I love to make my own pastry and when I came across this recipe in one of my favourite cookbooks I couldn’t wait to try it out.  It is very simple and sugar-free.  I have added a little orange blossom water because the combination of that with the strawberries is heavenly.  

The only sugar in these jam filled ricotta pastries comes from the strawberry jam filling which adds a lovely sweetness, but if you were after an even healthier option, you could use fresh fruit in place of the jam or possibly a sugar-free chia jam?  Both would work well.

Not really looking for a healthy treat!  What about adding a few square of good quality dark chocolate instead? Yum…

They are best serve on the day of making but an option would be to make the pastry a day or so in advance and keep it in the fridge until you are ready to roll out and bake on the day.  

These jam filled ricotta pasties are based on one of my favourite cookbooks called Twelve by Tessa Kiros – a Tuscan cookbook.  I have made so many of the recipes and they all work out well.  

Jam Filled Ricotta Pastries

1. 200g (7oz) butter; softened
2. 300g (10 1/2oz) fresh ricotta cheese
3. 300g (10 1/2oz) plain all purpose flour
4. 1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
5. 1 teaspoon vanilla essence
6. 1 tablespoon orange blossom water
7. pinch of salt

1. Strawberry jam
2. *optional – icing sugar to dust on top

1. Add the butter and ricotta to a bowl and mix with a wooden spoon until combined. Add the sifted flour, baking powder, vanilla essence, orange blossom water 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)
2. Cover dough with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30-60 minutes.
3. 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 into 10cm (4inch) squares.
4. Put a heaped teaspoon of strawberry jam in the middle of each square and pinch the opposite ends together with a little water.
5. Line an oven tray with baking paper and bake for about 20-30 minutes, or until golden brown. Serve warm or cold, and dust with icing sugar if using.

1. If the pastry feel a little wet just give the bench and your hands a good dust before rolling out it out.
2. Why not alternate the flavours and try strawberry jam, apricot jam, fresh fruit or even chocolate. It’s a great excuse to try all the flavours 🙂

Adapted from Twelve – a Tuscan cookbook by Tessa Kiros Adapted from Twelve – a Tuscan cookbook by Tessa Kiros Little Big H http://littlebigh.com/

Everyone loves fries right?  My little guy certainly does.  I don’t make them often because H will go straight for them, and its often hard to get him to eat anything else, but when I do, I love to add herbs and spices.  

These sweet paprika fries make a tasty alternative and being oven roasted they are also better for you. Enjoy… 

1. About 4 large potatoes
2. 1 tablespoon sweet paprika
3. 2 tablespoons olive oil
4. salt
5. parsley to garnish (*optional)

1. Pre-heat the oven to 220 degrees C (420 degrees F). Peel and chop the potatoes into fries that are roughly the same size. Dry them a little using paper towel if they are wet. Toss the potatoes in the olive oil, paprika and salt
2. Place on an oven tray in a singe layer so the potatoes aren’t touching and cook for about 30 minutes (the time really depends on the size of your fries so keep an eye on them). For best results toss them half way through cooking. Sprinkle with parsley if using and serve.

Little Big H http://littlebigh.com/

Chunky sesame prawn toasts are sure to be a hit with young and old.  They are super crispy, quick to make, tasty little triangles that are great served at parties, for lunch or as a starter to your main meal. 

I have used delicious plump fresh prawns for this recipe but frozen would work just as well.  All you have to do is chop the prawns, add the remaining ingredients and coat in sesame seeds.  

I have then cooked these babies in the oven until golden brown.  Go ahead and fry them if you like.  Not as healthy but I’m sure even tastier!

