I have a huge basil plant that was in need of a major prune, and this is the result.  Homemade, deliciously raw, broccoli and basil pesto.  Pesto it is a great way to get children who don’t like the look of vegetable to get a good serve.  You can stir it through pasta, add a dollop to soups, spread over roast chicken, use as a dip for crackers or simply eat as is – like my little guy is doing the last picture!  I also have a few other ideas so expect a few forthcoming post where I put it to good use…  

Raw broccoli and basil pesto

1. 1/2 cup olive oil
2. 1/2 medium sized broccoli, broken in to florets
3. 1 cup of packed basil leaves
4. 1 garlic clove
5. 1 cup of grated pecorino or parmesan cheese (I used a bit of both as I was finishing off what I had in the fridge)
6. 1/2 cup walnuts (you could use pine nuts, hazelnuts or slivered almonds)
7. juice of half a lemon
8. Salt and pepper to taste (about half a teaspoon is good)

1. Place all ingredients in a food processor and process until it reaches a pesto consistency. If it is a little dry add some additional olive oil while the machine is running or you could add a couple of tablespoons of water

1. Place into sterilised jars and keep in the fridge for about a week. Alternatively freeze in ice cube trays and take a couple of cubes out when needed

Little Big H http://littlebigh.com/

Baked ricotta is creamy, lemony, deliciousness.  What more can I say!  The little dude was a  huge fan.  He looooooves dips – or possibly the actual dipping itself, but either way he dipped away with gusto.  Serve as a dip at your next party or I love it served with roasted veggies and crusty bread for a…

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This Mexican black bean salad is super easy and super quick.  I’ve used canned beans for convenience.  They are the perfect fast food and I always have some in the cupboard ready for a quick side dish or lunch.   I started giving H beans and chickpeas early on and would simply mash them with…

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Chicken Domburi has always been a favourite of mine.  It all happens in the one pot (excluding cooking the rice), so its perfect for a quick week night meal.  You start by browning the chicken and then cooking the onions until soft.  Add your liquid and the eggs and its all ready once the eggs…

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I have been making these delicious bread rolls for years with a range of different fillings.  This kale pesto filling is really delicious as the lemony flavour is balanced beautifully by the sweet bread.  If you want a short cut, store-bought pesto would also work well.   I have rolled the pasty out quite thin,…

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This post has been a long time coming.  I usually have 3 or 4 recipes ready to go but I have had a number of flops recently and have become a little over it! First there was my lemony asparagus pasta that I make often but turned to mush on this occasion.  Then I attempted a…

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These strawberry and coconut muesli bars are a real winner.  They are super easy to make and always work out beautifully.  I have used strawberries because there seems to be an abundance of them in Australia at the moment, they are super cheap, super tasty and we can’t get enough of them.  You can substitute what’s in…

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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…

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This recipe makes a large batch so you can freeze what’s left.  They defrost really well and are perfect for unexpected visitors or as a starter or light lunch.  The lamb filling has lots of spices along with mint and crumbly feta – really delicious.  I served it with a little golden kiwi fruit salsa (golden kiwi…

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The classic roast chook, it’s always a favourite at our table.  This recipe is really simple and the result is perfectly cooked chicken with juicy flesh and crispy skin, with hints of sage. Up until fairly recently we always used the rotisserie to cook chicken, but with that no longer an option (apartment living!).  I have…

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There isn’t a whole lot I like about winter, but juicy blood oranges are one of the few things that I can’t get enough of.  The colours are just gorgeous and I love love love orange salads.   There is another one that I make regularly with rosewater, pistachios and goats cheese – but I’ll leave that for another post!  This citrus salad with fennel and…

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The countdown is on and I’m super excited this year.  H and I were chatting about getting a photo with Santa the other day – or more accurately I was trying to convince him it was a good idea…

Me: What are you going to ask Santa for?

H: A drum and a flower

Me: Who are the flowers for?

H: Mummy.

My heart nearly burst – I have the sweetest boy….  

H and I have already been getting into the Christmas spirit.  We have made Christmas garland and decorations for our tree, a rosemary wreath for our door, Christmas cookies and these super cute pandan meringue christmas trees.  

How gorgeous would they look on your Christmas day table!

