Recipe of the Week

PASTA WITH PUREED VEGGIES AND CHOPPED GREENS

Lately we've had a hard time getting our youngest to eat all of the things we do. He was a great little eater until sweets were introduced. And we're talking healthy sweets. But his taste buds reject most everything else these days. It's a little frustrating. So I decided to just start adding pureed veggies in almost every dish to ensure he's getting his adequate amount of healthies. And I've come up with some really great recipes.

I've always been a fan of the Deceptively Delicious cookbook by Jessica Seinfield. So the concept of pureeing veggies for recipes isn't new. But I've taken it one step further. You know I'm a fan of my green smoothies and big green salads. But getting my 1 year old to willingly participate is tricky. So along with the pureed veggies I've started adding finely chopped greens as well. So it's like a salad in the pasta. And he loves it!

• beets (raw) puree
• carrots puree
• cauliflower puree
• squash puree
• zucchini puree
• onion
• garlic
• orange/red/yellow/green bell pepper
• mushroom
• tomato sauce
• greens chopped very fine (kale, spinach, red leaf lettuce any kind of green is perfect. the more the better)
• hemp hearts
• wheat germ
• flax meal

BEETS: With the beets, I don't cook them, I just blend them up in my high powered blender and make a raw puree. Even better for you. Then I measure portions out (usually 1/4 and 1/2 cup) and put them into zip lock bags and freeze them. 

CARROTS/ SQUASH/ ZUCCHINI/ CAULIFLOWER: Steam till tender then blend in high power blender with a touch of water. Measure portions out and put into zip lock bags for the freezer.

First I sautee the garlic and onion in coconut oil. Then I add my mushrooms and bell pepper and cook for a min or two. Next add your tomato sauce and a little bit of each puree and heat through. Once it's hot, I remove it from the heat and add the chopped greens (very finely chopped), hemp hearts, wheat germ, and flax meal. Stir and serve. The beets go really well in this. It makes a very bright sauce. Jett gobbles this up. And it's packed with a huge variety of nutrients. 

If you have all of these veggies frozen and ready it's incredibly easy to throw together a quick healthy meal for the little whippersnappers.