Recipes: Eat the rainbow
Feeding your baby a variety of colours ensures that they get the very best nutritional start in life, says Ziska Baumgarten
GREEN
Apple & pea purée 1 apple, peeled & cored 1 cup frozen peas 2-4 mint leaves ½ cup water
1. Cut apple into chunks and put into a small pot with the peas and water and bring to a gentle boil.
2. Remove from heat as soon as the fruit is soft, about ten minutes. Let cool, add mint leaves and purée until smooth. You may need to pass this purée through a sieve for young babies (use a spatula to force the purée through a sieve) as they may not like the texture.
RED
Roasted red pepper pasta 1 red bell pepper, deseeded & quartered 1 red onion, quartered 3 tomatoes, halved 1 tablespoon olive oil ½ cup small pasta shapes, cooked according to package instructions
1. Preheat oven to 200˚C. Place vegetables on a baking sheet, drizzle olive oil over and roast for about 30 minutes or until the edges turn brown.
2. Remove from oven and let cool slightly. Pull skins off tomatoes and red pepper, then place all the veggies and cooking oil in a blender and blitz into a sauce.
3. Serve with small pasta shapes cooked until quite soft.
PURPLE
Blueberry & yoghurt pots (from 6 months) 1 cup frozen blueberries 2 tablespoons water ¼ cup plain yoghurt
1. Place blueberries and water into a small pot and bring to a gentle boil. Reduce heat, cover and simmer for about 10 minutes until the blueberries are soft.
2. Let cool, add yoghurt and purée until smooth.
YELLOW
Corn & turmeric chowder ½ onion, peeled & chopped 2 tablespoons butter 1 teaspoon turmeric 2 heads of corn, kernels cut off the cob 1 cup vegetable or chicken stock
1. Fry onion in butter in a small saucepan over medium heat until the onion is just golden brown. Add the turmeric and stir for a minute or two longer.
2. Add the corn and stock to the onion mixture in the saucepan, cover and turn the heat to low. Let simmer for 15 minutes until the vegetables are soft.
3. Remove from heat and let cool before serving.
ORANGE
Butternut & chicken purée 1 tablespoon olive oil ½ leek, washed and chopped 1 cup butternut, peeled, seeds scraped out & cut into chunks 1 skinless, boneless chicken breast, cut into small cubes
1. Fry leek and olive oil in a small pot over medium heat until leeks are just golden. Add the butternut and chicken to the leeks and fry a few minutes longer until the chicken is seared.
2. Add two tablespoons of water to the pot, cover and turn the heat to low. Let simmer for 10-15 minutes until the butternut is soft.
3. Use a hand blender to purée or simply fork mash for older babies.