Homemade baby food with the Beaba Babycook

November 4, 2009

You probably recall that I recently wrote about making nutritious healthy baby food. What I didn't tell you then, I realize, is about the utensil I actually use to prepare meals for Lulu. Magical! Oh how grateful I am to own a Beaba Babycook! It's really the best kitchen gadget for a new maman! Perhaps you think you do not need one, and that's fine too, but I must say that, it's really simplified the preparation of Lulu's foods. The bonus? It's useful for that purpose and for whatever else you want.

So I wrote about it for Short Orders in the Boston Globe's food section--and the article can be found here.

Today, for example, I prepared a white sweet potato, purple turnip and chicken meal for Lulu. I flavored her food with garlic and coriander. She ate the whole thing, with red quinoa on the side. Meanwhile, I was having a carrot and parsnip soup with coriander too. She ate some of that as well! And I ate some of hers. We were in fact both enjoying one of the last supplies of local vegetables from our farmer's market. I told Lulu how sad I was to see them go for the winter. She gave me a cuddle. Then we went to the park and she would not love the swing. It made the two of us happy. With very happy bellies too.

White sweet potato, purple turnip and chicken with coriander

(For 2 baby meals)You need:

2.5 oz (70 g) peeled and diced white sweet potato
2.5 oz (70 g) peeled and diced purple turnip
1.5 oz (40 g) diced zucchini
1.5 oz (40 g) diced chicken breast
1 garlic clove, peeled and diced
A few leaves of fresh coriander
A pinch of ground coriander

Steps:

Place all the ingredients in the basket of your steamer and steam until soft-- about 10 to 15 minutes.
Purée the vegetables with some of the cooking water, to reach the texture you like. Serve with a drizzle of quality olive oil.

Carrot and Parsnip soup with coriander

You need:

1 pound peeled and diced carrots
7 oz (200 g) peeled and diced parsnips
7 oz (200 g) peeled and diced potatoes
5.5 oz (150 g) peeled and diced purple turnips
4 garlic cloves, peeled and chopped finely
4 cups chicken stock
1 bay leaf
1/2 tablespoons ground coriander
1/4 cup fresh coriander leaves
2 tablespoons olive oil + more to serve
Grated Parmesan, to serve

Steps:

In a flameproof casserole, heat two tablespoons olive oil on medium heat. When warm, add the ground coriander and garlic, and cook for 1 minute, without browning, until fragrant.
Add all the other vegetables and fresh coriander and cook for 3 more minutes.
Cover with the stock and add the bay leaf. Simmer, covered, for 20 minutes, or until the vegetables are soft.
Discard the bay leaf and purée the soup. The soup is fairly thick, which is the texture I wanted. If you prefer the soup thinner, add more stock. Serve with grated Parmesan and freshly chopped coriander, and a drizzle of olive oil.

