Cheese and Veggie Mini "Quiche"

I use the word quiche very loosely here because I feel deep down in my soul that 

quiche requires a crust.

I need a food dictionary.

I'm even willing to say that using bread on the bottom would suffice but without crust

isn't it just baked eggs in a tin.

I thought that Cheese and Veggie Mini Baked Eggs In a Tin was pushing it for a title.

Anyway, I'm really lazy in the mornings.

I'm a night owl.  

I'd say it's residual nighttime wakefulness from years of working until past most peoples bedtimes

but my mom will confirm that I have always been a nighttime person.

Growing up my mom and I could get up in the morning and get ready for school and work

without speaking a word to each other.

So mornings are not the time for me to cook.  Ever.

And we don't even get up until around 8 am.

B's earliest shift starts at 9 and Peanut and I have no reason to do an earlier bedtime/earlier wake time.

I still lag in the morning.

I want to make things ahead that I can heat for Peanut.

He's not big on carbs so anything like pancakes or heavy starches isn't a hit at this point.

Whose child is he anyway?

I called it a very generic Cheese and Veggie Mini Baked Eggs in a Muffin Tin,

instead of cheddar and failed ratatouille (which is what I used- the sauté was a flop 

and I detest wasting food) because you can use absolutely any veggie and cheese combination.

Well that and the fact that failed ratatouille doesn't make a great title either.

It wasn't that the ratatouille was bad, it just wasn't that great.

Uneventful and Peanut wasn't really buying it.

My ratatouille consisted of onion, garlic, eggplant, zucchini, a little bell pepper,

stewed tomato, thyme and basil.

I marked this recipe for toddlers+ because of the eggs.

It really depends on when you want to introduce eggs.  

Peanut started eating them (as scrambles) around 10 months.

I know people who started their little ones on it far earlier with no problems.

If your little one is not on whole milk yet, fear not, according to the APA

cooking with it is not a problem.

Oh and by the way, add a little salt and pepper and these are perfect for grown-ups,

as you can see by the missing spaces in the picture.

B really liked them.

Cheese and Veggie Mini Quiche

4 large eggs

1/2 cup whole milk ricotta (you could also substitute with cottage cheese)

1/2 cup whole milk

3/4 cup shredded cheese (i.e. cheddar, swiss, gruyere, gouda, jack, mozzarella, etc.)

1 cup diced cooked veggies* 

(i.e. spinach, zucchini, mushrooms, broccoli, onions, asparagus, etc.)

1 tablespoon minced herbs (i.e. basil, thyme, parsley, dill, chives, etc.)

Preheat your oven to 325° F.

*Sauté or steam your veggies.

I like them sautéed in a smudge of extra virgin olive oil until they are tender.

Some veggies like broccoli or asparagus are better steamed.

Put it all in a blender and pulse until everything is in small pieces.

Normally I wouldn't do this but I want all the tiny quiche to have a bit of everything in them.

Spray your mini muffin tin lightly with olive oil and fill each cup.

I used a measuring cup to better control the pouring and make sure I had an even amount of filling.

Bake for about 25 minutes until they are golden.

Allow to cool and dig in!

Judging by the way Peanut was trying to shove them in his mouth-

I'd say these are winners.

The size was perfect for a finger food.

*Variations

Didn't I give you enough already?!

Alright.

-Add meats like chicken, pork or turkey but balance it by adding more flavor in the form of 

onions, garlic or herbs.

-Try adding curry, cumin or white pepper

*Storage

Refrigerate for up to 3 days or freeze for up to 3 months.

Simply defrost and reheat.

You can put a few in the fridge before bed the night before and

 zap in the microwave for a few seconds at a time until warm.

Or you can throw them in the oven to warm through (you could do this frozen as well).

*Benefits

Eggs are a fantastic source of protein and contains all 9 essential amino acids as well as choline, 

lutein, riboflavin, vitamin B12, selenium and lots of other vitamins and minerals.

Milk is packed with calcium, phosphorus, magnesium, potassium and protein.

Cheese is a great source of calcium, magnesium, zinc, folate, selenium and vitamins A, E, K and D.

Cranberry, Apple & Pumpkin

As a special request from my friend Adrija, I'm spending some time this week working with cranberries!

I love requests, so if you have them, send them on over!

Cranberries are not in the same family as strawberries and are not common as an allergy.
They are full of healthy goodness and lots of pectin which makes a great puree.

The catch is the tartness, I mean, wowza.

This puree still has a hint of tartness but the apple and pumpkin balance it out.
I felt like the apple alone just wasn't enough.

Besides, doesn't this cran-applekin puree just scream fall?

This recipe is easily halved as I do cook in large batches.

I forgot to take pictures of me baking the pumpkin so you'll have to visualize.

