New ventures in eating and cooking

The last 6 weeks has left me occupied with my two children and the business of settling each of them into school and nursery. My son went from having mama 24/7 to a few days of nursery away from me and his precious big sister. This was a significant change for him and I welcomed the balance of mama time and nursery time. He had much to look forward to such as the different stimulation varying from the cool music teacher with his guitar to eating together with the rest of the children on small tables and chairs and might I add, without any help! I was curious how this last task would pan out as my boy generally has ants in his pants. After several weeks into the process, I was happy to learn that he sat with the rest of his peers and was having seconds as well! And this has of course had an effect at home, as he is able to sit longer than usual.

My daughter is slowly settling in at reception (also known as kindergarten) and she has had some days where she has had school lunches and other days when she and I have lunched together. On the days that she is at home, her appetite has almost doubled and I am so pleased with this. As a baby she was a small eater and its only over the years that her desire for food has grown. And now it seems that being at school has only expanded her tummy!

So now I will start my classes once she has fully settled, and this will be towards the end of November and I will update my blog, Facebook page and website www.spicesformysweets.com with dates.

In the mean time I have done some interesting talks, one has been for a local clinic specialising in alternative therapies. I spoke about the beneficial uses of spices and baby food and offered some pureed samples for clients to try, one of course was my favourite butternut squash puree with roasted cumin and steamed plums puree with star anise, black peppercorns, cinnamon and clove.

Then this weekend I did a cooking demo at a quaint shop that sells spices by the weight. It was a fantastic experience where I demonstrated how to cook tadka dal (tempered lentils) and Bombay aloo. I was so high on adrenalin after the class and got so much positive feedback. I hope to do some more classes here in the future!

The Summer of Food and an Autumn of Cooking

I am feeling rather creaky after two months of not writing on my blog and I have to admit the break has been refreshing. The family and I were away in India over the summer months and it was a new adventure being in the motherland during the post monsoon, mosquito season. The children enjoyed all the Indian delights of paani puri, kulfi, and roasted corn with lemon and salt. The fruits in season were the succulent custard apples and sweet pomengranates and the children ate these both in fruit and ice cream form!

For me, it was a time off from cooking and I solely focused on indulging on food at any opportunity! I relished every bite of my grandma's cooking from the area of Sind, lollas with maaki for breakfast to sai bhaaji for lunch and gosht dubalroti for dinner.

Then there was the Goan food we tried which has strong Portugese influence, a couple of  that stuck out for me was the pork vindaloo which used sugar cane vinegar. I ate this with small bread rolls to mop up the vindaloo sauce. It was just wow! Then there was a seafood stew, with a mellow gravy and bits of prawn and crab floating in it. Again, very very nice. Then of course the street food, I had my sev puri and bhel puri. Indian food aside, there was also some fantastic Chinese meals, sushi and pizzas. But I have to say my all time favorite was eating sharing platters with cocktails amongst close friends. I think it was the best combination of good conversation and food!

Since coming back to London, we have been busy settling the children into both school and nursery. The much needed mommy-time is somewhere in the distance till they both settle and in the mean time its been non stop cooking (surprise surprise!). After Indian food overload, the children were happy to come back to a more balanced diet of pasta, stir fries and of course home cooked Indian food. I tried after ages, a moreish bean curry. To my delight, my daughter enjoyed it the first time so much that she demanded it again for lunch today! And with the cold weather setting in, its perfect!

So here is my recipe for a moreish bean curry. I used 2 cans of black eyed beans and 1 can of butter beans (or giant baked beans as I like to call them)

3 cans of beans
half a large onion
3 garlic cloves grated
1 teaspoon grated ginger
1 can of chopped tomatoes
1 tspn cumin powder
1 tspn coriander powder
1/2 tspn turmeric powder
1/2 tspn red chilli powder
salt to taste
handful of finely chopped coriander

1.  Sweat the onion on low heat along with the grated garlic and ginger in a tablespoon of oil.
2. After 7-8 mins, the onions will be translucent. Now add the dry spices and cook for a minute.
3. Add the can of tomatoes and finally the beans (you can discard the water).
4. Add two cups of water and simmer on low heat for 45 mins.
5. Add the coriander right at the end and stir through.

