Recipe of the Month - February 2006

Each month we look forward to the entries made here in our Recipe of the Month forum. It gives us some great ideas for meals for our families.

If your recipe is selected by the Huggies team as the winning entry, it will feature in our brand new website and you will also receive a great prize from the <a href="http://www.tommeetippee.com.au/">Tommee Tippee</a> range of feeding products.

Just reply to this post and type away. If you have a handt hint or comment about your recipe, we'd love to know that as well.

Happy Cooking!

Suitable from about 7 months
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Twinkle Twinkle Bolognese

250g Mince Beef
200g Divella Stelline 74 pasta (or other very small pasta shape)
½ jar Dolmio Classic Tomato Sauce (or your own home made)
Small amount of Olive Oil
Handful of Grated Tasty Cheese (optional)

Brown mince in a little oil while cooking pasta according to the packet directions. Make sure to break the mince up very well, so no large chunks of mince remain.
Add the tomato sauce and simmer for 5 minutes.
Add drained pasta to the meat mix. Stir well to make sure meat is evenly distributed.
Add cheese if desired and melt it through.
Because of the size of the pasta and broken up mince, pureeing or mashing is not necessary, but could be done if baby refuses lumpy food.
Put portions into small containers / ice cube trays, and thaw as needed.
Could also add cooked vegetables such as carrot, peas, corn, zucchini, etc.

Makes 6-8 dinner portions for my 7 month old.

Mini Pikelets

1 cup self-raising flour
Pinch of salt
1/4 teaspoon bicarb soda
2/3 cup sour milk, (milk can be soured by adding 1 teaspoon of vinegar or lemon juice)
1-3 tablespoons of sugar if desired
1 egg
2 teaspoons melted butter

Sift dry ingrediants add sugar or mashed fruit as a sweetner if desired. Add beaten egg and milk, mix to a smooth batter and add melted butter.

Heat and grease pan, drop batter by dessertspoonfuls on to pan, cook until bubbly on top, light brown underneath. Turn, cook other side.

I used wholemeal flour instead.
I added mashed banana to my pikelet mix, and told my 3 year old son that it had apple jam on top of it, which was actually pureed apples.

Very healthy and he loved it and so did my 10 month old.

Suitable for Toddlers & for the family meal.

Preheat oven to 200 degrees

Ingredients

500g mince
1 x small onion
1/2 cup peas
1/2 cup grated zucchini
1/2 cup grated carrot
2 teaspoons beef stock
400 gram tin of tomato soup condensed
2 tablesppons of tomato paste
1 cup of pasta
Mixed herbs/basil
Grated cheese

Method

1. Cook pasta, then place in a oven dish.
2. Brown mince and drain any excess fat.
3. Add to the mince, mixed herbs, basil, onion and soup. Stir occasionally and cook for 5 minutes.
4. Then add peas, carrot, zucchini, stock, tomato paste. Cook for 10 minutes and stir constantly.
5. Mix the sauce in with the pasta and top with grated cheese.
6. Place in the oven until cheese is melted. Approx 10 minutes.

Enjoy!!

Chicken and Corn mornay

1 cup diced cooked chicken
1 small tin creamed corn
1 finely diced small onion
1 diced rasher of bacon
1cup cooked macaroni
1 cup grated cheese
1 cup milk
1 tbs plain flour

Make up a cheese sauce using the flour, milk and 1/2 cup grated cheese.
Lightly saute the onion and the bacon, add chicken and cream corn. Mix in cheese sauce and macaroni. Put into little oven proof dishes, or a large dish and sprinkle with the remainder of the cheese.
Cook in a mod oven for about 20 mins for small dishes and 45 for a large dish.

I have also added a few frozen peas and finely diced carrot to this mix to add a bit more veg, and you can also put in a tin of tuna instead of the chicken if you prefer. It freezes well, and it is a good meal for the whole family. My little girl devours it!

Hi my daughter who is 7 months just loves this Red Lentil Puree. It is a good source of iron and great alternative to meat. It is suitable from 6 months and is also effective in boosting your babies immune system.

Red Lentil Puree

1 tablesoon extra virgin olive oil
1medium onion, peeled and chopped
1 clove of garlic crushed
1 stick celerly chopped
1 large carrot peeled and chopped
a pinch of ground corriander
a pinch of ground ginger
2 heaped tablespoons red lentils
1 cup filtered water
1 teaspoon chopped parsley

Method:
1. Heat oil in saucepan and gently soften onion, garlic, celerly and carrot.
2. Add the spices and lentils and stir to coat the lentils with oil.
3. Add the water and simmer for 15-20 minutes or until lentils are soft (extra water may be added if mixture dries out).
4. Once cooked sprinkle with parsley and mash or puree to desired consistency.

This mix will make approximately 20 cubes and freezes well.


I serve this with any other selestion of pureed vegies, Amity's favourite vegies with the lentils are zucchini and sweet potatoe.


Hope this can assist in expanding your babies menu selections.

grin Happy Cooking grin