The flavour of the pandan goes so well with the meringue. It really is very delicious and its naturally green!

Meringue is very easy to make with out a lot of ingredients.  They can be made a couple of days in advance, just keep them in an airtight container until ready to serve.  

Pandan paste is available from asian grocers and some supermarkets. 

Pandan Meringue Christmas Trees

1. 4 egg whites
2. 1 cup caster sugar
3. 1 teaspoon white vinegar
4. 1 teaspoon pandan paste
5. *optional – icing sugar to resemble snow – sprinkled on top

1. Pre-heat oven to 100 degrees C (210 degrees F). Add the egg whites to a clean dry bowl. Whisk until soft peaks have formed. Slowly add the caster sugar and continue whisking for about 10 minutes or until the meringue looks super glossy and is no longer gritty from the sugar. Add vinegar and whisk to combine. Add 1/2 to 1 teaspoon of the pandan paste and fold through. You don’t want it too green!
2. Add a large star tip to your pipping bag. To create a swirl in the meringue, like you can in my pictures. Add a drop or two of the pandan paste to the inside of your pipping bag and then add the meringue.
3. Line a baking tray with baking paper. I pipped a circle and then a blob of meringue on top. To create a tree like shape I then pipped around the blob in an upward motion to create a tree like shape.
4. Bake for 1 hour 30 minutes for the meringue to be crispy on the outside and slightly chewy/marshmallow on the inside. If you like your meringue to be completely set and crispy you will need to bake them for an extra 30min to an hour. Allow to cool completely
5. Sprinkle lightly with icing sugar and serve

1. Makes 10 – 12 depending on how big you make them. I made mine about 6 cm (2 1/2 inches) wide.
2. Make up to two days ahead and store in an airtight container.
3. The gold flecks you see on my trees are little edible stars. Used for decorating cupcakes.

Little Big H http://littlebigh.com/

Chia seed pudding is one of the first recipes I posted on this blog.  H and I both love it, and I love the convenience of it when served for breakfast.  I always make it the night before and it is ready to go in the morning.  It is so easy to make and requires no cooking.

I started giving my little guy chia seed pudding when he was about 6 months old.  I originally discovered the recipe on ‘A Healthy Mum‘ – a food blog with healthy recipes and tips, and I have been making it ever since.  

I have used coconut milk in this version and combined it with berries for a healthy breakfast, snack or dessert. You can find the original recipe here.

Coconut Chia Seed Pudding

1. 1 cup coconut milk
2. 4 tablespoons chia seeds
3. 1 teaspoon vanilla extract or paste
4. 1 cup berries (fresh or frozen); mashed with a fork
5. Extra berries to serve
6. Optional* a tablespoon of maple syrup to sweeten

1. Add the milk to a mason jar or a container with a lid. Add the chia seeds and vanilla extract, secure the lid and shake straight away so the chia seeds don’t clump together. Add the mashed berries and shake again.
2. Give it a few more shakes over the next 15 minutes, so the mixture thickens evenly. Leave in the fridge for a few hours or make the night before.
3. Serve with extra berries

1. I also love the combination of coconut and mango – use whatever fruit is in season
2. Sweeten with maple syrup or honey from 12 months old

Little Big H http://littlebigh.com/

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/

Quick roast lemon chicken is a great weeknight meal with minimum fuss.  By butterflying the chicken it cooks in half the time and allows you to add your veggies in from the start.  

I love meals like this that all go in at once and allow you to clean up while the magic happens.  So easy and perfect for busy families.  I have used the zest of two lemon which add a real lemony flavour hit.  I think the lemon is really lovely with the veggies, particularly the pumpkin.   Just be sure to cut your veggies in to large chunks so they don’t cook too quickly.  Enjoy xx

Quick Roast Lemon Chicken

1. 1 free-range Chicken (approx 1.6kgs, preferably organic)
2. 60 grams butter; softened but not melted
3. 1 clove garlic;
4. 1 teaspoon finely chopped parsley + extra to garnish
5. 2 lemons
6. Veggies: Carrot, parsnip, pumpkin, sweet potato, broccoli or whatever you like…

