'Snips 'n Sprouts

I was at a birthday a while back when a friend told me her husband makes baby food for their little one.

Already impressed he told me to try this combination (parsnips and brussels sprouts)
 and completely won me over.

Actually, I believe he said that it might not smell that great but that their little girl loves it.

Brussels sprouts, like broccoli, can smell a little odd while cooking.

The flavor is fantastic and I love the way you can vary the texture so much.

I'm a huge fan of parsnips, so if you haven't tried them go for it!

'Snips 'n' Sprouts
1 large parsnip (or several small), peeled and sliced into coins (about 2 cups)
2 cups brussels sprouts, stem removed (along with any outer leaves that might fall off) and cut in half for small ones or quartered for large one

Steam them all together, over an inch of water, until they are fork tender.
Place the parsnips and brussels sprouts in a food processor, reserving liquid.

Pulse for a chunky texture or add some of the cooking liquid and puree until completely smooth
or just mix the two together.

Enjoy!



*Variations
-Add a bit of coriander, cardamom, white or black pepper or nutmeg
-Include carrots, potato, artichoke hearts, winter or summer squash or turnips
-Try this with apple, pear or persimmon

*Storage
Refrigerate for up to 3 days or freeze for up to 3 months

*Benefits
Parsnips are rich in vitamins A, C & E, fiber, folate, manganese, copper, potassium and magnesium.

Brussels Sprouts are packed with antioxidants, vitamins K, C and A, folate, manganese,
fiber and potassium.

How do you eat your brussels sprouts?

Baby's First Pie- Sweet Potato & Pumpkin

Thanksgiving just wouldn't be complete without pie

and although your little one might not be ready for the pumpkin pie you're eating,

they can definitely have this one.

There is no added sugar as the sweetness comes from the sweet potato and roasted bananas.

The crust itself is made from ground teething cookies.

The filling is a simple puree.

Roasting the banana gives them this fantastic caramel flavor.

Put them all together and you have a fantastic puree that is then smoothed into your shell.

I used mini tart pans for this but I suspect this would also be great in silicone cupcake molds

or any other individual mold like small soufflé dish or large ramekin.

There are a million different teething cookies out there and any of them would work.

I used a combination of several kinds.

Other options for the crust are arrowroot cookies, 

baby graham crackers (or regular grahams)

or basically any biscuit/cookie you can find in the baby section.

This is held together by butter but don't feel guilty about it.

The fat in the butter actually helps your baby's body absorb the 

beta-carotene in the pumpkin and sweet potato.

Baby's First Pie- Sweet Potato & Pumpkin

1 small sweet potato (yam)

1/2 cup pumpkin puree*

2 bananas, peeled and cut lengthwise

1/2 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice

3/4 cup ground teething cookies

3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees.

Place your sweet potato on a baking sheet and 

poke a few holes in it with a knife or fork.

Bake for about 30 minutes or until the skin just starts to pucker.

Pull out your baking sheet and add the bananas.

Roast for another 15 minutes or so.

The bananas should be bubbly with golden spots

and the sweet potato should have nice soft flesh (check by poking it with your fork or knife).

When they are done pull them out and drop your oven temp to 350°.

Meanwhile, put your cookies or crackers into the food processor and 

grinduntil you have 3/4 of a cup.

How many you use will depend on the type of teething cookies.

Place in a bowl and mix the melted butter in with a fork.

Add a few tablespoons of crust mix into your mini tart pan and 

press up the sides and down the center.

I used a small measuring cup to do this.

Mine yielded 5 tarts.

Bake in the oven for about 5 minutes or until your crust is a nice golden brown.

Peel the skin off the sweet potato and put the flesh in the food processor.

Add your roasted banana, pumpkin puree and pumpkin pie spice.

Puree until smooth, adding water or apple juice if needed.

Add the puree to your crusts, smoothing them very gently.

Allow them to cool to room temperature and serve to baby.

Enjoy!

*Variations

-Instead of the crust you could sprinkle crumbled cookies over the top of the puree.

-Try this with different fillings like Baked Apple & Carrot or 

Cranberry, Apple & Pumpkin

*Storage

Refrigerate for up to 3 days

*Benefits

Sweet potatoes are high in vitamin A, antioxidants, potassium,

lots of fiber and a bit of calcium.

Bananas have loads of potassium and fiber, are great for the digestive system 

and helps your body absorb calcium.

Pumpkin is packed with potassium (3 times a banana),

beta-carotene, riboflavin, thiamin, phosphorus and calcium.

Turkey with Yams & Cranberries- Stovetop Version

Although I posted a Roasted Turkey with Yams & Cranberries yesterday

I realize that you don't always have turkey breast available

and may not feel like going thru the process of roasting a breast just for baby food.

