201 Organic Baby Purees (12 page)

1.   Chop turkey into small pieces. Place in a blender.

2.   Purée while gradually adding just enough water to reach a smooth consistency.

 
Special Veal

FREEZER/PARENTS

Veal tastes mild in flavor and comes from young cows. Add variety to this purée by adding soft pasta shapes or a few pinches of shredded cheese.

2 SERVINGS

1 tablespoon onion, minced

4 ounces lean veal

3 tablespoons water

1.   Cook the onion over medium heat until translucent.

2.   Add veal to the pan and fry until completely cooked, typically 4–5 minutes per side for a thin steak.

3.   Cut into small pieces (less than 1-inch square) and place in a food processor or blender.

4.   Purée while gradually adding just enough water to reach a smooth consistency.

 
Simply Lamb

BASIC/FREEZER/SUPERFOOD/PARENTS

A rare find in grocery aisles, this recipe expands your baby's palate with yet another flavorful meat. Babies can digest lamb easily and will benefit from all the iron it contains. Instead of using the oven, grilled lamb presents an even tastier treat.

2 SERVINGS

4 ounces lean lamb

3 tablespoons water or broth

1.   If using lamb chops, broil for 18–20 minutes, or until the meat reaches an internal temperature of 160°F. If using lamb shoulder or leg, roast at 325°F for 35–40 minutes.

2.   Let the meat cool; then cut into small pieces and place in food processor or blender.

3.   Purée while gradually adding just enough broth or water to reach a smooth consistency.

 
Basic Barley

BASIC/PARENTS

This versatile, nutritious grain supports healthy brain development and offers baby a healthy dose of iron, vitamin C, phosphorous, magnesium, zinc, and potassium.

7–8 SERVINGS

1 cup pearled barley

3 cups water

1.   Combine barley and water in a small saucepan and cover.

2.   Simmer 45–55 minutes, or until barley is tender.

 
Quinoa

BASIC/SUPERFOOD/PARENTS

This healthy grain boasts fiber, essential amino acids, and protein. Before introducing quinoa, make sure your child can tolerate oatmeal, barley, and rice. Thoroughly rinse quinoa under running water.

8 SERVINGS

1 cup quinoa

2 cups water

1.   Combine quinoa and the 2 cups water in a medium saucepan.

2.   Bring to a boil.

3.   Reduce heat, cover, and simmer for 15 minutes or until the outer ring of each grain separates.

4.   Fluff before serving.

 
Squash and Corn Combo

FREEZER/SUPERFOOD

This recipe serves up the yellow color of the rainbow of foods. Make this purée smooth because of the corn. Check to make sure no indigestible fibers from the corn are present.

6 SERVINGS

½ cup peeled unsalted butternut squash chunks

½ cup water

¼ cup frozen sweet corn

1.   Combine squash, water, and corn in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil.

2.   Stir frequently while cooking to ensure that squash cooks evenly.

3.   Cook until tender, 8–10 minutes.

4.   Transfer to a food processor or blender. Purée while gradually adding just enough water necessary to achieve a smooth consistency.

 
Autumn's Harvest Purée

SUPERFOOD

Take advantage of all the beta-carotene in this creamy and healthy dish. Use previously frozen purées to whip this up. Add spices like cinnamon and nutmeg for more robust flavor.

1 SERVING

2 tablespoons Enchanting Apple
(
Chapter 4
)

2 tablespoons Pumpkin Patch Purée (
Chapter 4
)

2 tablespoons Simply Sweet Potato (
Chapter 4
)

Combine all ingredients in a bowl. Serve warm or cold.

 
Cinnamon–Apple–Sweet Potato Surprise

FREEZER/SUPERFOOD/PARENTS

The juices from baking the apple and sweet potato join together in this dish and are complemented by the wonderful taste and aroma of cinnamon.

1 SERVING

1 small apple, peeled, cored, and sliced

1 sweet potato, skinned and cubed

¹
⁄
₈
teaspoon cinnamon

1.   Preheat oven to 350ºF.

2.   Combine apples, sweet potatoes, and cinnamon in an 8" x 8" square dish.

3.   Bake for 40 minutes or until apple and sweet potato are nice and soft.

4.   Purée in a blender with all the natural juices or fork-mash.

5.   Serve warm.

 
Summertime Peach Raspberry Delight

FREEZER/SUPERFOOD/INSTANT/PARENTS

This charming dessert purée offers a dose of vitamin C and lycopene, which protects cells from damage.

6–8 SERVINGS

1 cup raspberries

5 small peaches, peeled, pitted, and chopped

1.   Wash raspberries and drain, but do not dry.

2.   Transfer moist raspberries and chopped peaches to a blender and purée until smooth

3.   Pass purée through a fine-meshed sieve or strainer to remove raspberry seeds.

4.   Freeze extra portions for up to eight weeks.

 
Peach Queen

SUPERFOOD/PARENTS

Quinoa, also known as the “Mother of All Grains,” adds nice texture and a serving of whole grains to the smoothness of the peach purée. Quinoa offers iron, fiber, magnesium, and phosphorous, all essential for healthy development.

1 SERVING

4 tablespoons Just Peachy Purée
(
Chapter 4
)

1 tablespoon cooked quinoa

Combine peach purée and cooked quinoa. Serve.

