Baby gourmet: In a Scramble!

I felt like a bad mother today. Running errands all day, time escaped me. Before I knew it, it was time for Zelli's lunch, and I had nothing.

Without child, an empty fridge was no biggie. Living off of oatmeal and crackers was an all too common theme for this busy and tired chef (plus if it meant I could shed a few, I was all for it). But since Zelli started eating solids, he's grown accustomed to eating fresh, healthy meals, and I've grown accustomed to making them on a daily basis.

As the lunchtime tune began (which goes a little something like this - "Umm..ummm..ummmmamamamam!!!), I sprinted to the refrigerator, blindly grabbed whatever was in arm's length, and made a dash for the stove. And now what? Luckily, one of the items I was skillfully balancing with my elbow was a vegetable. Zucchini, eggs, ricotta...well I'll be it, a gourmet meal in minutes. I think I'll call it a scramble.

Zucchini Scramble

(yield: 2 servings)

1 tbsp olive oil
1 medium zucchini, peeled and grated
1 small clove garlic, crushed
1 egg, lightly beaten

2 tbsp milk

1/4 cup ricotta cheese

Heat the olive oil in a medium saucepan over medium-low heat. Add zucchini and garlic. Cook, stirring,  5-6 minutes. Stir in the remaining ingredients, and cook for another 5 minutes.

Project Turkey: Day 4

Why shouldn't your baby get to join in on the thanksgiving festivities this year? If you haven't already introduced your baby to poultry other than chicken, turkey's a great place to start.

Hmm, let's see...we need something healthy (so that baby gets his nutrients), tender (so that baby can handle it no matter how many teeth he has), and super flavorful (so that baby keeps eating).

Someone say meatballs?

Turkey Meatballs
(yield: about 30 balls)

1/4 cup golden raisins
1 lb ground turkey
1 cup fresh breadcrumbs (white bread)
1 medium yellow onion, grated
2 tbsp milk
1 egg
1/4 cup parsley, finely chopped

Place the raisins in a small bowl, and cover with boiling water. Let stand 5-10 minutes, until they soften. Drain the raisins and combine with remaining ingredients in a large bowl.

Roll tablespoonfuls of the mixture into small balls. Simmer meatballs in  turkey or chicken stock, for 8-10 minutes. If your baby can't handle solids yet, break the meatballs up with a fork and moisten with some of the stock.


So, you're telling me that you're in the mood for some meatballs yourself? Don't worry, mama chef's got ya covered. 
Here's the adult version:


Pumpkin Penne with Turkey Meatballs
(yield: 4-6 servings)

 

Season the above meatball recipe with 1 tsp of salt and 1/2 tsp of black pepper.

Make a bread crumb mixture for the meatballs: Mix 1/4 cup of Italian breadcrumbs, 2 tbsp of grated parmesan cheese, and 1/2 cup of finely choppd parsley in a bowl.

Dredge the meatballs in the breadcrumb mixture, shaking off excess. Coat the bottom of a large sauté pan with olive oil, and place the pan over medium-high heat. Fry the meatballs, 3 minutes per side, until golden brown. Remove from pan and set aside.

Pumpkin Penne
2 tbsp olive oil
1 small yellow onion, finely chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 1/2 lbs pumpkin, cut into 1/2 inch cubes
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
2 cups water
1/2 cup heavy cream
1 ln Penne rigate
1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese

Using the pan in which the meatballs were fried, reduce heat to low, add olive oil and saute onions and garlic, 1-2 minutes. Add pumpkin, cinnamon, and red pepper flakes. Sauté over medium heat 5-6 minutes, until pumpkin gets slightly golden. Deglaze the pan with water. Bring to a simmer, and cook, covered, over low heat for 10-12 minutes, until pumpkin is tender.

Cook the Penne until it is almost al dente. Add 1 cup of the pasta water to pumpkin sauce along with heavy cream. Add the pasta and reserved meatballs to the sauce, and simmer for another 5 minutes. Mix in parmesan, and adjust seasoning with more salt and pepper if necessary.

Baby Gourmet: Fish!

By now it's a well known fact that fish is an incredible source of Omega-3 Fatty Acids, like DHA and EPA, which play a major role in brain and eye development for children. So why not get onboard the fish train instantly and start soaking up the rewards? Though it probably shouldn't be the first thing your infant feasts on straight out of the womb, many experts are saying that it is safe to introduce your baby to fish as early as 6 months.

Since it does make the list of most common allergenic foods, however, many parents (myself included) hold off on introducing fish until their child's first birthday. Even then, there are some things to be cautious of, like mercury content. Avoid giving your child shark, tilefish, king mackerel, and swordfish. These candidates have pretty high levels of Mercury. On the swing side, very low in mercury, catfish, salmon, tilapia, and flounder are great choices to start with when introducing your child to fish for the first time. And of course, always be attentive to safe-handling and thoroughly cooking the fish before giving it to your baby.

