If you liked my pumpkin puree, you might also enjoy this sweet curry parsnip puree (for an adult version of this easy puree see my ideas at the bottom):

Ingredients:

• 1.5 cups of parsnip
• 1.5 cups of sweet potato
• 1 tbs of olive oil (I like to use a fruity flavoured olive oil)
• 1/2 tsp curry powder (make sure it’s regular curry powder and not a spicy version)
• some bottled water

This makes approximately 2 portions for a 6 month old baby

Instructions:

• Peel the parsnip and cut it into cubes (approx 1.5 cups)
• Peel the sweet potato and cut into similar size cubes
• Place the parsnip and potato cubes a baby food steamer and steam according to instructions of the appliance you are using
• When the vegetables are cooked, add the olive oil and the curry powder
• Blend to a puree, add a little bit of water to make the mixture more smooth
• Taste to see if you may want to add some more curry powder

Serving ideas:

• for babies (at least 6 months) who are not that used to eating solids yet: you may want to add even more water to make the puree easier to swallow and cool it down at the same time
• it also makes a nice dip for apples (in this case I prefer it cold)
• and  just like the pumpkin puree it’s great for food drawings to entice even fussy eaters to a healthy snack (see my candle with star and moon as an example).

Ideas for an adult version:

• to make the puree less sweet, you can replace half to two thirds of the sweet potato with regular potatoes
• experiment with more curry powder or use spicy curry powder instead
• you can add salt and pepper
• instead of blending the vegetables to a smooth puree you might want to use a potato masher to keep more texture

A little trick for drawing with puree: I used one of the syringe type measuring devices that comes with some kids’ medicine.

I cut off the end piece to get a bigger opening. This way it’s easy to suck the puree up into the syringe and draw with it as you push it out of the syringe. Another advantage of doing it this way is that you don’t lose any of the yummy puree in the process. Get creative and if you have a fussy eater, try handing over the syringe :-).

Below see my 5 year old son’s food art. He started out drawing a star and later declared it as a crown.

I’d love to hear your comments and see any of your creative pumpkin puree art on my Facebook page.

You know that Halloween is around the corner when everywhere you look you see pumpkins popping up on door steps and windowsills. My daughter, Briana, loves spotting them when we stroll through our little town.

Pumpkins don’t only make great decoration, they also have a wonderful flavour. Here is a great recipe for an easy pumpkin puree that you can use in many different ways and is certainly not only for babies :-).

Ingredients:

• 1.5 cups of pumpkin (I like to use butternut squash)
• 1.5 cups of sweet potato
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 tbs of olive oil (I like to use a fruity flavoured olive oil)
• some nutmeg
• some bottled water

This makes approximately 2 portions for a 6 month old baby

Instructions:

• Cut the pumpkin into pieces to make it easier to peel it; make sure to use a very sturdy, serrated knife
• Cut it into small cubes
• Cut the peeled sweet potato into similar size cubes
• Place the pumpkin and potato cubes together with the bay leaf in a baby food steamer and steam according to instructions of the appliance you are using
• When the vegetables are cooked, remove the bay leaf and add the olive oil and the nutmeg
• Blend to a puree, add a little bit of water to make the mixture more smooth

Serving ideas:

• for babies (at least 6 months) who are not that used to eating solids yet: you may want to add even more water to make the puree easier to swallow and cool it down at the same time
• the puree also tastes wonderful as a spread on toasted wholemeal bread (works cold or warm)
• it also makes a nice dip for apples (in this case I prefer it cold)
• and last but not least it’s great for food drawings to entice even fussy eaters to a healthy snack (see my pumpkin puree face with cherry tomato eyes and nose, apple mouth and spring onion hair as an example).

A little trick for drawing the face: I used one of the syringe type measuring devices that comes with some kids’ medicine.

I cut off the end piece to get a bigger opening. This way it’s easy to suck the puree up into the syringe and draw with it as you push it out of the syringe. Another advantage of doing it this way is that you don’t lose any of the  yummy puree in the process. Get creative and if you have a fussy eater, try handing over the syringe :-).

I’d love to hear your comments and see any of your creative pumpkin puree art on my Facebook page.

As a full time mum and mompreneur, I’m always on the lookout for recipes for healthy dishes that are not only quick and easy to make but also taste very good. My friend Luci from LuciFit has recently shared a salsa recipe which just fits the bill.

I have made this salsa several times and writing about it makes my mouth water. I have made it as a side dish to go with fish and as a salad as it is very tasty just on its own. I made big portions as Luci suggested that it tastes even better on the next day and I have used left overs to snack on when I felt a little hungry later in the evening.

One of the ingredients is cilantro (coriander green), in case you don’t like coriander you can replace it with parsley. Also, in the recipe Luci suggests to use black beans, I have used kidney beans and I think it might be nice with chick peas too.

Watch video recipe …

I would love to hear your reviews of the salsa and if you have other suggestions for variations, please do share.