We're great fans of good food here at Her.ie and were absolutely delighted to chat to Chef Neven Maguire who's on a mission with Danone Baby Nutrition to promote the importance of health and nutrition in the first 1000 days of a child's life.

The Cavan native has kindly provided us with three wonderful recipes for mums to be that look absolutely mouth-watering.

We really think they'll go down a treat with the family. Yummy!

 

PREGNANCY RECIPE

Salmon and Asparagus Wraps, Serves 6

Neven says - "There is something about the Irish palate that loves salmon. It is rich in omega 3, readily available, and very good value. In this recipe I sometimes use monkfish or sea trout instead"

Wraps:

• 18 asparagus spears, trimmed,3 per salmon fillet
• 6 (175g/6oz) Organic Salmon Fillets, skinned and pin-boned (Claire Island)
• 1 packet of fresh dill, stalks removed
• 70g Parma ham or lean streaky bacon
• Juice of ½ lemon
• Seasoning

Sun Dried Tomato Vinaigrette:

• 12 semi sun dried tomatoes in oil, roughly chopped
• 200ml rapeseed oil
• 1 tsp lemon juice
• 1 pinch chilli powder
• 1tsp tomato puree
• 3 basil leaves

Method:

1. Cook the asparagus for 1 minute.  Drain and rinse under cold water.  Place the salmon fillet on a board. 
2. Season with pepper. 
3. Arrange the asparagus and dill on top of the salmon fillets.
4. Lightly wrap each fillet in the Parma ham or streaky bacon to secure.  Brush over the vinaigrette and lemon juice.
5. Heat 1 teaspoon of butter with 1 teaspoon of rapeseed oil.  When the butter is foaming add the salmon wraps. 
6. Fry gently for 2 minutes on each side, finish in oven Gas 5/190° for 10 minutes until golden brown. 
7. Turn once during cooking.  Serve with vinaigrette.

Vinaigrette: Blend together all the ingredients in a food processor for about 1 minute or until it forms a fairly smooth texture. Season to taste.

To Serve: Drizzle the vinaigrette on the plate and gently place the salmon wraps on top.

Tip: Ask your local fishmonger to remove all the bones

Nutrition Information per serving

Energy 348 kcal
Protein 27g
Fat 27g
Carbohydrate 1g
High in Omega 3 and Vitamin D

* * *

WEANING RECIPE

Vegetable Soup with Barley, Serves 4–6

Neven says - "One of the very first soups I cooked with my mother Vera. This is full of goodness and nutrition and, as they say in Cavan, there is eating and drinking in it!  I make it for the twins but I replace the barley with Orzo which is a rice shaped pasta and they love it."

• 50g (2oz) pearl barley 
• 1 tbsp rapeseed oil
• 2 celery sticks, diced
• 1 onion, diced
• 1 carrot, diced
• 1 small leek, trimmed and diced
• 1 tsp chopped fresh thyme
• 2 skinless, chicken breasts(quality assured)
• 1.2 litres (2 pints) homemade vegetable stock orchicken stock (with no stock cube or added sat)
• 1 tbsp chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
• Freshly ground black pepper
• brown bread, to serve (optional)

Method:

1. Place the pearl barley in a sieve and rinse well under cold running water.
2. Heat the rapeseed oil in a pan over a medium heat and stir in the celery, onion, carrot, leek and thyme and sauté for 5 minutes, until the vegetables are softened.
3. Pour the stock into the vegetable mixture, add in the rinsed barley, whole chicken breasts and bring to the boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for about 20 minutes or until the vegetables, chicken and barley are completely tender .
4. Remove the cooked chicken, allow to cool slightly and carefully dice into small cubes,  Stir in the, diced chicken,  parsley and season to taste. 

Tip: It is a great idea to make up larger quantities and freeze the extra portions. Make sure to label and date the food so you know when it was made. 

Nutrition Information per serving

Energy 134kcals
Protein 10g
Fibre 3.9g
Carbohydrate 18g
Fat 3g
Source of fibre

* * *

TODDLER

Ragu Sauce, Serves 6-8

Neven says - "This recipe is the real McCoy and definitely doesn’t use any of those readymade pasta sauces. It’s just so versatile, soft and tender that it is worth the two hours cooking time - trust me it’s worth it!"

• 1 tbsp rapeseed oil
• 1oz / 25g butter
• 1 onion, finely chopped
• 2 carrots, finely chopped
• 2 celery sticks, finely chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, crushed
• 8oz / 225g button mushrooms, sliced
• 4oz / 100g rindless piece smoked streaky, finely chopped
• 12oz / 350g lean minced beef (quality assured)
• 1 tablespoon tomato puree
• 2 x 14oz / 400g cans chopped tomatoes
• 1/2 pint / 300ml beef stock (low salt kallo)
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh basil
• salt and freshly ground black pepper 

Method:

1. Heat the butter and oil in a large sauté pan with a lid until sizzling.
2. Add the onion, carrots, celery, garlic, mushrooms and bacon and sauté over a medium heat for 10 minutes until the vegetables have softened and everything is lightly browned, stirring frequently.
3. Add the minced beef to the pan, reduce the heat and cook gently for 10 minutes until well browned, stirring to breaking up any lumps with a wooden spoon.
4. Stir in the tomato puree, canned tomatoes and half of the stock and bring to the boil, stirring to combine.
5. Reduce the heat under the pan, half cover with the lid and simmer very gently for about 2 hours or until the meat is meltingly tender, stirring occasionally and adding a little more of the remaining stock as it becomes absorbed.
6. Add basil to the sauce and mix well to combine, then simmer uncovered for another 30 minutes until the bolognaise sauce is well reduced and thickened, stirring frequently.
7. Serve with pasta.

Tip: This dish is a perfect stand-by for converting into dishes such as moussaka, cannelloni, chilli con carne, lasagne, cottage pie and as a filling for pancakes and jacket potatoes.

Nutrition Information per serving

Energy 196kcals
Protein 12.1g
Carbohydrates 5g
Fat 14.3g
Omega 3 863mg
Iron 1.25mg