Hummus is a food that no matter what age people are when they first discover it, they fall in love. OK, maybe not everybody, but I certainly find hummus to be an “everybody loves….” food among people I know. Kenya loved it from his very first bite at 12 months and my father-in-law still devours it at age… well, I can’t tell you his age, he’s my father in law. For those of you who haven’t discovered this delicious dish yet, hummus is a Middle Eastern spread made from chickpeas. It’s healthy, full of flavor and versatile — I use it as a dip, as a spread on sandwiches, or just enjoy it on its own.

One of Kenya’s favorite snacks is edamame, so I thought I’d try a variation on the classic hummus recipe and make it for him with edamame instead of chickpeas. Kenya was in heaven with the final result — the bright green color and creamy texture has a ton of eye and taste appeal for kids. And I was thrilled knowing it’s a great source of iron, vitamin C and protein for my growing boy. With kids, I find hummus very useful as a dip. it’s a great way to try to get even the most resistant little ones to take their veggies and dunk away!

Edamame Hummus (Makes 2 1/2 Cups)

2 Cups Edamame, hulled (I use frozen and defrost it)
2 Tbsp Tahini
Juice of 1 Small Lemon
1/4 Cup Water
1 Small Clove Garlic
3 Tbsp Olive Oil
1/2 Tsp Salt
1/2 Tsp Cumin

1. Place all the ingredients in a food processor and puree.
2. Serve.

I can’t stop buying cherimoyas….wait, do you know what a cherimoya is? I didn’t until recently and I’m so happy we found each other. A cherimoya is a fruit that Mark Twain called “the most delicious fruit known to man”. So, as I said, I can’t stop buying them and wanting to mix them with every
 fruit to make purees for Kenya. I got one at the Santa Monica Farmers
 market yesterday that was so ripe and sweet, I couldn’t resist buying it. Now
 that peaches are in season and finally starting to pop up again at the market, I feel like
 summer’s bounty of fruit is finally here.
Cherimoyas are high in fiber, iron and niacin. Make sure to pick ones
 that are soft when you give them a light squeeze, a good sign that
 they’re ripe. You can cut them into 6-8 pieces, pick out and throw
 away the big black seeds and then pull away the flesh from the skin
 which you can feed to your baby straight or puree.
Peaches are high in potassium, vitamin A and C. When they’re soft and
 ripe there is nothing like it. I waited until the peaches were very ripe,
 peeled them and then pureed them with cherimoya. I’m not exaggerating
 when I tell you that Kenya ate the entire bowl of puree that I made
 for this recipe (do you get the sense my son eats everything?!)

Peach & Cherimoya Puree (2-3 baby servings, unless your baby is like Kenya and eats the entire puree in one sitting)

1 Peach, peeled, pitted and chopped
1 Cherimoya, seeds removed, and peeled

1. Place both ingredients in the food processor and puree.
2. Serve

We used these to make this recipe:

Cuisinart DLC-2 Mini Prep Plus Food Processor

I knew that spring had finally sprung when I started seeing fava beans
(or broad beans as they’re also known at the farmers market. They’ve been a culinary staple for countries all over the world for centuries, but now more and more Americans use them in cooking. They’re packed with iron, fiber and protein, so they make a really well rounded dish for babies.
Although it can be time consuming to shell them, I believe it’s worth the effort. If you’re really lucky, you can find them shelled at most farmers markets for a small extra charge For some parents it’s well worth the extra fee.
When I first made this recipe, it was strictly a puree. You can serve it to baby that way and then spread what’s left on a piece of baguette or toast for yourself.
I had some gorgeous yellow squash and decided to add it to the puree which made it even creamier and lighter. Mix it with quinoa, rice or another grain and you have a complete protein for your baby. Kenya gobbled this one up.

Fava Bean Puree (8 Baby Servings)

1 Cup Fava Beans, shelled (you will have a little over 1/2 cup after
they’re shelled)
1 Cup Yellow Squash, chopped
1/2 Clove Garlic
2 Tbsp Yogurt
1/2 Tsp Lemon Juice

1. Cook the fava beans in a pot of boiling water for 1 1/2 minutes.
2. While the beans are cooling, place the squash and garlic in a steamer
pot over boiling water and cook for 4 minutes.
3. When the beans are cool, peel the outer layer off.
4. After the beans and squash have cooled, place all the ingredients in
a food processor and puree until smooth.
5. Serve.

*I added quinoa to the picture attached to this recipe.

We used these to make this recipe:

Cuisinart DLC-2 Mini Prep Plus Food Processor

Is it a yam or a sweet potato? How did we start confusing the two? The yam is probably what you’re looking for if you want that sweet tuber that reminds you of sweet potato pie. But if you’re looking for a similar tasting but incredibly healthy alternative for your baby, sweet potatoes are one of the most complete foods. They’re a super source of beta-carotene, and also a good source of magnesium, potassium, Vitamin C and E. When you’re picking them, look at the skin of the potato and choose ones that are deep orange in color. The darker the color the more antioxidants they contain. Antioxidants help your baby’s immune system to combat disease.
Culinarily this recipe seems like an unusual mix of flavors. You’ll be shocked at how the tang of the tomato, the sweetness of the sweet potato and apple and the light herbal tone of the basil create a heavenly dish — in my opinion, one your baby will love.

