This is my version of a recipe that I have made many time from the Vanilla Bean Blog.  I have simplified the recipe significantly, but the idea is the same and they are equally as delicious.  I use store-bought puff pastry to speed things up, rather than use the homemade honey spelt pastry in the original recipe (which is amazing, so if you have the time…)

I also used my raw broccoli and basil pesto (from my previous post) which is lovely, but I have also made it with a tarragon pesto.  Basically use whatever you have in the fridge.  Even store bought would work if you want to make it even easier.

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• 2 fresh medium-sized beetroot
• 2 sheets of puff pastry
• 2 1/2 tablespoon of pesto (see previous post for the recipe. Alternatively buy store bought pesto)
• 125 g goats cheese
• Honey or maple syrup to drizzle

• Preheat oven to 190 degrees (375 degrees F). Remove leaves and stalks from beetroot and give them a scrub. Wrap individually in foil with a little water and bake for about 50 minutes or until tender. Allow to cool; peel and cut into thin slices.
• Using a round cutter cut circles from the puff pastry and place on a baking sheet lined with grease proof paper. Bake in the oven for about 10 minutes or until golden. Remove from the oven and let cool slightly, then using the back of a spoon make a little indent in the pastry for the goats cheese filling. Combine the goats cheese and pesto; add a little more pesto until it is to your liking. Spoon a teaspoon of the filling on to the pastry shell and place a slice of beetroot on top. Bake for another 10 minutes or until the pastry shell is nice and golden. Remove from the oven and drizzle with honey and serve

Makes 18 individual mini tarts
Suitable for toddler 12 months plus because of the honey

I had never tried Kohlrabi before making this dish.  I spotted it at my local organic store and bought two.  A purple one and a green one.  I googled it when I got home and realised that it is very similar to cabbage.  

I am a huge coleslaw fan so I thought I would make a simple slaw for the whole family.  

I lightly steamed Little Big H’s and then served it to him that evening cold but it is also very nice warm.  Kohlrabi is very high in vitamin C – even more so than oranges!

Above: The lightly steamed version for baby 

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• 2 Kohlrabi (green & purple – they taste the same)
• 3 Apples (I used pink lady but use any)
• 3 Carrots

• Peal all ingredients. Grate ingredients to a medium coarseness
• For baby – Add a portion to steamer basket and steam for roughly 5 minutes – server warm or cold
• For Mum & Dad – Add some mayonnaise and mustard – server

We eat a lot of fruit in our house.  The little dude just loves it, so I always like to mix things up a little.  This fruit salad has a lovely orange vanilla glaze drizzled over the top, then I added a dollop of my homemade mascarpone and some toasted almonds.  It would make a great breakfast, afternoon snack or healthy dessert with dinner.  I used a combination of strawberries, watermelon (I used a cookie cutter to cut stars – just for a bit of fun), rockmelon, mandarin, and blueberries – but use whatever fruit is in season

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• Watermelon
• Rockmelon
• Strawberries
• Blueberries
• Mandarine
• Mascarpone (Optional* store bought or see my previous post for homemade mascarpone)
• Flacked almonds

• Juice of one orange
• 1 vanilla bean
• 2 teaspoons maple syrup

• Peel and slice all of the fruit and add to a platter. For the glaze add the juice, maple and the seeds from one vanilla bean to a saucepan and heat through. Drizzle over the fruit and refrigerate until ready to serve. Toss to coat fruit when ready to serve
• Add a handful of almonds to a dry frying pan, over medium heat toss regular until you achieve a nice golden colour
• Mix a little maple syrup with the mascarpone and add a dollop on top of the fruit. Finish with the toasted almonds.

Labneh or yoghurt cheese is so easy to make and it is delicious.  It has a smooth and creamy consistency and a slight tangy taste.  It’s great spread on crackers with a sprinkle of sumac – I also love a sprinkle of good quality sweet paprika and so does H.  I can see this being a staple in my home – ready for a healthy snack.   If your little ones enjoy the taste of natural yoghurt then they are sure to love this…

You simply strain the natural yogurt for a few days to allow the whey to drip through the cheesecloth, and what you are left with is labneh.  If placed back in the fridge at this point it will last for a few days.  Roll into perfect little portion sized balls and cover in olive oil, and it will last for a month or so – but it’s so good, I doubt it will last any time at all.

 Labneh is great spread on toast as a healthy alternative to butter, or served more traditionally as part of a mezze selection.  Be sure to use a good quality olive oil.  I used an Australian fruity fragrant extra virgin olive oil, because the labneh will take on the flavour of the oil.  I’ve kept it super simple but feel free to experiment a little and add your favourite herbs.  A few springs of thyme or a chilli added to the oil would be gorgeous.

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• 1 kg natural yoghurt
• olive oil
• salt (*optional)

• Place a few layers of cheese cloth or muslin over a bowl add add the yoghurt. Gather up the edges and secure. Hang the yoghurt over a large bowl so it can drip in the fridge for 2 to 3 days.
• Discard the whey*. Add the salt to the labneh if using and mix to combine. Rub olive oil into your hand and roll balls about the size of golf balls with the mixture. Place the balls into a jar and cover with olive oil.
• Refrigerate and use within about a month or so

I used a clip to secure my cheesecloth and then chop stick to hang it over the bowl. Alternatively place a strainer over a large bowl and place the cheesecloth in the strainer to allow it to drip through.
*As one of my lovely readers has pointed out – the whey that has been strained is no longer required for this recipe but you can most definitely keep it and add it to other recipes, such as making bread, fermenting foods, soaking nuts/beans/grains, add to smoothies, etc.

