Annabel Karmel Quick & Easy Toddler Recipes Book Review

My children have grown up with Annabel Karmel.  Well not literally, but certainly with her books around the kitchen.  Somebody recommended her Complete Baby and Toddler Meal Planner to me when R was a baby and I was hooked from there on in.  I love the mix of recipes and the fact that these are recipes that anyone can make from everyday ingredients.  So, I was thrilled to have the opportunity to do a review of Annabel Karmel’s latest book; Quick and Easy Toddler Recipes.  The book really appealed to me especially as I am still working hard to get A eating a wider range of foods.

I certainly wasn’t disappointed. Quick and Easy Toddler Recipes is filled with a really good range of recipes starting with a whole chapter for breakfasts and snacks, chapters dedicated to pasta, fish, poultry, meat and vegetables and finishing off with a chapter on fruit.  Each chapter contains a range of recipes that are all quick to make, with easily accessible ingredients.  There is nothing complicated and it is clearly marked at the top how many portions the recipe makes and whether or not it is suitable for freezing.

The thing that appeals to me the most with this book is not only  the fact that the recipes are all so quick, but that these meals could be adapted for the whole family and that really is the thinking behind this book.  Mum of three Annabel says “With parents working harder than ever to keep their family happy and healthy, I wanted to create a new series of recipe books that use fresh, quick and simple ingredients without compromising on taste and nutritional value.  What’s more, tired mums and dads can enjoy these recipes too, so there’s clean plates all round!”

There are lots of recipes that I am going to try over the coming weeks such as buttermilk blueberry pancakes, macaroni with smoked bacon and courgette, cod and salmon fishcakes and sultana drop scones to name but a few, but I had a go at making the apple and sultana muffins as they jumped out at me when I first looked through the book.  They were a real success and definitely something that I would make again.  Here is the recipe to give you a taster.

Annabel Karmel’s Apple and Sultana Muffin Recipe

Ingredients

125g butter (softened)
125g caster sugar
1 egg
200ml milk
1/4 teaspoon salt
225g plain flour
1tbsp baking powder
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp ground cinnamon
150g dessert apples (peeled and grated)
75g sultanas
a little demerara sugar

Method

• Preheat oven to 200?C/180?C Fan/ Gas 6 and line a 12 hole muffin tin with paper cases.
• Measure all of the ingredients, except the demerara sugar into a mixer and whisk until combined ( this can also be done by hand in a bowl).  Spoon the batter into the paper cases until almost full and sprinkle over the demerara sugar.  Bake in the oven for 20-22 minutes until well risen and slightly golden.
• Remove from the oven and allow to cool for five minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.