Shawarma spiced chicken with jewelled rice
I love talking to parents at early pregnancy workshops, antenatal and postnatal groups and introducing solids workshops about why nutrition matters during the first 1000 days of a child’s life, from pregnancy to their second birthday. Sharing recipe ideas to supercharge meals with key nutrients to support both mum and baby’s health.
This is a simple recipe packed with protein, healthy fats, different colourful vegetables, spices, nuts and wholegrain. Providing key nutrients for mum during pregnancy and postnatal recovery.
It is also a lovely recipe to introduce to your baby once you have passed the stage of introducing single vegetables for the first couple of weeks.
Why it’s so important to introduce lots of different textures and flavours?
When you are ready to start introducing as much variety as possible, lots of different tastes and textures should help your child grow up to enjoy their food.
During my weaning workshops, I talk about introducing different textures, including purees, mashed foods and steamed buttons of food throughout the first year and beyond, so they enjoy a wide range of textures growing up.
Your child’s preferences will often change, it will therefore give you more flexibility and options at mealtimes.
I love creating weaning recipes for the whole family to make life easy.
The rice & quinoa can be cooked so it’s super soft, and packed with fibre, protein, mild spices and some vegetables. You can finely chop up the chicken and add it to the rice or offer the chicken as finger food. You can also mix the yoghurt with the rice, so plenty of options.
This recipe helps your baby get used to more lumpy textures.
Transitioning from a smooth puree to lumpy textures
This helps baby to learn how to mush food, at the top of the mouth and side to side tongue movement to get food from the tongue to the teeth at the side of the mouth. These are all skills your baby must learn.
As they learn to move food to the side of the mouth at 6-10 months they desensitise the different textures of food. So it gradually becomes less uncomfortable and can sometimes reduce the risk of picky eating later on. I talk a lot about this in my workshops.
Chicken shawarma with jewelled rice
For the chicken
8-12 chicken thigh fillets, skinned
2 lemons, juice only
50ml olive oil
4 garlic cloves, crushed
1 tsp ground cumin
1tsp ground turmeric
1 tsp ground coriander
1 tsp sweet smoked paprika
½ tsp ground cinnamon
Optional salt and freshly ground black pepper
For the rice
300g brown basmati rice
100g quinoa
Extra virgin olive oil
1 leek, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
200g frozen sweetcorn
2 to 3 carrots, peeled and chopped
½ teaspoon coriander
½ teaspoon paprika
¼ teaspoon ground turmeric
600ml chicken or vegetable stock
Topping
Chopped nuts: walnuts, pine nuts, almonds
Dried fruit: apricots, raisins, cranberries
Live yoghurt
Method
For the chicken, put the chicken thighs in a large food bag or bowl. Whisk the lemon juice and oil together then add the garlic and spices. Mix thoroughly and pour over the chicken.
Leave to marinade in the fridge. Allow the chicken to come to room temperature before cooking.
To cook the chicken, heat a grill or griddle pan, and remove excess marinade from the chicken. Over medium heat, grill or griddle the chicken, turning frequently, for around 20-25 minutes, or until cooked through. Or you can air fry.
For the rice, heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil over medium-high heat in a pan. Add the leeks and garlic and cook for about 3 to 5 minutes, tossing regularly until softened. Add the sweetcorn and carrots. Add the spices and mix to combine. Cook for another 5 minutes or so, tossing regularly until the carrots have softened.
Add the rice & quinoa to the pan, and toss around to make sure the rice is well-coated with the spices. Pour in 600ml of stock. Bring to a boil, then turn the heat to low. Cover and cook for 15 to 20 minutes until the rice is cooked through and has absorbed all the liquid.
Allow the rice about 5 to 10 minutes to rest before serving.
Serve the rice with chicken and live yoghurt and sprinkle chopped nuts and dried fruit over the top.
Try to include mild spices & herbs in as many recipes as possible to feed your babies beneficial bacteria in the gut
Baby food doesn't have to be bland. Herbs and spices can add flavour and variety. It’s safe to introduce mild herbs and spices from 6 months such as cinnamon, turmeric and basil, start small and gradually build up.
The benefits include:
Familiarising babies with new and different flavours.
Adds flavour without sugar or salt.
Extra nutrients in meals.
This recipe is also good for mum and baby’s gut, spices contain gut-supporting properties, and increase the amount of beneficial gut bacteria such as Bifidobacterium and Lactobacillus, which have many health benefits including anti-inflammatory properties. Garlic, onion, leeks, and whole grains are packed with particularly special prebiotic fibres that beneficial gut bacteria love.