Gozleme is a tradition Turkish pastry filled with savoury ingredients.  I have very much cheated by using store-bought flatbread instead of making my own pastry.  It makes this cheats gozleme recipe super quick and convenient for lunch, a light dinner, or to pack into kids lunch boxes. 

Gozleme has always been a favourite of mine.   H and I would often wander down to the Kiribilli markets and grab some.  There is always a queue – because it is delicious, and I always order the feta and spinach which is why I thought I’d give it a try myself.

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• 8 flatbreads (or as many as you like)
• 1 lemon
• 4 handfuls of spinach

• Handful each of parsley and mint; chopped
• 1 block of crumbly feta; crumbled
• 1 spring onion; finely sliced
• Salt and pepper

• To make the filling combine all the ingredients in a bowl and mix to combine. Place the 4 flatbreads on the bench and top with a handful of spinach, divide the filling mixure between the flatbreads and add a squeeze of lemon. Top with another flatbread.
• Heat a little olive oil in a pan over low heat and add the flatbread. Give it a little shake to coat the bread in oil. Allow the spinach to wilt slightly. Have a little look under to see if it is golden brown. Flip and allow to cook until golden. The spinach should be soft and the feta shoud be melted.
• Slice and serve with a lemon wedge.

Makes 4 gozleme
Use any type of flatbread you like. I happen to come across a really thin naan bread so I used that, but any will do.

My little helper made these almost entirely on his own.  Its super simple,  just take as many flatbreads as you like, top with spinach, then the feta mixture with a little squeeze of lemon, top with another flatbread and you are almost done.  

Pop them in a lightly greased frying pan and cook on low heat to allow the spinach to wilt and the feta to melt a little.  Slice and serve with lemon. 

If you wanted a meatier option you could easily add some minced lamb to the mixture.  Just be sure to cook it before adding it to the other filling ingredients.

This recipe is adapted from Movida restaurant in Melbourne and it is so good!  It would make an impressive side dish, light lunch, or even main course.  The rich flavours are balanced beautifully by the sharpness of the quince and although it does take a little time to prepare, I promise it will be worth…

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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 taste and ensures it stays super crunchy once it has been added to your yoghurt or milk – I cannot stand soggy cereal.  Serve topped with fresh seasonal fruit.  Enjoy xx

To make, add the dry ingredients to a large bowl, add your coconut oil and maple, that you have warmed slightly, and mix to combine well.

Spread out on a tray and bake for 25 minutes or until golden.  Add your chia seeds and goji berries and you are done.

It is a very adaptable recipe so skip the oats entirely and sub nuts to make it a grain-free granola.  Add spices such as cinnamon, all spice, and vanilla and whatever dried fruit you like.

Store in an airtight container for a couple of months, but its unlikely it will last that long…

Print Pin Prep Time 5 minutes minutes Cook Time 25 minutes minutes Total Time 30 minutes minutes

• 1 cup traditional oats (not quick oats)
• 1/2 cup quinoa
• 1/2 cup sunflower seeds
• 1/2 cup pepitas
• 1/4 cup coconut flakes
• 1/4 cup coconut oil
• 2 tbsp maple syrup
• 2 tbsp chia seeds
• 2 tbsp goji berries

• Pre-heat oven to 160C/320F.  Combine the oats, quinoa, sunflower seeds, pepitas and coconut flakes in a large bowl.
• Warm the coconut oil and maple on the stove.  Add to the dry mixture and stir to combine.  Spread out on a lined baking tray and bake for 25 minutes or until lightly golden.
• Allow to cool and sprinkle with the chia seeds and goji berries.

Store in an airtight container.  Makes about 3 cups. 

Be sure to take a picture if you make this Nut-Free Granola with Quinoa, Seeds and Goji and upload to Instagram with the hashtag #littlebigh so I can check out your creation. xx

The inspiration for his salad came from a girls night out last weekend.  A girlfriend and I went to the Sydney Opera House to see Stephen Hawking speak and went to a great little Italian restaurant beforehand. 

My little man loves lentils and he is a huge fan of goats cheese so I thought of him when this salad was served.  It is simple with flavour combinations that just work, enjoy xx

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• 400 g can of organic lentils; drained and rinsed
• 2 fresh beetroot
• A handful of parsley leaves; finely chopped
• Goats cheese; crumbled
• Juice of half a lemon
• Olive oil
• Salt & pepper

• Preheat oven to 180 degrees C (350 degrees F). Give the beetroot a scrub and remove the stalks. Using aluminium foil create a little parcel for each beetroot, add a little water add beets and seal the edges. Place on an oven tray and cook for 50 minutes. Remove from the oven;open the parcel and allow to cool. Once cool, the skin will rub off the beets. Alternatively use a vegetable peeler to remove the skin. Chop in small chunks
• Place the lentils, parsley and lemon in a bowl; add a glug of olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Place on a serving plate and top with the beets and goats cheese; serve

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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Quinoa Granola – It’s a bit of an understatement to say I love this stuff.  I’ve made it so many times now and it never lasts very long.  I eat it as is with yoghurt for breakfast or as pictured here as a topping for chia pudding.  I also love it on top of ice-cream with another drizzle…

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A really simple cookie recipe that makes a great afternoon snack or even breakfast on the run.  Toddler approved.

H trying Vegemite for the first time.  He pulled a few funny faces and kept going!  I try to give Little Big H a bit of variety for breakie but I do find myself making a version of the below recipes quite a bit.  Most often he gets: Scrambled Eggs with Avocado, Bircher Muesli with Berries, Fruit Puree with…

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Who doesn’t love arancini!  It’s sure to be a hit with the kids so next time you make risotto, make it a big batch so you can make arancini the following night.  Two meal with minimal effort.  Bonus… The kids will love to help prepare this meal.  I rolled the balls and passed them to H to dunk…

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