Chunky Sesame Prawn Toasts

1. 6 slices of bread; crusts removed and cut into quarters (I’ve used white rye)
2. 300g raw prawns; chopped
3. 1 teaspoon minced ginger
4. 1 teaspoon sesame oil
5. 1 teaspoon soy sauce
6. 1 egg white; lightly whisked
7. pinch of salt
8. sesame seeds to coat (black or white)

1. Pre-heat the oven to 180 C / 350 F. Combine the prawn meat with the ginger, sesame oil, soy sauce, egg white and salt. Stir to combine.
2. Add the mixture to the bread triangles. About a tablespoon per triangle. Put as much on them as you can. Coat the triangles in the sesame seeds and place on a oven tray.
3. Cook for about 20 – 25 minutes or until the prawns are cooked and nice and golden. Serve warm.

1. I chopped my prawn quite chunky. If finely chopping reduce the cooking time a little.

Little Big H http://littlebigh.com/

This quick crispy potato with nigella seeds recipe happened when I was in a bit of a rush.  I was going to boil some potatoes but noticed my nigella seed mix sitting there and decided to give my potatoes a quick toss in the pan, with some oil and a tablespoon of the spice mixture – they were delicious. Better than plain old boiled potatoes lets say! 

The nigella seeds spice mixture will make more than you need for this recipe, so keep it in a jar and add some to your sautéed veggies, potato salads, tomatoes salads, cous cous, quinoa salads, etc.  

Quick crispy potatoes with nigella seeds

1. 1 kg chat potatoes (or as many or few as you like)
2. 1 tablespoon nigella seeds
3. 1 tablespoon cumin seeds
4. 1 tablespoon coriander seeds
5. 1 tablespoon oil
6. Salt & pepper
7. parsley leaves to serve; roughly chopped

1. 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.
2. While the potatoes are cooking, add the spices to a mortar and pestle and bash/grind until ground.
3. 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.

Little Big H http://littlebigh.com/

Chunky sesame prawn toasts are sure to be a hit with young and old.  They are super crispy, quick to make, tasty little triangles that are great served at parties, for lunch or as a starter to your main meal. 

I have used delicious plump fresh prawns for this recipe but frozen would work just as well.  All you have to do is chop the prawns, add the remaining ingredients and coat in sesame seeds.  

I have then cooked these babies in the oven until golden brown.  Go ahead and fry them if you like.  Not as healthy but I’m sure even tastier!

Chunky Sesame Prawn Toasts

1. 6 slices of bread; crusts removed and cut into quarters (I’ve used white rye)
2. 300g raw prawns; chopped
3. 1 teaspoon minced ginger
4. 1 teaspoon sesame oil
5. 1 teaspoon soy sauce
6. 1 egg white; lightly whisked
7. pinch of salt
8. sesame seeds to coat (black or white)

1. Pre-heat the oven to 180 C / 350 F. Combine the prawn meat with the ginger, sesame oil, soy sauce, egg white and salt. Stir to combine.
2. Add the mixture to the bread triangles. About a tablespoon per triangle. Put as much on them as you can. Coat the triangles in the sesame seeds and place on a oven tray.
3. Cook for about 20 – 25 minutes or until the prawns are cooked and nice and golden. Serve warm.

1. I chopped my prawn quite chunky. If finely chopping reduce the cooking time a little.

Little Big H http://littlebigh.com/

Welcome to Little Big H.  My hope when starting this blog was to share and encourage parents to make their own baby food at home, to be adventurous with their cooking and to help raise adventurous eaters that appreciate a wide variety of good food.  It has evolved to include healthy food for the whole family.

I believe that by exposing your child to complex flavours and a wide variety of food early on, you will be well on your way to avoiding a fussy eater. This is the approach I took with Harry (aka Little Big H) and he will happily try most things I put in front of him.

My recipes are simple to make, and kid friendly in that they are nutritious, low in sugar and salt, and all other nasties and are therefore suitable for the entire family.

Please note that I am not a Doctor or Nutritionist so please consult your health professional if you have any concern about introducing certain foods to your little one – particularly if you have a history of allergies in your family.

P.S:  I’m also not a chef, writer or photographer and this is my first time blogging! I’m hoping to learn along the way.  Feel free to contact us, I’d love to hear your feedback.