Homemade pumpkin puree:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
Remove the stem from your pumpkin and cut it in half.
I recently read something that said you don't need to scrape the seeds before hand,
so I left them in.
Place the pumpkins face down and roast until easily pierced with a fork, about 30 minutes.
Allow to cool, scrape the seeds and stringy part out with a spoon.
This is so easy once it's cooked.
You can keep your seeds for roasting or toss them out.
Puree the soft flesh.

 

Cranberry, Apple & Pumpkin

2 cup pumpkin puree or about 1 roasted pie pumpkin

6 oz or 1 1/2 cup cranberries

4 sweet apples*, peeled, cored and cut into chunks

1/2 cup + 1/4 cup unsweetened apple juice

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon (optional)

*Sweet apples as opposed to tart apples include Red or Golden Delicious,

Pink Lady, Gala, Fuji, Honeycrisp & Ambrosia

Place your cranberries and 1/2 cup apple juice in a medium saucepan over high heat.

Once it comes to a boil reduce to a simmer.

Continue to cook until all the cranberries burst.

As this happens the mixture will begin to thicken,

make sure to stir occasionally to avoid burning the bottom.

Place your cranberries in the food processor to cool.

Rinse your saucepan and add your apples and the remaining 1/4 cup apple juice.

Simmer with the lid on, stirring occasionally until the apples are fork tender.

Add the apples, pumpkin puree and cinnamon and blend to desired consistency.

If you need to, add apple juice to thin your puree.

If you want a chunkier consistency I suggest blending the cranberries and 

mashing the apple and or pumpkin.

Enjoy!

*Variations

-Substitue pears or add them to the puree

-Try this with butternut squash, acorn squash or other winter squash

-Add chicken, pork or turkey

-Use pumpkin pie spice, ginger or curry

-Mince fresh herbs like mint or rosemary

*Storage

Refrigerate for up to 3 days or freeze for up to 3 months

*Benefits

Cranberries are an incredible source of antioxidants as well as fiber, vitamin C, manganese and are great for the urinary tract as it prevent bacteria from sticking to lining.

Apples have lots of fiber, vitamin C, beta-carotene, riboflavin,

thiamin, potassium, phosphorus and calcium.

Pumpkin is packed with potassium (3 times a banana), beta-carotene, riboflavin, thiamin,

potassium, phosphorus & calcium.

Lentil Stew

This is a meal for the whole family as all 3 of us had it for dinner.

It's thick enough to stay on a spoon for easy feeding

and perfect for a cold day.

I made a double batch and it was divided with some put in the freezer for later.

I love this dish because it's such a healthy filling food, I feel great about each bite that Peanut takes.

On days that your little one is just too busy to bother with eating,
this is the kind of dish you want them to eat.

A small amount packs a lot of punch.

This is one of those soups (or stew...because it's so thick?) 

that is perfect for cleaning out your refrigerator because you can pretty much throw any veggie in.

I used onions and carrots and it I had celery I would have started with a proper mirepoix.

We had zucchini that needed to be used up so that went in as well.

Add diced tomato (or a can of), winter squash, chopped cauliflower or whatever you have.

Adjust the ingredients to suit your child.

Add any meat of your choice when you are sautéing you veggies.

Lentil Stew

1 cup lentils, rinsed and picked*

4 cups chicken stock (or veggie stock to make this vegetarian or water)

1/2 onion, chopped finely
1 large carrot, peeled and chopped finely
1 large zucchini, peeled and chopped finely
1 clove of garlic, crushed
1/2 teaspoon cumin
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
salt (optional)
cilantro garnish

*Picking over lentils as with any bean just means looking them over for any small pebbles that have found their way in.  I haven't come across any but we might as well look!

Add your olive oil to a large out over medium heat.
When the oil is hot add your onion and carrot and cook until the onions are translucent, about 6 minutes.
Add the rest of the ingredients, give it a stir and bring it to a boil.
Reduce the heat, cover and simmer for 30-40 minutes or until the lentils are very tender.

Adding salt is optional, I added about 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt to the pot.
You could also just add a dash of soy sauce to your bowl when eating individually.

I like this served with just a bit cilantro.

Keep as if or puree to desired consistency.

Enjoy!

*Variations
-Add a dollop of plain whole yogurt or sour cream
-Add curry, ground coriander or ginger
-Use other vegetables like eggplant, winter squash, sweet potato or parsnips
-Add chicken, turkey, beef, lamb or extra firm tofu

*Storage
Refrigerate for up to 3 days or freeze for up to 3 months.

*Benefits
Lentils are loaded with protein, tons of fiber and iron, folate,
tryptophan, manganese, phosphorus, potassium and vitamin B.
Oh and unlike beans lentils lack sulfur which means no gas.