45 Comments

Catherine Sinclair · November 7, 2009
Simple, delicious, perfect! Please do a baby and child food book, there's just nothing quite as good as you out there :D
Béa · November 9, 2009
Thank you everyone. I will try to share more recipes as they are created. Many more are lined up! And yes Anita, Deux par Deux ;-) Good eyes! :-)
CouCou · November 26, 2009
On a la meme petite merveille a la maison... et c'est clairement un indispensable ! comme ils disent, l'essayer, c'est l'adopter ! fini les gros montant de la meme puree... maintenant on peut faire tout ce qu'on veut, quand on veut... un veritable petit bonheur ! :-)
Miralda · November 27, 2009
That sounds great! I understand your words and lived a similar experience with my baby: the discover of new foods, ingredients, colours for the baby is a real adventure and it's great to live with. And some months ago I created a foodblog for babies:-) to share our experience... p.s. your photos are so beautiful!
beyond · November 4, 2009
yummy. she's a lucky baby to have you as her maman...
Jackie at PhamFatale.com · November 4, 2009
What a lucky baby! All the ingredients in her food are sensational. Really: fresh produce and love, isn't what every baby needs?
Rebecca · November 5, 2009
Yum! I want to eat that too! I can't wait to have children for this very reason. Thanks again for sharing!
beste · November 5, 2009
beaba was very useful i was making pumkin,patato and mint soup. Today he is eating large selection od vegetables meanwhile his friends just eating "pâte and steak haché". lucky Lulu bises
Dominique (De vous à moi...) · November 5, 2009
Ma petite Lulu, ta mama te gâte! Avec d'aussi beaux légumes, tu vas grandir comme un champignon...
Giorgia · November 5, 2009
gorgeous! what a lucky baby is lulu! she has already tasted so much food that some adults have never tasted!
~marion~ · November 5, 2009
Il sont magnifiques ces légumes Béa et en voilà de bien belles idées pour nourrir son bébé de manière saine et ludique! Ma petite Chacha est en train d'explorer les saveurs de courge, poire et banane grâce au Babycook et j'ai comme l'impression que je ne vais pas pouvoir m'en passer...
corrine · November 7, 2009
Bea, it's amazing that Lulu eats these really good food. Most people would think that babies would only like sweet and salty.
Aran · November 5, 2009
I've seen it before but never used it myself. Maybe next time around! Beautiful food!
robin · November 5, 2009
Bea, Your baby food recipe are coming at such an opportune time for me--my darling little niece is quickly reaching the baby food stage! And my sister received a Beaba at her shower, so all the better. Thank you!
bergeou · November 6, 2009
Je suis moi aussi une grande adepte du babycook et je m'en sers aussi pour faire mes tartinades pour l'apéro c'est bien pratique un petit bol.
SC · November 16, 2009
I am late responding but I love our Beaba BabyCook as well. It is quite convenient, and we have made our son lots of nutritious food with it. We add certain spices and flavorings to make sure he gets a very tasty diet. He is now too old for that and likes to eat adult food. But we are saving it for the next one on the way.
Tartelette · November 4, 2009
I can tell you that Lulu would not be the only one eating this if I were sitting next to her. Reminds me of the good food my maman used to make for us and then our cousins (that's the only way I remember!).
Nutmeg Nanny · November 4, 2009
Wow what great food you are making her! Much better than the glass jar stuff you buy in the store.
Chanel · November 4, 2009
Thanks for more recipes and for introducing me to the baby food maker.
kouka · November 5, 2009
Tout à fait d'accord avec toi! Moi non plus je ne peux me passer du babycook:) Mon petit bout de chou va manger aujourd'hui un peu de potiron,carotte,poireaux et poulet fermier le tout épicé avec un peu de cumin,miam!
Hilda · November 5, 2009
Ah c'est donc ça! I've seen the containers to store the food but I'm not sure I've seen the actual babycook. We happen to have a steamer (it was a gift) so do you think this would still be useful? I guess I wouldn't have to puree everything by hand once it's steamed. I have a lot of fun making my little girl's food too, it's like playing mini-restaurant. I love Lulu's coat!
Jodi · November 5, 2009
We love our Beaba, I can't imagine how we would have survived without it. Such a simple little machine that does magical things with anything you put into it for baby. Beatrix (my daughter)'s favorite right now is golden beets, potato, apples and a bit of ground rosemary. It's nice to know that you can taste her food and your senses aren't repelled by the lack of taste, color or smell. Happy cooking!
MegT · November 5, 2009
I am so glad to hear you say how much you love your Beabe. I had thought about getting it as a present for someone, but after mixed reviews I didn't know if it was worth it. Thanks for the great information!
