Did some more cooking over the long weekend.
This would be my very first attempt at cooking CHICKEN!
Chicken & Broccoli Casserole
Chicken & Broccoli Casserole (14 Baby Serving)
1 Chicken Breast
1 Potato, peeled
1 Cup Broccoli, florets
2 Tbsp Cheddar Cheese
1. Place the chicken and potatoes in a steamer pot over boiling waterand cook for 5 minutes.
2. Add the broccoli and continue to steam another 3 minutes or until thechicken is cooked through and the vegetables are fork tender.
3. Place all the ingredients in a food processor and puree until smooth(or leave chunky for toddlers). You may need to add water from thesteamer pot to make smooth.
4. Cool and serve.
Errr... i have NOO idea how to clean chicken.PLUS! I dont have chicken breast but using chicken leg. It was sooo difficult cutting the fats off. I tried two different knives.. in the end, i used the kitchen scissors. VERY EFFECTIVE! but i cut away some meat also in the process.
I was also making a double batch of mashed potatoes. the 2 pounds of potatoes were in the pot boiling and then i had an idea!
Why don't i just steam the chicken on TOP of the potatoes?I had ever heard that the flavour of the chicken will seap thru to the potatoes below. I had a few worries, though:
- some of the water overflowed to the steamer basket. i chose to ignore it.
- Water spewed over even after covering it, making the gas turned orange. so i turned down the heat.
- The chicken meat looked kinda black/dark after cooked. I decided its normal
For Broccoli, i used the Heinz pureed one since i still have one jar unopened cause i doubt T would like it on its own.
I dont have a food processor, so i stripped the Cheddar slice and mashed the potatoes.
And i mashed the chicken using the old school mortar and pestle.
Mixed!I tried just a teeny weeny bit and I dare say it tasted.... revolting! hahahah Then again i don't like nor hv ever eaten broccoli before, but i shldnt deprive my baby from such nutritional value now, shld i?
That was Tufeil's dinner that night. He took to it, albeit reluctantly. He ate very slowly. But kept at it when i offered. Then i saw some white stuff in his mouth. He can't chew much of the chicken! and i actually hooked it out with my bare fingers! I wldn't have dared do that normally but i was scared he would choke that i just plunged and did it. No choice.
That was Tufeil's dinner that night. He took to it, albeit reluctantly. He ate very slowly. But kept at it when i offered. Then i saw some white stuff in his mouth. He can't chew much of the chicken! and i actually hooked it out with my bare fingers! I wldn't have dared do that normally but i was scared he would choke that i just plunged and did it. No choice.
Suspect its bcos the thigh part is more difficult to mash. It came out in strands. So I sieved thru the chunkier or longer chicken strips out and gave him tiny tiny bits plus more of potatoes.
The next day or two, i consulted with a friend who said i can actually just blend it. But the blender we have reeks of gallons of chilli and onions and wat nots. Then mummy pulled out a mini blender. and Tufeil ate better after i blended it all again.
I dont know why but i was interested to make this. Maybe cause it contains yoghurt and i want T to have variety in his diet.
1/3 of a Block of Firm Tofu, rinsed and drained
1/2 Cup Celery (1 stalk) , Chopped
8 Baby Carrots
1 Tbsp Veganaise, Mayonnaise or Yogurt
1/2 Tsp Lemon Juice
1/8 Tsp Turmeric
1 Tsp Mustard
1. Wrap tofu in a towel and put something heavy on it — like adictionary — for 10 minutes to remove as much water as possible.
2. Place carrots in a steamer pot over boiling water for 3 minutes.
3. Add the celery and continue to cook for 4 minutes or until thevegetables are fork tender.
4. When the vegetables are cool, place all of the ingredients in a food processor and pulse until everything is combined and little pieces remain.
5. Serve
I am sooooooooo clueless about vegetables, i had to ask mummy, "When they say celery, does it mean just the stem or include the leaves too?" Mum said just the stem. I've never eaten celery in my life! Much less see it in its full form before being cooked.
I didnt have a lemon juice nor mustard. Decided to skip the latter and replace the former with... ORANGE juice. LOL! well at just 1/2 teaspoon, it can barely do any harm, can it? hahahha
That's the mini blender.
I steamed the vege in rice cooker. Much easier. I think.
For fear Tufeil won't like this, i serve it with his favourite mashed potatoes and he ate solemnly.
I
'm thinking pureed beet and sweet potatoes next for calcium.
'm thinking pureed beet and sweet potatoes next for calcium.
I kept thinking beet looks like dragonfruit and was quite surprised it looks like turnip when i googled it. I'm pretty much vege-phobic, you see.
2 glasses of Juice:
Hi Jus,
Looking at the recipes, I don't think I can eat it either.. And I'm not a picky eater. It seems like Tufeil isn't either considering he ate it all! First its very very wierd to combine tumeric with mustard??!! I can't even think of an adult recipe which contains such a combination. Tofu and tumeric? Tofu and mustard? All 3 together? Its wierd la!
The chicken and broccoli, well, it does sound like an ok combination.. but pureed together.. hmm.. I still find it strange.. Maybe I'm very new to baby food and Hana's never had any.
I have no idea wats my plan as yet.. But I think I would want her to eat stuff that I myself would eat and I would not be as adventorous with flavor combinations.. I think one or two ingredients would be ok cos isn't it really yucky if u imagaine spagetti and bolognaise sauce and cheese like blended into a mush?
I plan to combine babyled weaning with some spoon feeding if I'm desperate if she's not eating at all. Baby led weaning just means giving them pieces to gum away and hope some will end up in their tummies. It cuts down the hassle of all the pureeing stuff. U just give them the carrot and the celery and watch what they do to it. Apparently the "choking" thing is cos their gag reflex is very active meaning they gag not choke. Gagging is ok while choking is like blocking the airway.
actually I'm really not the person to give u advice on any of this since my baby hasnt started solids.. Just thought things may be more palatable if u combine just one or 2 ingredients that taste good together?
Yah i've read about baby-led weaning but decided against it cos even at 6months, Tufeil's grasp was almost non-existent! I know tt in theory, tt means they r not ready for solid yet! well... lets just say i cldnt wait to feed him real food after the 6month mark.
Initially Tufeil was a terribly fussy eater! Won't even eat his baby cereal favouring fruits instead. but suddenly his appetite doubled, tripled! haha
Actually, i kinda like the mixed flavours... at almost 11th month, they might find all their single taste food boring now. but i would agree weelicious.com is a tad bit adventurous experimenting with flavours while keeping it simple still.
But i do have some cooking questions i'm gathering... so i'll expect u to have a go at answering when i post them aite? Hee =D
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