carrot cake

I got this recipe from my mum, so it is in italian.

500 gr carote

200 gr farina

200 gr zucchero

100 gr burro

200 gr mandorle

3 uova

1/2 bustina di lievito

1 limone

pelare le carote e tritarle ( io per comodita prendo quelle gia tagliate tipo julienne). preparare le mandorle, se con buccia immergere in acqua bollente per qualche istante, e tritarle. (io per comodita prendo la farina di mandorle). in una terrina burro con zucchero fino a creare una crema. aggiungere i tuorli uno alla volta e unire alle mandorle, le carote, la farina, il lievito e gli albumi montati a neve. mescolare lenatmente oer unire il tutto senza smontare gli albumi.unire la scorza del limone. imburrare la teglia e infarinare (anche se io uso la carta da forno e evito questo extra di burro). versare il composto. forno a 170 C per 40-45 minuti. (meglio piu crudina che secca!).

il voto della coccinella: 10/10

turkey meatballs

what you need

1 turkey breast (about 120 grams)
1 cup of whole milk
1/2 egg
1/2 cup of baby cereals in powder (better if it is a mix of 7+ cereals)
1 leave of chives (or parsley or mint)
1 ts parmesan cheese
1 tbs olive oil
pinch of salt

cut the raw turkey into small pieces. blend it with a blender together with the milk and chives. add a pinch of salt. pour into a bowl and gently mix with the egg. add the cereals powder. the mixture should be quite thick at this point and allow you to make small balls with it. use a brush to grease a casserole. pour ball and brush them with the olive oil so that they are evenly covered. preheat oven at 200 C and cook for about 20 minutes or until golden brown. serve with avocado slices and cherry tomatoes.

coccinella rate: 9/10

broccoli guacamole

this recipe is extremely easy yet quite healthy. if you are very lucky, the baby will be bewitched by the texture, shape and fun aspect of this creation and devour it all in a few minutes. if you are less lucky, as in my case, the coccinella might just discover the real taste of the tiny flower and learn quite fast how to separate the cream from the tortilla and eat just this one.

what you need: (1 tortilla, enough for a toddler)

1 cup of broccoli
2 tbs of cream cheese (better if ricotta or robiola)2 mexican wheat tortillas
1 ts of sesame seeds
1 ts olive oil
few drops of balsamic vinegar
very little salt if any
1 ts parmesan cheese (optional)

steam the broccoli. puree them. add the cream cheese, the sesame seeds lightly crushed, vinegar and oil. warm up the tortillas in a pan, with very low heat and a cover to keep them moist. avoid the tortilla to become crunchy. spread on the tortilla the broccoli guacamole and cut it into shapes with a cookie mold. if you used sweet cheese such as ricotta and prefer not to use salt, add the parmesan cheese to the mixture. serve with cherry tomatoes and corn.

polenta pumpkin spring flowers

once again a recipe with a calcium boost for those toddlers who do not particularly enjoy drinking milk. the polenta is also the ideal to hide vegetables that otherwise would not be eaten spontaneously. this time, i hid in it some cheese and pumpkin, but it can also have broccoli, ham, tomatoes and much more...

do not forget about the shape and the visual part: there is a huge difference between a slice of polenta as mountaineers have it on the alps and a nice little flower adorned with cherry tomatoes.

what do you need:

1 cup of quick polenta ( should not take more than 10 minutes)
6 dl of full fat milk
1/2 cup pumpkin cut in cubes
1/2 cup of edam cheese
5 cherry tomatoes
1 tbs parmesan cheese

follow instructions on the polenta package. substitute water with the milk.
cut the pumpkin and the cheese. steam the pumpkin until soft.

when milk start boiling add the polenta gently to avoid lumps. let it cook alone for 7 minutes. when the grains have absorbed most of the milk then add the pumpkin and the cheese. lower heat. stir gently and less often. let it cook until cheese melts.

pour the polenta on a large plate and let it spread. let it cool down for 30 minutes. polenta should not be higher than 2-3 cm. with a cookie mold cut the polenta into flower shapes and decorate with half a cherry tomato.

coccinella rate: 10/10

berry ricotta cake

this recipe is very simple and ideal for those toddlers that do not like drinking milk. also i like it because it has no sugar so it ends up being quite healthy. i consider it a light version of the classic and fatty cheese cake.

the portions are for a small mold of about 16 cm or 6". it is enough for 4 people or a few more little breakfast.

what you need:

200 gr fresh ricotta cheese

2 tbs honey

2 tbs blueberry jam

1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon

1 tbs flour all purpose

1 egg

a little bit of butter

mix together the ricotta with the egg, the honey, the flour and then cinnamon until you get a creamy mix.

slowly add the two spoon of blueberry without mixing too much.

preheat oven at 180 C or 350 F. grease the little pan with butter and dust with flour. then pour the mix.

bake for 30-40 minutes. It will darken on the top, but do not worry. it is a simple cake so it will not rise, expect a height of 3-4 cm max.

see main picture for serving suggestions.

chicken jewels

what you need:

1 chicken breast

1 cup of all purpose flour

1 egg

1 cup of bread crumbles

1 tb spoon of olive oil

pinch of salt

1/2 cup of frozen pease

1/4 cup grated carrots

* * *

take a small chicken breast. wash it and cut it into small bites of about 1 cm per side.

place flour and breadcrumbs on two different plates.

whisk the egg and place it in a small bowl.

add a pinch of salt to the chicken bites. in the following order, pass the chicken bites into the flour, then the egg and finally the breadcrumbs. use a spoon with holes so what is in excess will fall out.

heat the oil in a pan. when hot thrown the chicken. help yourself with a kitchen brush to cover evenly the chicken with oil. oil should be hardly visible and absolutely not cover the chicken.

let it cook with a low heat until golden brown. keep shaking so it will not stick not burn ( remember that we have used very little oil). this should take no more than 5-8 minutes. check the bites before removing from heat ( you do not want the chicken to be raw). do not overcook or it will become dry. let it rest on a kitchen paper so that extra oil wil be absorbed.

when the coccinella is ready, serve with boiled peas and carrot. decorate with a tomato coin. (raw tomato cut with something sharp and rund).

coccinella's grade: 8/10