Carrots have lots of carotenoids that work as antioxidants, convert to vitamin A, boost the immune system and protect and enhance your eyes.

Onions have antioxidants and good sulfur compounds that help fight cancer and build strong bones and connective tissue.

Zucchini is high in potassium, vitamin A, beta-carotene, lutein and manganese.

Garlic can practically be called medicinal.  It's an antioxidant, lowers cholesterol, reduces plaque, an anticoagulant, has been known to help the common cold, lowers blood pressure and so much more.

Cumin helps lower allergies and is a good source of iron, magnesium, potassium and calcium.

 Extra Virgin Olive Oil is not something to be afraid of including in baby's diet.  Yes it's a fat but it's also extremely healthy.  EVOO contains phenols that are antioxidants and is mostly a monounsaturated fat which lowers bad cholesterol and raises the good stuff.
It has been proven to lower risk of certain cancers and lower blood pressure.
The first pressing of the olives is the extra virgin, so it retains the most health benefits.

Sweet Carrots

This is one of those super easy recipes that seems almost silly to blog

but it makes a great snack, finger food and puree.

It's basically apple-glazed carrots but I felt that the word glaze makes them sound

sticky, as if there was a, well glaze, which there really isn't.

The liquid in this is thinner, without any extra sugar.

I make a batch, stick it in my refrigerator and use it during the week.

It's good cold or warm and Peanut likes to pick them up himself to munch on.

We both end up snacking on these during the day.

Sweet Carrots

1 lb carrots, peeled and sliced into 1/2 inch coins

1 1/2 cups apple juice

1 1/2 cups water

Put them all in a medium pot or saucepan, bring to a boil, reduce to simmer and cook until tender.

In hindsight I would have liked to add a pat of butter as it helps baby's body absorb the beta-carotene...

and it tastes so darn good.

In that case, you could just melt 1 tablespoon of unsalted butter in the saucepan 

before adding your liquids.

*Variations

-Spiced sweet carrots: add 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon or pumpkin pie spice 

or any mix of spices like nutmeg or clove

-Gingered sweet carrot:  add a peeled and crushed piece of fresh ginger into the liquid

then discard afar cooking

-Puree:  puree to desired consistency add juice if needed

-Real apple glazed carrots: Saute your carrots in 1 tbs butter, Omit the water, use 1 cup apple juice, add 1 teaspoon honey (or 1 tbs brown sugar) to liquid and cook as directed.

-Add apples to the mix at the end of the cooking process

*Storage

Refrigerate for up to a 5 days

*Benefits

Carrots are packed with different kinds of carotenoids which work as antioxidants, convert to vitamin A,

boost the immune system and protect and enhance your eyes.

Apple Quinoa

We've been getting the most incredible apples in our CSA box,

big, gorgeous, crisp and juicy.

I'm going to have to find out what kind they are.

A while back when I posted Zucchini Quinoa, my friend Elizabeth commented that they like theirs sweet.

She prepares quinoa for her family much like lots of people do oatmeal.

That's when I thought about adding it to apples.

This mixture is more applesauce then quinoa but you could certainly change the ratio 

to make it more of a grain-based meal.

If you have a child that just doesn't want to eat grains,

then use a tad less quinoa and call it chunky applesauce.

For added texture reserve some apples for hand-mashing and then mix them back into the sauce.

Apple Quinoa

4 large apples, peeled, cored and cut into chunks (I use a melon baller to core my apples)

1/2 cup quinoa

1 cup + 1/4 cup water

1/4 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice

In a small saucepan rinse and drain your 1/2 cup quinoa and then add 1 cup water.

Bring the water to a boil, reduce to a simmer and cover with a lid.

Let it simmer for about 10 minutes or until all the liquid is absorbed.

Allow to cool.

Meanwhile, place your apples and 1/4 cup water in a saucepan over medium heat and cover.

I'll be honest and say I tend to use medium-high heat as I'm always in a hurry.

Stir occasionally and cook until all the apples are soft, about 7 minutes.

Allow to cool a minute.

Place apples with their liquid into a food processor or blender and puree.

Add your pumpkin pie spice and pulse until blended.

Return puree to saucepan and mix in the quinoa.

Enjoy!

*Variations

-Instead of pumpkin pie spice use cinnamon, nutmeg or vanilla

-Add minced mint or basil or simmer the apples with a sprig of thyme (remove before blending)

*Storage

Refrigerate for up to 3 days or freeze for up to 3 months.

The quinoa may continue to soak up the liquid from the apples. 

If this is the case, you may need to add water or unsweetened apple juice 

to bring to the desired consistency.

*Benefits

Quinoa is not actually a grain but a seed and is packed with protein and essential amino acids.

