Souper Summer Squash Soup in the Crockpot

Jul 27, 2010 New Baby Food Recipes, vegetables

I’ve been feeling a bit ill for the last few days, summer sniffles and some congestion with overall “ick”.  Now in the winter there is nothing better than a nice warm and hearty soup or stew to warm the bones and the soul but in the summer, who wants to be served a piping hot bowl of beef stew?  Well not me and not my kiddos at least, we prefer something lighter and cold if possible.  Since the kiddos are away at camp *sniffle* *sniffle* *lonley-sad* it’s the perfect time to make lighter meals from the crockpot!

Here is a Souper Summer Squash Soup – enjoy it with your tiny diner from 7 months+  Puree it if desired or serve with the squash pieces intact depending on how your little one enjoys textures. 

Ingredients:
3 medium summer squash (yellow-crocked neck or patty pan) washed and diced into small-ish pieces
3 medium zucchini squash – washed and diced into small-ish pieces
1 medium tomato – roughly diced
1/2 cup finely chopped onions
1 clove of garlic
4 or 5 cups of veggie stock (homemade or low sodium commercial – love Pacific Natural brand!)
2 tablespoons olive oil
pepper, basil, oregano and chives
2 drips of lemon juice from a bottle of lemon juice or squeeze the juice from 1/2 of a lemon)

Directions:
In a frying pan with a olive oil, saute onions, tomato and garlic 5-10 minutes until veggies are all a wee bit soft and onion is translucent; remove to a bowl.
Add the stock to the crockpot and turn the crockpot on low
Add the squash to the frying pan and sautee in the remaining oil for about 5 minutes – you’re not cooking the squash, just softening up a wee bit and allowing the flavors from the oil (tomato, garlic & onions) to seep into the squash

Now add the squash and the remaining veggies to the crockpot along with the pepper and oregano (to your taste preference) – cook for about 1 hour until squash pieces have reached a texture you like.  Add the lemon juice and basil during the last 5-10 minutes of cooking.

Stir frequently and once soup is done to your tastes, serve warm or, allow to cool a bit and then puree.  If pureeing, you may want to then warm the soup back up prior to serving.  This is great cold too!  Serve the soup with crusty bread and chicken salad on a bed of lettuce for a quick light meal that even baby can partake of.

*Taste often as summer squash may turn a wee bit bitter if you are leaving the skins on the squash – you may peel if desired but there really should be no need if you are using fresh squash.   You could also add 1/2 cup of rinsed brown rice or even lentils to this 1/2 way through the cooking.

Tags: Soups, squash, summer squash, zucchini

Roasted Beets – Squishy or Chippy

Jul 23, 2010 New Baby Food Recipes, vegetables

Dont you just love the beautiful purple hue of beets?  Beets are a very versatile veggie and can be steamed and mashed or roasted to perfection.  For babies, the color of beets makes food interesting and exciting.  Have you ever mixed beets with white potatoes?  Try dicing beets then steaming until tender and mix into white potatoes – the result is lots of fun for baby to pick through.

Roasting beets is yet another way to easily serve them to your self-feeder.  You can roast them until they are soft and squishy or leave them to bake longer for a “potato chip” like result.  Here’s a basic recipe for your enjoyment!

Ingredients
4 medium sized beets – washed and peeled (save the greens to blend into a smoothie!)
Olive oil to coat the beets – about 2 table spoons

Directions:
Preheat oven to 400F
After cleansing and peeling the beets, slice them into uniform slices.  If you have a food processor or KitchenAid attachment that does this, you’ll save time.

Add sliced beets to a large bowl and pour in the olive oil.  Mix until beets are thoroughly coated with the olive oil.  Lightly sprinkle with sea saltor pepper if desired

Arrange beets on a baking sheet and bake for approximately 15 minutes, depending on thickness of the slices, to get a soft, squishy texture.  Bake longer to get “beet chips”.  I like to turn each slice over about 1/2 way through the cooking time for more even roasting.  Watch the beets as they may begin to burn a bit around the edges if you are trying to make “chips”, turn often!

Enjoy!

Tags: beets, veggies

Blueberry Banana & Yogurt – a smoothie or a popsicle for baby? You decide

Jul 18, 2010 Breakfast, Dairy, Fruits and Veggies, New Baby Food Recipes, yogurt

 Well we’re officially on a smoothie kick in my house.  The best part about smoothies is that you can turn them into whatever you want them to be! 

Blend it up and drink it, freeze it for popsicles, add it oatmeal in the morning, let baby practice with a spoon, or use it as a “dip” for baby’s finger foods!   Don’t forget to look at the pretty color it makes before you consume it!

For this I used:
1/2 pint fresh blueberries (washed and picked through for stems)
1 medium banana (peeled)
1/4 cup golden flax meal
1/2 – 3/4 cup of plain whole milk yogurt

Toss it all into a blender and Viola, eat, drink, freeze or dip.  Hints for dipping – raw bagel (good for those teething),  teething biscuits, tofu cubes, pancakes or waffles… Your ideas?

Allergy Alert – Dairy

Related Wholesome Baby Food pages:
Flax for Baby
Blueberries for Baby
Bananas for Baby
Introducing Yogurt

Tags: bananas, blueberries, smoothies, yogurt