Broccoli & Cheddar Cheese Nuggets

I found this recipe on a baby food blog and decided to give a try.  I figured it was a good way to get Ellie to eat her broccoli since she currents enjoys mashing off the tops and not actually eating it (and forget pureed!). It is very important to use seasoned bread crumbs and I didn't the first time and my nuggets turned out really bland.  I know they are babies, but they do have taste buds! Add extra seasoning if you like - garlic powder, pepper, extra basil or oregano for example. She loved them and didn't even mind when I gave her one cold.  Success! 

Prep time: 10 mins
Cook time: 25 mins
Makes: 16-20 nuggets, depending on size

INGREDIENTS:
1 16oz package frozen broccoli, cooked, drained and chipped
1 cup seasoned bread crumbs
1 1/2 cups shredde cheddar cheese
3 large eggs or 5 egg yolks

DIRECTIONS:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Lightly coat a baking sheet with olive oil and set aside. In a large bowl, combine all remaining ingredients and mix well.

Shape mixture inot nuggets of fun shapes such as squares or squigglies and place on baking tray. Bake for 20-25 minutes, turn nuggets over after 15 minutes.  Serve warm. Be sure to crumble if your baby needs it.

Baby Biscotti

Ellie has been teething hardcore lately and I have been wanting to find something that will ease her sore gums and coax those new teeth through.  I have seen lots of recipes for teething cookies, most of which include sugar or palm oil, so I wanted to find something that was healthier and that was going to stand up to those jagged little teeth.  She's like a Saber Tooth Tiger!  I tried another recipe and found them to be too soft and she was able to gnaw through it in a few seconds.  Molasses was the likely culprit.  The solution? Baby Biscotti!  We all know how hard biscotti are, so this was an ingenious recipe.  The oblong shape and hard texture of twice backed biscotti are ideal for little hands and new teeth.  You can experiment with different flours or pureed fruits and vegetables to make it your own. I used a banana in my first batch and found that it worked really well.  I'm looking forward to trying different purees to make them sweeter and more interesting. While no cookie can be completely resistant to crumbling, this one lasted a long time.

Prep time: 10 minutes
Cook time: 55 minutes
Makes: 2 dozen

INGREDIENTS:
1/4 cup melted butter or canola or olive oil
1 jar pureed fruit or vegetable or large mashed ripe banana
2 large eggs
2 cups whole wheat flour
1/2-1 cup oats
1 tsp baking powder
pinch of salt

DIRECTIONS:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  In a large bowl, beat butter, puree and eggs until smooth.  Add the flour, oats, baking powder and salt and stir until almost combined; add any additions you want and stir until just blended.  If it seems dry, use your hands to complete the mixing as the dough comes together. If it's too sticky (this will depend on the puree you use) add more flour until you have a soft, stiff dough.

Turn the dough out onto a floured surface.  Divide in half and shape each piece into an 8'' long log. Place the logs 2''-3'' apart on a cookie sheet that has been sprayed with nonstick spray and flatten each into a rectangle that is about 3'' wide.

Bake for 20-25 minutes, until firm and starting to crack on top.  Transfer the logs to a wire rack to cool for a bit and reduce the oven temperature to 275 degrees.

When they're cool enough to handle (they tend to crumble when they're still hot), place the logs on a cutting board, trim the ends and cut each log diagonally into 1/2''-3/4'' slices with a serrated knife. Place the slices upright on the cookie sheet, spacing them about 1/2'' apart so that there's room for the air to circulate between them and return to the oven for 30 minutes.  If you like, turn the heat off and leave the biscotti inside the oven until it cools down to make them even harder.  Once cool, store in an airtight container.

Ellie enjoying her biscotti