Orange, Almond and Polenta Cake

by Diana

Breastfeeding has to be one of the most moving and tender experiences I have endeavoured, but, as rewarding as it is, it can be also fuel consuming. Over the course of the last 7 months I have noticed that my seemly never-ending engine gets fatigued sometimes. Most people talk about pregnancy cravings - and I did have a few picky -nutty- choices when I was expecting but no book that I read mentioned postpartum starvation! I believe that the body is quite wise and in most cases it knows what it’s doing and I agree with the idea that cravings correspond to nutrient deficiency and resources supply- despite  the latest research suggesting that's all nonsense. From week one I have found myself topping up my carb stock - both the kitchen and mouth cupboards! probably because energy needed boosting up. But as much as I enjoyed my pregnancy and would have not mind it lasted longer than 38 weeks, I certainly prefer to look ’unpregnant’ at this stage. Hence, for the disappointment of some, I have been trying different flours and sugar substitutions. This orange, almond and polenta cake has been one of those craving discoveries. It's easy to make, gluten and potentially low in sugar. It's immensely satisfying and crowd pleasing - which is quite necessary when having visitors coming over to meet the baby as it will guarantee positive comments from those easily impressed as sleep deprivation allows you, in theory, to still have a baking life. Enjoy!

© The Teaspoon

Sweet Potato and Quinoa Patties

by Diana

Everyone knows I am not friends with quinoa - I’ve spoken against it on previous posts but I’ve also promised to redeem the dull grain with courageous recipes that aim to change my opinion and convert me once and for all. I am using our son as a pilot here and made for him these sweet potato and quinoa cheesy patties. My hope is that we could all share a fun vegetarian dinner and I’ll assess the dish’s level of success according to the number of patties we manage to dodge- here is for the many uncivilised family meals ahead! 

  

© The Teaspoon

Baby 'Cachapas' or Corn Fritters

by Diana 

I thought I had an exciting food life - with my little blog and collection of recipes and books, not to mention my genuine love for cooking and my experiments in the kitchen. Nothing, however, beats the excitement -and the enormous responsibility- of introducing actual food to a brand new human being. 

My husband and I had our first baby last year and our little one just reached the weaning age last January - I hope this explains somehow the inconsistency of my blog posting frequency!. After not giving it much thought, we decided to give 'baby-led-weaning' a go - combined with the flexibility of a puree here and there - considering his smile consists of a mouthful of gums and not the smallest sight of teeth anywhere - in spite of his temper sometimes.

The whole baby-led-weaning is becoming more interesting as he is curious and brave when it comes to flavours and textures which is just motivating and inspiring for the development of new recipes and dishes that we could all try together. 

I made baby 'cachapas' or corn fritters this morning. This is a Venezuelan classic and almost as popular as arepas are. The good thing about this recipe is that it makes plenty of 'cachapitas' to compensate for those that fly over the living room or end up in unexpected corners of the house. I hope you like them as much as he did!  

© The Teaspoon