6 gateway recipes to get your kids eating grown-up food
Dubai food blogger Judy from When Judy Ate the Kela shares her exclusive recipes
Maintaining quality grub while catering to little palates can be a tricky task, but Dubai foodie Judy has a host of great kids’ meals that don’t skimp on flavour yet avoid piling on the sugar and salt.
Chicken, carrot & rosemary purée
(6 months +)
Preparation time 5 minutes
Cooking time 30 minutes
Makes 300g
Storage in fridge up to 3 days
Storage in freezer up to 2 months
Ingredients
- 1 chicken breast
- 4 medium carrots
- ¼ teaspoon finely chopped fresh rosemary
- Up to 1 cup of water
Method
- Preheat oven to 200 C
- Cut chicken and carrots into small cubes
- On a tray, lined with parchment paper, place carrots and chicken. Roast for 30 minutes.
- Once done, place into a food processor (or strong blender). Add the rosemary, then the water slowly until you get the desired consistency.
Apple banana cinnamon purée
(6 months +)
Preparation time 10 minutes
Cooking Time 15 minutes
Makes 600g
Storage in fridge up to 3 days
Storage in freezer up to 3 months
Ingredients
- 6 apples, peeled
- 2 bananas
- ¼ teaspoon cinnamon
- Up to 1 cup of water
Method
- Cube the apples and chop the bananas into medium pieces.
- In a pot, place ½ cup of water, apples and cinnamon and let it cook for 15 minutes on medium heat.
- Once done, place into a food processor (or strong blender). Add bananas and water if needed to get the desired consistency.
Green veggies risotto with coriander
(7 months +)
Preparation time 10 minutes
Cooking time 20 minutes
Makes 2 cups of risotto
Storage in fridge up to 3 days
Storage in freezer up to 3 months
Ingredients
- 1 courgette
- 1 green pepper
- ½ cup peas
- 400ml water or vegetable stock + additional up to 1 cup water
- ½ cup Arborio risotto rice or small pasta
Method
- Cut the courgette and pepper into small pieces and chop the coriander finely.
- Either steam or boil the veggies in water until tender. If you choose the latter, in a pot, boil water, place the vegetables inside for 10 minutes until tender.
- Once done, place separately into a food processor (or strong blender). Add coriander and water slowly if needed to get the desired consistency (up to 1 cup)
- Meanwhile, cook the risotto rice using 400ml water or vegetable stock. Combine rice and water in a pan on medium heat. Reduce the heat and cover until rice is cooked. (for 20 minutes)
- Mix rice and the vegetable purée and serve.
Beetroot & pumpkin quinoa
(7 months +)
Preparation time 10 minutes
Cooking time 50 minutes
Makes 2 cups of quinoa
Storage in fridge up to 3 days
Storage in freezer up to 3 months
Ingredients
- 150g pumpkin
- 150g beetroot (around two)
- ½ cup of quinoa
- Up to 1 cup water
- ¼ tsp cumin
Method
- Preheat oven to 200°C
- Cut pumpkin and beets into cubes
- On a tray, lined with parchment paper, place pumpkin and beets and roast for 50 minutes, turning throughout.
- Once done, place each separately into a food processor (or strong blender). Add cumin to the pumpkin.
- Add water slowly to both purees if needed to get the desired consistency.
- Meanwhile, cook quinoa as per pack instructions. Serve when done with the 2 purees on top.
Read more: Should you put your chunky child on a diet?
Potato scoops
(12 months +)
Preparation time 15 minutes
Cooking time 1 hour
Makes 4 servings
Storage in fridge up to 3 days
Storage in freezer up to 3 months
Ingredients
- 2 medium potatoes, cut in half
- 100g mushrooms, cut finely
- 50g onion, cut finely
- 1 clove garlic, chopped finely
- 20g shredded cheese (mozzarella or Cheddar)
- ¼ tsp paprika
- 1 tsp olive oil, optional
Method
- Preheat the oven to 200C
- Cut the potato in half and place on a tray, lined with parchment paper. Bake for 1 hour.
- Meanwhile, cut mushrooms, onion and garlic finely.
- In a pan, heat some olive oil and fry the onions until golden. Add garlic, mushrooms and paprika until mushrooms are cooked.
- Once the potatoes are done, cut a thin slice of each bottom so they sit flat (let them cool down first).
- Scoop the inside of the potatoes out (halfway through) and add the mushroom mix.
- Add cheese on top and serve.
Veggies chicken curry
(12 months +)
Preparation time 10 minutes
Cooking time 20 minutes
Makes 2 cups of curry
Storage in fridge up to 2 days
Storage in freezer up to 1 month
Ingredients
- ½ cup peas
- 1 green onion
- 1 clove garlic
- 4 baby corn
- 2 carrots
- ½ chicken
- 2 tbsp green curry paste
- 1 ½ cup coconut milk
- ½ cup veggie stock
- 10g basil
Method
- Cut the vegetables & chicken into small pieces.
- Place the curry paste and ½ cup of the coconut milk in a large frying pan over medium-high heat.
- Add the chicken, the remaining coconut milk and the vegetable stock, bring to the boil, and then reduce the heat to a simmer and cook for 8-10 minutes until the chicken is tender.
- Add the peas, green beans and baby corn and cook for a further 10 minutes. Stir through the basil leaves and serve with steamed rice.
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Judy is a new mum, foodie and a wannabe chef, and she blogs about her recipes and travels at whenjudyatethekela.com. She designed and styled up these baby- and child-friendly recipes just for us – check out her website, it’s fab!