• 2 teaspoons dry yeast
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 1 3/4 cups warm water
• 5 cups plain flour
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon ground coriander
• 2 tablespoon olive oil
• Plus extra oil for frying

• Add the yeast, sugar and water to a large bowl and combine well. Add half the flour and combine. Cover and let stand for about 30 minutes or until the mixture appears to froth up a little
• Add the remaining flour, cumin, coriander, salt and oil. Knead the dough until smooth. I used a kitchenaid with a dough hook, alternative knead by hand for about 10 minutes. Place the dough in an oiled bowl and cover. Allow the dough to doubles in size – about 1 hour
• Give the dough a quick knead and divide into 8-12 pieces (it depends how big you want them). Roll into balls and rollout. Allow the rolled out dough to rest for about 30 minutes on a flour dusted bench. It will puff up again slightly.
• Add a small amount of oil to a frying pan and add the dough. Allow to cook for 3 minutes and then flip, cover and allow to cook for an additional 2 minutes. Repeat. Serve or allow to cool completely before freezing.

Wrap in cling film and freeze what you don’t use for another day. Allow to defrost on the bench and add to a frying pan with oil to crisp up again. Adapted from www.bestrecipes.com.au

For the bread

• 3/4 cup water
• 1/2 cup milk
• 60 g (1/4 cup softened) buter
• 1/4 cup honey
• 1 egg; lightly beaten
• 4 cups flour (approximately)
• 4 teaspoons instant yeast
• 1 heaped teaspoons salt

For the kale pesto

• 3/4 of a large bunch – approx 4 big stalks
• 1 bunch of basil
• 1/2 cup walnuts
• 3/4 cup parmesan cheese + a little more to sprinkle on top
• 3/4 cup of olive oil
• Juice of 1 lemon
• salt and pepper

For the bread

• Heat water, milk and butter in a saucepan over low heat until the butter is melted. Add to a mixing bowl and allow to cool to lukewarm. Add honey and 1 1/2 cups of flour and lightly whisk until smooth. Add the eggs and yeast and stir until smooth.
• Allow to sit uncovered for 15 minutes. Mix in salt and another 1 1/2 cups of flour. Knead the dough adding the extra cup of flour until it no longer sticks. (I used a kitchen aid and dough hook but it works just as well kneading by hand).
• Add dough to a lightly greased bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Allow to double in size – about an hour. Punch down the dough and roll out to an approx 12x 24 inch rectangle. Spread a good amount of the pesto over the bread, leaving a 1/2 inch around the edges. Fold over the long edge and roll and secure the seam with a little water.
• Using a sharp knife cut into about 20 portions. Add to baking paper, cover in plastic wrap or a tea towel to rise again for about an hour.
• Pre-heat oven to 180 degrees C (350 degrees F). Once risen, sprinkle with extra parmesan and bake for 15-20 minutes or until golden. Allow to cool slightly and serve.

For the pesto

• Remove stalks from the kale. Blanch kale in boiling water until it is wilted. Refresh under cold water. Squeeze out excess liquid and add to a food processor with the remaining ingredients and pulse until the desired consistency is reached.

The recipe make more pesto than is required. Freeze what remains and add to pasta for an easy dinner.
I like to blanch the kale but it is fine to use completely raw if you prefer.

• 2 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 teaspoon cumin
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon curry powder
• 250 g lamb mince (preferably organic)
• 1 cup quinoa
• 1 1/2 cups stock (beef, chicken or veggie)
• 2 big handfuls of currants
• 250 g punnet of small tomatoes (cherry or grape)
• 2 big handfuls of parsley; roughly chopped
• Natural yoghurt to serve

• Heat a frying pan over medium heat and and add the oil, cumin, cinnamon and curry powder. Stir to combine and add the mince. Stir until cooked through. Add the quinoa and stir to coat. Add the stock; bring to the boil. Cover, lower heat to as low as possible and cook for about 12 minutes or until the quinoa is cooked through and the liquid had been absorbed.
• Add the tomatoes and currants; cover and let sit for 5 minutes. Stir through the chopped parsley reserving a little for garnish; serve with a good dollop of natural yoghurt.

• 1 kg chat potatoes (or as many or few as you like)
• 1 tablespoon nigella seeds
• 1 tablespoon cumin seeds
• 1 tablespoon coriander seeds
• 1 tablespoon oil
• Salt & pepper
• parsley leaves to serve; roughly chopped

• Wash the potatoes well because we are leaving the skin on. Chop in half and add to a pot of salted water and cook until tender. Drain and set aside.
• While the potatoes are cooking, add the spices to a mortar and pestle and bash/grind until ground.
• Add 1 tablespoons oil to a frying pan over high heat and add the potatoes. Give the pan a toss so the potatoes are evenly browned. Once golden add a tablespoon of the spice mixture and toss to coat. Season with salt and pepper, serve warm garnished with parsley.