 
Sweet Peas with Orzo

FREEZER/PARENTS

The orzo pasta adds a good texture to this purée. Alternatively, you can substitute arborio rice for the orzo if you wish.

1 SERVING

2 tablespoons cooked orzo pasta

4 tablespoons Pretty Peas (
Chapter 4
)

1.   Combine cooked orzo pasta and Pretty Peas purée.

2.   If necessary, use a food processor or blender until desired consistency is reached.

 
Baby Succotash

FREEZER/SUPERFOOD

Corn offers a sweet flavor that appeals to many babies. This dish adds lots of texture because of the hulls of corn kernels. If the texture is too much, try offering this dish again in the third stage.

3 SERVINGS

½ cup lima beans (fresh or frozen)

½ cup fresh or frozen corn

2 cups water

1.   Put the lima beans and corn into a saucepan. If using fresh corn, remove the husk and cut the kernels from the cob with a sharp knife.

2.   Cover with the water; bring to a boil. Simmer until tender, about 15 minutes.

3.   Put the beans and corn into a blender or food processor. Purée for 30 seconds.

4.   Thin with the leftover cooking water and purée until semismooth.

5.   For a creamier purée, thin with breast milk instead of water.

 
Pear-Apricot Mash

FREEZER

This purée is loaded with vitamin C, iron, potassium, and beta-carotene. Use dried apricots instead of fresh if you like.

3 SERVINGS

1 medium pear, peeled and cored

2 ripe apricots

2 cups water

1.   Cut pear into chunks and place in a steamer basket.

2.   Wash, halve, and remove the pit from the apricots. Place along with pear chunks in a steamer basket.

3.   Add enough water so that it fills the pot under the steamer basket, about 2 cups. Bring to a boil and steam for 10 minutes, or until apricots are very soft.

4.   Remove skins from apricots by scooping the fruit out with a spoon.

5.   Place on a plate along with the pear and fork-mash fruit.

 
Sweet Potatoes and Peach Perfection

FREEZER/SUPERFOOD

The brilliant colors of orange in this recipe indicate an abundant presence of vitamin C and beta-carotene.

3 SERVINGS

½ small sweet potato

1 medium, ripe peach

1.   Scrub the sweet potato and poke several holes in it. Bake at 400°F for 40 minutes.

2.   Wash the peach and cut in half. Remove the pit and any of the harder inner fruit.

3.   Scoop the peach out of the peel, or remove the peel with a paring knife. Place on a large plate.

4.   When the sweet potato is cool, scoop the potato out of the peel and into a bowl. Combine with peach, and purée until semismooth.

 
Turkey and Cranberry Crush

FREEZER/SUPERFOOD

Because cranberries present a tart or sour flavor, adding the sugar or even agave nectar will help baby accept this purée. If you already have turkey and cranberries on the holiday table, grab a little and purée for baby.

4 SERVINGS

¼ cup water

½ tablespoon sugar

½ cup fresh or frozen cranberries

½ cup cooked turkey

1.   Mix the water and sugar in a saucepan. Bring to a boil and cook at a high temperature for 2–3 minutes, stirring constantly.

2.   Add cranberries. Reduce heat to a simmer; then cook for 15–20 minutes. Cranberries should burst, and the mixture will thicken.

3.   Allow cranberries to cool completely. Meanwhile, dice turkey.

4.   Purée all ingredients in a blender until semismooth. Add water if necessary.

 
Superstar Spinach Rotini

FREEZER/SUPERFOOD/PARENTS

If baby takes an interest in self-feeding, allow her to experiment with her hands. Make sure you cover the floor!

3 SERVINGS

¼ cup rotini pasta, chopped

1 cup fresh or frozen spinach

1.   Place pasta in a pot and cover with water. Boil for 20–25 minutes, or until pasta is very tender.

2.   If using fresh spinach, wash the leaves thoroughly, remove stems, and chop. Boil in a pan of shallow water for 10 minutes. If using frozen spinach, defrost and cook according to the package directions.

3.   Transfer cooked spinach to a blender. Purée until smooth.

4.   Stir in pasta. Serve warm.

 
Chicken and Broccoli Blend

FREEZER/SUPERFOOD/PARENTS

This easy recipe will make great use of a small portion of the chicken and broccoli you already plan on making! Top this off with a dab of unsalted butter for extra creaminess.

4 SERVINGS

1 cup broccoli florets, fresh or frozen

½ cup cooked chicken, diced

1.   Add broccoli to steamer basket.

2.   Add enough water to reach the bottom of the steamer basket. Bring to a boil; then cook for 15 minutes or until the broccoli is very tender.

3.   Add chicken and broccoli to blender. Purée until semi­smooth. Add water if necessary. Serve warm.

 
Sweet Potato–Chicken Bake Purée

FREEZER/SUPERFOOD/PARENTS

If you already have previously frozen sweet potato or chicken purée, you'll save time by simply reheating and combining the two.

4 SERVINGS

1 small sweet potato, skinned and cubed

1 small boneless skinless chicken breast (about 6 ounces)

1.   Preheat oven to 350ºF.

2.   Add sweet potato and chicken to a shallow dish. Bake for 20 minutes or until chicken is cooked thoroughly. It's okay if the sweet potato continues to bake.