sweet potato puree

For a while Esther has been very interested in eating - she keeps reaching for food or drinks that Michael and I are having. Since I felt like it was too early to share my coffee or Thai curry with her;) we decided to let her try to eat some solids (with doctors approval). I think Esther had high hopes for the experience. As I lifted up the spoon to give her her first bite I looked away to say something to Michael and before I knew it she had wrapped her mouth around the spoon and taken a bite. BUT I think it ended in disappointment for her. She was so eager and then ... then her face started frowning and she wasn't as eager for the following bites. She didn't complain, but her facial expressions revealed her true feelings. Ha! I guess food wasn't all it was cracked up to be in her mind and maybe sweet potatoes just didn't taste good to her in general so we will try another veggie or fruit in the near future.

In the end I think Esther's parents had more fun with it than Esther herself:) We started the day by going to the farmers market to pick up some sweet potatoes to bring home to puree.

farmers market

mor and daddy - why are you posing me with a sweet potato???

Sweet Potato Puree

Ingredients:
Sweet Potatoes, peeled
Water

Directions
After peeling the sweet potatoes cut the potatoes up into small chunks.
Add the chucks to boiling water and let it boil until tender, about 15 minutes.

Then add the boiled potatoes to your blender and add some boiled potato water (or other liquid) and blend until you get the right consistency.

The pureed sweet potatoes can be stored in the fridge for a couple of days or you can freeze it as well.

This is SUPER easy to make and has no preservatives. Both characteristics that are important to me when feeding my baby. 

I think it tasted just fine and even a little sweet, but for now Esther isn't the biggest fan. I guess once we start mixing food together we will try the sweet potatoes again with a fruit or something.

even if esther wasn't the biggest fan of sweet potatoes she was super excited about her new bib:)

milling mondays: danish christmas recipes

As I mentioned in my last post I can't believe that it is almost Christmas! So exciting:) I just love love Christmas time. I love the cozy times spent with family and friends. Christmas trees and decorations, gift exchanges, Christmas smells, and yummy yummy food and dessert that are served this time of year. This season is often filled with nostalgia for me and with that the desire to make Christmas recipes I grew up enjoying. Here are some of my favorite yummy Danish Christmas treats featured on this blog if you want to try something new and delicious.


Vanillekranse

Brunkager

Danish Rye Bread with Dried Fruit, Seeds and Nuts

Æbleskiver

Ginger Cake (Ingefærkage)

If baking isn't your thing and you enjoy yummy smelling Christmas candles you can head over to Waiting Hearts Candle Co using this link to purchase some.

diy thursday: homemade (spicy) dijon mustard

I have been making my own condiments since I am tired of reading their labels and seeing the amount of weird ingredients that are added to preserve etc. If you do end up finding some that only include the "basic" ingredients ... then it is rather expensive. To remedy these two problems I figured how hard could it be to make it myself ... and it has proven to be super easy. My husband loves mustard and I have in the recent years come to enjoy it as well. So recently, I set out to make some Dijon mustard and it tasted GREAT and was really easy to make.


Homemade Dijon Mustard
recipe adapted from honest-food.net


Ingredients

6 Tbs mustard seeds (the dark seeds are more spicy than the lighter seeds)
1/2 cup mustard powder
2 tsp salt
3 Tbs white wine vinegar (or apple cider vinegar)
1/2 cup water


Directions

With a spice grinder roughly grind the mustard seeds. Choose your combination of mustard seeds based on how spicy you like it. We like things spicy in our household so I just used brown/black mustard seeds, but you can use white/yellow or a combination to find the right level of spice you prefer.

Mix the roughly ground mustard seeds, mustard powder, and salt together.

Then add the vinegar and water and stir together.

Finally, add the mustard to a glass jar and let it sit in the fridge overnight ... and voila you have mustard!

ENJOY!

my birthday

I celebrated my birthday a couple of weeks ago with lots and lots of free food. It was all yummy , but also a little overwhelming:)

Michael did help me eat all of this...

this is what i craved and ate the next day. my body was thankful.

milling mondays: homemade falafel

Homemade Falafel

recipe modified from just a taste

Ingredients

2 cups white onion, roughly chopped

6 garlic cloves

1 can (15oz) chickpeas, drained

1 cup fresh parsley

1 cup fresh cilantro

2 tsp cumin

1/2 tsp chili powder

1 tsp salt

2 tsp baking powder

1/2 + cup whole wheat flour (hard wheat berries)

oil

Directions

In a food processor mince the onion and garlic. 

Remove the onion mixture from the food processor and set aside. 

Add the chickpeas, parsley, cilantro, cumin, chili powder, and salt to the food processor and mix together until roughly chopped.

If you mill your own flour, grind your hard wheat berries. I used my WonderMill on the bread setting. 

Add the flour, baking powder and the onion mixture to the chickpea mixture in the food processor and mix it all together until it begins to come together, but is not sticky. You can add more flour if the mixture is too wet.

Cover the mixture and let it sit in the fridge for at least an hour.

Once the falafel mixture is cold, form the falafel mixture into balls and place them in a skillet with oil on medium heat. Let them brown on each side until cooked through (next time I may try baking them instead for a healthier option).