Now that you know the facts, what are you waiting for. Get cooking!


Citrus Poached Salmon

1 cup orange juice
2 cups water
juice and zest of 1/2 a lemon
1 small yellow onion, sliced
2 garlic cloves, lightly crushed
1, 1-1/2 lb salmon steak

Place first 5 ingredients into a deep saute pan over medium heat. Bring to a simmer, and add the salmon steak. Reduce heat to low, cover, and cook 20-25 minutes, or until salmon is completely cooked through. Remove from poaching liquid. Remove flesh from bones, and mash or flake to the consistency most suitable for your little one.

If mommy's in the mood for fish, this is a great and healthy option for you too. But if you want to elevate it a bit for your grown up taste buds, here's a quick revamp:

Make a sauce out of your poaching liquid by reducing it for about 15 minutes, until it is much thicker, and 1/3 of its original volume. Adjust the seasoning with salt and honey. Finish by mixing in a few small pads of butter.

Baby Gourmet - Autumn Eats

Fall is quite the delicious season in its celebration of root vegetables, warm spices, and big bowls of hearty goodness. If you haven't done so already, there couldn't be a better time than now to introduce your baby to flavor, and no one said it has to be complicated...

Autumn Spiced Sweet Potatoes
(yield: about 2 cups)

2 medium sweet potatoes, peeled & cut into 1/2-inch cubes
1/2 cup water
1/8 tsp ground cinnamon
1/8 tsp ground allspice
1/8 tsp ground ginger
1/8 tsp ground clove
1/4 cup whole milk
1 tbsp butter

Place the sweet potatoes and water into a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low, and add spices. Simmer, covered, until sweet potatoes are completely cooked through and tender, about 16-18 minutes. Add milk and butter, and mash to desired consistency (you can puree mixture in a food processor to achieve a completely smooth texture).

Baby Gourmet: Conspiracy Green

"That's a shame, Zelli eats just about anything," was what I would boast just a few short months ago to moms burdened by the picky eater bug. Now, just a few months after Zelli's first birthday, I've officially joined Airplane Swirlers Anonymous. Desperate to get Zelli to eat foods with nutritional value, I've taken up a part-time gig as a babyfood mixologist. This entails using virtually anything and everything in my fridge and pantry to disguise the foods that my picky monster won't even allow within a 5 foot radius of himself.

My latest mission has been getting him to eat spinach. Surprisingly, this wasn't too difficult. I was actually able to use another vegetable to disguise the flavor of the spinach. Now that's called skills!

Creamed Spinach & Corn
(yield: 2 cups)

3/4 cup milk
4 cups spinach, washed
2 cobs of corn
pinch of ground nutmeg

Place corn cobs in standing position over a cutting board or large bowl, and shave the kernels off the cob with a sharp knife.

Bring the milk to a simmer in a medium saucepan. Add spinach, corn kernels, shaved corn cobs (for added corn flavor), and nutmeg to the pan. Cook, covered, over low heat for 8-10 minutes. Puree to desired consistency, using an immersion blender or a food processor.

Keep refrigerated for up to 3 days, or freeze in a sealed, freezer-safe container for up to a month.

Baby Gourmet: Dairy

Once my baby started approaching the 1 year mark, I decided to expand his menu by gradually introducing dairy products like cow's milk, yogurt, and cottage cheese. Since I don't have a farm in my backyard, nor the luxury of getting freshly squeezed milk, I make sure to get good quality, organic milk from the store. But when it comes to things that I can actually make myself (assuming it doesn't take too long), I say why not. 


At around 10 months, I started making Zelli homemade cottage cheese using my grandmother's recipe. He's been gobbling it down ever since, and while he loves eating it, I love knowing that my baby is getting something uber fresh, with no preservatives. I also love how easy it is to make.


Now this cottage cheese is not the curd kind. It's smooth like ricotta, but thicker in texture and tangier in flavor. 

Homemade Cottage Cheese
(yield: 2 cups)

2 quarts buttermilk
2 ft. square of cheesecloth

Place the cartons of buttermilk into a deep pot, and fill with water to reach 3/4 of the way up the sides. Make sure to open the cartons of buttermilk before placing over heat. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to very low, and simmer for 20 minutes. Remove pot from heat, and allow the buttermilk to cool (still remaining in the water). The water does not have to be completely cool, but it will still take a few hours to cool down.

Fold the cheesecloth in half to form a double layer. Line a medium bowl with the cheesecloth, and pour the buttermilk inside. The buttermilk should be separated. Once all the clear watery liquid is drained, you should be left with a thicker, yogurt-like mass. Grab the 4 ends of the cheesecloth, and tie them around your kitchen faucet, so that the sack hangs and the excess liquid can drip away. Make sure to tie the cheesecloth securely, as it will be hanging in this position for several hours. Place a bowl directly underneath just in case. Leave overnight, and in the morning you will have fresh cottage cheese for your baby.

