Quinoa Kiwi Pear Carrot Baby Puree +6M

Have you ever used quinoa in your baby food? It’s a great ingredient loaded with nutrients being a good source of protein, fiber, iron, copper, thiamin and vitamin B6 and it’s naturally gluten free as it’s a seed and not a grain.

I usually combine quinoa with savory ingredients but quinoa is lovely in a sweet recipe too like the one I’m sharing today: quinoa + pear + kiwi + carrot and a pinch of cinnamon.

The recipe is appropriate for babies starting from 6 months of age and it’s a natural remedy for constipation thanks to the pear and kiwi.

Pears. I would leave the skin if the pear is organic. Which variety? Pears are in season in winter and come in many varieties. My favorite pears to prepare baby food are the Bartlett, Concorde and Camice as they are with no doubt the sweetest. I like to buy some pears and let them sit in the fruit basket next to the apples for few days up until they become a bit soft and the skin starts turning a bit brown here and there. That’s when the natural sweetness reaches the top! I like the Red Anjou too but sincerely they are not as sweet as the others.

When it comes to baby food, every recipe contains few ingredients so it’s essential that they are top notch quality both in terms of nutrients and flavor.

Kiwis. They are small fruits packed with flavor and health benefits. Their green flesh is sweet and tangy. That’s why it’s important to taste a slice before using the kiwi for your baby food. You want the kiwi to be soft and ripe so that the tanginess is minimum.

If the kiwi is not ready the tanginess of the flavor might cause your baby food to be too acidic for your little one.

Ripen kiwis are super sweet, perfect for a baby food and also full of nutrients like vitamin C, vitamin K, vitamin E, folate, and potassium. They also have a lot of antioxidants and are a good source of fiber.

The combo kiwi + pear will help your baby’s digestion and regulate the bowl movements.

Should I remove the seeds of the kiwi? The kiwi tiny seeds do not need to be removed while preparing your baby food. I like to use a powerful immersion blender to break them down to nothing and create a smooth puree.

When preparing baby food I peel the kiwi, even if the peel is perfectly edible!! Not only, if you eat the skin of the kiwi you triple the fiber intake and preserve much of the vitamin C content as well. Still, to be sincere the furry skin is not so pleasant to eat if you are not used to 🙂

Carrots. All together with the pear the carrot will give a lovely natural sweetness to our puree. I simply finely grated it raw, I didn’t cook it. If you are offering this puree to very little ones (+6 months) you can steam the carrot for an easier digestion instead of grating it raw.

Cinnamon. I love adding spices and herbs to my baby purees for many reasons: they boost up the flavors and they have beneficial health properties. In this case cinnamon has anti-inflammatory properties.

The puree preparation is simple.

You start cooking the quinoa: rinse it first under running water to wash it and remove any residual dirt. Also, if you rinse it, the final flavor is less bitter.

Place the quinoa in a sauce pan with double the quantity of water. So for every cup of dry quinoa you will add 2 cups of water.

Bring the quinoa to boil, reduce to simmer, cover and cook for 15 min (or the time suggested on the packaging). 

Turn the heat off and let it cool down for a while.

Meanwhile core the pear, leave the skin if organic and chop it in pieces.

Peel the kiwi and chop in pieces, peel the carrot and finely grate it.

In a tall container add 5 Tbsp of quinoa + pear + kiwi + grated carrot + cinnamon + water.

With an immersion blender reduce everything to a smooth puree.

Serve the quinoa puree’ at room temperature. You can store the puree’ in the refrigerator in an air tight container for up to 3 days or freeze it for up to 3 months.

I usually cook 1 cup of dry quinoa that ends up giving me a bit more than 2 cups of cooked quinoa. Sometimes cooking small quantities simply doesn’t work. I use the needed quantity for my baby food recipes and I combine the rest in other quinoa recipes like the following ones:

• Quinoa Banana Almond Muffins
• Quinoa Blackberry Banana Avocado Puree
• Quinoa Salmon Peas Broccoli Balls
• Quinoa Eggplant Tomato Salad
• Quinoa Broccoli Meatballs
• Quinoa Zucchini Oat Fritters
• Quinoa Beef Meatballs
• Quinoa Mango Apple Puree
• Quinoa Banana Apple Dates Puree
• Banana Quinoa Pudding