Coconut Milk Flan

1 can coconut milk
1/2 cup sugar + 1/2 cup sugar
3 eggs
1/2 tsp vanilla extract (optional)

Refrigerate the can of coconut milk overnight, or put in freezer for about 30 minutes. In a small baking pan (I used a 6 inch round pan) melt the first half cup of sugar over low to medium heat. You'll need to shake and turn the pan so that the sugar melts evenly. Be sure to wear oven mitts. Once the sugar is completely melted, set aside and let cool while you make the flan. Preheat the oven to 325 F. Place a large pan half filled with water in the oven. Allow the water to heat while you prepare the flan. Get the can of coconut milk from the fridge and without shaking it, open the top. Scoop out the cream and set aside in a small bowl. Pour the remaining coconut water into a small saucepan. Bring to a boil and add the other half cup of sugar and vanilla. Simmer until syrupy, maybe 15-20 minutes. Take off heat and let cool for 10 minutes.

Whip the coconut cream you separated. Add the three eggs and mix thoroughly. Pour in the coconut water syrup. Once it's all well mixed pour it into the pan with the melted sugar. Carefully place the pan with the flan mixture into the pan half-full with water that's in the oven. Bake at 325 F for 35-40 minutes or until it's golden and firm toward the edges. The middle might still be a bit loose. Just don't let the top turn from golden to brown. Remove the flan pan from the oven and let cool for 20 minutes. Place in the refrigerator and allow to cool for at least 4 hours, preferably overnight. Slide a knife around the edges of the flan and turn onto a plate. Let the melted sugar drip onto the flan. Serve.

Candy Apples

These are super simple. Pour about 3/4 cup sugar into a sauce pan. Melt over low to medium heat. Twirl the pan every few minutes so that the sugar on bottom doesn't burn. Meanwhile, wash your apples and put in the lollipop sticks. Place them on parchment paper. When the sugar is melted, grab each apple and twirl it as you pour the sugar onto it. Make sure you do this over the parchment paper or over foil. Be very careful while pouring, the sugar is dangerously hot. Put them back down on the paper and let cool a few minutes. That's it!

Quinoa Waffles

2 eggs
4 tbs sugar
4 tbs canola (or safe) oil
1 cup quinoa flour
1/2 cup water
Dash salt
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
Safe spices such as cinnamon

Grease and preheat waffle iron. Separate the whites from the yolks. Beat the whites until firm peaks form. Slowly beat the sugar into the whites. Beat the yolks and add the oil, water, and vanilla. Mix well. Add the water and the flour with the salt and any spices. Mix well. Fold in the egg whites. If the batter is too thick, add a bit more water. These need to be a little thicker than pancake mix.  Pour batter into waffle iron and remove when cooked.

Country Style Ribs

These come out super soft and easy to chew. Very tasty too. I usually only make two at a time, but I’m sure you could make a bigger portion. I shred the meat off the bone when it’s done to serve. Whatever my daughter doesn’t eat I separate into portions and freeze in silver foil. When I want to serve it again I defrost it at low heat until it’s steaming again.

2 country style ribs

1 tbs safe oil

2 tbs maple syrup

3 tbs apple juice (or other similar safe juice, I sometimes use peach too )

Salt

Preheat oven to 250. Wash the ribs and rub them with oil and salt. Place in a pan and cover with foil. Bake for 2 hours. Mix the syrup and juice, then take out the ribs and brush them thoroughly with the mixture. Cover them with foil again and bake an additional 2 hours. Let cool a few minutes then serve as desired.

Pear Sorbet

1.5 cups of water

¾ cup sugar

6 pears, peeled and chopped

Bring the water and sugar to a boil then add the pears. Stir then lower the heat. Simmer until the pears are soft, about 20-25 minutes. Blend the mixture and cool it in the fridge for at least 4 hours. Pour the mix into ice cream machine and let it run until everything freezes smoothly. (I have the ice cream attachment for the Kitchen Aid mixer and it makes really beautiful, smooth sorbet).

Cupcakes and Coconut Frosting

This recipe makes 6 cupcakes, but you can increase it to make more or a full cake.

2 eggs

½ cup of sugar

½ tsp of vanilla

¼ cup potato starch

Dash salt

Preheat oven to 325. Separate the whites from the yolks. Beat the whites with the salt until stiff peaks form. Mix the yolks with the vanilla, sugar and potato starch until the mixture’s smooth. Slowly fold in the whites until the mix is all one color. Pour into cupcake pan and bake for about 20-25 minutes.

