Broccoli, Potato & Cheese Puree

When I'm trying to come up with new baby food purees, I have several unspoken criteria that I always try and meet: I want to make something that tastes smooth and creamy, but also provides as much visual interest and nutritional value as possible. There are certain foods, like broccoli, that meet almost all of my standards: it's loaded with essential vitamins and minerals, has beautiful color and is delicious when steamed on its own. But pureed alone into baby food and the results are watery and bland. Still, broccoli is so nutritionally ideal for babies, I refuse to disqualify it just for being blender-averse. Instead, I simply combine it with a couple of other select ingredients and, voila, it's perfect.

By adding potato and cheese to this recipe, the broccoli incorporates beautifully and the resulting puree has a smooth texture that's perfect for babies. In addition, the cheese provides a healthy dose of dairy, making this dish a superstar. Both of my kids ate this regularly when they were starting solids and never seemed to get enough of it!