Salmon and Quinoa Pasta / Pie (Gluten free)

Salmon & Quinoa Pasta

It's been some time since I've last blogged about recipes for my toddler son. I think I have been less adventurous with recipes now and more occupied with his daily activities. Happikiddo had recently launched a contest searching for an all-time thumb-up recipe for our little cutie pies. I have decided to enter my son's favorite fish pie recipe into the contest. It's a very healthy and balanced meal as each serving alone meets the recommended vegetable intake for a child aged 1 to 4 years. In addition, I incorporate 'quinoa' the illustriously known supergrain in making the creamy pumpkin sauce for the fish pie. It is so creamily delicious no one would suspect it is actually this 'healthy'! At least my husband never suspected it. 

I am sure I have written or blogged about quinoa some time back, but there's no harm talking about this good stuff, as good stuff like this always need a gentle nudge. Quinoa (pronounced as 'keen-wah', is in fact not a grain, but a complete protein in the form of amino acids, in other words, they are very easy to digest and are essential for development and growth. If your diet lacks of protein eg fish, tofu or meat, then consider adding quinoa into your diet.

Quinoa for babies and kids 

Quinoa is hypoallergenic (less likely to cause an allergy), thus making it suitable for young infants. Quinoa may be introduced to baby from 8 months onwards although many babies do tolerate it prior to 8 months. This nutritious-dense ingredient makes a great addition to your little one's diet and it is very versatile. You can cook and serve it as puree, or congee (porridge) or in this case, a creamy sauce. It is packed with fiber, calcium, iron and folate, making it a great option for parents who find it tough to get their kids to eat vegetables.

I have made this creamy quinoa and pumpkin sauce many times and have served it with mashed potato topping (as salmon & quinoa pie - somehow the presentation makes the entire dish very attractive to a little kid), or pasta or even rice.

There is no need to add thickener like cornflour to thicken it up as the addition of quinoa turns it into a perfect consistency, somewhere between a creamy soup and a sauce.

If you like this healthy and delicious recipe, kindly give me a LIKE on the following facebook photo link. Huge thank you in advanced.

https://www.facebook.com/Happikiddo/photos/a.821843814580232.1073741866.330671603697458/837824239648856/?type=3&theater

Here's my recipe for my salmon, quinoa and pumpkin sauce
(By all means, replace salmon with other fish or meat)

• 150g salmon, cubed 
• 1/2 small onion, cubed
• 100g pumpkin or butternut squash, cubed 
• 1/4 cup quinoa, rinsed 
• 1 1/4 cup vegetable stock, homemade 
• 2 cloves garlic, finely minced 
• 1 knob of butter / grapeseed oil to pan fry the garlic and fish 

Instructions: 

1. Steam-cook cubed onion, pumpkin, and quinoa in a pot / rice cooker with the vegetable cook (about 20 minutes). Once cooked, transfer all to a blender, pulse for 2-3 minutes or until the sauce turns creamy. Set aside. 
2. In a frying pan, heat up butter or oil. Stir in finely minced garlic and sautee till fragrant. Stir in cubed salmon. Cook for about 2 min. 
3. Pour in creamy pumpkin and quinoa sauce. Simmer for another 2-5 min. 
4. Serve with mashed potato, pasta or rice. 

To make the salmon and quinoa pie: 

Boil potato till tender. Mash with salt or pepper (optional) and butter, milk and cheese. 

To assemble the pie, divide the salmon and quinoa pumpkin sauce between 3 ramekin dishes. Top with mashed potato. To achieve a nice golden color, brush top of pie with beaten egg mixture and bake in a preheated oven at 180deg C for 10 to 20 min. 

Chicken Shepherd's pie

I wasn't sure if this dish should be called Shepherd's pie or cottage pie. Now.. this is what I think, if Shepherd's pie is made with minced lamb meat and cottage pie is made with minced beef, shouldn't this be called farmer's pie? It does make sense, doesn't it?

So here's the recipe for my 'farmer's pie, which I quickly whipped up this morning for the little fella to bring to his nanny's and I asked nanny if she would steam it up prior to serving him as lunch, she kindly said yes. Note: At home prior to serving, I usually bake it in the oven with added grated cheese on top, I love seeing the way cheese melts when baked. But I don't expect the nanny to bake it for him. So I just asked her to steam it to re-heat it.

 

 

Recipe (makes two portions for a toddler aged 19mth old)

• 100g minced chicken breast, marinated with dash of soya salt and black pepper powder
• 1 clove garlic, minced with pinch of salt
• 1/2 medium size onion, minced
• 100g pumpkin, cut into cubes
• 2 medium size tomato, skin and seeds removed, chopped 
• 1/2 cup of water / stock

For the mashed potato topping

• 1 potato or sweet potato, peeled and cut into cubes
• 3tbsp milk
• 2tbsp cream cheese
• 2tbsp butter
• pinch of salt and black pepper powder
• 2tbsp Cheddar cheese (optional)

Instructions:

1. Prepare the mashed potato: bring a pan of water to boil, pour in the cubed potato and boil until soft and tender enough to mash.
2. Rinse away the boiling water, in a bowl, mash the potato with milk, cream cheese, butter and salt and/ or other seasoning. Set aside.  
3. In a wok or shallow frying pan, heat up 2tbsp grapeseed oil or cooking oil, stir in minced garlic and onion, followed by minced chicken, fry until fragrant. Stir in cubed pumpkin and tomato, gently stir-fry for another 3min. Add in water or stock, stew on low heat for about 10-20min or until the tomato and pumpkin are soft.
4. Prepare two small ceramic dish or one big one. Brush with oil or butter. Lay the minced chicken mix at bottom of dish. Top with mashed potato, followed by Cheddar cheese (optional).
5. Bake in a preheated oven at 170degC for about 5-10min or until the top is slightly golden brown.

I am linking this simple and easy toddler's recipe to Bake Along No. 62 themed savory pie/ tart hosted by Zoe from Bake for Happy Kids, Joyce from Kitchen Flavours and Lena from Frozen wings.