For Frosting  - Coconut manna and sugar

I powder about a ½ cup of sugar in my coffee grinder then pour it into a bowl with about ½ cup of coconut manna that I’ve warmed by placing the jar in hot water for 15 minutes. You can adjust the amounts of each to taste. If the manna is warm enough it will be very fluid and once you mix it with the sugar will be thick but still spreadable. You can then use it to frost the cupcakes.

Green Egg Noodles

1 egg

1 tbs pureed spinach

1 tbs potato starch

1 tsp water

Salt

Dissolve the starch in the water then beat in the egg and mix in the spinach. Add salt to taste. Place a frying pan on medium to high heat and coat with safe oil. Once it’s hot, drop in about half the egg mix and pick up the pan and twirl it to spread out the egg. Let it cook until it can be flipped and finish cooking the other side. Remove from pan and do the same with the rest of the egg mix. Roll each piece of egg and slice it into noodle sized strips. Serve.

Green Mashed Potatoes

1 potato

About 10 spinach leaves (depends on how green you want it)

Salt

Olive Oil

 

This is a simple recipe but I thought I’d share to help anyone looking for ideas. My LO loves it. Who knew a little kid would like spinach so much?

Fill a small pot about a quarter of the way with water and bring to a boil, add salt to taste. Peel and cut the potato in to chunks. Add them to the water, cover and simmer for about 10 minutes. Add the spinach (having cut off the stems) and simmer until the potatoes are cooked, about another 5 minutes. Drain and add the olive oil or other safe oil. Use an immersion blender or food processor to blend everything together until you get a consistently green mix. Let cool a bit and serve with your little one’s favorite protein. Mine likes this with steak.

 

Frosted Quinoa Flakes

½ cup whole grain quinoa

1 cup water

Salt

Sugar

 

I adapted this from a cracker recipe that someone shared (added the link in comments) and it worked out very well, even my husband liked them so I wanted to post the adaptation in case it helps someone else. My older daughter eats a lot of cereal and the little one has asked for some on many occasions. This really does have the texture of a corn flake so it was perfect.

Boil the water and add the quinoa and a bit of salt (not too much unless you want to make these salty). Cover and lower the heat to just simmering. Cook for about 20 minutes. Let it cool for a while then blend the quinoa until you get a sticky dough. I used an immersion blender but you can also use a food processor. Add a little bit of water if you can’t get it to turn. Preheat the oven to 350. Cover a baking sheet with parchment paper and put spoonfuls of the dough on it a few inches apart. Place another piece of parchment on top and roll the dough down until it’s paper thin, almost see-through. If your parchment gets too sticky and you can’t roll then coat it with a bit of canola or other safe oil. Once you are done rolling sprinkle sugar on top of it all. Bake for about 25-30 minutes or until the dough rolls up at the edges and it gets crispy. If it’s beginning to look toasty but is still soft then turn off the oven and let it stay in there a while longer to dry. Once it all cools you can break it up in to flakes and it’s ready to serve.

 

Sorghum Sponge Cake

3 eggs

3/4 cup sugar

3/8 cup potato starch

1/2 cup sorghum flour

1/8 cup water

Dash salt

 

Preheat oven to 350. Separate the yolks from the whites. Beat the whites until stiff peaks form and add the dash salt and whisk in. In a separate bowl beat the yolks then add the sugar. Beat well then add the potato starch. Add the water and then the flour and mix well. Add about half the whites and mix slowly until fully blended. Add the rest of the whites and mix until fully blended as well. Place mix in a mini tube pan and bake for about 30 minutes then lower the oven temp to 300 and continue baking another 25 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Don't open the oven while it's baking.

 

Pork Nuggets

I came up with these so that my daughter could have a good chicken nugget alternative when her sister eats them. Plus, when I give her pork normally she chews it but won’t really swallow. These have a very soft texture and are easy to chew.

