A Shamrock Surprise That’s Not Just for Babies…
Shamrock Surprise!
One of my favorite tips for helping reduce meal prep burn-out is to find meal ideas that work for everyone you’re feeding - babies included. This way, you’re making one meal for EVERYONE who will be eating. It seems unlikely sometimes, but with a few minor modifications, so many foods can work well for babies, toddlers, school-agers, teenagers, and adults, alike - like this recipe for a St. Patrick’s Day-themed, “Shamrock Surprise!”
Regardless of whether you are taking a baby-led weaning approach to starting solids or spoon-feeding, purées are an important texture for all babies to learn how to manage. This nutritious and savory blend of broccoli, spinach, onions, cashews, and seasonings is an excellent way to introduce babies to the flavors of green vegetables in a purée that doesn’t mask the green veggies with sweet fruit flavors like most green veggie blends, but rather presents them along with savory seasonings that help build a baby’s repertoire of accepted foods. And with a couple of minor modifications, it works equally well as a nutritious and delicious soup for everyone else.
For babies 6-12 months, I like to keep the consistency of the purée thick so that it stays on the spoon better and facilitates self-feeding. To help keep your baby’s sodium intake low, you may want to reserve a portion for your baby before adding the salt and capers, but don’t sweat it if it’s too much trouble. The rest of the ingredients are fair game for all.
This blend works well with or without the cashew cream, so play with the consistency and ingredients and find what works best for your family. Pull out a portion for anyone with a cashew allergy before you add the cashew cream. You can also keep some of the puree thick for your baby and then thin out the rest into more of a soup consistency by adding additional broth for the adults and older kids who will also be eating at the meal.
When the cashew cream is added, it creates a creamy, richer, heartier meal that offers healthy fats, protein, fiber, and plenty of additional vitamins and minerals that are nourishing at any age and stage. I love using this soup as an infant-safe way to serve tree nuts and keep them in a baby’s diet frequently, which can help reduce the risk of tree nut allergies.
In any case, your baby will benefit greatly from eating the same foods as everyone else at the table. Babies learn to eat by mimicking and the earlier we can incorporate them into family meals, the faster they learn to eat and accept a wider variety of foods, textures, and flavors - including green vegetables!
Leafy greens in particular are brimming with vitamins C, K, A, folate, magnesium, iron, and calcium, among other nutrients like fiber, some omega-3s, and even protein.
People are often surprised to hear that babies can eat leafy greens like spinach and kale - in fact, a recent study found that only 6% of babies 6-12 months eat leafy greens on any given day.
Perhaps this is because some raw leafy greens (like spinach) are high in nitrates. When eaten in very, very large amounts they can affect a baby's blood oxygen levels, however, I have never heard of a baby who had issues from eating too many leafy greens.
In my opinion, the benefits of eating greens outweigh the risks. The AAP agrees and doesn't recommend against offering leafy greens once a baby is 6 months of age and showing the developmental signs of readiness for solids. That being said, some doctors say to avoid greens like spinach until babies are at least 12 months old. If you're concerned about nitrates, know that frozen greens have fewer nitrates and that boiling them reduces their nitrate content as well.
If you’re getting ready to start your baby on solids, or if your baby has recently begun his or her feeding journey and you need guidance on food sizing, balanced baby meals, introducing the top allergenic foods, and making sure baby is getting the important nutrients needed for growth and development during infancy, check out my new online course for parents, based on my best-selling book which will walk you through the whole process of starting solids using a baby-led approach.
If you found this recipe enjoyable, would you mind giving it a rating and leaving a comment? Your feedback helps others discover my recipes and articles. Thanks a bunch!
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A Broccoli-Spinach Purée that’s not just for babies…
A Shamrock Surprise That’s Not Just for Babies…
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 2- 3 broccoli florets (chopped, about 1 pound)
- 3 - 4 handfuls baby spinach
- 1/2 cup parsley (finely chopped)
- 1/2 white onion (trimmed and diced)
- 1 tablespoon low-sodium Italian seasoning
- 3 cups low-sodium mushroom broth
- 1/2 cup raw cashews
- 1 cup boiled water
- 1/4 cup capers + pinch of salt & pepper (omit these when serving to an infant)
Instructions
- Pour boiled water over cashews and set aside for ten minutes.
- After ten minutes, in a high-speed blender, blend water and cashews together into a smooth milk.
- Chop onions and broccoli.
- Heat olive oil in a large sauté pan over medium heat. Add onions and sauté until soft.
- Add broccoli, spinach, parsley and 1 cup of mushroom broth and sauté until soft.
- Add Italian seasoning.
- Transfer broccoli spinach mix into blender with 1/2 cup of mushroom broth.
- Blend until smooth (if needed, add more mushroom broth sparingly until desired consistency and thickness is reached).
- If you want to omit the cashew cream from the portion you’ll serve to your baby, place 1/3 of the mixture into a bowl and set aside now. Otherwise, keep all of the mixture in the pitcher of your blender.
- Add the cashew cream and remaining mushroom stock into the blender with the remaining broccoli purée.
- Blend until well-combined.
- In your large sauté pan, sauté capers in a touch of olive oil until slightly crispy to use as optional garnish.
- Top each bowl with capers, fresh parsley and a pinch salt and pepper (omit this step if serving to an infant under 12 months).
Notes
- This recipe tastes great right away, but also keeps well in the refrigerator for another 2-3 days when stored in an airtight container. It also keeps in the freezer for up to 3 months.
Nutrition Facts
Calories
149Fat
11Sat. Fat
2Carbs
11Fiber
2Net carbs
9Sugar
3Protein
4Sodium
7811Cholesterol
0
Products in this Recipe
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