Homemade Baby Food & Baby Food Recipes

Voting Page for the September 2008

Fall Baby Food Recipes Contest

Elena's Sweet Potato Chili

Ingredients:

1 sweet potato
1 small zucchini
1 small butternut or acorn squash
1 can (or partial can) pinto or black beans
1-2 cups vegetable stock
Dash of chili powder, garlic and oregano (all optional)

Instructions:

Peel and dice sweet potato, zucchini and squash. Combine with beans, vegetable stock and spices in a medium saucepan. Simmer until vegetables are tender. Save some for yourself and puree for baby!

Tips: Variations:

Peeling and dicing a squash is hard! I make this recipe when I am baking squash to puree and freeze. Then I scoop the baked squash into the other ingredients when they are almost done simmering.

I’ve used canned, organic black beans, pinto beans and even a mixture of pinto beans with lentils and barley. All are good!

Dora's Pumpkin Mix

Ingredients:

2 cups of pumpkin cut in cubes
1 carrot
small garlic clove
1/2 cup of coconut milk
few almonds (**)
a bit of pepper, cinnamon, nutmeg, cumin seeds, chilli pepper (optional), all freferably freshly ground

Instructions:

steam carrot, pumpkin and garlic.

slightly fry spices in a pan with a little oil (canola) or butter, don't burn them. add coconut milk, heat up. blend steamed vegetables,almonds and the coconut sauce in a mixer till smooth, adding water to make the puree finer.

Tips: you'll be surprized how easy babies can be with spices. for bigger siblings and grownups add soaked and cooked red lentils and salt and serve with rice.

(**) It is recommended that the non-allergic baby be introduced to tree nuts anywhere between 12-24 months of age. For the allergic baby, introducing tree nuts should be after 24 months of age; some suggest waiting far longer. PLEASE check with your pediatrician prior to introducing nuts!

Maggie's Yummy Pancakes & "Syrup"

Ingredients:

Pancake mix-
1-1/2 cups buckwheat pancake mix
3/4 cups unsweetened soymilk
1 egg
2 tbsp/ oil
2 mashed bananas
1/3 cup apple puree
1 teaspoon cloves
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 tbsp. sugar in the raw

-syrup-
1/3 cup pureed pumpkin
4-5 pears
1/2 teaspoom allspice
1/2 teaspoon cloves

-spiced nuts -**
1 cup pecans
1/3 cup 100% pure maple syrup
4 tbsp. water
1/2 tbsp. cinnamon

Instructions:

1. Mix all pancake ingredients together. I do mini pancakes, about 4 to a twelve inch pan. On medium heat, melt a little butter in the pan (between batches too), to keep from sticking and to add crispiness!!!

Cook first side until the cakes begin to bubble and are nice and brown(about 2 minutes). Then flip, but be careful not to over cook (just about 1 minute). Then keep warm in a 250 degree oven.

2. While the pancakes are cooking puree the pumpkin with the pear, allspice and cloves.

3.The spiced nuts ** are fast and easy. In a medium pan mix pecans, syryp, cinnamon and water. Simmer over low to medium heat until all the liquid is gone. make sure to stir frequently!!

4. Pile pancakes with "syrup" topped with spiced nuts!!!

Tips: This is great for the whole family! Our two year old loves this and so does my 26 year old (my husband- hahaha). Served with a side of turkey sausage, this is a great way for us to start our day!! Plus, there are so many options, doing a puree of peaches and pears as the syrup, Or mashing peaches into the mix instead of bananas.... the possibilities are endless!!!

(**) It is recommended that the non-allergic baby be introduced to tree nuts anywhere between 12-24 months of age. For the allergic baby, introducing tree nuts should be after 24 months of age; some suggest waiting far longer. PLEASE check with your pediatrician prior to introducing nuts!

Baby's Pot Pie

Ingredients:
1/2 c.-1c. cooked turkey
1/2 c steamed green beans
1/2 cup steamed carrots
1/3 cup steamed butternut squash and/or acorn squash
1/4 cup steamed sweet potatoes
~1/3 cup reserved cooking liquid from turkey
Dash of pepper

Instructions:

Use leftover turkey from your turkey dinner (we used all turkey breast) and reserve some of the cooking liquid/juices from the turkey (a turkey broth). In a separate steaming pan, mix the green beans, carrots, and potaotes and steam until fork tender. Add all ingredients to the food processor and process until desired consistency.

Using a cupcake pan, add spoonfuls of the blended mixture to the pan filling each tin 2/3 full. Cover with freezer safe wrap and freeze until just frozen. Pop each "pot pie" out of the pan and place into a freezer safe gallon bag for easy serving. Take one out of the freezer and put into the refrigerator the night before serving to let thaw and reheat as needed.

Tips: I also add small pieces of crunchy wheat toast on the side for the "pastry" shell of the baby pot pie! Cooked chicken or pork could be substituted also. This recipe can easily be doubled or varied with the type of veggie added!

Tassu's Tasty Acorn Squash

Ingredients:

4 acorn squash, halved and seeded
1 cup apple juice
1 cup couscous
1/4 cup prunes, pitted and chopped
1/4 cup dried cranberries
1/4 cup dried apple, chopped
1/4 cup apple juice concentrate, thawed
1/4 teaspoon cardamom, ground
1 Tablespoon maple syrup
1/4 cup pecans, toasted and chopped, optional (**)

Instructions:

Steam acorn squash halves about 15 minutes, until tender. Let drain, then place in a large roasting pan, cavity side up. Preheat oven to 350 F.

While squash is steaming, bring apple juice to a boil in a small saucepan. Remove from heat and stir in couscous. Cover and let sit for 15 minutes to absorb the juice.

Stir prunes, cranberries, apples, apple juice concentrate, cardamom, and maple syrup into the couscous. Divide fruit couscous evenly between the steamed acorn squash halves. Bake for 20 minutes. Sprinkle with pecans, if desired.

Tips: A sturdy knife to slice acorn squash in half is a necessity. To make the squash easier to cut, pierce the skin in a few spots, place it in a microwave oven and heat on high for 2 minutes. Let stand for another few minutes before carving.

• When halving, cut through the stem end to the point rather than across the diameter.

• To prevent halves from rocking on the baking tray, cut a small slice off the bottom to flatten it.

• The ribbed shape of the acorn squash makes peeling it virtually impossible, but wonderful for stuffing with a wide variety of fillings. It is most often served cooked in its shell

(**) It is recommended that the non-allergic baby be introduced to tree nuts anywhere between 12-24 months of age. For the allergic baby, introducing tree nuts should be after 24 months of age; some suggest waiting far longer. PLEASE check with your pediatrician prior to introducing nuts!