Baby Approved Recipe!

I enjoyed sharing one of my most successful baby-led solids recipes last week, so I thought I would share one more that would be perfect for a holiday (or any other) party- a baby-led solids version of spinach and artichoke dip. I made it for a recent (and disappointing) football party.  I served it to Q-ball with whole wheat pita, and she loved it! 

Here's what made this meal good for BLS:

1) Spinach is full of vitamin A, a nutrient that is deficient in breast-milk fed babies after 6 months.

2) White beans and artichokes are full of fiber, which many babies need to help with the constipation that is normally associated with introducing solids. 

3) White beans are also a pretty good source of iron, which is very important for babies as breast milk provides very little iron and most babies have exhausted the iron reserves with which they are born after 6 months.

From the WHO Guide to Complementary Feeding

Some notes specific to cooking for babies:

• I try to use organic ingredients (whether fresh, canned, or frozen) whenever possible for BLS recipes.
• We do not have any history of allergies. Of these ingredients, Q-ball had previously eaten cheese and whole wheat pita.

Enjoy!

1/2 cup fresh Romano or Parmesan cheese

1/4 cup yoghurt

1 tsp fresh lemon juice

1/4 tsp black pepper

1/8 tsp red pepper

15 oz. white beans (canned, rinsed and drained or prepared dried)

6-8 cooked artichoke hearts, quartered (or 14 oz can)

9 oz. chopped frozen spinach (thawed, drained, and squeezed dry)

1/2 cup mozzarella cheese

Preheat oven to 350.  Place all ingredients expect mozzarella, artichoke and spinach in food processor and process until smooth.  Spoon into bowl and add artichokes and spinach.  Place in 1-quart cooking dish, sprinkle with mozzarella and bake for 20 minutes or until browned.

Sources:

Department of Nutrition for Health and Development, World Health Organization. (2000). Complementary Feeding: Family 

http://nutritiondata.self.com/facts/vegetables-and-vegetable-products/2626/2

http://www.caloriegallery.com/foods/calories-in-cooked-white-beans.htm

http://www.artichokes.org/health.html