Monday, April 26, 2010

Thanks to an awesome team of employees we have at Ashley Mac’s, I have had the privilege to work from home since last July and enjoy these first nine months with my baby. Ryder has been such a blessing to Andy and I and we are truly enjoying every minute. I can’t believe how time is flying by…they really do grow up too fast!

One of the fun things we’ve been doing lately is making baby food. Little did I know, it’s much more exciting than steaming and pureeing fruits and veggies. Thanks to an awesome cookbook, “Cooking For Baby” at Williams Sonoma, I have learned about how a whole new world of making gourmet baby food including baby stock, introducing a wide variety of herbs and spices, and even goat cheese! (Now, who knew a 9 month old could eat goat cheese?!) Below are a few of our favorites that I wanted to share with you. Please leave a comment if you have any questions and I will do my best to help!

Ryder’s lunch yesterday included Blueberries, Spiced Sweet Potatoes, and Curried Zucchini.  What baby wouldn’t want to eat this colorful bowl of yumminess?! ( I’m sure that word is in the dictionary somewhere!)

Green Beans with Mint

• (Recommended age: 7-8 months+)
• Green beans, ½ lb, trimmed
• Fresh mint, 1 Tbsp chopped
• Olive Oil, 2 Tbs. (optional)

In a large frying pan over medium heat, bring one inch of water to a boil. Add beans and return to a boil. Cover and cook until tender and bright green, 7-9 minutes. Drain beans and rinse under cold water to stop the cooking.

Puree green beans with 2 Tbs. water and mint in a food processor until smooth. Stir in olive oil, if using, and serve.

Roasted Red Pepper and Goat Cheese Puree

• (Recommended age: 9-11 months but consult your pediatrician first)
• 1 large Red Bell Pepper
• Pasteurized fresh goat cheese, 1.5 oz

Preheat broiler. Line a roasting pan with aluminum foil. Cut Pepper half and remove seeds. Place the pepper halves on pan and roast, turning every 3 minutes, until evenly charred and blackened on all sides, 12-15 minutes.

Remove pan from oven, put pepper in a bowl and cover with plastic wrap and let sit until cool enough to handle. (The steam will loosen the skin and make it much easier to peel.)

Using your fingers or a paring knife, peel off skin. Cut the halves in half again and place in food processor until smooth. Spoon goat cheese into processor and process with pepper until well blended and creamy.

To store: refrigerate in an air tight container for up to 3 days.

Baby’s Stock

• (Recommended age: 7-8 months+)
• asparagus spears, 6
• 1cup leek cut into chunks
• 1 cup sweet potato, peeled and cut into chunk

Put 1 quart water in a medium pot. Add all ingredients and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat to maintain a simmer, and cover pot. Simmer until vegetables are soft, about one hour.

Strain broth through a sieve, reserving vegetables. Vegetables can be pureed or mashed for baby. Serve stock lukewarm or cooled in a bottle, or use in other recipes. You can mix the stock with thick pureed vegetables such as sweet potatoes to add flavor and more nutrients.

Mom, that meal was absolutely delicious!

(Oh, did I forget to tell you that when you make your own baby food it makes your baby a genius and they can complete whole sentences at 9 months?! It’s crazy! LOL)

Happy Cooking!

Ashley