Easy Yam Muffins

These are SUPER easy to make when you're stumbling around the kitchen half-awake...

Preheat oven to 375F

Combine dry ingredients:

1 cup flour (white, whole wheat, spelt or a mix)

1/3 cup packed brown sugar

1/4 cup rolled oats (regular or quick)

1.5 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon each of cinnamon, allspice and ginger

Stir together wet ingredients:

1 jar (7.5 ounces) sweet potato puree (yup, baby food!)

1 egg

2 tablespoons oil

Quickly mix wet ingredients into dry and spoon into greased muffin tin. Bake for 15 - 18 minutes.

Makes 7 muffins (just enough for breakfast!)

Sfeeha on Pita

These are delicious and fast to make -- they might truly be a twenty-minute meal.

http://www.tasteofbeirut.com/2011/06/sfeeha-on-pita/

Tip: toddlers prefer theirs on garlic naan, not pita, with no salad and a side of frozen peas.

Garam Masala Cookies

These are SO GOOD. Seriously. Try them. Serve them to your friends and have them guess the mystery ingredient.

Preheat oven to 375F.

Cream together:

1/2 c. butter

1/2 c. brown sugar

1/4 c. white sugar

Add:

1 tsp. garam masala

1/2 tsp. cinnamon

1 tsp. vanilla

1/2 tsp. baking soda

Stir together and then add:

1 c. flour

Spoon onto a parchment-lined baking sheet. I use a two-tablespoon cookie scoop, but a heaping (single) tablespoon should give you about the right size.

Bake for 9 - 10 minutes, just until browned. So delicious.

Yamcakes

Toddler paradise: yams and pancakes! At the same time!

Stir together the dry ingredients:

1 c. flour

1 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. baking soda

1 tsp. sugar

1/2 tsp. cinnamon

1/2 tsp. ground nutmeg

Beat together the wet ingredients:

1 c. buttermilk

2 eggs

3 Tbsp. coconut oil

1 tsp. vanilla

1 small yam, mashed (about 1 - 1.5 cups) -- if you don't have enough yam, try a mixture of yam and banana

Add the wet ingredients to the dry and stir just until mixed. If the mixture seems too thick, add a small amount of buttermilk to thin it out (it should be thick but pourable).

Cook over medium heat.

Adapted from this recipe on Epicurious, which inexplicably calls for pancake mix.

Vegetable Curry

This is a baby-friendly version of a Punjabi veggie curry. To make it adult-friendly, add a green chilli with the garlic and ginger.

3 T vegetable oil or ghee

4 green cardamom pods, lightly crushed

1 bay leaf

1 heaping tsp cumin seed

1" piece of cinnamon stick

Heat the oil in a wok or large pot. When hot, add the spices and let them "pop".

Add 3 small or 2 large onions, diced and cook until they're golden brown (about 10 minutes).

Add 1 large baking potato and 2 carrots, diced in 1/2" dice and cook for about 5 minutes.

Add:

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 T minced ginger

and cook for 30 seconds

Add:

3 tomatoes, grated (or 1.5 cups tinned tomatoes, minced)

1/2 tsp turmeric

1 tsp ground cumin

1 tsp ground coriander

1/2 tsp salt

and cook for about 5 minutes, until the tomato appears well-cooked.

Add 1 small cauliflower, cut into small florets and 1 cup water (or juice from tinned tomatoes). Cover and cook until cauliflower is just soft, about 10 more minutes.

Add:

1 cup peas

juice of 1/2 a lemon

1 tsp garam masala

Cook until peas are done.

Serve with roti and yogurt.

Walnut and Wheat Germ Silver Dollar Pancakes

Yes, its yet another pancake recipe. They really are terrifyingly popular around here.

1 cup flour

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp sugar

1/4 cup wheat germ

1 egg

1 cup buttermilk

1/4 cup walnuts

Place all ingredients in a mixing bowl (or large measuring cup) and blitz with an immersion blender until everything is well-mixed and the walnuts are ground. If you don't have an immersion blender, just throw everything in a regular blender.