I love to make my own pastry and when I came across this recipe in one of my favourite cookbooks I couldn’t wait to try it out.  It is very simple and sugar-free.  I have added a little orange blossom water because the combination of that with the strawberries is heavenly.  

The only sugar in these jam filled ricotta pastries comes from the strawberry jam filling which adds a lovely sweetness, but if you were after an even healthier option, you could use fresh fruit in place of the jam or possibly a sugar-free chia jam?  Both would work well.

Not really looking for a healthy treat!  What about adding a few square of good quality dark chocolate instead? Yum…

They are best serve on the day of making but an option would be to make the pastry a day or so in advance and keep it in the fridge until you are ready to roll out and bake on the day.  

These jam filled ricotta pasties are based on one of my favourite cookbooks called Twelve by Tessa Kiros – a Tuscan cookbook.  I have made so many of the recipes and they all work out well.  

Jam Filled Ricotta Pastries

1. 200g (7oz) butter; softened
2. 300g (10 1/2oz) fresh ricotta cheese
3. 300g (10 1/2oz) plain all purpose flour
4. 1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
5. 1 teaspoon vanilla essence
6. 1 tablespoon orange blossom water
7. pinch of salt

1. Strawberry jam
2. *optional – icing sugar to dust on top

1. Add the butter and ricotta to a bowl and mix with a wooden spoon until combined. Add the sifted flour, baking powder, vanilla essence, orange blossom water 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)
2. Cover dough with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30-60 minutes.
3. 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 into 10cm (4inch) squares.
4. Put a heaped teaspoon of strawberry jam in the middle of each square and pinch the opposite ends together with a little water.
5. Line an oven tray with baking paper and bake for about 20-30 minutes, or until golden brown. Serve warm or cold, and dust with icing sugar if using.

1. If the pastry feel a little wet just give the bench and your hands a good dust before rolling out it out.
2. Why not alternate the flavours and try strawberry jam, apricot jam, fresh fruit or even chocolate. It’s a great excuse to try all the flavours 🙂

Adapted from Twelve – a Tuscan cookbook by Tessa Kiros Adapted from Twelve – a Tuscan cookbook by Tessa Kiros Little Big H http://littlebigh.com/

I know what you are thinking – Dukkah isn’t kids food!  Well I thought the same things, so when H and I decided to make this homemade nutty dukkah the other morning.  I wasn’t expecting H to like it.  He has never been a huge fan of cumin so I thought there is no way….

But, I turned away for a moment, came back to the table to see H shovelling it in by the handful – see proof in the video below…

I guess it just proves that their tastes change and what they didn’t like last week they may like now!  I’m sure it also has something to do with helping to make it.  So get your little one involved with the measuring and taste testing as you go. 

Dukkah is a middle eastern roasted spice mix that is traditionally served on it own with bread and olive oil.  There are stacks of other uses for it and it will make your average dishes great.  See a few options below:

• Sprinkle on soups and salads
• Use it to crumb fish or chicken
• Sprinkle it on your labneh when serving – see my labneh recipe here
• Serve with homemade Lebanese flatbread
• Sprinkle on your scrambled eggs, fried egg or roll your soft-boiled egg in it and serve with avo and toast
• Add to your roasted veggies – see my quick dukkah roasted brussels spouts recipe below
• Add to jars and give to your friends and family as a lovely homemade gift 

1. 1 cup almonds
2. 2 tablespoons cumin seeds
3. 1 tablespoon coriander seeds
4. 1 tablespoon fennel seeds
5. 1 tablespoon sesame seeds (we used black)
6. 1 teaspoon ground ginger
7. 1 teaspoon salt
8. 2 teaspoons chia seeds

1. Pre-heat oven to 180 C / 350 F. Add the almonds to a roasting tray and roast for approximately 10 minutes or until golden. Add the cumin, coriander, fennel and sesame seeds to another tray and roast for about 10 minutes or until golden. Keep on eye on them.
2. Once cool add both to a mortar and pestle, along with the ginger, chia and salt. Bang away until you achieve a crumb. You don’t want it super fine but no big chunks for little ones either.
3. Serve with olive oil and fresh bread or see my other ideas below

