Baby food- plantain

Plantain is of banana family. I was introduced to this food by my husband. Its normally needs to be cooked before eating.As the plantain ripens, it becomes sweeter and its color changes from green to yellow to black, just like bananas. 

Mostly we ate plantain which were salted and fried (no wonder they taste good!). 

Ripe plantains can also be fried and eaten with black eyed beans cooked in palm oil; a popular dish in Nigeria.

"Steam-cooked plantains are considered a nutritious food for infants and the elderly. A ripe plantain is used as food for infants at weaning; it is mashed with a pinch of salt and is believed to be more easily digestible than ripe banana."

sourced from <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plantain_(cooking)>

This is the recipe which I'm going to write about today. My baby ate the boiled plantain , mashed and mixed with honey without a hitch.  Maybe your baby will also like it..and if she doesn't well u can gulp down the tasty stuff urself…it 'll work as a snack between meals.

Ingredients

Plantain- 1, peeled and cut into a few pieces

Water

Salt to taste

Honey- 1 tsp

Butter/Ghee- 1/2 tsp

 

Method

Heat water in a pan and add the plantain pieces into it. They should be immersed in the water. Add a pinch of salt and cover the pan with a lid. Do not cover it fully, but leave it open on one side to let the steam escape. Cook on medium flame.

When the water is approximately half, check the doneness with a fork or knife.

Take out the plantain pieces, mash them and add butter/ghee and honey. Mix well . When it cools to room temperature, feed it to the baby.

Banana & Honey Ice cream

Anybody who knows me well, knows that I'm an ice-cream fan. The only problem being that, I need to count calories and I try to avoid food with added colors. That’s one of the reasons why I'm on the lookout for healthy recipes for my sweet cravings.
This is one of the experients which took a tasty turn. Ideal for a yummy treat!

Ingredients
1. 2-3 ripe bananas-mashed
2. Evaporated milk- 157 gm (for 1 tin)
3. Honey -1-2 tbsp
4. Vanilla extract-1/2 tsp

Method
1) Take the bananas and mix them with evaporated milk.
2) Add vanilla extract.
3) Add the honey to this mix. You can taste the mixture before freezing and adjust for sweetness by adding more honey.
4) Pour into a metal or a air-tight container and keep for freezing.

Serving suggestions
You can top it with fresh fruits. I used strawberries and pineapple which gave a very fresh feel to it.

Banana Pancakes with Saffron cream

With the rainy season on full bloom, I often feel like whipping up something warm and cozy to eat. These pancakes come along as a perfect Sunday brunch recipe for such a weather.

(Makes 6 medium sized pancakes)
Modified from this recipe by Soma of ecurry
Ingredients
1. 1 & 1/4 cup of all purpose flour/maida/ white flour
2. 1.5 tsp baking powder
3. 5 tsp sugar
4. Pinch of salt
5. 1 egg
6. 1.5 cups of milk
7. 30gm melted butter
8. 1/2 tsp of vanilla extract
9. 3 large bananas mashed or cut into very small pieces
10. Butter to cook pancakes

Equipments
Thick bottomed Skillet
A whisk
Deep bowl

Method
1. Sift together the flour, baking powder, salt and sugar. Alternately you can mix it thoroughly with a fork or even a spoon. The idea is to mix it so that, all ingredients are evenly distributed in the mixture.
2. In a separate deep bowl, whisk the egg, melted butter, milk and vanilla extract.
3. Now add the dry ingredients, stirring till smooth. You can also add 1/4 of the flour mixture alternating with stirring till all the flour mix is incorporated in the batter.
4. Add mashed bananas and blend with hand blender or plainly mixing it well.
5. Heat the skillet and put butter on it. Pour the batter with the help of a large spoon/ladle.
6. Keep it on medium flame, cover it for few minutes. Uncover and flip to cook the other side.
7. Serve with a delightful saffron cream.

Saffron cream (modified from ecurry)
This cream served as a perfect accompaniment for the pancakes.


Ingredients
1. Chilled cream( I used Nestlé)- 4 tsp
2. Pinch of saffron
3. 1 spoon warm milk for saffron infusion
4. 1 spoon of milk
5. Sugar to taste

Method
1. In the warm milk, put the pinch of saffron. Keep aside for 30 min.
2. Combine the sugar infused milk with cream.
3. Add sugar and 1 spoon milk. Mix well
4. Keep it in the fridge till all your pancakes are ready. Better if you can keep it overnight (tasted good to me both ways).

Happy weekend!