Staple Recipe: Slow-cooker Applesauce

I'm writing this post in a hospital waiting room. My husband is finally getting the shoulder surgery he's been wanting to have for several years. His shoulder dislocates fairly regularly and it prevents him from doing many of the activities that he enjoys -- even picking up Luc certain ways. So it's a good hospital visit today, but that doesn't make it any less long!

Applesauce is a baby and toddler staple. From the age of 6 months, you'll be going through a lot of this stuff! The slow cooker makes preparing a big batch of applesauce so easy and convenient. You can then freeze it in whatever quantity works for you. You could use baby cubes for infant-sized portions and one-cup container for toddler, child, and adult portions.

Not only is it a great healthy snack on its own but it makes a great mixer for baby food purees, especially mixed with meats and vegetables that baby may find less appealing on their own. I will be posting a great puree recipe in the coming weeks that features this pre-made applesauce but really so many things taste great with the addition of a bit of sweet apple. It also great to have on hand in the freezer to bake with or to use as a dip for waffle strips.                                                

Slow-cooker Applesauce


- 3lbs  Macintosh apples
- 1 tsp apple cider vinegar
-  2 quarts (8 cups) water
- 1/2 cup water, apple juice, or cider

In a very large bowl mix the 2 quarts of water with the apple cider vinegar.

Peel, core and quarter the apples, placing them in the bowl of water as you go, making sure they get submerged (this step prevents browning).

Once you are done cutting the apples, drain them well and add them to a slow-cooker (at least 4-quart capacity) and add the 1/2 cup water, juice or cider.

Cook on high for 3 hours. At the end of that time giving the apples a good stir will make them dissolve into applesauce.

* This recipe is for unsweetened applesauce. If you'd like to sweeten it for kids over one year or yourself, replacing 1/4 cup of the water for 1/4 cup pure maple syrup (a darker grade is best) results in a seriously delicious applesauce free of refined sugar.

* Makes approximately 3 cups.

Staple Recipe: Creamy Crockpot Polenta

Please excuse the fact that there is no picture of this recipe, I forgot to take one, but I was so excited about it that I couldn't wait until I made it again to post about it!


I have always struggled with polenta. I dislike instant polenta's texture and I find the fact that I have to babysit and stir regular polenta for 35-40 minutes tedious in the extreme.


I have now found the perfect solution! Regular polenta cooks up creamy, smooth and amazing in a slow cooker. I've adapted this recipe from one in The Italian Slow Cooker. Made as posted, this recipe is suitable for toddlers over 1 year but you can make it with all water and serve to babies over 10  months. This is a recipe for basic polenta, but you are really hindered only by your imagination with this one -- I've posted a couple simple variations at the bottom to get you started. Polenta is a great side-dish and is especially good with a meat or mushroom ragu as is, but you can also spread it out on an oiled baking sheet, chill, and cut into diamonds or rectangles and then bake or grill them and use for snacks or as bases for appetizers.

 Creamy Crockpot Polenta

- 1 cup coarsely ground corn meal (the old-fashioned kind NOT instant or 
  quick-cooking)
- 1 tsp salt
- 2 1/2 cup water
- 2 1/2 cups whole milk

Stir all ingredients together in a large slow cooker. 

Cook on high covered for 2 hours, stirring once halfway through. At the end or the 2 hours, give it another good stir and check if it needs more liquid -- if so add a little water or milk to thin. Let cook another 30 minutes until thick and creamy. Serve hot.


* Makes 6 adult-sized servings
* Polenta will keep in the fridge for 3 days but is best freshly made.



A COUPLE VARIATIONS: 

Add chopped fresh sage along with 1/4 cup grated asiago and 1/4 grated parmesan....YUM

For breakfast: Top with milk, cream, or yogurt, honey or maple syrup, and fresh or dried fruits

Share your favorite variations!









 

Staple Recipe: 50/50 Bread

After reading Animal, Vegetable, Miracle (which is an excellent read if you've never read it), I was inspired to try regularly making bread at home. I had tried making bread by hand using the Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day method before Luc was born, which worked great, but I had trouble sticking with it.


I didn't have great memories of my mother's attempts with her bread machine. It usually ended up with bread that if you dropped it on your foot you could injure yourself and that wasn't very tasty. So, I was surprised that Barbara Kingsolver's husband used the bread machine to make their bread in Animal, Vegetable, Miracle. But, I figured it would be worth a shot. Turns out my mom still had that bread machine packed away, so I borrowed it. My first attempts were terrible. 


So I borrowed a bunch of books on bread machine baking from the library, and set to work trying to learn how to produce edible bread. Turns out it is possible to make really good bread from a bread machine and we haven't bought bread since I started using the machine 4 months ago. These two books: The Bread Lover's Bread Machine Cookbook and Whole Grain Breads by Machine or Hand were indispensable to me in becoming a bread machine convert. 


This half white, half whole wheat bread recipe is our daily bread. It took me a lot of tries to get it how we like it (like 15+!). It goes with everything and makes great toast. Please note that this bread is unsuitable for the delay timer setting. 