• 500 ml (2 cups) milk
• 1/4 cup of brown rice (you could also use white but brown is more nutritious)
• 1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste (or you could use extract)
• 1 small cinnamon stick
• Honey or maple syrup to drizzle – suitable for babies 12 months plus

• Combine milk, vanilla bean paste, cinnamon stick and rice in a saucepan and bring to the boil. Cover with a lid; lower temperature and simmer for about an hour to an hour and a half. (brown rice will take quite a bit longer than white rice).
• It is ready when most of the liquid has been absorbed, keeping in mind it will thicken up quite a lot once cool. Serve warm or cold on it own, or drizzle with honey and top with fresh fruit

To sweeten naturally try adding a mashed banana once cooked and cooled
For little babies, add to a blender and puree until smooth. Try adding a date when pureeing for another flavour with added natural sweetener

Prep Time 30 minutes

Cook Time 25 minutes

Pastry resting time 30 minutes

Total Time 55 minutes

For the ricotta pastry

• 200 grams (7oz) butter softened (not melted)
• 300 grams (10 1/2oz) ricotta
• 300 grams (2 x 250ml cups) plain all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
• pinch salt

For the parsley and pine nut filling

• 1/3 cup pine nuts
• 1/2 cup parsley (loosely packed) finely chopped
• 1/2 cup parmesan cheese (loosely packed) finely grated
• 2 cloves garlic minced
• salt and pepper to taste
• 10 approx baby (cherry) bocconcini torn

• Add the butter and ricotta to a bowl and mix with a wooden spoon until combined. Add the sifted flour, baking powder and a pinch of salt. Tip out onto a bench and knead together with your hands until the mixture comes together into a soft ball of pastry. (If not wanting to do it by hand, I have made this recipe in my Kitchenaid with a dough hook attached, it works out perfectly)Form into a ball, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes. Make the filling below while you wait.
• Pre-heat oven to 180 C/350 F.  Roll out pastry with a rolling pin on a lightly floured surface, to a thickness of about 3mm, and cut into 10cm (4inch) squares.
• Put a heaped teaspoon of filling in the middle of each square and a couple of piece of the torn bocconcini.  Pinch the opposite ends together with a little water.
• Line an oven tray with baking paper and bake for about 25 minutes, or until golden brown. Serve warm

For the filling

• Dry fry the pine nuts in a frying pan until golden brown.
• Combine the remaining ingredients (excluding the bocconcini) and stir to combine.  Add the pine nuts while still hot and mix to combine. 

• 1 large sweet potato
• 1 tablespoon of olive oil
• sesame seeds to garnish

Dipping Sauce

• juice of half a lemon
• 2 teaspoons of maple syrup

• Pre-heat oven to 180 degrees C (350 degrees F). Peal then slice sweet potato into thin wedges; add to a roasting pan big enough so the slices are in a single layer. Toss with olive oil and bake for about 30 minutes. (The time really depends on how thickly you have made the slices so check them often)
• For the dipping sauce, place ingredients into a small saucepan and heat to dissolve the maple. Once the wedges are golden, drizzle with the syrup (reserving some for your little ones to dip into) and garnish with sesame seeds

If you don’t fancy the charred bits on the ends – slice them more like a chip shape 🙂

• 400 g sugar plums (or other type of plum), halved and pitted
• 100 g coconut sugar
• 50 ml red wine vinegar
• 100 ml red wine
• 1/2 cup water
• 2 each star anise and cinnamon quills
• 1 vanilla bean , split, seeds scraped (alternatively use vanilla bean paste)
• Zest of 1/2 lemon

• Combine sugar, vinegar, wine, water, spices, vanilla and zest in a pan over low heat, stirring until sugar dissolves. Bring to the boil, then simmer until reduced by half. Add plums; cover with a lid and cook over very low heat for about 15 minutes. Using a slotted spoon transfer plums to a bowl. Return pan to medium heat and simmer for 5 or so minutes until the mixture is syrupy. Add syrup to plums, cover and refrigerate until chilled and ready to serve

• Pumpkin – a small wedge
• Kale – a handful of torn leaves
• 2 tbls cream
• parmesan

• Slice the pumpkin into thin slices and steam until cooked
• Blanch the kale leaves in boiling water until tender; then chop according to your babies chewing ability
• Layer cooked pumpkin and kale into dish
• Drizzle with the cream and top with grated parmesan
• Place under the grill until nice and golden

If making for younger babies. Blend pumpkin,Kale and cream in a blender until you have a smooth puree. Add to dish; top with grated parmesan and grill until goldenWill keep in freezer for 3 months

If making for the entire family use approximately a 1/4 of a medium sized pumpkin

• 300 – 400 grams chicken thighs (about 4 thighs)
• 2 medium onions; finely sliced
• 2 tablespoons oil
• 4 tablespoons soy
• 4 tablespoons water
• 2 tablespoons mirin
• 5 eggs; light beaten
• Spring onion; finely chopped on the diagonal
• pickled ginger to serve
• Boiled rice to serve

• Heat half the oil in a frying pan over high heat and cook the chicken until golden and cooked through. Set aside. Add the additional oil and the sliced onions; cook over low heat until tender but not browned. Add the soy, water, and mirin and bring to the boil. Return the chicken to the pan.
• Lower heat to low and pour in the eggs. Using a wooden spoon, stir it around once to distribute the mixture a little. Cover and cook for 5 or so minutes, or until the egg is set.
• Add rice to bowl and top with the chicken. Garnish with spring onion and pickled ginger.