I posted this recipe on Instagram a few weeks back and it was very popular, so I’m posting here as well.  We love it, it’s simple and quick to make.   I originally came across a recipe similar to this in a magazine some time ago, but this is my toddler friendly version.  I’m certain the original has tea…

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It has been so long since I have cooked lamb shanks – I’m not sure why!

There is something so satisfying about cooking a tough piece of meat and turning it into something super tender and melt-in-your-mouth.

This dish is just that… the tomatoes and spices produce a rich chunky sauce, and the chickpeas add some crunch.

Serve with cous cous and a simple side salad – and if there are any leftovers, it’s even better the next day.

Enjoy xx

Print Pin Prep Time 15 minutes minutes Cook Time 2 hours hours 30 minutes minutes Total Time 2 hours hours 45 minutes minutes

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 4 lamb shanks
• 2 onions , chopped
• 3 cloves garlic
• 3 teaspoons cumin
• 1 teaspoon turmeric
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 2 strips lemon zest
• 2 bay leaves
• 4 large springs of thyme
• 1/2 cup red wine vinegar
• 400 ml whole canned tomatoes
• 8 tomatoes ,halved
• 500 ml (2 cups) stock
• 400 ml tin chickpeas ,drained

• Pre-heat oven to 180 degrees C (350 degrees F).  Add oil to a dutch oven (or heavy saucepan with lid) over medium-high heat and brown the lamb shanks.  Set aside. 
• Add onion and fry until tender. Add garlic, cumin, turmeric, cinnamon, lemon zest, bay leaf and thyme. Cook or 1 minute. 
• Add red wine vinegar and scrape any brown bit from the bottom of the pan. Reduce by half.  
• Add fresh and canned tomatoes and stock.  Bring up to a simmer.  Return lamb, cover and cook in the oven for 2 hours. 
• Remove from the oven and add chickpeas, stir through and return to the oven for 30 minutes. Serve with cous cous, mashed potato or crusty bread. 

If only serving two people I would still use the same quantities but with just two lamb shanks.  There will be enough of the sauce leftover to have a tasty meat free dish the following night. 

It has been so long since I have cooked lamb shanks – I’m not sure why! There is something so satisfying about cooking a tough piece of meat and turning it into something super tender and melt-in-your-mouth. This dish is just that… the tomatoes and spices produce a rich chunky sauce, and the chickpeas add…

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 This is my go to super easy lunch/dinner for Little Big H if I haven’t had time to prepare anything.   He loves it and its ready in 15 minutes. It’s best served cold, so make it ahead of time if you can.  If you don’t have a lots of fresh veggies on hand, it’s just…

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I couldn’t resist buying these super cute minikin pumpkins.  I have stuffed them with pearl barley and mixed veggies and it did quite nicely for a healthy meat-free dinner. Slice into portions or scoop out the flesh along with the pearl barley and mash for your little one.

Super light and crispy kale chips make a delicious snack.  Kale is one of the healthiest vegetables around, and is particularly high in vitamin K, A, and C  My toddler loves them and I’m sure you little ones will too.  Just make sure they are nice and crisp.  That way they just melt in your mouth…

A delicious green smoothie that isn’t at all leafy tasting.  H just loves it – he finished the glass in a matter of minutes!

 This is a really tasty dish and it was a huge hit with H.  You could substitute the vegetables in the recipe for ones you already have in the fridge.  You could also prepare ahead of time and keep in the fridge until ready to steam and serve.

