I saw this on the Today show the other day and I'm going to copy these recipes here mostly for myself but if any of you go-getters want to try them too, then rock on.
Serving Size
Yields 36 ounces for 8 months plus.
search for more recipes in TODAY's Cooking School Print | Share | Log in to save this recipe | Go to my recipe box Recipe: Very blueberry and apple
Norah O'Donnell and Chef Geoff Tracy Ingredients
4 apples
1 cup fresh blueberries
8 ounces water or apple juice
Preparation
Wash and peel the apples (peeling is optional). Cut each apple in half. Remove the seeds and stem with a melon baller. Cut each half into 6 pieces. Look over blueberries for stems. Put the apple pieces, blueberries, and juice into a 4- quart pot. Turn the burner on high and cover with a lid. Cook for approximately 8 minutes, stirring once.
Pour everything into the blender. Puree until smooth. Pour into two ice cube trays and allow to cool.
Wrap and freeze.
Tips
Knowing the antioxidant power of blueberries I tried to make a blueberry puree. Whoa. It was so strong. Henry, acting as the tester, gave it a big rejection by gagging. Blueberries are powerful and need something to balance them. Pears and peaches would work well.
Serving Size
Yields 32 ounces for 8 months plus.
search for more recipes in TODAY's Cooking School Print | Share | Log in to save this recipe | Go to my recipe box Recipe: Strawberry banana pineapple
Norah O'Donnell and Chef Geoff Tracy Ingredients
1 1/2 pounds strawberries
3 bananas
1/4 pineapple
8 ounces water
Preparation
Remove stems of strawberries and then wash the berries. Cut each banana into 4 to 5 pieces. Cut the pineapple- see demo below. Cut into pieces approximately the size of the strawberries. Put everything into a 4-quart pot. Turn the burner on high and cover with a lid. Cook for approximately 6 minutes, stirring once.
Pour everything from the pot into a strainer with a bowl underneath to save the juice. Pour the cooked fruit into the blender. Puree until smooth using 2 to 4 ounces of the reserved juice if necessary to adjust consistency. Pour into two ice cube trays and allow to cool.
Wrap and freeze.
Serving Size
Yields 36 ounces for 10 months plus.
search for more recipes in TODAY's Cooking School Print | Share | Log in to save this recipe | Go to my recipe box Recipe: Perfectly basic pea
Norah O'Donnell and Chef Geoff Tracy Ingredients
1 1/2 pounds frozen peas
8 ounces water
Preparation
You will need a colander and a large bowl filled with ice and cold water. You want as much ice as possible.
Fill a 4- quart pot halfway with water. Bring to a rolling boil over high heat. While water is coming to a boil, get your "green veggie shocking station" ready. Pour the frozen peas into the colander. Run cool water over them to get rid of any ice crystals (which will allow the boiling water to come back to a boil faster). Pour the peas into the boiling water. Cook for 3 minutes on highest heat.
Pour peas into colander. Run cold water over them and pour them into the ice bath. Allow the peas to chill for 3 minutes. Pour the peas back into the colander and pick out any remaining ice.
Pour peas in the blender and add 8 ounces of cold water. Puree until smooth.
Pour into two ice cube trays.
Wrap and freeze.
Serving Size
Yield 32 ounces for 6 months plus
search for more recipes in TODAY's Cooking School Print | Share | Log in to save this recipe | Go to my recipe box Recipe: Carrot and ginger
Norah O'Donnell and Chef Geoff Tracy Ingredients
1 1/2 pounds carrots
1 tablespoon fresh ginger, minced
20 ounces water
Preparation
Put the water into a 4-quart pot and put on high heat. Wash and then peel the carrots. Cut off the stems and discard. Cut the carrots lengthwise and then cut each length into 8 or 10 pieces. Peel the ginger and mince (see notes below). Throw the carrot and ginger into the pot and cook 6 to 8 minutes. The carrots should be tender but not mushy.
Pour the entire contents of the pot into the blender. Puree until smooth. Pour into two ice cube trays and allow to cool.
Wrap and freeze.
Tips
I cut the carrots lengthwise so there is a flat surface. That makes cutting them crosswise easier and safer. line 4 or 5 up in a row and move through this prep work even faster.
The best way to peel ginger is with the edge of a spoon. Try it!
One of the first things a new cook does in his or her first kitchen job is peel vegetables! As a newbie I did my fair share of fifty-pound bags of carrots, potatoes, and onions. The key to mundane and repetitive prep work is to have a system. Saving five seconds per carrot when you are dealing with five hundred carrots saves over forty minutes of work. Remove all the carrots from the bag at once (instead of going in and out of the bag each time). Peel all the carrots without removing the peeler from your hand. Once they are peeled cut the ends off two at a time. Then clear your cutting board of the mess because everything moving forward is a keeper. Finally make your cuts- make your lengthwise cuts and then make your crosswise cuts four at a time. As a new cook, doing this kind of stuff fast gets you promoted. As a new parent it gets you out of the kitchen faster!
Ginger is my favorite flavor enhancer for little babies. It gives food a slightly Asian flavor and I find it very soothing on the palate. This recipe, with a little more seasoning and a garnish of crème fraîche, often makes it onto my menus.
Serving Size
Yield 38 ounces for 8 months plus
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