Salt Awareness Week – Salt Free Recipes for Knorr

This salt awareness week I’m super pleased to be teaming up with Knorr as part of a paid partnership with them to talk about their new ZERO salt stock cube! This stock cube is the first of it’s kind on the UK market, recommended by Netmums, and I’m excited about it.

I’ve been asked SO often about stock & how to include it in baby’s weaning journey and a lot of families struggle with being able to make dishes like Risotto, stews and curries without stock.

I love the idea of families eating together and so being able to cook for the WHOLE family without having to compromise on flavour or worry about levels of salt is just ideal. I’ve written about the importance of not adding salt to babies’ meals before in my blog on salt for babies.

Salt Awareness Week Recipes

Knorr have asked me to come up with three recipes, using their zero salt stock cubes to help families cook some simple ONE POT meals together packed with plenty of flavour. Knorr are also doing lots around plant power and sustainability and so all these recipes are plant-based (with the exception of cheese in the risotto, which can be switched for nutritional yeast).

See my recipes below for:

• Frozen Vegetable Risotto
• Cauliflower Curry
• Chunky Veggie Soup

These are all suitable for the whole family INCLUDING weaning babies & young children with a few caveats that you might need to know first.

1.) You might need to blend the recipe at the end a little for baby before serving. Remember that textures are important, so try and only blend bits of the meal that you need to e.g. tougher veggies that don’t squidge

2.) Some foods such as the edamame beans in the risotto (if using) are choking hazards for babies and young toddlers, mash/blend or give them a little chop before you put them in

3.) You really don’t need to add salt in these recipes for adults, but if you’re used to salt and need it in recipes, just add it to your own portion at the end – not to toddlers or baby’s portion.

Recipe 1 – Frozen Vegetable Risotto

Serves 4 adults

Ingredients:

• 1 Knorr Zero Salt Vegetable Stock cube
• 1 large onion or 140g frozen chopped onion
• 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 3 cloves of garlic, finely chopped or 1 heaped tsp of frozen chopped garlic or 1 heaped tsp garlic paste
• 300g risotto rice
• 300g mixed frozen vegetables (I have used a mixture of edamame beans*, peas, sweetcorn, carrots, broccoli and red pepper)
• 60g extra mature cheddar, grated or replace with 10g nutritional yeast to make vegan.

To serve

• Extra cheddar

And/or

• Extra nutritional yeast

Method:

1. In a large pan add the onion and oil and cook over a low-medium heat for 5 minutes so the onion cooks without colouring. Add the garlic and cook for a further 2 minutes.
2. Prepare the stock by dissolving 1 cube in 500ml of boiling water.
3. Add the rice to the onion mix and toast gently for 2 minutes, allowing all the rice cubes to be coated in the oil.
4. Add ¼ of the stock and stir.
5. Keep adding the stock, little by little, as it is absorbed by the rice. Add 250ml of boiling water.
6. Cook for around 25 minutes, using boiling water once the stock has run out.
7. You may need up to 800ml of boiling water. Option to add a second Zero Salt stock cube.
8. When the rice is almost cooked through, add the frozen vegetables and cook for a further 5 minutes.
9. Remove from the heat, add the cheese and mix.
10. For young babies mash or blend the risotto to the required texture.
11. Serve and top adult and toddler portions with extra cheese or nutritional yeast to taste.

Recipe Notes:

*Edamame beans may be a choking hazard for young babies and toddlers. Either chop them before adding into the risotto or ensure they are mashed/blended well before serving.

Other suitable vegetables include green beans, asparagus, leeks**, chopped spinach or mushrooms** (**add these with the garlic at the start).

Recipe 2 – Cauliflower and Pak Choi Curry

Serves 2 adults, 1 baby/toddler

Ingredients:

• 1 Knorr Zero salt stock cube
• 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 1 large onion
• 3 cloves of garlic, finely chopped or 1 heaped tsp of frozen chopped garlic or 1 heaped tsp garlic paste
• 1 TBSP curry powder (check for one with NO added salt!) (or use 2 tsp turmeric and 2 tsp garam masala)
• ½ a tbsp ground ginger
• 1 tbsp tomato puree
• 1 large cauliflower head (chopped roughly into chunks – broccoli works too)
• ½ a tin of chickpeas (drained)
• ½ a tin of coconut milk (stirred through)
• 100mls of water (might need)
• 2 large handfuls of spinach or chopped pak choi

Method:

1. In a large pan add the onion and oil and cook over a low-medium heat for 5 minutes so the onion cooks without colouring. Add the garlic and cook for a further 2 minutes.
2. Add the curry powder, ginger, tomato puree and Knorr ZERO salt stock cube and stir well so all the spices mix well with the onion
3. Then add the cauliflower and mix well so it’s coated and cook for 5 minutes
4. Add the chickpeas and the coconut milk and stir well before placing the lid on and leaving for around 10 mins. Keep checking and stirring the dish and add some extra water if it starts to look dry.
5. Add two large handfuls of the greens and allow to wilt for around 5 minutes with the lid still on.
6. Once cooked and the cauliflower soft serve the curry with some naan bread or rice on the side. Take out a few sticks of broccoli for baby’s portion and then blend and/or mash the rest as needed before serving.

Recipe Notes:

Chickpeas will be difficult to manage and a bit of a choking hazard for younger babies. As will the greens. It’s best to blend these for younger babies.

Recipe 3 – Chunky Veggie Soup

Serves a family of four

Ingredients:

• 1 Knorr Zero Salt Stock Cube
• 1tbsp olive oil
• 1 medium white onion (or a leek) chopped
• 2 cloves of garlic, chopped
• 85g dried lentils
• 85g dried lentils
• 500-600g of leftover veggies e.g. I used celery, courgette, carrot and sweet potato, chopped roughly
• 500ml hot water (for stock)
• 1 large pinch of ground ginger
• Extra 200mls of hot water

Method:

1. In a large pan add the onion and oil and cook over a low-medium heat for 5 minutes so the onion cooks without colouring. Add the garlic and cook for a further 2 minutes.
2. Prepare the stock by dissolving 1 cube in 500ml of boiling water.
3. Add the dried lentils followed but the chopped veggies. Stir ingredients together well until well mixed and then add the stock and ginger and stir.
4. Bring to the boil on a high heat and then once boiling, turn down and place a lid on and allow to simmer for 20 minutes. Keep an eye on the pan and add the rest of the 200mls as and when needed (or you can just add it after 20minutes)
5. After 20minutes take the lid off and add the remainder of the spare water (if needed) and simmer for a further 5-10 minutes, until the lentils are cooked through.
6. For young babies mash or blend the soup to the required texture and serve with some toast or bread fingers for dipping.
7. For everyone else, serve the soup with some crusty bread

Recipe Notes:

This recipe may be fine for a younger baby depending on what veggies you use as they are all well-cooked. Skins may not be easy for younger babies to chew though, so giving it a mash or a blend might help.

I’ve tried and tested all these recipes with my family and they have all gone down so well. Adults, toddlers and babies alike. I really hope you enjoy them too.

For more delicious salt free recipes, check out some of these winter warmer options here!

Also there are plenty of family (and baby) friendly recipes in my book, How to Wean Your Baby too.