In this case we are going to do a stovetop version using ground turkey 

that you can find at any supermarket.

I used too much water  so if yours doesn't look soupy on mine 

you are on the right track.

If yours does end up with too much water, don't worry about it much.

When pureeing, only use the amount of liquid that you need for the desired consistency.

Turkey with Yams & Cranberries

1 large yam, peeled and cut into chunks

3/4 cup cranberries

1/2 cup lean ground turkey

1/4 teaspoon poultry seasoning (optional)

Place your yam chunks into a saucepan with just barely enough water to cover.

Add your cranberries and boil until the cranberries have popped and the yams are fork tender.

Add in your ground turkey and continue cooking until the meat is cooked.

Place yams, cranberries and meat into the food processor,

reserving liquid.

Pulse in the food processor for a chunkier consistency or puree to a smooth consistency

using as much liquid as necessary.

*Variations

-Add a clove of garlic to the liquid before cooking

-Substitute chicken 

-Use apple or pear instead of cranberry

-Try adding a bit of cinnamon or nutmeg

*Storage

Refrigerate for up to 3 days or freeze for up to 3 months.

*Benefits

Turkey is a great source of protein as well as niacin, vitamin B6 and tryptothan which is an amino acid.

Yams are high in fiber, antioxidants, potassium, vitamin A, calcium and beta-carotene.

A little bit of fat helps the body absorb the beta-carotene so that olive oil might come in handy.

Cranberries are packed with antioxidants, fiber, vitamin C and manganese.

Roasted Turkey with Yams & Cranberries

Can you believe that Thanksgiving is only a few days away?!

I can't either.

Well don't leave your little one out of the festivities!



Today I'll be showing you a roasted version of this dish,
if you so happen to have a breast (or in my case a 1/2 breast)
but tomorrow I'll show you a stovetop version with ground turkey.

As you can see in the first photo,
this is perfect served sliced, in chunks or as a completely smooth puree.
My only advice is that if you make sure the cranberries are mashed or blended
thoroughly into the sweet potato.

Otherwise they'll knock your little's socks right off.
This is in the 8-10 month old section because of the cranberries,
substitute apples or pears and serve this to your 6-8 month old.


Note:  I got sidetracked and forgot to add the cranberries and apple juice to the turkey which is why my pictures are different- oops!

Roasted Turkey with Yam & Cranberries

1/2 turkey breast, mine was a small 1 1/2 lbs
4 large fresh sage leaves, minced
1 garlic clove, minced
2 tsp olive oil (optional)
3/4 cup cranberries
1/3 cup apple juice
1 large yam or 2 small yams, about 1 1/2 lbs

Preheat your oven to 325°.

Wash your yam and prick it several times with a fork.

Place it on a cookie sheet and stick it in the oven until it's easily pierced with a fork

or the skin begins to look loose.

If your yam isn't done when your turkey is, just remove the turkey 

and turn your oven up to 425° then continue baking until done.

Place your turkey breast in a small baking dish or pan.
I used a 8 x 8 inch pyrex.
Gently loosen the skin from the meat but do not remove.
Mix the garlic, sage and olive oil and smear it on the breast under the skin.
Place in the oven with a piece of foil sitting on top (but not sealed around the edges).
About 30 minutes into your roasting, add your cranberries and apple juice.
Roast until a thermometer, inserted into the thickest part reads 165°.
The time will differ depending on the size.
I'd do a check at about 1 hour 15 minutes and then keep an eye on it.
If for some reason your cranberries start to look dry then add more apple juice.

When the turkey, cranberries and yams are done let them cool a bit.

Slice your turkey and mash your cranberries and yams together for an older child.
or
Dice your turkey and mix it in with the mashed cran-yam.
or
Puree your turkey and crane and mix with fork-mashed yams.
or
Puree all of them together, adding apple juice if needed to reach the desired consistency.




*Variations
-If you have fresh rosemary and/or thyme, that would be perfect
-Onion powder or minced onion would also be good
-You could also do this with chicken breast
-For a sweeter variation (or for younger kids) use apple or pear instead of cranberry

*Storage
Refrigerate for up to 3 days or freeze for up to 3 months

*Benefits
Turkey is a great source of protein as well as niacin, vitamin B6 and tryptothan which is an amino acid.

Yams are high in fiber, antioxidants, potassium, vitamin A, calcium and beta-carotene.
A little bit of fat helps the body absorb the beta-carotene so that olive oil might come in handy.

Cranberries are packed with antioxidants, fiber, vitamin C and manganese.