Root vegetable medley

One of my favorites! Whenever I can get my hands on fresh rosemary I try to make this dish. The original recipe is from Cooking for Baby by Lisa Barnes. However, there are no sweet potatoes in Turkey and I haven't really seen parsnips at the market either. So my version consists of potato, celery root, beets and carrots. But really, any combination of root vegetables would work. And Kristian loves picking up the little cubes with his hands and put them in his mouth.



Recipe:
- 1 medium potato
- 1 medium beet
- 1-2 medium carrots
- 1 medium celery root
- 2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
- 2 tsp fresh rosemary, minced
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp pepper

Preheat oven to 200C. Peel and cut all the vegetables into small cubes. You should have an even distribution of vegetables. Mix olive oil, salt, pepper and rosemary (I usually use kitchen scissors to cut it into tiny pieces) in a small cup. Put vegetables in a ceramic or glass baking dish. Pour the oil mixture over vegetables and toss to coat. Cover with aluminum foil and roast until vegetables are tender, about an hour. Remove the foil about 10 minutes before the dish is done.

Breakfast millet

Millet is a great grain for your baby. It cooks just like rice. However, it tends to absorb liquid even after it's cooked and as a result dries up pretty fast. So I usually combine it with some fruit puree to smooth the texture up a bit. Kristian's tired of bananas though, so I started adding plain yogurt and I'm happy about the result. It has smooth texture and creamy taste.





Recipe:
- 1 cup millet
- 2.5 cup water
- pinch of salt
- 2-3 ts sugar
- plain yogurt to taste

Combine millet, water, salt and sugar in a pot. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer until the water is absorbed, about 20 minutes. Mix in yogurt just before serving.

Indian Spiced Cauliflower and Potatoes

There's a baby dahl recipe in Cooking for Baby book that I have and I've cooked it a few times. I personally find it bland and it has not been Kristian's favorite either. So I set out to find a great dahl recipe that my son will enjoy (I hope). In the meantime, I happened to buy super fresh cauliflower and I wanted to cook it Indian style. I found this recipe on epicurious.com http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Indian-Spiced-Cauliflower-and-Potatoes-109118
The taste was divine to me. Kristian was benevolent and ate most of it. And you just gotta love the 30 minute dish!
Notes about the recipe:
- I didn't have cayenne or jalapeno, so I left them out (I wouldn't put it in baby food even if I did have them)
- I used olive oil in place of vegetable oil
- I didn't have turmeric, so I used mild curry powder instead

Seashell pasta with broccoli and cheese

The inspiration for this recipe is the famous Italian dish, Orecchiette with Broccoli Rabe. This one is without garlic, but I'm sure you can try with it and see how your baby likes it. You can also try it with any hard cheese on hand. This time I added a bit of lemon zest and found that it really livened the dish up.






Recipe:
- 2.5 cups chopped broccoli florets
- 1 cup small seashell pasta
- salt, pepper (or red pepper flakes) to taste
- 1 tbsp lemon zest
- 1 cup shredded cheese, plus more for garnish

Bring a medium pot of salted water to boil. Add broccoli and pasta. Cook until al dente. Drain. Toss with lemon zest and cheese. Add salt and pepper to taste. Serve with more shredded cheese on top.

Fusilli with zucchini and feta cheese

I found the original recipe in the Williams-Sonoma "Food Made Fast: Pasta" book. I didn't have goat cheese on hand, so I tried it with low fat feta. I loved the result and so did Kristian. He ate a whole bowlful, which is a definite success in my book.





Recipe:
- 2 small zucchini, peeled and cut into matchsticks
- 1 cup fusilli pasta
- 2-3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tbsp ghee (clarified butter) or olive oil
- 2-3 tbsp low fat feta cheese
- salt and pepper to taste

While the pasta is boiling in the salted water, heat ghee over medium heat. Saute garlic for about 1 minute. Add zucchini, cover and simmer, stirring occasionally for about 5-7 minutes, until softened. Then uncover and cook for 1 minute longer. Drain pasta, toss with zucchini mixture and crumbled feta, season with salt and pepper.