(I'm still working on a 100% whole wheat bread that isn't too heavy and also isn't too sweet tasting)

50/50 Bread

- 1 1/4 cups water, room temp
- 1 lg egg
- 2 tbsp canola oil
- 1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
- 1 1/2 cups bread flour (or Canadians can also use all-purpose)
- 3 tbsp dry buttermilk powder*
- 2 tbsp dark brown sugar
- 1 1/2 tbsp gluten*
- 1 1/2 tsp salt
- 2 1/4 tsp instant yeast

 Place all of the ingredients in the pan, except yeast, in the order listed. Make an well with your finger in the dry ingredients and add the yeast. 

Set crust on medium and program for Basic (White) or Whole Wheat cycle (my mother's bread machine made it better on Whole Wheat Cycle, my new one works better on Basic; try both).

Remove immediately from pan when done. Let cool before slicing. Can also be frozen. 

* makes one 1 1/2 lb loaf

* you can find dry buttermilk powder and gluten (also called Vital Wheat Gluten) at bulk goods or health food stores as well as some better stocked grocery stores.
 

Staple Recipe: Poached Whole Chicken

For some reason, it took me until this year to poach my first whole chicken. I had used the technique with breasts but never the whole bird, as well as saved up my bones in the freezer for making broth which is much the same technique. After I realized what a great way to cook poultry it was and how incredibly far I could make one chicken go this way, I felt like a total dumbass for not getting with the poaching program earlier! Not only do I get enough chicken meat for 4 or 5 family meals, but I also usually get around 20 cups of delicious homemade broth. I usually freeze all the broth in two cup portions, except for what I will use in the next couple days, in either containers or baggies put in a large freezer bag. The chicken you can use in literally hundreds of ways. I like to cut off at least one chicken breast and slice over a salad and toss the whole deal with dressing for when I'm in a big rush. The rest of the chicken I usually shred with my hands and freeze in one cup portions to use in any recipe where cooked chicken is called for. you can even save the chicken fat if you'd like, its good to make Matzo balls and it also tastes good in savory breads. 

Some easy uses I like for the chicken include: quesadillas, White Chili (this is an excellent one), chicken pot pie, chicken curry, etc etc etc. I hope that if you aren't already in the habit of poaching whole chickens that you will love this technique as much as I do! You will need your biggest stock pot with a lid to make cook this in.

Whole Poached Chicken

- 1 whole chicken, 5-6 pounds
- 1 large onion, peeled and quartered
- 2 carrots, cut into big chunks
- 2 stalks celery, cut into big chunks
- 1 bay leaf
- 1/4 lemon
- big handful of fresh parsley, stems and all
- small palmful of peppercorns
- any other scrubbed vegetable scraps you have hanging around, I usually keep them frozen in a bag to add to this, such as leek, fennel, parsnip, etc. If I have some on hand, I also throw in a couple sprigs of fresh thyme.

Place everything into your stockpot. Fill with water until the chicken is covered by 2 inches. Bring to a boil over high heat, then lower the heat to medium and simmer for 25 minutes. During this time, skim off any of the gross grey stuff that comes to the top. 

Turn off the heat and cover the pot with a tight-fitting lid. Let the chicken poach in the hot liquid for 1 1/2 hours. 

Remove the chicken from the stockpot, letting the juices drain, making sure that they run clear (which tells you that it's done, if juices are pinkish it isn't cooked, heat to a simmer and turn off and let sit 1/2 hour more). Transfer the chicken to a cutting board and let it cool. Strain out the vegetables from the broth and discard. Let the broth cool. Once it is cool, transfer it to the fridge. 

Once the chicken is cool, remove the meat from the bones, shredding with your finger, discarding the skin and bones. Either keep the breasts whole or shred it all. Pack up the chicken to store in the fridge or freezer. 

Once the broth is cold, you can skim off the fat and either discard it or save it for another use (it also freezes well--I freeze it in Baby Cubes). Divide the broth how you'd like, and store it in the fridge or freezer. 

Staple Recipe: Luc's Favourite Tomato Sauce

This is a recipe adapted from The Baby's Table by Brenda Bradshaw and Lauren Bramley and just a fantastic easy recipe for baby. After 10 months of age I tried several tomato sauce recipes and this was by far Luc's favourite and I have been making it regularly ever since. It is extremely versatile and easy to make and can be used on pastina, pasta (by itself or with add-ins), as a dipping sauce, as a tasty puree by adding a little to a pureed vegetable + cheese of your choice, add a little to a stew -- the possibilities are endless. I try to always keep a little frozen in Baby Cubes to have on hand. 


Tomato Sauce

- 1 14 oz can diced tomatoes
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 plump shallot, finely diced
- 2 tbsp tomato paste
- 14 cup water
- 1/3 cup chopped fresh basil

In a frying pan, heat olive oil over low heat; saute shallot until translucent. 

Add tomatoes, tomato paste and water; bring to a boil. Turn down the heat and add the basil. Simmer, partially covered for 30 min. stirring occasionally. 

Makes 5ish baby cubes

* some brands of tomato paste are gluten-free, some aren't, if that's a concern