Don't worry, be happy - 10 great gluten free recipes for your baby

May 17, 2018

Oh no! Your baby has a gluten intolerance or even an allergy and now you are terrified, seeing yourself completely stressed out, hunting (and paying) for special food and spending 24/7 in the kitchen preparing meals!

We say: relax and stay positive! :)

It's a good opportunity for you to get to know the plenty and tasteful spectrum of alternatives to wheat, rye, barley and others. That brings new spices to your kitchen and might boost the food plan of your whole family. And you are raising a little helper there, that will learn how to prepare food by watching and assisting you.

We browsed through the world wide web and visited several celiac-free food and mommy blogs and selected 10 recipes for you that are a) easy-peasy to make and b) show you various replacements for gluten products.

 

1. Banana Buckwheat Muffins

Sounds definitely like a wheat, but buckwheat is a plant. Although a bit heavier than wheat flour, its flour is made from ground seeds and is the perfect substitution for wheat in cookies, cakes (mix it with lighter flour) and pancakes. It is rich in carbohydrates, protein and calcium.This recipe for Banana buckwheat muffins we found on a site called Motherly, and we have chosen it because these muffins are free from nuts, dairy, eggs and gluten which makes them to tasty miracle muffins that are on every baby party a winner, as it excludes almost all allergies.

Ingredients:

• 3 tablespoons chia seeds
• 1/2 cup unsweetened vanilla coconut milk plus 2 tablespoons
• 1 cup mashed very-ripe-with-black-spots banana (about 2 medium) .. the riper the sweeter
• 1 cup buckwheat flour
• 3 teaspoons baking powder
• 2 teaspoons cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 3 tablespoon melted coconut (or canola) oil
• 2-3 tablespoons maple syrup (optional)
• 1 teaspoon vanilla

Instructions:

1. Stir the chia seeds into the milk and set aside.
2. Place the banana into a large bowl. Add the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, salt, oil, and maple syrup, if using, and stir to combine. Stir in the chia-milk mixture. Let the batter sit while you preheat oven to 400 degrees F and grease a mini muffin tin.
3. Fill the prepared mini muffin tin to just under the edge of each cup. Bake for 14-16 minutes.
4. Let cool for 2 minutes, then remove from the pan, running a small paring knife around the edges to loosen if needed.
5. Serve warm or at room temperature, or let cool on a wire rack and store. Store in an airtight container for up to 5 days in the fridge.

3. Rice breakfast pudding

Rice breakfast pudding is low in protein and high on carbohydrates. Is your baby between 6 and 8 months, you can serve this pudding for the first time, but keep in mind that rice cereal is a high glycemic food, so it spikes the blood sugar rapidly and might be due to the disaccharide they contain and could be difficult for your baby to digest. This recipe we found on Wholesome Baby Food:

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup (Brown/or Jasmine) Rice (grind to barley size – don’t grind if serving to a Toddler )
• 2 cups water
• 1/4 cup apples sliced into small dices or slivers
• 1/4 cup raisins (optional)
• 1/8 cup brown sugar (optional)
• 2 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp ginger

Instructions:

1. Combine all of the above ingredients in a medium saucepan.
2. Cook over medium-low heat for 30 minutes or until rice is soft, fragrant and a bit soupy.
3. Stir 1/8 cup milk into the rice, keep on heat for 10 more minutes. Keep a close watch to ensure that the consistency remains soupy but not pasty.
4. Stir frequently to stop sticking to the pot and add more milk or water if necessary.
5. Serve warm then transfer remaining portion to the fridge.

4. Almond milk

Almond flour is made of ground blanched almonds with the skin removed. The flour is high in fiber and protein, Vitamin B and minerals like iron, potassium, calcium, zinc and magnesium. Due to its binding character almond flour is an ideal replacement for wheat flour. You can use it as well for muesli or porridges. If you prepare the flour on your own, you even can benefit besides the flour from the very tasteful almond milk. Here you can read how you can make very easily almond milk, for you and (from 8 months on) your baby. But be aware that this milk has less fat than normal milk, so definitely don't replace it with main milk source.

Ingredients:

• 225 g (1 1/2 CUPS) almonds
• 1 l (4 CUPS) water

Instructions:

1. Cover the almonds with water and soak in the refrigerator for 4 hrs or overnight.
2. Remove almond skins – they will come off easily. Skip this step if you bought blanched almonds from the store. 3. Blend almonds with water in a food processor or with a hand blender.
3. Press through a metal strainer, using a spoon or spatula to get out as much liquid as possible. Pulp can be dried and used as almond flour in other recipes.
4. Almond milk keeps in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.

5. Coconut pancakes

Coconut flour is made from ground coconut meat, which is naturally sweet. It has high fat content and the highest fiber content of any flour. Coconut ‘meat’ provides B vitamins, protein, zinc, phosphorus and iron. But beware: normal flour cannot be substituted by coconut flour.

Ingredients:

• ½ cup milk
• ½ cup egg whites
• 2 tbsp coconut flour
• ⅛ tsp salt
• 2 tsp bran

Instructions:

1. Mix all ingredients in a bowl making sure there are no lumps.
2. Cook on a nonstick pan over medium heat until one side is cooked, flip and cook for another 30 seconds.
3. Serve with fresh fruit and enjoy! Substitutions: any milk in place of the milk, can add sugar or sweetener if you prefer a sweeter pancake

6. Quinoa with chicken and peas

Quinoa is a plant that is originated in the Andes mountains. Its seed is full of fiber, vitamin B, calcium, folate, iron and essential amino acids and much more. You can prepare the seeds or use as your mixing flour that your adding your lighter flours. 