1 lb of pork (dark meat preferable)

1 cup of Cheecha puff crumbs

2 eggs

Salt to taste

Safe oil for frying

 To get the Cheecha puff crumbs I dump a bunch of the puffs in my food processor and grind. You’ll need about a cup. Pour half the cup on to a plate and save the rest. Cut the meat in to chunks then grind it in the food processor. I use dark meat because the white dries out easily and then my daughter will chew it but spit it out. The texture of the dark meat seems to suit her more. After you’ve ground the meat, add the half cup of Cheecha crumbs. Then add one of the eggs and salt to taste. Turn the grinder on again to mix. Once all of that is well blended scoop out small amounts and form your nuggets. I usually make them about 2 inches tall. In a bowl, beat the other egg. One at a time, place the nuggets in the egg and cover them with it. Then drag them through the crumbs on the plate to make a crust. Fry the nuggets in about a 1/4 inch of oil on medium-high heat until they are cooked through. You can also bake them but the crust doesn't look as pretty that way.

 

Popped Sorghum Quinoa Bars

1/6 cup whole grain quinoa
1/3 cup quinoa flakes
1 cup popped sorghum
Dash salt
1/3 cup maple syrup
1 tbs canola oil

Preheat oven to 325 F. Using a coffee grinder, grind the whole grain quinoa to a fine powder (alternatively, you could try using quinoa flour). Mix the powder with the flakes and spread them out in a thin layer on a baking sheet. Bake for 10 minutes, take out the pan and stir the mix then out it back in for about another 8 minutes or until lightly toasted. (Thanks to Amanda, author of Baby B's FPIES Test Kitchen for the flake roasting tips). Let cool a few minutes then dump in to a bowl. Add the popped sorghum and salt and mix. Add the maple syrup and oil then mix until everything is equally sticky. Coat a small pan with oil (I use a small glass Tupperware) then press in the mixture tightly. Cover and refrigerate until solid, a couple of hours. Cut in to bars and serve.

Sorghum Bread

This recipe has a similar texture to cornbread. The sorghum tastes like a mix of wheat and corn, or at least it’s mild and not too nutty like many other gluten-free flours. It bakes to a coarse consistency though, like corn, so if you want yours to be fluffier replace up to 1/3 of the flour with quinoa flour or some other fine flour. My daughter prefers hers sweet but you could take out a few tablespoons of sugar if you prefer yours more savory.

2 eggs

7 tbs sugar

4 tbs canola oil

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

2/3 cup sorghum flour

Dash salt

About 1/6 cup water

Preheat the oven to 350. Place the whites in one bowl and the yolks in another. Beat the whites until you get defined peaks. Add 6 tablespoons of sugar to the whites, one at a time, whisking well after each tablespoon. To the yolks add 1 tbs of sugar, the canola oil and vanilla. Pour the yolk mixture in to the whites slowly and mix well. Add the flour mixed with the salt alternating with the water. You don’t want to add so much that your batter becomes watery, just add a bit at a time when you see that the flour is making the batter too thick to mix easily. You need to preserve the smoothness of the batter so you don’t lose the egg bubbles made in the whites. That’s the only thing that’s going to make your bread rise. Once everything is mixed, pour it in to a mini-loaf pan greased with canola oil or a half dozen cupcake pan. Bake at 350 for 30-40 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.

Quinoa Muffins

If you’ve ever tried baking a recipe without baking soda/powder you know that it just comes out like mushy bread pudding. I searched all over the internet to see if I could find a way to bake without baking soda but couldn’t find any recipes. I decided to just adapt one and see what happened. After a couple of experiments I got one that worked very well. You won’t get as much rise as a recipe with baking soda but it will be enough to make the muffin fluffy and not mushy. Here it is:

2  eggs

5 tbs sugar

4 tbs canola oil

½ tsp vanilla

½ cup quinoa flour

Dash of salt

1/8 cup of water

Preheat the oven to 350. Place cupcake liners in a six cupcake pan. Separate the yolks from the whites. Beat the whites until soft peaks form. Add 4 tbs of sugar, one tbs at a time, whisking between each. Add the 5^th tbs to the yolks as well as the oil and vanilla. Softly whisk the yolk mixture in to the whites. Mix the salt in to the flour then sift it over the egg mix and fold it in gently. Add the water carefully mixing the batter. Pour the mix in to 6 cupcake liners and bake for 25-30 minutes. Let cool before serving.

Potato Bites, aka "Chicken" Nuggets

Now that my daughter is getting older she has begun to notice the foods that her big sister gets to eat. Many times she points and complains because she isn't getting the same food. It's made me have to come up with ways of giving them the "same" food, or at least the closest I can come. These are her "chicken" nuggets. I got the idea for them after my husband mentioned that the stuffed potatoes looked like fat chicken nuggets.

