Hello, Fall...

I've been making "fall recipes" for a couple of weeks now, but I can now make them without feeling like I'm skipping seasons. For me, the beginning of fall whispers, "soooooouuuuupppp" in my ear, especially when is raining outside. I've been waiting for cooler temperatures to arrive so that I could make soup for my son and I thought, where better to start than butternut squash! I added pear for a little sweetness, sage and a bay leaf for flavor, potatoes (more specifically, mashed potatoes that I already had frozen) to thicken it up, and ricotta for a little creaminess. He scarfed it down throughly enjoyed it! 

Butternut and Pear Soup

Here's what I did:

1 oz of Roasted Butternut Squash Puree

1 oz of Roasted Asian Pear Puree

1 oz of home-made veggie stock or store bought (preferably with no salt)

1 oz mashed potatoes or just potatoes

1 bay leaf

A pinch of sage

1 tbsp of Ricotta cheese (stir in right before serving)

*At 8 months, babies can have cheeses like cream cheese, ricotta, and cottage. Although these are soft cheeses, they are made with pasteurized milk and therefore ok. Try to buy the kind that is made with whole milk. For more info: http://www.homemade-baby-food-recipes.com/when-can-my-baby-eat-cheese.html

Good-bye, Summer...

The first day of fall came and with it, a beautiful breeze and cooler (80 degrees) temperature. It's the beginning of fall in Okinawa but really, it reminded me of summer in Southern California. The place where every day is nice outside! We were stationed there for about half a year and I remember the first couple of weeks going outside and saying, "it's such a beautiful day today," or as my husband would say, "it's a great day to fly." After those first two weeks, I realized, it's always a beautiful day so I stopped being so surprised, although I don't think I ever stopped noticing how beautiful it was somewhere under the surface of my consciousness. 
The end of summer is usually sad because it means more time indoors, but to be honest, when fall arrives in Okinawa it means going outside! Enjoying a walk without getting dehydrated in the first 5 minutes, driving with the windows down, and going to the park without feeling like you've stepped into a sauna. Fall in Okinawa means festivals that you can actually take pictures of, without sweat stinging your eyes and needing the coverage of a roof after a few seconds.  I love summer but in Okinawa, I love fall!
To say goodbye to summer, I made a concoction with summer fruits. I served them to my little one with oatmeal but you could also serve it with yogurt and even make a smoothie for yourself!


Summer Fruit Mix  
Here's what I did:
1 oz of Roasted Blueberry Puree
1 oz of Mango Puree
1 oz of Roasted Peach Puree
2 tbsp Oatmeal Cereal

Roasting Day!

This weekend, I realized I had run out of many of my baby food stock. I went to our grocery store and was excited to find a few new things to try out! I think, other than maybe deep frying, roasting is one of the best methods of cooking, and a lot better for you than the latter. It gives a depth of flavor to veggies and fruits that you just can't really achieve by steaming or boiling. I have to say, being able to put everything in the oven at once is a plus too! As I've said before, I normally freeze up the purees plain and later experiment with spices, as well as, mixing with other purees. 


Roasted Bananas:
3 very ripe bananas


Pre-heat the oven at 400 degrees. Peel bananas and cut off the ends, discard. Cut up in pieces small enough to fit in your blender or food processor. Line a baking dish or cookie sheet with wax paper and arrange the banana pieces. Roast until tender and caramelized. Place in the food processor or blender and process to desire consistency. Let it cool and freeze for up to 3 months. 


Roasted Peaches:
1 bag of frozen peaches (making sure there is no sugar added).
*We don't get fresh peaches here but if you have them in your local grocery store, you can use them =)


Pre-heat the oven at 400 degrees. Arrange the peach pieces in a baking dish or cookie sheet that has been lined with wax paper. Roast until tender. Place in the food processor or blender and process to desire consistency. Let it cool and freeze for up to 3 months.


Roasted Blueberries:
1 bag of blueberries (making sure there is no sugar added).
*Read note above


Pre-heat the oven at 400 degrees. Arrange blueberries in a baking dish or cookie sheet. If you use a cookie sheet, line it with wax paper. Roast until tender. Place in the food processor or blender and process to desire consistency.  Let it cool and freeze for up to 3 months.


Roasted Asian Pears:
You can also use regular pears. I haven't seen any regular pears in Okinawa so I use the Asian variety. To be honest, I prefer them. They have a nuttier taste, are firmer, and more juicy in my opinion.


2 Asian pears.


Pre-heat oven at 400 degrees. Peel, core and slice the pears. Place in a baking dish or a lined (wax paper) cookie sheet. Roast until tender. Place in a food processor or blender and process to desire consistency. Let it cool and freeze for up to 3 months.


Roasted Butternut Squash:
1 small butternut squash


Pre-heat oven at 400 degrees. Cut butternut squash in half. With a spoon, take out the seeds and stringy part of the pulp, discard or if you prefer, roast the seeds as well. Fill a baking dish with water, 1/4 of an inch. Place butternut squash halves with the pulp facing down. Roast until tender and until the skin is easily removed (25-30 min). With a spoon, take out the pulp. Place in a food processor or blender and process to desire consistency. Let it cool and freeze for up to 3 months. 

