Traditional Spanish Gazpacho

Gazpacho is a chilled, pureed vegetable soup that is very refreshing during the summer.  We can even get our toddler to eat it.  You can control the consistency to your liking.  Crusty bread is used to thicken, however, if you want to make it gluten-free, be sure to use a gluten-free bread for your thickening.

1 1/2 pounds chopped tomatoes (Roma seem to work very well)

1 peeled, chopped cucumber

1 cored, seeded bell pepper, chopped

1/2 medium onion, chopped

2-3 cloves garlic, chopped

1/2 teaspoon dried thyme

1/4 cup olive oil

2-3 tablespoons red wine vinegar

about 1/2 French baguette, cut into chunks (slightly stale works best)

1 cup tomato juice

Combine all ingredients in a large bowl and add enough water to cover.  Refrigerate for at least a couple hours, up to  overnight.  Add drained ingredients to a blender and puree to your desired consistency.  Traditionally, gazpacho is eaten almost pureed smooth, with tiny chunks only.  To thin it, add some of the soaking water.  Add salt and white pepper to taste.  Again, traditionally, gazpacho is a quite salty dish.

Interesting Combinations

Once your baby has tried a variety of purees, why not expand her horizons a bit?  Combine some purees to make new, interesting meals for your baby.  Here are some ideas:

Butternut Squash & Corn (a favorite with my kids)

Avocado & Banana (another hit with my kids)

Veggie Medley: squash, carrots, and peas (or substitue green beans for the peas)

Pears & Apples

Peaches & Carrots

Peas & Applesauce

Sweet Potato & Apple (a popular choice)

Avocado & Papaya

Peach, Apple & Strawberry

Banana & Peach

Mango & Banana

Pear & Prunes

Carrots, Potato, & Rutabaga (or substitute parsnips for the rutabaga)

Banana Puree

What baby doesn’t like bananas?  Not many!  They’re naturally sweet and full of potassium.  Bananas don’t freeze well as a puree, so I don’t recommend it.  However, a banana is one of the easiest foods to toss in your diaper bag and take with you to feed baby.

Heat a whole banana in the microwave for about 15 seconds to soften it up.  Use about 1/3 of a banana for baby, and fork-mash it until smooth.

Baby Food & Allergies

Certain foods are more liable to trigger an allergic reaction than others.  If you have a family history of food allergies, it’s best to withhold those foods until about a year of age.  Talk to your doctor if you have any concerns about food allergies.  Eggs, dairy, and honey should always be withheld for at least one year unless otherwise instructed by your doctor.

Highly allergenic:

berries

buckwheat

chocolate

citrus fruits

coconut

corn

dairy products

egg whites

nuts

peas

peanut butter

 

soy

strawberries (no, they are not technically a berry)

tomatoes

wheat

yeast

Somewhat allergenic foods:

apples

apricots

asparagus

avocados

barley

beets

broccoli

carrots

cauliflower

grapes

honey

mangoes

papayas

peaches

pears

 

Apricot Puree

Apricots can be bought fresh or dried.

For fresh: Cut “x” in the bottom and place into a pot of boiling water for 2 minutes.  When they are removed, the skin will peel away very easily (always remove skin – although nutritious, it is a choking hazard).  Remove pit and cut flesh into small pieces.  Place pieces in a steamer and cook for about 15 minutes, or until tender.  Puree in a food processor until smooth.

For dried:  Simmer dried apricots in water for about 15 minutes and then puree in food processor.  Push the puree through a mesh strainer to remove skin pieces.

Melon Puree

Sweet, succulent melon will make a great puree for babies 5 months or older (because it is made raw).  Very ripe honeydew, cantaloupe, crenshaw, or galia are all great choices.  Melon will be a very refreshing choice during the summer months when you’ll probably be having some yourself.  Melon puree won’t freeze well, so I don’t recommend it. 

Take a small wedge of melon with seeds removed and cut away the rind.  Puree in a food processor or blender.

Broccoli or Cauliflower Puree

Remember that broccoli and cauliflower have a very strong, distinctive flavor.  So, baby may like it mixed with something a bit more bland, such as potato puree.  Or add something a bit sweeter, such as pear or apple puree.

Use only the florets of either veggie, and cut into small chunks.  Place in steamer for about 15 minutes (the more you make, the longer it’ll take to get very soft for baby).  Remove to steamer and puree.  You’ll need to thing it out with breastmilk, formula, or some of the cooking water. 

You can also boil in a pot of water for about 15 minutes, but the steaming method is much healthier.

Peach, Nectarine, or Plum Puree

Peaches are an especially popular first food because they are so sweet and soft.  Nectarines and plums are a close second.  Be sure to buy very ripe, unbruised fruit.  Once baby is five months, you don’t even need to cook the fruit first, as long as it is perfectly ripe.

Hint: Cut an “X” in the bottom of peaches or nectarines and place in a pot of boiling water for about two minutes.  When you remove them, the skin (which is a choking hazard) will be easy to remove.

Cut flesh from pit and chop into small pieces.  Place in steamer and steam for about 10-15 minutes, until very tender.  Remove to food processor and puree.  You may need to add a touch of water to thin out your consistency, but not necessarily.

Avocado Puree

It has been said (though I’m not sure how true this is!) that a person could exist off of avocados alone.  They are packed with nutrients, and their buttery flavor and texture is usually a hit with babies.  And best of all, they’re easy to prepare!  Make sure to buy a very ripe avocado, but not one that has turned brown and mushy.  Though you’ve probably been told in the past not to freeze avocado, you can!  It will be slightly discolored, but baby won’t know the difference.

Cut one avocado in half and discard pit.  Scoop out the flesh and mash with a fork until very smooth.  Feel free to add breastmilk or formula to smoothen out the consistency.

Tips for baby’s first foods

4-Day rule:  When trying a new food, give it to baby early in the day and watch her throughout the day for any signs of an allergic reaction.  Try that food, and only that food, for four days, as allergic reactions may take a few days to appear.  Some doctors recommend waiting only 3 days between new foods, some recommend as many as 7 days.  Talk to your doctor to see what she recommends.

Breastmilk is the best source of nutrition for your baby, so don’t hesitate to add it to your purees to achieve a smoother consistency.  Formula works well, too.  To thicken a too-runny recipe (this can often happen with pear and apple purees), add a little infant rice cereal (homemade or store-bought).

When preparing baby’s first foods, remember that your purees should be almost runny in consistency.  Until baby has mastered the fine art of pushing food back and swallowing, chunkier purees are a choking hazard.

Potatoes are easy to steam, bake, or boil (follow same cooking instructions as carrot puree recipe).  However, adding cooked potatoes to a food processor or blender is bound to produce a glue-like substance.  Instead, use a potato masher and add a little of the cooking water, breastmilk, or formula to smoothen.

Puree a large batch of food and freeze.  The ideal method for freezing baby food is to put your purees into ice cube trays.  The approximate 1 ounce cubes are the perfect size for baby (and as she gets older, she can eat two or three cubes at a time).  Freeze IMMEDIATELY after cooking and pureeing to lock in nutrients that can be harmed be light and air.  Once frozen, pop food cubes out and put into a freezer bag with the date and contents.  Most fruits and veggies are good for about two months.  Important Note:  Do NOT use glass baby food jars to freeze food – the glass is not tempered for freezing, and minute shards of glass may end up in baby’s food!

Baby does not know that certain combinations are weird, so experiment.  Why not give baby a tasty combo of carrot and peach purees?  Or how about peas and applesauce?  The more she is exposed to at an early age, the more she’ll eat in her finicky toddler and youth years!