Crush up some Cheecha Puffs and mix in some mashed baked potato. Use about a quarter Russet potato to about a handful of puffs. Make sure it's sticky enough to hold up to frying. If it's not, add more crushed puffs. Beat an egg and dip the nuggets in it then fry them in enough heated oil to reach up about halfway to the nuggets. With one potato you can make the nuggets and then some French Fries to go with them. Of course I also offer her a real meat to go with them since eating a bunch of potato isn't very nutritious but at least she feels like if she's getting food just like her sister's. Oh and as "ketchup" I usually put a spoonful of carrot or squash puree.

Stuffed Potatoes

These are based on a recipe that my mother prepared very often as I was growing up. It usually calls for loose, fried ground beef but because I can't add some of the ingredients to bind the potato I prefer to make little hamburgers that I can surround with the potato crust. You'll need 1 egg that will be used for both the burgers and the potato so don't throw it out before you have used it for both.

Cheecha Puffs (enough to loosely fill a 12 oz bowl)
1 egg
1/2 a baked potato,  cooked and peeled
2-2.5 oz of ground beef
Salt

Crush the Cheecha Puffs until you get mostly powder crumbs. Pour half the crumbs in to a separate bowl. There, mash the baked potato and mix it with the puffs. To the original bowl add the ground beef and about a teaspoon of the egg (get some yolk and white) and mix it with the Cheecha Puffs. Add salt to taste. Mold the beef mixture into little balls then flatten them to the size and shape you want to fit in your potato mix. Fry the beef shapes until cooked and let cool for a few minutes. Grab some potato mix and form a shell around the beef. Beat the remaining egg with a fork. Once the beef is completely covered with potato dip it into the egg then fry it in a heated pan with enough oil to reach up to the middle of the potatoes. Fry until golden brown on all sides.

Meatloaf

8 oz ground beef
1 egg
1 tbs veggie purée (I use carrot or squash from Earth's Best)
2/3 cups crushed Cheecha Puffs
Salt to taste

Crush enough Cheecha Puffs to get about 2/3 cups of crumbs/powder. Mix in all the other ingredients. Place mixture into a 3x5 loaf pan lightly greased with a safe oil. Bake in a preheated oven at 350 for 60-75 minutes. Let cool a few minutes before serving. If you'd like to add some gravy, check out the post from November 5, 2011.

Quinoa with Pork

A small piece of pork loin (about the size of your baby’s fist, or about 1/3 of a chop)

½ cup of whole grain quinoa (Ancient Harvest brand)

1 ¼ cups of water

1 tbs olive oil for browning (or any safe oil)

Salt

This dish has a texture similar to valencia rice, just a bit more “al dente.” In a small sauce pan fry the pork in oil, just enough to brown it on all sides. Add the quinoa and sauté for about a minute. Pour in the water and bring to a boil. Lower the heat and cover. Simmer for about 18-20 minutes and salt to taste. You’ll notice that I put in more water than the box recommends and I cook it longer. That’s to help the grain get softer and more palatable for small kids. The pork gives the quinoa a lot of great flavor, it’s actually something I’d eat myself all the time, now that I have discovered it.

Coconut Quinoa "Shortbread" Cookies

1/3 cup Nutiva Coconut Manna (at spreadable temperature)
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla
3 tsp prepared quinoa flakes (very sticky, thick) Ancient Harvest
1 tbs maple syrup
2/3 cup quinoa flour

These are based on my eggless quinoa cookie recipe, but the coconut manna makes them better (at least my daughter thinks so, lol). Cream together the sugar and manna then add the quinoa flakes, syrup, vanilla and flour. Mix until you can roll it in to a dough. Take about a teaspoonfool and make a ball, place it on a pan coated with canola oil and quinoa flour (or parchment paper instead). Repeat the process until you've used all your dough. Flatten the balls down with your fingers so they are about 1/4 inch tall and about 2 inches across, they will stay the shape you make them. Bake at 350 for 12- 15 minutes until golden brown.

Here you can see the balls of dough and the pressed cookies.

The finished product :)

Coconut Candy

Usually when I make my daughter coconut custard (see Oct. 23), I scoop out the top layer while it's still warm. I use coconut manna so the "milk" isn't completely smooth and the grains float to the top as it cooks. Last week I made it when she wasn't going to eat it and put it in the fridge before scooping out the top. The next day the entire top layer had hardened. I chipped it out and it came up in squares like a candy bar. It was really good so I let her have some and she loved it. It looks and tastes like a white chocolate coconut bar.