Chicken and Sweet Potato with Apple (15 Baby Servings)

1 Chicken Breast, boneless and skinless
1/2 Sweet Potato, peeled
1/2 Cup Apple, peeled and chopped
1/2 Cup Tomatoes, peeled and chopped, canned or fresh
1/2 Tsp Basil, fresh

1. Place chicken in a steamer basket over boiling water for 3 minutes.
2. Add sweet potato and apple to the pot and continue steaming for
another 5 minutes or until chicken is cooked through and vegetables are
tender.
3. Place all the ingredients in a food processor and puree. Add water
from the steamer to make smooth.
4. Cool and serve.

We used these to make this recipe:

Cuisinart DLC-2 Mini Prep Plus Food Processor

I’ll never forget being a little girl, probably 4 or 5 years old, and riding around in the grocery cart at Winn Dixie, the market near our house. My Mother pushed the cart along and picked up this brown fuzzy thing in the produce aisle. She held it like a jewel and said “it’s a kiwi, they’re hard to get and it’s very exotic”. I didn’t even know what that meant at the time, but it sounded mysterious and special. Now remember, this was in Kentucky in the 70’s, so we didn’t have the kind of accessibility to produce that we do now. So, from that point on I’ve always regarded kiwis with great esteem.

Kiwis have more vitamin C then any other fruit. It actually has almost twice the amount as an orange. To help increase the absorption of iron, which is important for brain development, feed your baby a vitamin C
food, such as kiwi’s, at the same time you feed them egg yolks or cereals, which are high in iron.

Not only are kiwis delicious, they’re beautiful to look at. This puree has a gorgeous color and thick body from the addition of the peaches.

Kiwi & Peach Puree (10 Baby Servings)

2 Kiwis, peeled and chopped
1 Fresh Peach, chopped or 1 Cup Frozen, defrosted or cooked for 4
minutes in a steamer pot over boiling water

1. Place both ingredients in a food processor and puree until smooth.
2. Serve.

We used these to make this recipe:

Cuisinart DLC-2 Mini Prep Plus Food Processor

Since weelicious launched, the funniest comment I’ve heard was “I love the recipes, but some of them look regurgitated”. Come on now, they’re purees, what do you expect? We were all babies once and we all ate soft and silky purees.
I can only imagine the comments I’ll hear after posting this recipe, but trust me, it’s delicious and nutritious. Kenya didn’t miss a beat when I fed it to him for the first time.
Greens are essential for babies and toddlers, especially broccoli and spinach which are high in beta-carotene, folic acid, iron and vitamin C. By steaming instead of boiling the vegetables, you save over 1/2 the water soluble vitamins that you would lose by submerging them in hot water.

Broccoli & Spinach Puree (10 Baby Servings)

1 Cup Broccoli, florets and stems peeled
2 Cups Spinach, packed or 16 ounce bag frozen

1. Put broccoli in a steamer pot over boiling water for 2 minutes.
2. Add spinach and cook another 2-3 minutes or until broccoli is fork tender.
3. Put ingredients in a food processor and puree until smooth.
4. Cool and serve.

We used these to make this recipe:

Cuisinart DLC-2 Mini Prep Plus Food Processor

I actually got the idea for this puree from a friend. She was giving her
grand-daughter this puree out of a jar and I asked her how much it cost.
$1.49 for a tiny jar of food! I was kind of blown away at how the costs
could rack up knowing how much food Kenya eats and how much he loves
variety.
If you are busy and working full time, I get it. Your baby is lucky to
be eating healthy, organic food. If you could make it fresh (the benefit
being it would retain more vitamins since it’s not living in a jar for
weeks — maybe even months) and it would cost a fraction of the price,
wouldn’t it be better to make your own?!
I bought three organic items for this recipes. The mango was $1.69, the
bag of carrots was $1.39 and the apple was 69 cents. That’s a total of
$3.77 and I had 3/4 of the bag of carrots and some mango leftover. There
are 10 servings in this recipe which means it would cost give or take
$14.90 (that’s a savings of $11.13).
This puree has a heavenly flavor. The mango and carrots are packed with
Vitamin C and Beta-Carotene which your baby’s body converts to Vitamin A
which is needed for healthy skin and vision. Trust me, this won’t be a
hard puree to sell to your little one.

*A NOTE ON MANGOES- There are tons of contraptions and different ways to
cut mangoes. I peel the mango with a carrot scraper and the cut around
the pit. Figure out approximately where the pit is placed and cut a big oval off
one side and then the other. Turn it and cut the remaining strips off
the long side. This way it comes right off the pit and you won’t waste
any of the delicious mango.

Mango, Apple and Carrot Puree (10 Baby Servings)

1/2 Cup Baby Carrots, chopped
1 Cup Mango, chopped
1 Cup Apple, peeled and chopped

1. Put carrots in a steamer pot over boiling water for 3 minutes.
2. Add mango and apple for 2 minutes or until everything is fork tender.
3. Put in a food processor until smooth.
4. Cool and serve.

We used these to make this recipe:

Cuisinart DLC-2 Mini Prep Plus Food Processor