1. Will keep in an airtight container for a few weeks
2. If you don’t have a mortar and pestle, add to a food processor and pulse until the desired consistency is reached

Little Big H http://littlebigh.com/

For roasted brussels sprouts with homemade nutty dukkah

Preheat oven to 200 C / 400 F.  Chop brussels sprouts in half and add a good few glugs of olive oil and a few tablespoons of the dukkah mixture.  Mix coat. Roast for about 15 minutes or until super golden.  Serve 

Green smoothies are to H what lollies are to a lot of kids – he absolutely loves them.

Guaranteed if we walk past a juice bar, he will drag me kicking and screaming until he gets one – he loves to choose the ingredients and it has become his little treat after daycare a couple of times a week. 

This one was made up of kale, cucumber, pineapple, and mint.  It is lovely and refreshing and not overly green tasting.  A good intro to green smoothies if your little one is not used to them.  

Enjoy xx

Watch our little video of H making this smoothie all on his own – and taste testing of course. Click play to watch it here… 

Green smoothie with kale, cucumber, pineapple and mint

1. 1/4 large fresh pineapple
2. 1 apple
3. 1 cucumber
4. 1 cup water
5. a few springs of mint
6. 3 stalks kale
7. handful of ice cubes

1. Add all the ingredients to a high speed blender; blend until smooth.
2. *to sweeten add your sweetener of choice (honey, maple, fresh dates, etc)

1. This makes enough to serve two people plus a little left over for the next day.

Little Big H http://littlebigh.com/

I love to make my own pastry and when I came across this recipe in one of my favourite cookbooks I couldn’t wait to try it out.  It is very simple and sugar-free.  I have added a little orange blossom water because the combination of that with the strawberries is heavenly.  

The only sugar in these jam filled ricotta pastries comes from the strawberry jam filling which adds a lovely sweetness, but if you were after an even healthier option, you could use fresh fruit in place of the jam or possibly a sugar-free chia jam?  Both would work well.

Not really looking for a healthy treat!  What about adding a few square of good quality dark chocolate instead? Yum…

They are best serve on the day of making but an option would be to make the pastry a day or so in advance and keep it in the fridge until you are ready to roll out and bake on the day.  

These jam filled ricotta pasties are based on one of my favourite cookbooks called Twelve by Tessa Kiros – a Tuscan cookbook.  I have made so many of the recipes and they all work out well.  

Jam Filled Ricotta Pastries

1. 200g (7oz) butter; softened
2. 300g (10 1/2oz) fresh ricotta cheese
3. 300g (10 1/2oz) plain all purpose flour
4. 1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
5. 1 teaspoon vanilla essence
6. 1 tablespoon orange blossom water
7. pinch of salt

1. Strawberry jam
2. *optional – icing sugar to dust on top

1. Add the butter and ricotta to a bowl and mix with a wooden spoon until combined. Add the sifted flour, baking powder, vanilla essence, orange blossom water 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)
2. Cover dough with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30-60 minutes.
3. 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 into 10cm (4inch) squares.
4. Put a heaped teaspoon of strawberry jam in the middle of each square and pinch the opposite ends together with a little water.
5. Line an oven tray with baking paper and bake for about 20-30 minutes, or until golden brown. Serve warm or cold, and dust with icing sugar if using.

1. If the pastry feel a little wet just give the bench and your hands a good dust before rolling out it out.
2. Why not alternate the flavours and try strawberry jam, apricot jam, fresh fruit or even chocolate. It’s a great excuse to try all the flavours 🙂

Adapted from Twelve – a Tuscan cookbook by Tessa Kiros Adapted from Twelve – a Tuscan cookbook by Tessa Kiros Little Big H http://littlebigh.com/