Serve like a soup with some crusty bread on the side, or with boiled rice and yoghurt.

Summer Highlights

So this Wednesday will be the last 'Spices for my Sweets' workshop for the summer. Its been such a fantastic last few months. The last set of workshops in particular was a real highlight for me. Not to say other classes haven't been as good, its just that the whole reason why I wanted to do these classes was finally achieved. After the block of 5 classes,  mothers confessed that the class had profoundly changed them- that they were more able, more confident and empowered to take charge of their family meals. They had moved from being nervous and shaky in the kitchen to planning menus and practising in the kitchen. Some moms emailed me pictures of the food they produced and their children eating it as well!
For me this was the heart of the matter for me- to touch one mother like that was more than enough! The five workshops had become a journey for many, and at the last class some were sad to say bye and even exchanged phone numbers. I hope the classes continue to give mothers this sense of achievement!

Some new movements have taken place, I did two home workshops with a couple of lovely mommies and their cheeky 6 months olds. Their diets were strictly vegetarian and over two classes, they learnt how to make 8 baby meals. Not only did the moms learn recipes, they also learnt many cooking tips and how to manage the business of cooking fresh food every day for their wee ones. A great experience for me, and I am happy to offer this service to other moms in their homes.

I will be taking a break now for some travel time, and will resume classes in October. Spices for my Sweets will as usual be on a Wednesday at 10 am at my home in North London, the first class will start 2nd October. The mothers only class, A Taste of Something Spicy will begin in October as well, this time on a Monday evening at 830 starting on the 7th. Once again you can email me on spicesformysweets@gmail.com.

Some new ventures will commence in the Autumn, including offering educational talks and cooking demonstrations and offering weaning classes in collaboration with other groups. Watch this space!

I wish everyone a wonderful summer!

Sweetcorn Chicken Soup

Loved especially by my hubby and my children, I would like to share with you an all time classic, a sweetcorn chicken soup recipe. My version has a few add ons, using sesame oil, slivers of ginger and spring onion.

I hope you enjoy it!

For a family of 4 and suitable for babies 12 months +

1 425 gms can of creamed corn
2 tablespoons of sesame oil
1/2 cup of finely chopped boneless chicken
1 tablespoon of light soya sauce
1 white of an egg
4-5 slivers of ginger
1/2 finely chopped spring onion to garnish
salt and pepper

1. In a pan, add a tablespoon of sesame oil, the ginger and the chicken and fry for a minute.
2. Now add the creamed corn and the same amount of water to the pan.
3. Next add the soya sauce and season with salt and black pepper.
4. Now take a fork and lift small forkfuls of egg white and drop into the pan. Continue till all the egg white has been dropped. Now mix with a spoon, the egg white will cook and you will see white threads.
5. Simmer for another 10 mins on medium heat. When serving add a tablespoon of sesame oil and chopped spring onion.

My 2 year old will be having this for lunch :)

Big School

Last week my husband and I met the staff at my daughter's school which she will be starting this September. I was sitting in the school hall, clutching a handful of papers and feeling so small amongst the other 100 parents. How will my tiny, barely 4 year old daughter  feel when she enters her new school? I felt anxious and excited at the same time, for both her and I. I can still remember the day she was born and her cry when she took her first breath and now my kitten was about to start reception. The time had crept up on us.

The school was aware of our worries, and I, like all the parents there was keen on getting my baby settled in a positive way. Amongst learning how to dress herself for PE and getting to school on time, my little one has to learn how to eat in a cafeteria amongst her class mates. She will have a choice of school lunches which would mean holding a tray and deciding what meal she would like, along with a choice of salad and dessert. It all seems like too many choices for a 4 year old and perhaps a little complicated? What if you like both the broccoli and cheese and the chicken pie? But then change your mind after seeing the fish fingers on your friend's plate? Could you skip lunch and just have dessert? Too many choices!

