Going a bit 'lentil'

Sunday is my day for 'General Tidying' - that's the task I set myself in addition to my usual daily chores. Today it was more successful than it has been of late. James had a nice long sleep after lunch and Christopher was engrossed in his toy food collection, so I really got cracking and sorted things out. Things are starting to settle back into a routine again now. I've cleared out (most of) the extra clutter we've accumulated since James came along, and a bit more besides. Things are slowly, but surely, coming good on the housekeeping front!

When I planned the week's meals, Hubby requested our good old favourite, Savoury Mince Crumble , so we had that for dinner this evening, accompanied by some steamed greens and baby corn (Christopher's favourite). For James, I defrosted and heated up one of the little meals that I make in bulk and keep on standby in ther freezer. This lentil dish is another recipe culled from my extensive cookery book library; this time from Lorraine Kelly’s Baby & Toddler Eating Plan.


Christopher loved this when he was a baby and it has turned out to be a great favourite with James, too. I cook it in larger quantities, using a little less water and a bit more cheese but, to be honest, I don't think there's much to be done that really improves the original recipe. I do add a little ground black pepper because Karl and I both like quite a lot of pepper in food and I wanted the children to get used to the flavour early on. I chop the vegetables into tiny shards using the large jug of my hand-blender so that it is easier to purée the mixture later, but chopping them any old how will do fine, though it might increase the cooking time a little if the vegetable pieces are a lot bigger.

Cheesy Lentil Savoury

4 tbsp red lentils (60ml)
1 little onion, peeled and finely chopped
2 carrots, peeled and finely chopped
350ml water
black pepper
50g cheddar cheese, finely grated

Put the lentils and chopped vegetables into a pan and pour in the water. Bring to the boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for 15 minutes or until the vegetables are soft and the lentils fairly mushy. Purée as necessary, then stir in the grated cheese. This makes about 6 portions.