Howdy folks. I’m back with a few more of our favorite baby food recipes to share. The recipes I’m sharing today are recipes we’ve been making since Pepper was 6 1/2 months old and she loves them. They are nourishing, packed with interesting flavors to help get her taste buds used to bold flavors and are easy to prepare. If you are a new reader I have a post about our journey into solid foods right here to give you our background. This has been so fun for me as a mom to make food for our daughter but I totally know it’s not for everyone. However, I will say that every recipe I make for her I eat as well. It’s usually food we’re already making and then I set aside a portion to keep “baby friendly” and blend or mash it up. Of course, always check with your pediatrician if you are not sure about certain foods or ingredients. Speaking of, we always get questions about salt. We add a pinch of fine sea salt (and I mean tiny pinch) to some of Pepper’s food. We’ve chatted with our pediatrician and midwives about the benefits of a small amount of good quality salt. However, you can omit salt from all of these recipes if you are uncomfortable or your pediatrician doesn’t agree. Always trust your mama gut!!
One of my favorite recipes I’m sharing today is “Deviled Cauliflower Mash”. Honestly, I will never make cauliflower mash any other way. Or mashed potatoes for that matter! The secret ingredient is a hard boiled egg yoke. It makes for the creamiest, most decedent mash. I also use this technique for other mashes. Mashed winter squash, mashed sweet potatoes, and mashed carrots. It’s really a nice side dish to accompany whatever the family is enjoying. Think steak, chicken, fish or a Shepard’s pie situation. Pepper loves the mash and the egg yoke adds a lot more nutrition to this simple concoction. Sometimes when I make this I only do the egg yoke, butter, and a touch of broth to the cauliflower. But the recipe I’m sharing today has a little yogurt and herbs. The yogurt is great for incorporating probiotics and protein. Anyhow, you can adapt this recipe to suit you and your little one.
Deviled Cauliflower Mash
Chop one head of cauliflower into florets and steam or boil in water until tender. Add the cauliflower to a food processor and blend with 1 or 2 hard boiled egg yokes, 1/4 cup unsalted butter, 1 cup plain whole milk yogurt, and 1 teaspoons dried herbs (I used thyme and parsley) and a pinch of fine sea salt (salt is optional). Blend until smooth. Taste for seasonings and adjust. Keep in the fridge for 5 days or freeze in ice cube trays for later. Reheat on the stove top as needed.
Tuna and Sauerkraut Salad
I love this tuna salad!! It’s so flavorful with the addition of the sauerkraut. I usually make myself a tuna melt while Pepper enjoys her’s straight up. I actually adapted this recipe from my most recent cookbook Local Dirt and made it baby friendly. It’s divine and I hope your whole family enjoys it as much as we do!
To a food processor add 2 (5 ounce) cans of wild caught tuna along with 1/4 of a chopped red onion, 1/4 cup chopped parsley, 1 teaspoon organic mustard, 2 teaspoons lemon juice, 1/2 cup sauerkraut and 1/4 cup whole milk yogurt. Season with a tiny pinch of fine sea salt (the salt is optional). Blend until smooth. Taste for seasonings and adjust. Store in the fridge for 5 days or in freezer trays.
Baby’s First Beef Stew
There are two ways of preparing this stew. First, you can just set aside a small portion of what your family is having and save seasoning your family’s stew for after it’s fully cooked and blending your little one’s portion. That will make a smaller portion of beef stew and you won’t need to worry about freezing any. However, the recipe I’m sharing makes a bigger portion so you can an ice cube tray full so you can access this for weeks ahead.
Brown 1/2 pound of stew beef in a skillet with a little butter or ghee. Add 1 small chopped yellow onion, 1 chopped garlic clove, 1 chopped carrot, 1 chopped parsnip, 2 teaspoons dried thyme, 1 cup of unsalted bone broth or water. Bring to a boil. Reduce the heat, cover the pot and cook for 1 1/2 hours. Blend in a food processor until smooth. Add a pinch of fine sea salt to taste (optional). Store in the fridge for 3 days or in freezer trays.
Alrighty folks, I hope you have a dog to help clean up all your baby food creations!!!!! I’ll be back soon with more recipes. Until then, I hope you and your little ones enjoy these!
This is just what I need, thank you so much. I already subscribe to your blog, but now we have our granddaughter living with us.
Love your philosophy of feeding children real food and sophisticated flavors. Way to go. I could go for that cauliflower myself. Pepper is just beautiful (and she looks just like you).
Ah! Thank you xoxo
When my girls were starting solids, I had a little hand grinder that even went to restaurants with me. They ate what we ate, pretty much! That was 30+ years ago, and now my 7 month old grandson is exploring real food. Very timely blogpost, promptly shared with his mom in CT! Thank you!
Thank you Andrea for sharing your joy. Pepper is looking good. I pray in Jesus’ name that God will bless Pepper and guide Pepper in all ways.
Tasty! I’ve heard from our pediatrician and read in baby food books that you should never add additional salt to baby food as their bodies under the age of 12m cannot process the additional salt. Could you add a link or advise where you got the info it is okie to add salt? Thank you!
We add fine sea salt as we are following the recommendation of our pediatrician and nutritionist who have helped us understand the benefits of sea salt for babies. But I’ve addressed in both posts on baby food to always follow your mama gut and the recommendation of your specific pediatrician. Happy cooking mama!!!
Just made the cauliflower mash for my Louisa, who is just a couple months younger than your little one. I was eating it, too, super yummy. We are also following a nourished baby style of eating, so I look forward to your blog posts for some fresh recipe ideas.
Ah! I’m so happy to hear!! xo