Apple Cider Carrots with Rosemary

Hi!  Remember me?

Anyone?  

Well, it has been a month.  I know, it's awful.

The thing is, the holidays came and then I got busy, and then I got busier, and then life happened and now here we are.  In January.

It seems that now that the Peanut can eat just about anything... he's actually eating less new things than ever before.  Why is that?  I think that toddler foods are somehow less planned, less of a decision and so maybe I've gotten lazy on trying new things.

Maybe I'm intimidated when it comes to making more grown-up foods.

Maybe it's just me.

Either way, I've just reminded myself that I need to pay more attention to diversifying Peanuts foods.

Especially now that he is more conscious of what he is eating. 

We had lots of gorgeous carrots in our CSA box this past week, along with a bunch of rosemary and I have a gallon of apple cider sitting in the fridge.

Throw it all together and you have a great side for the whole family!

Apple Cider Carrots with Rosemary

1 lb carrots, peeled and cut into slices that are roughly the same size

1/4 cup apple cider

1 teaspoon minced fresh rosemary

drizzle of extra virgin olive oil (maybe about 2 teaspoons)

salt and pepper to taste (optional)

Preheat oven to 400°F.

Place your carrots in a medium baking dish and toss with olive oil, rosemary, salt and pepper (if you are using them).

Pour apple cider into the dish and cover with foil.

Bake for 20 minutes and then remove and discard the foil, 

give them a stir and bake for another 25 minutes or until fork tender.

Enjoy!

*Variations

-Instead of rosemary, use thyme, oregano, savory or even nutmeg

-Add sliced of apples when you roast

-Add other root veggies like parsnips

*Storage

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

*Benefits

Carrots have lots of carotenoids that work as antioxidants, convert to vitamin A, boost the immune system and protect and enhance your eyes and sight.

Celeriac Mash

Celeriac, you know that weird looking root that you may have eyed at the store...

it makes an awesome mash.

This dish is for the whole family to enjoy and it's a nice change from regular mashed potatoes,

although it's not like anyone could ever have too much mashed potatoes.

Celeriac or celery root is not really starchy like other roots, is a member of the parsley family

and it has a celery-ish flavor.

Don't be too judgmental, it may be ugly but it is delicious.

To peel them just cut off the knobs and skin with a knife.

Celeriac Mash

1 celeriac, peeled and cut into cubes

1 large potato or several small (equal to the amount of celeriac), peeled and cubed

milk or cooking liquid to thin puree

Place your celeriac in a pot and cover with water.  Boil for about 10 minutes.

Add in your potato and boil until both are fork tender.

Drain, reserving liquid if you are going to use it.

Mash or whip the same way you like your potatoes, 

adding cooking liquid or milk to get to the desired consistency.

If you are serving the entire family I suggest taking some of the puree out

and then adding a pat of butter and a salt and pepper to taste, to the rest of the mash.

*Variations

-Add a few whole cloves of garlic, boil and mash with the celeriac

-Add a bit of sour cream, cream cheese or any kind of cheese really

-Fold in some broccoli or your other favorite veggie, chopped into small bits

-Use it to top other dishes like shepherds pie

*Storage 

Refrigerate for up to 3 days

*Benefits

Celeriac is a good source of fiber, potassium, iron, vitamins C, K & B6, as well as folate, phosphorus, magnesium and manganese.

Potatoes are rich in potassium, vitamins C & B6, fiber, iron, folate, phosphorus and thiamin.

Have you had celeriac before?

'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?

Roasted Beet & Carrot

Besides being gorgeous, 

this combination is yummy and nutritious.

The best part of this recipe is the easy tip on roasting and peeling the skin from the beets.

Forget the days of peeling beforehand and ending up with stained fingers.

Our CSA box had these gorgeous specimens in it.

Have I mentioned how much I love fall produce?!

Don't ignore the greens either.  

We wilted the beet greens with spinach for a warm spinach salad.

They are sweeter than spinach and I look forward to getting them again so 

I can make some baby food from them.

We also use the carrot greens along with parsley and a bit of basil

along with walnuts, garlic, evoo, parmesan and a splash of lemon for a pesto.

Don't waste those greens, they are packed with nutritious deliciousness!

One last tip on greens, remove them as soon as possible as they suck

up the sugars and water from the veggie.

The longer you keep the greens on the less moist and sweet your veggies will be.

So take those greens off and use them asap.

Beet juice does stain so strip that baby down before feeding them beets.

I also rubbed a little vaseline on my hands and ran them around Peanut's mouth because

I wanted to take pictures later and he is the messiest eater ever.

Maybe I'm just paranoid :)

Also, and this is very important....

take a good look at the color of that puree 

and remember it when you are changing your little's diaper later.

I mean, it all depends on how much they eat but

I don't want you to go rushing that child into the ER for internal hemorrhaging 

when really they just had a lot of beets for lunch :)

Hey- it had to be said!

Roasted Beets & Carrots

2 medium beets, washed with the tops and tails cut off

(I just roast off all of my beets so they are ready when I want to use them)

2 medium carrots, peeled and cut in half

Preheat your oven to 400°F.

Place your beets in the middle of a sheet of foil and then fold the foil

over the top, folding and folding until it is secured down.

Fold the ends up until they meet the middle as well.

The goal here is to make sure it's airtight so the veggies steam in their packets.

Roast them for 45 minutes.

Allow your packets to cool a bit and open them carefully.

The carrots are ready to be mashed or pureed.

Now is the fun part with the beets:

Cover your hand in a plastic sandwich bag, gloves or saran wrap (pictured)

and simply peel the skin right off those beets.

It will come right off!  Cool, huh?

Add them to the carrots and mash or puree, 

adding water (or apple juice) to get it to the desired consistency.

Enjoy!

*Variations

-Add a fruit like apple or pear

-I think this would be great with a little fennel

-Add a dollop of yogurt or cottage cheese

-Cut the pieces and eat it yourself, add a little salt and pepper 

and a bit of goat cheese and it's heaven.

*Storage

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

*Benefits

Beets are a great source of iron, folate, potassium, magnesium, calcium and a bit of vitamin C.

The leaves are packed with all the above and even more calcium and vitamins A & C.

Carrots have lots of carotenoids that work as antioxidants, convert to vitamin A, boost the immune system and protect and enhance your eyes and sight.

Are you a fan of beets?

Gobble, Gobble, Gobble!

Happy Thanksgiving 

from The Official Dandy Baby Taste Testers:

Daniel the Pilgrim

and 

Peanut the Indian!

We hope your day is full of wonderful things to be thankful for...

and lots of good food!

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.