It's far more nutritious then rice and has more calcium, phosphorus, magnesium, potassium, 

copper, manganese, fiber and zinc than many other grains.

Apples are loaded with fiber, vitamins C, beta-carotene, riboflavin, thiamin, potassium,

phosphorus and calcium. 

Raspberry & Pear

Before this past year I did all my shopping at the grocery store.

As a result I wasn't really aware of the local growing season for a lot of fruits and vegetables.

I always considered raspberries and blackberries a summer fruit but

they are really a fall fruit.

We had these gorgeous raspberries and pears just calling out to be blended together.

The puree is vivid and refreshing.

Raspberries are a bit tart and so is this puree.

I don't see anything wrong with that.  Not all fruit needs to be really sweet.

Also, don't assume your little won't like tart.  Peanut likes plain yogurt and that is pretty darn tart.

However, if you find that your little isn't buying into the tartness 

there are a few options that I've listed in the variations section.

Raspberry & Pear

12 oz (or about 2 cups) raspberries, rinsed

3 small (or 2 large) pears, peeled, cored and cut into chunks

Throw it all into a food processor and puree!

I did mine in batches because I was too lazy to pull down the big food processor. 

Enjoy!

*Variations

-Mix with minced mint or ginger

-Add a pinch of spice like allspice, nutmeg or cinnamon

-Top oatmeal or other grain

-Add some mango or banana and bland into a smoothie

-This would also make a great popsicle

-Cook some chicken, pork or turkey in this

To make it sweeter:

-Add some apple or mashed banana or roast your banana to make an even sweeter blend

-You can always cook this down a bit over medium heat in a heavy bottomed sauce pan.

This will bring out the natural sweetness but will also make it runnier.

This would be fantastic to cook oatmeal or other grains with as done HERE.

*Storage

Refrigerate for up to 3 days or freeze for up to 3 months.

*Benefits

For such a little fruit raspberries are packed with nutrients.  High in fiber, calcium, magnesium, phosphorus, potassium, vitamin C and vitamin K.

Pears are a good source of fiber, vitamin C, E, K and B2, copper as well as potassium.

Pumpkin, Pear & Apple

Well, the blogging's been slow around here but fall has come and 

is bringing it's bounty.

I adore fall foods and I'm excited to dive into some new dishes for our littles.

I have more posts coming up and some small giveaways as well.

Today I'm showing a puree of some of the best of fall... pumpkins, pears and apples.

Although I know you can get pears and apples year-round in grocery stores...

these are in season now so stop by your local farmer's market and let yourself be

amazed at how flavorful and delicious they are.

This is my first attempt at cooking pumpkin and it was soooo easy.

It makes me wonder if it's worth it making pumpkin pie from scratch.

It wouldn't actually be very hard.

Thoughts?

Oh and if you have canned pumpkin that would be fine...

but only the plain stuff, not the pumpkin pie mix.

Pumpkin, Pear and Apple

1 baking or pie pumpkin, cut in half and gutted :)

2 pears, skinned, cored and cut into chunks

2 apples, skinned, cored and cut into chunks

pat of unsalted butter optional

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees.

As for the gutting of the pumpkin- just take out all the seeds (bake these for an adult snack)

and all the stringy stuff by scraping it with a spoon.

Place your pumpkin face down on a baking sheet.

Place your apple and pear in a small dish (I used a loaf pan).

Put the pumpkin, pears and apples in the oven.

Bake for about 20 minutes and then cover the apples and pears with a piece of foil.

Make sure you seal it around the top, using a pot holder of course, 

so that we create some steam and get some juices going.

We don't want it to get dry and want to use that liquid for the puree.

Bake for another 10 minutes or so.

At this point your fruit will be ready and you can check your pumpkin.

If the skin is easily pierced with a fork then it's done (as mine was).

If not then leave it in until ready.

Put it all in a food processor and puree, 

thinning with water or unsweetened apple juice until the desired consistency.

Otherwise you could also mash for a chunkier texture.

The fat in butter helps the body absorb the beta-carotene.  

Enjoy!

*Variations

-I added 1/4 tsp of cinnamon

-Try adding curry, nutmeg, pumpkin pie spice, cardamom or ginger

-Puree with chicken, turkey or pork

-Add herbs like mint or cilantro

-You could also steam the ingredients instead of roasting

*Storage

Refrigerate for up to 3 days or freeze for up to 3 months

*Benefits

Pumpkin is packed with potassium (3 times a banana) and is packed with beta-carotene, lutein (for your eyes), fiber, vitamin A, calcium, magnesium, iron and phosphorus.

Pears are a good source of fiber, vitamin C, E, K and B2, copper as well as potassium.

Apples are loaded with fiber, vitamins C, beta-carotene, riboflavin, thiamin, potassium,

phosphorus and calcium.