserves)

I usually pair the vegetables together for different flavour combinations. For the fruit, I usually combine these with one of the dried fruits to be used in addition to porridge or weet-bix as a breakfast.

Apple

Pear

Pumpkin

Sweet Potato

Potato

Peas

Corn

Broccoli

Cauliflower

Carrot

Eggplant

Spinach (frozen ones available in handy segments)

Sweet Potato, Pea & Spinach Chunky Puree

Dried

Dried fruit is quite sweet from the natural sugars in them already so I only use a couple of pieces (max) in combination with something less sweet such as apple or pear. Also, I stay clear of dried fruit that has sulphites added as a preservative. I personally get extremely itchy from this and if you search hard enough, you can find preservative free fruit. In Adelaide, you can find the Sultanas and Prunes in Coles supermarkets and the Mango and Apricot at either Goodies & Grains in the Central Market or the Queen Street Grocer.

Sultanas

Mango

Apricot

Prunes

Snacks:
With Miss I, I used other rice biscuit snacks however, they do have sugar and salt added. At such a young age, I'm trying to stay away from these unnecessary additions to Miss A's diet so, below are a couple of things I have found that have the same 'dissolve' in the mouth feel that are 100% additive free. I have also listed below some dairy options so your little one gets their calcium intake. Note, a lot of dairy products have an addition of 'natural colouring' which may be annato or 160b. This has been linked to head banging in children and I personally avoid it just in case. You can read more about it here.

Corn Puffs

Rice Puffs

Hard Cheese, easily grated and added to avocado

Yoghurt

Bon Appetit little Bubbies xx

{thai inspired chicken sausage rolls in hermie}

There are some foods at parties that are always a winner and this is one of them. I first stumbled upon the original Thai inspired Sausage Rolls in one of my recipe books and since trying out the recipe have tweaked it slightly. They are super delicious and have been a staple for most birthday parties at home. They are popular with both the little and big ones and have evolved into an easy lunch for little Miss 3 and a half. 

1/2 bunch coriander, chopped in half

2 slices of day old bread

500 grams chicken meat (thigh or breast), cut into 3cm chunks, frozen for 2 hours

1 teaspoon cumin powder

1 teaspoon coriander powder

2 tablespoons sweet chilli sauce (optional)

12 Asparagus spears from a tin (or if using fresh, blanch until they are nearly soft)

3 sheets puff pastry

1 egg, lightly beaten

sesame seeds for sprinkling on top

sweet chilli sauce for serving

1. Preheat oven to 200C. Get puff pastry out of freezer as it will be easier to work with later.

2. Put coriander and bread into TM bowl and chop 15 sec / speed 5-6. This will make your bread crumbs. If they are still too chunky, blitz in 3 sec intervals until it looks ok. Put aside in a large bowl.

3. Place 1/2 the chicken in the TM bowl and mince 10sec / speed 7. Place in bowl with bread crumbs and coriander. Repeat with remaining chicken.

4. Add cumin, coriander and sweet chilli sauce to chicken in bowl. Mix all together with a spoon or your hand.

5. Place 1 sheet of the puff pastry onto a clean surface. Cut in half. Divide the chicken mince into 6 portions. Use 1 portion and spread in a long sausage shape down the middle of half the pastry sheet. Put 2 asparagus spears along the mince. Fold the pastry over the mince and seal tightly. Cut into 6 portions (or 4) and put on a baking tray. Brush with egg and sprinkle over sesame seeds. Repeat with remaining pastry and chicken mix.

6. Place trays in oven and bake for 30 minutes or until golden brown and chicken is cooked inside. Serve with sweet chilli sauce.

Makes 36 bite sized sausage rolls.

Bon appetit xx

Tips: This can easily be made with store bought chicken mince. If you don't have a Thermomix, use a stick mixer or food processor to make the crumb mix and proceed from there. Also, these rolls are suitable to freeze either uncooked or cooked. If uncooked, then complete up to step 5 but leave the egg wash and sesame seeds until you are ready to cook straight from the freezer.