I like to mix in fresh berries and yogurt, or even an egg yolk on occasion for added nutrients.

Oh, and who said mama can't have some for herself?

Baby Gourmet

My latest area of concern with my baby's food is texture. Recently, I have been trying to make the transition from purees to actual solids.

Sure, I may be getting a wee bit ahead of myself seeing as my 10-month-old only has 6 teeth (though his 6 are probably stronger and sharper than my 32), but the keyword is gradual. So as time passes, I make my purees thicker and thicker. Occasionally, I'll even leave some chunks, but it is very important to be cautious with chunks, as something that seems too small for your baby to choke on may turn out to be a hazard.

With really tender fruits and vegetables like bananas or cooked potatoes, a fork is my utensil of choice for controlling texture. But when it comes to certain other things, an immersion blender, or simply pulsing a few times in a food processor, works well to reach the desired consistency.

I left my latest concoction quite thick, and the little guy didn't seem to mind...

Gardener's Bounty
yield: 1 1/2 cups

6 oz organic summer squash, small dice
4 oz organic carrots, small dice
1 cup organic frozen peas
1 cup water
1 tbsp fresh parsley, finely chopped
1 tbsp fresh mint, finely chopped

Place vegetables and water into a medium pan or saucepan. Bring mixture to a boil, and reduce to a simmer. Cover, and continue to simmer on low heat for about 15 minutes, or until vegetables are fork tender. Add the parsley and mint, and cook for another minute. Drain the vegetables, reserving the cooking liquid. Puree the vegetables with about 1/4 cup of the reserved cooking liquid (add more if you want the puree to be thinner).

Baby Gourmet

I think I may have overestimated the sophistication of Zelli’s palette.

 Since introducing solids, I haven’t recieved any fussiness or discrimination from his side. In fact, my only problem has been getting the food into his mouth fast enough.  But just when I thought my baby was the best eater of all time, I found myself in a feeding frenzy.

After an hour and a half of trying to make Zelli eat some freshly prepared chicken, more food had landed on me, than in his mouth. The good news was the feeding session from hell was over; the bad news – I would have to repeat it the next day, since I had one more portion left in my fridge.

 So the next day, as dinnertime slowly crept up on me, I decided to transform the unpopular chicken into something that Zelli would mop up with as much of an appetite as he does most other foods. I steamed some carrots and sweet potatoes, and mixed them into the chicken puree. I added just enough vegetables to sweeten and “disguise” the chicken without overpowering it.

Results: success! Not only did he finish the whole thing at his usual pace (10 minutes), but he made little “mmm” noises the whole time. In the end, Zelli’s tummy and taste buds were satisfied, while mommy was able to sleep at night knowing that her baby was getting the nutrients that he needed.

Chicken with Sweet potatoes & Carrots

1, 1-2 lb organic whole poussin (baby chicken), skin & gizzards removed

2 stalks celery, each chopped into 4 pieces

2 medium carrots, each chopped into 4 pieces

1 yellow onion, halved

3 quarts cold water

1 medium organic sweet potato, peeled & cut into 1-inch cubes

2 medium organic carrots, peeled and cut into 1-inch cubes

1.       Place first 5 ingredients into a large stockpot over medium-high heat. Bring to a boil. Skim off any foam that floats to the top. Reduce heat to low and simmer gently for 40 minutes, skimming every 10-15 minutes.

2.       Steam sweet potato and carrots together until tender. You can use a steamer basket if you have one (I have a steamer insert that fits right on top of my stockpot, so I was able to cook the vegetables and the chicken simultaneously, using the same pot). If you don’t have a steamer basket, just place the vegetable chunks into a medium saucepan and add enough water to barely cover the veggies. Cover pan, and steam over medium-low heat, until tender.

3.       Remove chicken from pot, and set aside to cool. Strain the cooking liquid. Place about 1/3 of the strained liquid into a container. This can be used to thin out vegetable and meat/poultry purees for your baby. You can keep it in the refrigerator for up to a week, or freeze for up to 3-4 months.

 As for the remaining cooking liquid, spice it up with salt and pepper to taste, and you've got a nice clear chicken broth that you can eat as is, or use as a base for other soups and sauces.

4.       Once the poussin has cooled, remove all of its meat and place into food processor. Puree until smooth, and no chunks are detectable. Add cooked sweet potato and carrot pieces, and puree until a smooth and homogenous orange mixture forms.  

*Keeps in refrigerator for 2-3 days, and in freezer for up to 3 months.

*You can pour mixture into ice trays (each ice cube is about ½ ounce, so if you need 2 ounces you would   take 4 cubes), or measure the appropriate portion size for your baby, and wrap individually in plastic wrap. i.e., my baby eats 4 ounces of puree, so I portioned several individual 4-ounce servings in plastic wrap, put them into zip lock bags, and froze them.