17 Basic Purees

After several months of feeding my first baby, I feel like I've got a pretty good list of basic purees that helped introduce different foods and flavors.  In a desperate attempt to not get bored - because let's face it, there are a lot of meals when you have to feed this little person something but I certainly don't have the brainpower, time, or ingredients to do something fancy - I've created a go-to list of purees that are simple.  These basics will most likely be the keystones for many more meals.  Just appropriate prep the food by peeling (if necessary) and cutting into chunks.  Steam, puree by adding enough reserved cooking liquid as needed, and you're ready to go:

Cauliflower Overload

In my bushel from Farmhouse Delivery this week I had the largest cauliflower I have ever seen.  I mean huge.  Gigantic.  Larger than a basketball.  Cauliflower is ok, but what on earth do you do with a cauliflower that large?  Clearly the baby needs to try some.  I was a little reluctant because the Babycook Book suggestions introducing cauliflower much later, but I'm beginning to learn that these intro times are really vague suggestions that often contradict based on culture, pediatrician, and generation.  Everyone has their own opinion, and I have a giant cauliflower that needs to be consumed.

My bushel also contained some broccoli, which Robert is comfortable with.  I thought the two together could work well.  The creaminess of steamed and pureed cauliflower blended with gritty broccoli could work well together.  The blend would have a texture to it that Robert would (hopefully) like.

Cauliflower & Broccoli Blend

• Cut broccoli florets and cauliflower bits into similar sizes
• Wash all of the vegetables and pace in steamer basket
• Steam for 15 minutes (level 3 on the Babycook)
• Blend thoroughly using just a small amount of cooking liquid to get desired consistency

Robert really loved this combination - more so than broccoli by itself.  I think next time I'll try a blend with a slightly higher cauliflower to broccoli ratio.

Gritty Broccoli

I am apathetic about broccoli.  There's nothing wrong with it, but it doesn't do much taste-wise for me.  I recognize that it is nutritionally beneficial and therefore eat it on occasion.  Maybe I just don't know really good ways to prepare it for myself, so if anyone has any suggestions, I'm all ears!  For Robert, I'm not too concerned about flavor combinations and seasoning at this point, so plain-ish broccoli is just fine for him.  However, the first time I steamed and pureed straight broccoli florets, I was taken back by the gritty texture of the mix.  I didn't like the texture in my mouth, and I'm sure that came through for him.  He ate it, but like his mom, wasn't excited.

Fast forward a couple of weeks and I'm ready to try again.  This time, I took a couple more steps to get a better texture, and it really worked.

Steamed Broccoli

• Broccoli florets steamed in water for about 15 minutes
• Blend
• Mush through a strainer
• Blend and add cooking water to get a desired consistency

A much better mush!