The mighty, tiny ball...

So a friend of mine came to visit the other day and brought these cute little muffins for her baby. Later, as we discussed substitutes for eggs ( babies shouldn't have egg whites until they are a year old) in baked goods, I decided I was going to attempt making my own version of a "baby" baked good. Now, I have NEVER successfully created a baking recipe from scratch and was prepared to go through several trials. To my surprise, it worked the first time around!!! Of course, there is always room for improvement! Keep in mind that these are not very sweet as there is no sugar added, but then you bite into a little bit of date and...there is the sweetness!  I used a mini ice cream scoop and filled a mini muffin pan so they ended up as tiny little, oh so good for you balls!  I hope your little one enjoys it, mine sure did! We are eating some for breakfast tomorrow and sharing at play group! 


Here is what I did:
1 cup of grated raw carrot (1 Okinawan or 2-3 American ones)
1 cup of grated raw parsnip
1 cup of All Purpose Flour
1 cup of Flaxseed meal
3/4 tsp. of baking soda
1 1/2 tsp. of baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. cinnamon
3/4 cup vanilla baby yogurt (2 4oz yogurts) or plain yogurt and add vanilla extract
1/2 oz of the Apple Pie Puree
1 oz of Banana Puree
1/2 cup whipped silk tofu 
 Dates, dried, pitted, and finely chopped (12)


Re-heat oven at 350 degrees. Combine all the wet ingredients. Add the dry ingredients, and bake until a tooth pick inserted in the center comes out clean! Enjoy! 
This recipe made around 72 mini balls. Freeze for up to 3 months. 


*Pictures to come.

In a pumpkin state of mind...

I continue to have fall in my mind, even as the black flag outside persists to remind me that it is, in fact, 90 degrees outside and 100% humidity. In my house, however, there is nice cool air, the smell of cinnamon scented candles, and pumpkin spice latte simmering away on my stove top. Ah..the power of suggestion...It seems odd to me, having grown up in a one season island, that I would come to like and miss the seasons so. I'm sure in a few months, I'll be nostalgic about summer but for now, I'll stick to the imaginary yellow, red, and orange falling leaves that are dancing about in my head.
Last year, we ran out of the canned pumpkins at our grocery stores. To be honest, every year, we run out of it come thanksgiving time. My cousin was sweet enough to mail me canned pumpkin from Canada. I use it for many things but especially, to make my favorite and non-existent (in Okinawa), pumpkin spice latte. Of course, I had some left, so I shared the pumpkin treat with my little one and I'm happy to report, he loved it! I should clarify, I shared the pumpkin not the latte.


Oatmeal with Pumpkin and Raisins
Here is what I did:
I used equaled parts oatmeal and pumpkin puree (not pumpkin pie filling). You may certainly make your own puree, unfortunately, there is no pumpkin at our grocery stores yet and they tend to be very expensive when they do bring it. 
Mix with water, breastmilk or formula.
Place raisins in a food processor or blender and process until they are in a puree (it will turn out rather chunky). Add to cereal and pumpkin mixture.
Add 1/8 of a tsp. of pumpkin spice. 
*For an adult version, add the pumpkin puree to your oatmeal, add whole raisins,walnuts or pecans, pumpkin spice and brown sugar! Enjoy! 

Carrots, carrots, many ways!

I personally really like carrots and so does my baby. This wasn't always the case though. I used to think, and yes, I know it may be silly, that they tasted like grass. But then, I had baby carrots with dip (we don't really eat those in Puerto Rico or at least I don't remember seeing them in house parties, etc) and slowly my crush on carrots began. My first trimester, I carried baby carrots with me everywhere and it seems my little one got accustomed to the flavor early on. It's a great puree but also a great finger food and because of it's sweetness, usually a hit with babies. This time I chose to sautee them but I've previously roasted them in the oven (350 degrees) with fresh basil and they were delicious. Below are four spices (thyme, cinnamon, basil, and tarragon) that you can add to enhance the flavor of carrots but the possibilities are many! 


Here is what I did:
2 Okinawan carrots (around 4 American ones)
1 tbsp of extra virgin olive oil (it would probably be DELICIOUS with butter, well, what isn't?However, I chose to stick with oil because it is better for my little one.)


Peel the carrots and cut the ends, discard. Dice up the carrots in small pieces if you'd like to give it to your baby to try to self-feed. In a hot pan, add the oil and then the carrots. Sautee until very tender 
(about 20-25 min). Season to taste for an adult dish. Puree in the food processor or blender if needed. 

Rough Chop because I had a little one clinging to my legs but if you have the time, the more evenly that you chop them, the more evenly they will cook.

Just add a pinch of any of these spices or try a different one (coriander, nutmeg, etc).

Another idea: mashed potatoes with carrots and basil.  It's actually the only way my baby will eat mashed potatoes.
Another favorite is banana yogurt with carrots and cinnamon.