Now what has slightly stressed me is the readiness of my daughter and if I dwell deeper the readiness of me to let go of her. Suddenly on a very conscious level there is a deadline looming in September to make her able and ready to tackle the business of school. And what I find most difficult is her eating her meal. She is very good at finishing her plate and has a good appetite but she can, if left to her own devices, take over an hour. How will she be able to eat her meal at lunch time? I can just imagine her socialising and then remaining hungry for the rest of the afternoon! I know it's typical of a mom to worry about this and I guess I will be worrying about other things she will have to cope with (without mommy there to give her a helping hand) but I guess that's the whole point of school? It's about her falling down and getting up, dusting herself off and giving it another go. We do have a few more months (thank god!) before she starts and much growing up for both mommy and her to do.

Mediterranean Vegetables and Pesto Tart

Today has been a super chaotic day. My cleaner cancelled on me last minute! Arrgh! I really didn't need this what with the dishes piled in the sink from last night, sheets needed changing and the usual hoovering, mopping and dusting that had to take place. I was really missing my 'the cleaner has come and sorted my inner and outer chaos and now I feel at peace for maybe 2 hours' feeling. It really feels like a session of therapy once she has left my house shiny and new. So on top of cleaning the house in shifts- shift one was before the morning activity, shift two after my son's nap, shift three after the afternoon activity and shift four is still due, after the kids have gone to sleep. Where was the time to cook dinner? The kids and I had gone for an afternoon activity where they made scones. It was so lovely to see them in their aprons and hats and flour all over their faces! My kids just love cooking! This is what it's all about, having fun and getting stuck in there! Having been inspired by that experience, I decided the kids and I would make dinner together. I came up with something healthy, quick and where the kids could get involved. So we made a roasted vegetable tart with a pesto base baked with parmesan cheese. Accompanying this was a bowlful of rocket salad, some olives and anchovies.

So for a family of 4 and there will be some left overs for lunch tomorrow!

1 shortcrust pastry pack
1/2 a jar of green pesto sauce
thinly sliced vegetables:
aubergine
courgette
yellow peppers
cherry tomatoes
mushrooms
grated parmesan cheese
oregano
olive oil
salt and pepper

1. Roll out your pastry and then trans

fer to a greased/floured baking tray
2. Turn the oven to 200c
3. Spread the pesto all over the pastry sheet
4. Now add the sliced vegetables
5. Top with parmesan, oregano and salt and pepper
6. Sprinkle with olive oil and bake in the oven for 12 minutes or until crispy and golden

Enjoy!

A Week of Appreciation

This week was a week of new beginnings for me. It started off with glorious sunshine which seriously improves my state of mind! Lots of fresh air, trips to the parks and eating ice cream was welcomed by both the children and I.

Spices for my Sweets started June workshops and it was special as all the moms and babies were brand new. Some moms had their wee ones, barely 6 months old and were keen to learn about purees and including spices in their meals. Another mom was pregnant with her second baby and due in a few months. She was interested in learning new recipes. Then there was another mom who wanted to move her little one from puree foods to chunkier textures. Everyone who came had something unique that they wanted to gain from the workshops and I hope that in the next 5 weeks they will not be disappointed.

I demonstrated red masoor lentils with steamed courgette and a pinch of turmeric for the 6 month old babies and a butternut squash with sage risotto for the 9 month olds.

On Friday night, after dropping my children off to my mother's, my hubby and I attended the Kensington Mums Exhibition in Chelsea. It was a fantastic evening lead by Dina tributing to mothers. There were photos of mothers holding small chalkboards with words on it to sum up what we felt about motherhood. We had to complete the sentence " I am a mother and a ..." I chose the word 'fulfilled' and I truly mean it! Though there are days where I want to pull my hair out, overall life doesn't have as much meaning or depth till you have children.

Then we watched a video of all the one minute clips of 40 mothers put together. Each mom spoke of the joys, sorrows and transformation motherhood has had on them.

I met so many wonderful moms- moms who are now artists, bloggers, working and studying but all as a result of having their little ones. I left the evening with a goody bag and a cupcake, which I saved for the kids.

The week rounded off with feeling immensely appreciated by my moms in the class, from my hubby and from my children.