sarah · November 5, 2009
Thanks for the advice and recipes...You're in inspiration for a future mama. We're not even planning to start trying for a baby until the middle of next year, but I've bookmarked your articles to come back to!
L'Atelier Océane · November 5, 2009
I'm sure that at the end, she will be a very good cooker! Having tasted so delicious meals will for sure lead us in this way :) Have a nice day
Sha · November 5, 2009
Love the pics! I think I'm gonna make the carrot and parsnips soup, it sounds lovely.
Caroline · November 5, 2009
Yes, I've been waiting for this post for months! We have the Beaba Babycook for our 8 1/2 month old son, and though the instruction book comes with a few ideas, there's nothing like this. Thanks so much for posting.
Mo · November 5, 2009
Lulu steals the show for me every time:) You are a lovely mommy..she's a lucky little girl.. Je vous trouve pleine de douceur.
gracianne · November 5, 2009
j'ai fait ca avec mes enfants aussi bea, jamais hesite a leur rajouter des herbes, des epices, du curry, du poivre, et meme un tout petit peu de piment. Tu verras, Lulu mangera de tout plus tard.
Mrs Ergül · November 6, 2009
What a cool gadget! Thanks for sharing as I have never seen it around where I live.
Catherine · November 6, 2009
Beautiful!
Béa · November 5, 2009
Many thanks, once again, everyone. I must say: I'm having so much fun experimenting and preparing the foods for Lulu. Seeing her reactions, good and bad, are priceless. Goat cheese the first time? Not good ;-) Hilda, if you own a steamer, it's already great. The advantage of the Babycook is that it's small and allows 3 things in 1, without much to do but prepare the ingredients. It's set on a timer too, so if you were to forget the vegetables on the stove -- who doesn't the first year of their baby -- you'd be forgiven with the device.
lauresophie · November 6, 2009
J'ai adoré aussi cuisiner pr mon fils dès qu'il est passé à la diversification alimentaire. Mais ce qui me plaisait le plus c'était de voir ses yeux et ses mimiques quandil goutait un nouvel aliment pour la1ere fois. En general le succès était garantit à chaque fois, maintenant (22 mois) ça commence à faire l difficile malheureusement! Profites en bien
Beka · November 6, 2009
Wow Béa! Trop trop belles ces photos!! & very inspiring all those ideas & meals & stories! Je ne peux résister à passer faire coucou ici ce soir :) Merci!
creezy · November 8, 2009
Lulu is the best fashioned baby ever! How „tall“ she is meanwhile.
Beth R&V · November 7, 2009
It's lovely to see such nice recipes for little ones. As a mom making baby food for a 7-month old, the BabyCook is a little too "gadgety" (and pricey) for my humble taste, but I may try adapting this recipe with some pheasant. Gorgeous photos, as always!
Ariele · November 8, 2009
I would love to read more of the recipes that you're making for Lulu! I have an 8 month old daughter who prefers miso soup to applesauce and I'd love some more of your inspirational recipes!
Anita · November 8, 2009
Your pictures are so inspiring and serene! I love that "deux par deux" coat (isn't it?) And Lulu looks adorable :)
Annie · December 13, 2009
looks so delicious!
Christina Marie · November 11, 2009
I would LOVE if you wrote more about other fabulous baby foods we could prepare. Could you make that a category?? I want my babies to grow up knowing how to eat spice and real food!
Shannel Glaspy · November 18, 2009
I eagerly await your next post as soon as I finish reading the most current. You've got me hooked!
Stephanie · February 11, 2010
Salut, Béa. J'ai trouvé votre website quand j'ai cherché pour le mot "neige." Moi, j'adore le Beaba Babycook. Ma fille est 8 mois, et elle adore manger presque tout! J'aime votre recette et j'espere de l'essayer bientot. (mon père est français, alors toute ça famille habite encore en France). Mon français n'est pas le meilleur, pas j'espere que ma petite Charlotte va le parler plus courrament que moi...
Miya · March 17, 2011
I have this little gadget as well and I love it. I came across to your site by searching any recipes idea for 1 year old by using babycook. Please could share more recipes for 1 year old please. Thank you!
Amy Tay · November 10, 2010
Wow, I love your recipes and beautiful photos! I am deciding on whether to purchase a Babycook or a Kitchenaid food processor... one concern is the BPA :( Can you grind/blend oats and rice with babycook? My son is 5months old and I'd like to make my own rice cereal but am not sure if the babycook will grind the oats finely enough? Thanks!
Lilacs · January 14, 2013
I made some of your baby recipes for my little one who is 10 months. She loved it!!! Ate everything!! Please make a baby cookbook!! I will be first one to buy it! xx