Once the falafel is done, you can serve them in a pita with a tahini sauce (mix together 1 1/4 cup plain yogurt with 1/4 cup tahini and 1-2 Tbsp lemon juice).

ENJOY!

diy thursday: raw apple sauce

I love apple sauce! Apple sauce is also a great alternative to oil when baking. And since organic apples are a lot cheaper this time of year, I decided to go ahead and turn some of them into apple sauce. 

Homemade Raw Apple Sauce

Ingredients

Apples

Lemon Juice (about 1 Tbsp per 2 apples)

Directions

Cut the apples into smaller pieces. I leave on the peel for added fiber.

Place the the ingredients in the blender.

Blend them together until desired consistency. 

This is great to freeze as well. I freeze smaller portions and use it when I bake .... or just want a yummy treat. 

ENJOY!

happy little christmas eve and christmas recipes

Today is little Christmas Eve- Lille Juleaften! I can't believe Christmas is already here.

As a danish family we have always celebrated the night before Christmas Eve - Lille Juleaften (Little Christmas Eve). Historically this is the day the tree is bought and decorated. In our family we have the tradition of playing a game called ten thousand while eating lots of yummy Christmas treats.

So if you are still wanting to bake some treats before Christmas or to enjoy the rest of the season, here are some yummy Danish Christmas treats featured on this blog if you want to try something new and delicious.



Vanillekranse

Brunkager

Danish Rye Bread with Dried Fruit, Seeds and Nuts

Æbleskiver

Ginger Cake (Ingefærkage)

milling mondays: four seed oat crackers

 

These crunchy crackers are full of nutrition and jammed packed with seeds. They are tasty and have so much more to offer than the traditional cracker. They are great by themselves or with toppings such as hummus.

Whole Wheat Four Seed Oat Crackers

print-text-email recipe

Ingredients

3 1/3 oz. oats

3 1/3 oz. sesame seeds

3 1/3 oz. pumpkin seeds

3 1/3 oz. sunflower seeds

3 1/3 oz.  flax seeds, slightly ground

11 3/4 oz. whole wheat flour (hard wheat berries)

1 tsp baking powder

1 1/2 tsp salt

6 3/4 oz. water

4 1/4 oz. oil of your choice

Directions

Pre-heat the oven to 395F.

If you mill your own flour, grind your hard wheat berries. I of course use my WonderMill.

Mix all the dry ingredients together.

 

Then add the wet ingredients to the dry mixture and mix together.

 

Once the dough has formed, add the dough to a prepared baking pan. If you prefer thinner crackers, divide the dough in two and spread out on two baking sheets.

 

Score the dough to easier cut the crackers once they are baked.

 

Bake for about 15 minutes.

 

Finish cutting the crackers with a pizza cutter. You may want to then bake them for another 5 minutes for them to fully set. Let them cool in the pan before eating.

ENJOY!

 

diy thursday: how to freeze avocados

I love avocados. They are so tasty. The only thing that bothers me is that you wait and wait for them to get ripe, and then all of a sudden you have to eat them that very day or they spoil. Ugh. Sometimes avocados are on sale and you want to buy a bunch, but you don't necessarily want to eat them all at the same time ... that is when freezing them comes in handy. I wasn't so sure whether this would work, but it totally did! The avocados didn't taste any different and they were as green as when I froze them (they didn't turn brown).

Ingredients

Avocadoes, pitted and pealed

Lemon juice

Directions

Put avocados in a bowl.

Add some lemon juice (no more than 1Tbsp per avocado)

Mash them all together. I use my KitchenAid stand mixer.

 

 

Place the mashed avocados in an airtight bag(s) and store it in the freezer until you need it. I used mine several months after freezing it and it tasted great.

milling mondays: spicy chicken chowder

 

This is a great fall/winter recipe. I really like spicy food and this has a nice chipotle kick to it. Yum.

Spicy Chicken Chowder

recipe adapted from ourbestbites.com

Ingredients

4 Tbsp butter

1 large onion, minced

6 cloves garlic, minced

1-2 bell peppers, chopped

2-3 Tbsp chopped chipotle chilies with adobe sauce (use less if you don't like spice)

1/2 cup whole wheat flour (wheat berries)

2 cups chicken broth

5 cups milk

1 sweet potato, peeled and chopped

1 can black beans

1 can corn or frozen

2 cups chicken, cooked bite sized pieces 

Salt and pepper to taste

Shredded cheese (optional)

Tortilla chips (optional)

Directions

Melt butter in a large skillet.

Sauté the onions, garlic, bell peppers and chipotle chilies with adobe sauce.



 

If you mill your own flour, grind your wheat berries.  I of course use my WonderMill.

Add the flour to the sauteed vegetables and stir for a couple of minutes.

 

Add the chicken broth and stir until the flour is smooth and the broth is thick.

Add the milk and bring to a simmer before adding the chopped sweet potato. Let it simmer for about 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.

 

Finally, stir in the chicken, beans and corn.

Top with shredded cheese and serve with tortilla chips if desired and the chowder is ready to eat.

ENJOY!