Cook small (2 or 3 inch in diameter) pancakes in an oiled pan.

This particular recipe is adapted from a Gourmet recipe, which is available online here.

"Greek" Meatballs

Baby LOVES his meatballs, and I've acquired a mini-United Nations of recipes. This one was one of the first I found, and is a streamlined and adapted version of this recipe from the epicurious website.

Meatballs:

1 lb lean ground beef

1/2 bunch parsley, finely chopped

4 green onions, finely chopped

1/2 cup bulgur

1 egg

1 T olive oil (more if your beef is extremely lean)

3 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp pepper

1 tsp cumin

1/2 tsp ground coriander

Combine all ingredients and let rest while you make the sauce.

Sauce:

2 medium onions, sliced in "half-moons"

2 cloves garlic, sliced

2 T olive oil

1 large can crushed tomatoes (or 1 large can whole or diced tomatoes, run through the blender -- I tend to use what I have in the house)

3/4 tsp cinnamon

3/4 tsp allspice

black pepper

Saute onions in olive oil until they are golden. Add garlic, cinnamon and allspice and stir for about 30 seconds. Add tomatoes and bring to a gentle simmer. Add pepper to taste.

Roll meatball mixture into small balls (approximately 1 inch in diameter). Carefully add the meatballs to the hot tomato sauce and simmer for 20 minutes, or until meatballs are done.

I like to serve this with steamed rice and a simple salad of thinly sliced cucumbers and yogurt.

Chewy Pecan Diamonds

These bars are evil. And far too simple to make.

(I substituted half-and-half for the whipping cream and golden syrup for the corn syrup and they turned out wonderful).

Cottage Cheese Pancakes

These are one of baby's favourite breakfasts. He prefers them with a side of grapes. I like them, too, as they're full of protein and very tender.

In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together:

4 eggs

1 cup cottage cheese

1/2 cup milk

1 tsp vanilla

2 T oil (I use peanut or avocado)

Add:

1 cup flour

1/2 tsp baking soda

2 T sugar

Oil a frying pan and cook over medium heat until golden brown on both sides.

Based on a recipe on the Whole Foods website.

Easy Albondigas

Meatballs:

1 lb ground pork

1 onion, grated and squeezed to remove liquid

1/2 small zucchini, grated and squeezed to remove liquid

1 egg

1/4 cup panko

2 t dried oregano

1/2 t cumin

salt and pepper

Combine ingredients and roll into balls (approx. 1" in diameter).

Place meatballs on cookie sheet.

Bake at 400F for 10 minutes.

Turn, and bake for 10 more minutes.

Meanwhile, make sauce:

1 T olive oil

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 T pureed chipotles in adobo

1 large (28 oz) can tomatoes

Heat oil and saute garlic until pale gold. Add chipotles and tomatoes and puree with stick blender.

When meatballs are done, add to sauce and simmer for 10 minutes.

Serve with rice.

Overnight French Toast

In a 9" by 13" baking pan, combine:

1/4 cup soft/melted butter

2 T agave syrup (or honey)

1/2 t cinnamon

Top with 6 slices of bread.

In a measuring cup, beat together:

3 eggs

1/2 cup orange juice

enough milk to make 1 1/2 cups of liquid

Pour this mixture over the bread. Refrigerate overnight.

Bake at 350F for 30 minutes, until golden and slightly puffed.

Slow Cooker Chicken "Chili"

In the bottom of the slow cooker, combine and stir:

1 cup beans (pinto are good, black and white kidney also work), soaked overnight

1/2 cup water

2 T flour

1 can/jar (400 mL) medium salsa (the kind with a short ingredient list)

1 T chipotle chile in adobo

Place on top:

8 boneless skinless chicken thighs

1 onion, diced fine

Cook on low for 8 hours.

Stir, breaking up the chicken.

Serve with sour cream and green onions on top.