Tuesday 29 October 2013

Vegetable fritters - speedy teatime idea for babies and toddlers


No. My son did not appreciate the parsley garnish!

Some days it feels as though all I do is prepare meals! My 15-month old son is on a slightly different mealtime schedule to us due to fitting in naps and his bedtime which often occurs before my husband gets in from work (we relish a 'grown-up' meal together in the evenings!). Much as I love to cook, preparing two different lunches and two different evening meals can leave little time for getting out and about. Where possible, I try to cook meals that are suitable for us all and just heat up a portion for my son the next day. I also like to keep the freezer full of speedy meals and snacks that are perfect for when time is short.

These very tasty fritters freeze really well and can be cooked directly from frozen in just ten minutes. They also take merely five minutes to make and are ideal for those days when you I open the fridge and realise all you I have is an egg and a couple of bendy carrots! They are a great way to disguise any vegetables that little ones usually reject and are easy for little hands to eat - they would make a great dish for younger babies following the baby led weaning approach. For my son, these are a great tea-time meal in themselves. He loves them and we have tried various vegetable combinations - sweetcorn and courgette being his favourite. The fritters also make a good light lunch or brunch for adults served with a poached egg and/or a slice of bacon.

Vegetable Fritters
Inspired by this recipe from Annabel Karmel

Makes approx. 8-10 small fritters

30g plain flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1 large egg
1-2 tbsp milk
170g mixed vegetables* (sweetcorn, peas, courgette, carrot, spring onion)
Olive oil for frying
Pinch of salt (optional and for 12 months+ only)

*Vegetables such as carrot or courgette should be grated and squeezed in a tea-towel to get rid of excess liquid. Sweetcorn is great in these, either alone or mixed with grated courgette.

1. Place the flour and baking powder into a large bowl and combine. Make a slight well and crack the egg into the well. Mix together with a touch of milk until you have a thick but smooth batter. 

2. Stir in the vegetables.

3. Heat oil in a frying pan. Take heaped teaspoons of the batter and drop into the pan, pushing down with back of the spoon to create a rough circular shape. Cook for 1-2 minutes until golden and then flip over and cook for 1-2 minutes on the other side. Once golden and slightly crisp on the outside, they are ready. Cook in batches.


4. To freeze, simple wrap the cooled fritters in foil in portion sizes (my son will eat around 4 of these but he is very greedy!). When ready to eat, place on a baking tray in oven at 180C for 8-10 minutes.

TECHNICAL QUESTION!!
If anyone reading this can help, I would be enormously helpful. The background template for my blog does not appear correctly on mobile devices such as iPads. This makes my blog look rather ugly unless viewed on a desktop/laptop. I have no idea how to fix this as I am very un-techy. Can anyone shed any light?! Please?! I would be hugely grateful for any advice.

7 comments:

  1. Already feeling inspired! Well done x

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  2. Haha, my little boy wouldn't be impressed with the parsley either, but he does love this sort of meal.

    As to the background image, if it worries you, I would go into, design-template-customise- background and choose one of the ones on offer there. They will show properly on all devices.

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  3. Response to technical question: wait 'till son is a bit older and then ask him.....

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  4. Thank you, Clare!

    Jacqueline - thank you so much. I think I may have to do that. I just particularly like the background I chose and the look of it on a desktop!

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  5. Anonymous - love it! Too true.

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  6. Gave my kids this today and it went down a treat - been ages since I tried anything remotely new so thanks for the inspiration!

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  7. Lucy - so pleased that it went down well!

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Thank you so much for your thoughts!