Tahini is one of the ingredients I have rediscovered recently. You can use it for so much more than just hummus, it’s great for sauces and works well with meat.

My tahini chicken skewers recipe is more suitable for toddlers than small babies. Most babies could have it but you have to be careful as tahini is made from sesame seed which is considered the ninth most common food allergy. So don’t offer it to your child if you have a history of food allergy in your family. Some sources say babies could have it from 6 months, others say it may be better to wait until 12 months…so I’ll let you decide!

Tahini is really good for us. It is calorific but high in calcium, protein and healthy fats that are all good for babies’ development.

The grilled chicken works really well with the tahini marinade, and combined with a couscous topped with grilled vegetables it makes a perfect supper.

I’ve used chicken legs or wings for this recipe before and popped it in the oven but I like it even better with chicken thigh fillets diced and skewered.

My partner approved as hewas doing the washing up and said ‘It’s quite easy to wash up when it’s all been cooked on skewers!’

I gave some of the tahini chicken to my 8-month-old daughter blended with the vegetables but also a few pieces as finger food, which she really enjoyed.

Tahini chicken skewers with grilled vegetable couscous

Serves 2 adults + 1 toddler or baby

Preparation: 15-20 min | Marinate:1 hour | Cooking time: 20 min

Ingredients:

Marinade:

3 garlic cloves

1 teaspoon paprika ( sweet paprika)

1 teaspoon ground cumin  or cumin seeds

juice 1 lemon

2 tablespoons of tahini paste

1 tablespoon of olive oil

–

Chicken thigh fillets – approx 500g

Couscous (approx 85g or 1 small bowl)

Olive oil

1 large aubergine

2 courgettes

10-15 cherry tomatoes

–

Yoghurt tahini sauce:

5 tablespoons  yoghurt

1 -2 tablespoons tahini

few drops lemon juice to taste

Method:

Prepare the marinade. In a pestle and mortar grind cumin and paprika. Add garlic cloves and crush to a paste. Add the tahini, lemon juice and olive oil and mix.

Cut the chicken thigh fillets into chunks, place in a bowl and coat with the marinade. Make sure it is all well coated and leave for at least an hour.

Preheat the grill at 200 degrees.

Cut the vegetables into cubes and put on skewers.

Once marinated, thread the pieces onto skewers as well.

Put the vegetable skewers and the chicken ones under the grill, turn occasionally and cook for approx 20 minutes until the chicken is cooked through and the vegetables are soft.

Whilst the skewers are cooking prepare the couscous.

Boil a kettle of water.

Put the couscous in a bowl and drizzle with a little olive oil. Cover the couscous with boiled water and leave for a few minutes covered with cling film.

Mix all the ingredients together to prepare the yoghurt tahini sauce.

When the vegetables are cooked take off the skewers using a fork.

To serve top the couscous with grilled vegetables  and serve with the chicken skewers and the yoghurt sauce on the side.

Toddlers would eat this as above but if preparing for a baby put aside some of the chicken vegetables and couscous and follow recipe below.

Note: Instead of using the grill you could even barbecue on a nice summery day.

Tahini chicken and grilled vegetable  purée with couscous
Baby’s new tastes and textures
Serves 1 baby + extra for freezing

Follow the recipe as above and use the food you have set aside.

Take a few chicken pieces and vegetables  off the skewers and blend to a paste using a hand blender.

For texture add a couple of teaspoons of couscous and serve.

You could also give a few pieces of chicken as finger food.

Tip:

I find couscous is great to mix into any baby vegetable purees to add a bit of texture and provide a carbohydrate. It’s also really easy and quick to prepare when you are not quite prepared and organised. You only need to turn the kettle on, let it soak for a few minutes, and it’s done. Easy!

Links:

http://www.fitday.com/fitness-articles/nutrition/healthy-eating/the-nutrition-of-tahini.html#b

http://www.babycentre.co.uk/x1042702/are-foods-containing-sesame-seeds-safe-for-my-baby

http://canigivemybaby.com/hummus

http://www.homemade-baby-food-recipes.com/giving-baby-sesame.html

http://blog.foodnetwork.com/healthyeats/2009/10/14/meet-this-grain-couscous/