Rinsing and toasting Quinoa is essential before cooking. They help in eliminating the bitterness as well as saponins. Toasting enables easier digestion of the seed. Cooking and pureeing: As quinoa can expand like rice, cook one cup quinoa in two to three cups of water. Make cooked quinoa into a puree using milk or water and serve it to your baby from 6 months on.

Ingredients:

• 3 cups cooked quinoa
• 1 cup chicken, vegetable or beef stock
• Peas

Instructions:

1. Add the ingredients to a medium saucepan and bring to boil.
2. Let simmer for around 10 minutes.
3. Do not allow it to reduce to pasty thickness.

7. Chickpea and chicken salad

Chickpeas are yummy. Rich in fiber, iron, zinc, folate and much more and gives your baby the pure energy. But attention – due to the fact that it is a legume (flatulence alert), you should wait until your baby is 8 months old and serve it moderately. This recipe we found on Homemade Baby Food Recipes:

Ingredients:

• 1 tbsp cooked chickpeas, mashed
• 1 tbsp cooked chicken, chopped finely
• 1/2 avocado, peeled and pitted
• ¼  tsp olive oil

Instructions:

1. Place avocado in a blender and add a few drops of olive oil. Puree until smooth. 
2. Stir in the remaining ingredients. Mash for older babies or return to the blender and puree for those who like their meals smooth!

8. Amaranth Flour Pumpkin Porridge

Amaranth has been known for 8000 years and was used by the Aztecs. It is rich in fiber and protein, vitamins and minerals. To get amaranth flour you simply grind the seeds to the powder. You can make tasty cakes, pancakes and cookies out of it, but you need to add something that is more binding. You can introduce Amaranth to babies after 6 months of age. The recipe we found in a blog with the enchanted name My Little Moppet:

Ingredients:

• 1 tablespoon of Amaranth flour
• ¼ cup pumpkin puree (steamed and pureed)
• 1 teaspoon ghee
• Pinch of cinnamon powder

Instructions:

1. Heat ghee in a pan. Add the amaranth flour and roast on low flame for 1 minute.
2. Add ½ cup warm water and stir to avoid lumps.
3. Add pumpkin puree and mix well.
4. Cook the porridge for 2-3 minutes. Add more water if required to adjust the desired consistency.
5. Flavor the porridge with cinnamon powder and turn off the flame. Serve the porridge warm.

9. Plantains and beans pancake

Bananas or plantains are super binding. Of course you should know and follow the all-time favorite banana cake, because it is a delicious, nutritious, gluten-free piece of heaven, but we thought we'd enrich your repertoire a bit with a recipe from the site Mummy's Yum:

Ingredients:

• 1 ripe or overripe plantain
• 3-4 tablespoons beans flour (dry ground beans)
• 1 egg
• ¼-½ cup water or milk
• Dry ground pepper & pinch of salt to taste
• 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil + more for frying

Instructions:

1. Peel plantain and cut into a bowl. Mash well with a masher or your fork. Alternatively, you can use a blender to blend to a puree if you don’t want to see any bits.
2. Beat the egg with pepper and a pinch of salt, mix into the plantain.
3. Add the beans flour and mix well. Add the vegetable oil and some water, then combine well to get a smooth batter.
4. Heat a little oil in a pan over low-medium heat. Scoop the batter in and allow to cook for about 2 minutes, flip and cook the other side until done.
5. Serve warm alone or with pap.

10. Tapioca Cheesy Balls

Tapioca is a starch extracted from cassava root and comes in the form of small pearls. It is quite tasteless but helps to thicken purees and soups and desserts. Tapioca is rich in carbohydrates and contains vitamin C and minerals such as magnesium, manganese and a little copper. You can feed your baby with tapioca from 8 months.This recipe is from the blog Buona pappa. Yes, we know... 11 steps – huff! Sounds like the opposite of simple, but we assure you it's worth it:

Ingredients:

• 1 cup milk 250ml - switch with cashews milk under 12 months
• 1/2 cup olive oil 130ml
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 14 oz tapioca flour 400gr.
• 2 eggs
• 1 cup Parmesan cheese 200gr.

Instructions:

1. Preheat the oven to 400F/180C.
2. In a saucepan combine milk + oil + salt (skip salt for babies under 1 year) and bring to boil.
3. Pour the tapioca flour into a mixer with a paddle attachment. Pour the hot milk mixture into the tapioca flour.
4. Let the mixer work for 2 minutes at medium speed to incorporate the ingredients and let them cool down a bit.
5. Whisk the eggs together in a small bowl.
6. Slowly add the eggs to the tapioca mix. Let the mixer work for 1 minute.
7. Add the parmesan and let it work for another minute. 8. It is a very starchy dough, it can be done by hand, but it is way easier with the mixer.
8. The final dough will be like a cake batter, but a bit more dense.
9. Grease a mini-muffin pan and fill each hole with the tapioca mix. Do not fill up to the top as they will puff while baking.
10. Bake them for 25 min until the outside is dry and golden.
11. Let them cool down 5 min and enjoy them warm!

We hope you like our selection you can see the bright and tasty side of the gluten problem. If your including some of the goodies mentioned above into your daily menu, send us a feedback! We would be delighted.

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