Lentil and Vegetable Puree for 9 to 12 Months Old Babies
by Lara Mannell
(USA and Lebanon)
High in proteins, lentils are very beneficial and very easy to prepare. While I'm writing this post, the lentils meal is cooking on the stove. This is about the 4th time I prepare it for Xaia. She likes it mainly because it contains sweet potatoes.
Lentils are widely used in the Middle East and the Mediterranean cooking style. The main lentil dish in Lebanon is called Mjadra, which is lentils and rice. The lentils that we buy for the Mjadra from the Lebanese supermarket, are small red round ones that need about an hour and a half to cook. But the lentils that I use for Xaia, I buy them from any common supermarket and they are flatter, bigger, and lighter in color and only require about 30 minutes to cook.
Below is the Lentils and Vegetables recipe.
Ingredients:
3 tbsp Olive Oil
1/4 cup of Leeks sliced
1/2 Cup of Celery chopped
1 Cup of carrots chopped
1 Cup of Lentils picked out from stones (if any) and bad ones
2 Cups of Sweet Potatoes
1 Bay Leaf
1 small piece of ginger (about an inch)
1/2 lb of Chicken Filet or Turkey Filet chopped
Preparation:
Lay the lentils in a flat white dish and pick the stones and the bad ones (black or crispy looking) out
Heat the olive oil in a cooking pan
Add the leeks and saute until brown
Stir in the celery, carrots, and lentils and cook for 2 minutes
Add the sweet potatoes, chicken or turkey, ginger, and bay leaf
Cover with water
Bring to a boil, then reduce heat, cover and simmer for 40 minutes
Remove the bay Leaf and the Ginger
Puree adding water as needed
I usually make this meal once every 2 months. I put a couple in the fridge and freeze the rest.
Enjoy!
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