With consecutive 42 degree days in Melbourne this week, I was keen for somethings chilled, and this was the result. A silky smooth chilled soup.  I wasn’t sure that Big H would go for the aniseed taste of the fennel but he did! Fennel is also great for breastfeeding mums with supply or letdown reflex…

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Good Old-Fashioned Aussie Rissoles 🇦🇺 A quick Google search tells me they’re actually of French origin — but regardless, most Aussie kids grew up eating them, and they’re almost always on the menu when I visit Mum. Her rissoles are simple, made with just a few basic ingredients, but they’re full of flavour. You can…

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Ciao from Isolation 🥴… words I never thought I’d be writing — but more on that later. First, the food. Today I’m sharing a classic French quiche recipe. Quiche is one of those wonderfully versatile dishes that’s surprisingly easy to make. For this version, I’ve used caramelised onions, perfectly ripe tomatoes, and for a little…

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It may be getting cold here in Firenze but the city is more beautiful than ever. The Christmas lights are up all over the city, there are idyllic Christmas markets with mulled wine and delicious treats, and Harry said to me yesterday that he loves Florence. This made me so happy! Harry and I have…

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Dinner ready in 10 minutes? Pasta al limone is for you…. But first… yes I finally did it.  I moved us both to Florence Italy.  My son H and I are both on this amazing Italian adventure.  It has been just over two months and it still feels like a dream. Food is my passion but I have…

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I’m sharing another H favourite with you today. Pappardelle bolognese with lot of hidden veggies. The rich bolognese sauce will feed about 6 people or freeze what you don’t use for another time. I always have some in my freezer ready to go. An important step when making this dish is to get a nice…

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It has been so long since I have cooked lamb shanks – I’m not sure why! There is something so satisfying about cooking a tough piece of meat and turning it into something super tender and melt-in-your-mouth. This dish is just that… the tomatoes and spices produce a rich chunky sauce, and the chickpeas add…

Read More »

Fresh ling fillets with a sauce that is the perfect balance of sweet and sour. The tamarind adds a lovely sour note but doesn’t over power the fish – it’s also only mildly spiced so the kids will love it. You create the sauce in the frying pan by frying your onions and adding your…

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This one-pan spiced chicken with tomatoes is H’s absolute favourite dish.  Ever since I made it the first time he has requested it again and again. He loves to drown his rice in all the spiced tomatoes juices that happen once it’s cooked.  It’s a real winner. It’s also minimum fuss and happens in the…

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Yellow split pea dhal is the ultimate comfort food and it makes a nourishing meat-free meal that the whole family will love.  This variation is flavoured with mild spices and is incredibly simple to make. You simply cook the lentils in water with garlic and chili and cook away for 45 minutes or until the lentils…

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I have mentioned in previous posts that kids will to eat just about anything if you put it on a stick! These lemony salt and pepper prawn skewers are no exception…  H loved them and I loved that they were easy, effortless and ready in 15 minutes. The prawns are sprinkled with a lemony salt and…

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I used a combination of purple and green asparagus here.  H and I were at the green grocer when he spotted purple asparagus and got super excited – like jumping up and down excited, I wish I could have recorded him.  It was super cute and me loving his enthusiasm for good food ended up buying…

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Frittatas are a really great option for lunch or a light dinner.  They are also a great way to use up leftovers or all of those extra veggies in your fridge that need to be used.  Basically all you need are eggs and then add any veggies that you like.  I love the combination of asparagus…

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 This is my go to super easy lunch/dinner for Little Big H if I haven’t had time to prepare anything.   He loves it and its ready in 15 minutes. It’s best served cold, so make it ahead of time if you can.  If you don’t have a lots of fresh veggies on hand, it’s just…

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I’m a huge fan on homemade granola – it is so easy to make and well worth the effort.  This is a nut-free granola with quinoa, seeds and goji berries and it is delicious.  So good that I have eaten it for breakfast and dessert for the past week!   The quinoa adds l lovely nutty…

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Guacamole is the perfect toddler food.  No cooking required, it’s healthy, full of flavour and makes a great healthy snack that the whole family will love – and they can almost make it entire on their own!

I chopped all the ingredients and put them into tiny bowls.  H mashed the avocado and assemble all the other ingredients.  He had a great time!