1. Pre-heat oven to 200 degrees C (400 degrees F). Butterfly the chicken by placing it breast side down on the counter. Remove the backbone by cutting down both sides of the bone. Flatten it as much as you can. Turn it over and loosen the skin over the breast by easing under it with your hands.
2. Combine the softened butter, garlic and the zest of two lemons and place 3/4 of it under the skin and spread it around. Pat dry the skin with a paper towel and add the remainder to the top of the chicken.
3. Cut your veggies quite chunky and add to the pan (excluding fast cooking veggies like broccoli, add them when there is about 10-15 minutes cooking time remaining) with a splash of oil and season with salt and pepper. Cut the lemon in half and place two halves under the chicken and the other two cut side down in the pan.
4. Cook for 40 – 50 minutes or until cooked through. The juices should run clear once cooked. Alternatively test with a thermometer, chicken should be 75 degrees C (165 degrees F) once cooked.

1. If using potatoes – parboil before adding to roasting pan as they will take longer. Veggies cooked this way aren’t super crispy but they have a lovely lemony flavour.
2. Cooking time will vary depending on the size of your chicken.

Little Big H http://littlebigh.com/

I really like celery but I don’t tend to use a lot of it in my cooking – not sure why!  I always seem to have a huge amount taking up prime real-estate in my tiny fridge – thanks to my mum who always seems to buy it.  Keen to use it up, I was browsing my cookbooks ‘online’ looking for wintry celery recipe and decided on this one by Tom Kerridge.  I have adapted the recipe a little and Tom also tops the soup with a poached egg – so go ahead and do that if you like.

So let me explain the ‘online’ cookbooks above.  I had a brilliant idea – or at least I thought it was my idea, until I looked online and someone had already done it (don’t you hate that!), and brilliantly I might add.  The website is Eat Your Books  (and I highly recommend it to anyone with a lot of cookbooks).  You simply add the cookbooks (and some magazines) that you own to your online bookshelf and then use it to search for recipes.  

So lets say I want to find all the recipes that contain celery in my collection.  Instead of flipping through all of my cookbooks looking for a recipe, I simply search for celery and it will give me a list of recipes to choose from.  I currently have 430 recipes that include celery in my collection of 63 cookbooks and 5550 recipes. Cool right.  You can also search for cuisine, recipe type, etc. 

You can join for free but to add unlimited books you need to upgrade to pro – I did, its cheap and well worth it in my opinion.

This is NOT a sponsored post.  I just wanted to share my find with you all. I’m excited…

You can see my bookshelf here

1. 1 leek; sliced
2. 2 garlic cloves; crushed
3. 1 kilo of celery; chopped
4. 1 large potato; diced
5. 1 litre salt-reduced chicken stock (or vegetable stock)
6. 1 small bunch of parsley; leaves only
7. 200 ml double cream
8. Celery leave to garnish *optional

1. Add a splash of olive oil to a large saucepan or pot. Add the leek and garlic and cook until soft – about 10 minutes. Add the potato and chicken stock and bring to the boil. Lower heat and simmer until the potato is soft. Add the celery and bring to the boil and cook for about 5 minutes or until the celery is just soft. Add the parsley and double crew; stir and remove from the heat.
2. Whizz in a blender or food processor until smooth. Pass through a fine sieve if it isn’t silky smooth and season with salt and pepper. Serve hot drizzled with olive oil. Garnish with a few celery leaves.

1. Serves 4-6 people.
2. Suitable for babies from 6 months, however I would leave out the salt and pepper for babies portions

Adapted from Tom Kerridge’s Best Ever Dishes Adapted from Tom Kerridge’s Best Ever Dishes Little Big H http://littlebigh.com/

I have never made skewers for H before but I will say they were a huge hit.  I think like most toddlers/kids he can be a little lazy when it comes to chewing meat.  These skewers however are tiny enough to be toddler friendly and by using eye fillet beef, they were tender and easy for little mouths the manage. 