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• 2 avocados
• 1 big handful of coriander leaves – finely chopped
• 1/2 small red onion; very finely chopped
• 1 tomato or a few cherry tomatoes; chopped
• 1/4 chilli – or more to suit your taste; finely chopped
• Juice of 1/2 to 1 lime
• salt
• Corn chips to serve

• Add the avocado flesh to a bowl. Mash with a folk until your desired consistency is reached. I left mine a little chunky. Add the chopped onion, chilli, coriander, tomato and the juice of half a lime. Season well. Mix and taste; add more lime to suit taste.

Don’t go crazy with exact quantities, add more or less to suit. I went very light with the chilli and onion so it would suit the little guy.

Beautiful Berry Coulis – sugar free Chicken with Apples and Thyme –  such as great combination Delicate white fish with fennel and grapes   I’m very excited to be sharing my very first guest post with you all, on a great blog called  Never the Same Spice Twice.  I have 3 new recipes suitable for babies…

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This is a delicate tasting puree and a great introduction to fish for your baby.  Any delicate tasting white fish will be fine in the recipe and combined with the witlof (Belgian endive) it is a lovely combination.

This is a really easy fish pie to make and it tastes great…  You can make them baby sized like I have and freeze whats left or make one large pie and feed  your entire family.  

 This is a simple dish that is packed full of flavour.  

If you are keen to try the no knead bread recipe you will have to start it the night before.  It may look like a lot of steps, but once you have does it once, it really is very easy.  It also require a heavy oven proof pot.

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• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 4 Roma tomatoes , chopped into large chunks
• 6 Italian sausages (I used organic beef sausages but any sausage would work)
• 400 g tin of cannelloni beans; drained and rinsed under water
• 1/4 cup roughly torn sage leaves (or to taste)
• 2 garlic cloves , minced

• Heat olive oil in the pan, then squeeze sausage out of sausage cases and drop into pan as little balls (no need to shape them, rustic is good) cook balls until lightly browned on all sides
• Add garlic and sage leaves and continue to cook for a few minutes. Add tomatoes and cook until tomatoes start to break down a little and the sausage balls are cooked. Be sure to scrape the bottom of the pan with your wooden spoon to loosen any baked on bits
• Add the cannelloni beans and heat through

Suitable to freeze
Suitable for babies from 10 months – just mash with a fork to break up the meat and beans or puree in a blender for a smoother consistency  

Print Pin

• 2 1/4 cups bread flour (300 grams)
• 3/4 cup rye flour (100 grams)
• 1 1/4 teaspoon table salt
• 1/2 teaspoon instant other active dry yeast
• 1 1/3 cup cool water
• rye or bread flour for dusting

• In a medium bowl, stir together the flours, salt and yeast. Add the water and using a wooden spoon, mix until you have a very wet, sticky dough, about 30 seconds. Add a little more water if necessary. Cover the bowl and let sit at room temperature until the surface is dotted with bubbles and the dough is more than double in size, 12 to 18 hours
• When the first rise is complete, generously dust a work surface with flour. Scrape the dough out of the bowl in one piece with a spatular. Using floured hands, lift the edges of the dough in toward the centre. Nudge and tuck in the edges of the dough to make it round.
• Place a tea towel on your work surface and generously dust with flour. Place dough on towel seam side down. If the dough is tacky dust with more flour and fold the tea towel loosely over the dough and let rise for about 1 to 2 hours in a draft free spot. It is ready when it has almost doubled in size. If you gently poke it and it holds the impression its ready. If not let rise a further 15 minutes
• Before the end of your second rise, preheat the oven to 240 degrees C (475 degrees F), with the rack on the lower third
• Unfold the tea towel and carefully place the dough into the pot seam side up. Cover and bake for 30 minutes
• Remove lid and continue baking for a further 15 to 30 minutes. Its ready when it is a deep chestnut colour
• Remove from oven and turn bread out on to a rack to cool throughly

Not into rye bread? Use 3 cups of regular bread flour and only a 1/4 teaspoon of yeast. The rest is the same. Adapted from My Bread by Jim Lahey