As you can see, kids love to eat food from sticks!  Just chop the pointy end off the skewer before serving

Beef Skewers with Asian Marinade

1. 400g Beef eye fillet
2. sesame seeds
3. Lemon; cut into wedges to serve
4. 6 skewers

1. 2 tablespoons dry sherry
2. 2 tablespoons kecap manin
3. 2 tablespoons sugar
4. 2 tablespoons minced ginger
5. 3 garlic cloves, crushed
6. 1 tablespoon oyster sauce
7. 1 tablespoon soy sauce
8. 2 teaspoons malt vinegar
9. 1 teaspoon sesame oil

1. Combine all the marinade ingredients in a bowl and mix to combine. Dice the beef into the toddler bite size pieces and add to the marinade. Marinade for a couple of hours minimum or preferable overnight in the refrigerator
2. Soak the skewers in water (this prevents them from burning). Skewer the beef and cook on a hot grill plate or BBQ until nicely charred and cooked through. They won’t take very long, so keep an eye on them. Serve sprinkled with sesame seeds and lemon wedge

Adapted from marinade from Kylie Kwong Adapted from marinade from Kylie Kwong Little Big H http://littlebigh.com/

Mascarpone cheese is incredibly easy to make and its a lot of fun.  It only requires two ingredient and about 10 minutes of effort for thick, creamy and delicious mascarpone cheese the next morning.  

A lot of recipes on the web call for heavy cream, which in Australia is most similar to pure cream.  Don’t use thickened cream as it often contains a thickener such as gelatine.  Pure cream works beautifully, just make sure it contains a minimum of 35% milk fat. Once you have heated it on the stove, leave it to cool to room temperature before adding it to the cheesecloth, if a little of the mixture strains straight through its ok, it will settle and the whey will slowly strain away over night (a few tablespoons only) and in the morning you will have mascarpone cheese. 

How to make mascarpone cheese

1. 2 cups pure cream – minimum 35% milk fat (heavy cream for my US friends)
2. 1 tablespoon of fresh lemon juice

1. Add the cream to a saucepan and slowly bring the temperature up to 82 degrees C (180 degrees F). (I used a candy thermometer) Simmer at this temperature for 3 minutes, giving an occasional stir
2. Add the lemon juice, stir and simmer for a further 3 minutes at 82 degrees C (180 degrees F).
3. Leave to cool for about 45 minutes. Sit a fine strainer over a bowl and cover with 4 layers of cheesecloth. Pour the mixture in and refrigerate over night. It will be ready to use in the morning

Little Big H http://littlebigh.com/

Salads and toddlers aren’t two words that generally go well together!  But, we love salads, and they are one of H’s favourite things to eat.  The trick is to add ingredients that they love, and then sneak in the rest.  

This warm lentil, potato and corn salad has all of H’s favourite things.  I have snuck in some kale, which I have blanched and chopped finely as I know he wouldn’t eat otherwise – you can leave it raw if you like.  I also added some mint and a yoghurt dressing that has a hint of spice.  I think it’s delicious and would makes a lovely side to your main meal or serve it as a healthy lunch as I did.

Enjoy xxx

Warm lentil, potato & corn salad with yoghurt dressing

1. 3/4 cup green lentils
2. 2 ears of corn
3. 6 stalks kale; leaves only, discard stalks.
4. 3 potatoes
5. 1/4 cup finely chopped mint
6. Juice of 1/2 – 1 lemon
7. Olive oil
8. Salt and pepper

1. 3/4 cup natural yoghurt (or plain greek yoghurt)
2. 1 teaspoon honey
3. 1/2 – 1 teaspoon cumin
4. 1 – 2 teaspoons lemon juice
5. small pinch salt

1. Add the lentils to a saucepan with 2 cups of water and bring to the boil. Cover and simmer for about 15 minutes or until tender, add more water if necessary – they should still be firm though. Peel and chop the potatoes; add to a saucepan and cover with water. Cook until tender. Remove potato from the pot and set aside. Using a the same water if you wish, cook the kale and corn for a couple of minutes, remove and allow to cool slightly. Slice the corn kernels off the cob and set aside. Finely chop the kale.
2. In a large bowl, combine the lentils, potato, corn, mint, a good few glugs of olive oil, lemon juice and salt and pepper.

1. Combine all the ingredients together in a small bowl.
2. Serve the salad with the yoghurt dressing on the side

1. Serves 4 -6 as a side. Lovely served warm or cold.
2. Add more or less cumin to suit your taste. I only use 1/2 teaspoon so it isn’t too strong for the little guy. The kale can be left raw. I cook it and chop if finely so it easier for the little guy to chew.

Little Big H http://littlebigh.com/