Veggies, veggies, more veggies...
We all do a pretty good job of eating our veggies but I have found a great way to get even more veggies in common meals. Now that Kellan has started on solid foods, I have been cooking and pureeing different veggies for him to try which has led to these great ideas.
I have made baby food for all of the boys thus far and I have struggled in the past to find a safe and effective way to store the pureed food in a single serve format. This time I have the answer...ice cube trays!!! I boil the veggies or fruit, puree in the blinder, and then freeze in ice cube trays. I try to use seasonal produce that is usually on sale or available in large quantities so I can make a big batch and then keep the ice cubes in Ziploc baggies until I need them. (I imagine this would be a great trick for large patches of produce from the garden). Of course this surplus of food cubes got me thinking of different ways to consume them. Here are some of my favorites so far...
Yellow squash - in pancake/waffle batter, mac and cheese, quiche, and any soup stock or cream based
Carrot - in mac and cheese and spaghetti sauce (makes it really rich and creamy), muffin batter (mixed with liquids in the recipes)
Butternut Squash - mac and cheese, spaghetti sauce, a spread on toast for sandwiches and quesadillas, and salad dressings
Green beans and zucchini/yellow squash - spaghetti sauce, soups, salad dressings
any fruit can go in a bowl of oatmeal, pancakes/waffle batter, cake and muffin batter mixed with the liquid, or drizzled over vanilla ice cream
These are a few of the ways I have used these frozen cubes I will pass on more uses as I discover them!
Ryan
Wow! That's pretty ingenious. Mom would freeze basil leaves in ice cubes so she could instantly season a soup or pasta, but this is a whole new level. Do you find your meals are getting soupier because of the veggie cubes?
ReplyDeleteYeah, homemade baby food...who knew it was so easy and useful! it's been fun to play around with all Kellan's food. I have worked out some tricks to avoid the watery issue.
ReplyDeleteIf you are making a soup, sauce, or chili that you simmer for a while you can throw in the frozen cubes and stir until they disapear. You made need to simmer a little longer to get the desired thickness.
If you are baking or cooking something like pancakes, waffles, or mac and cheese I defrost the cubes in the microwave and then incorporate it into the total amount of liquid called for in the recipe. For example, my pancake recipe calls for 1 cup of milk so I defrost a cube or two and put that in the measuring cup and then fill it the rest of the way with milk to the 1 cup line.
A little FYI for thickening liquid foods. (if you know this trick, stop reading so I don't bore you)You take 2 tablespoons of cornstarch in a small bowl and then slowly add just enough water to make it barely stir together with a fork. Make sure your soup or whatever is hot but not boiling then slowly drizzle the cornstarch liquid in a little at a time while stirring.
Some people use flour mixed with milk for thickening but I like the cornstarch because it thickens faster and adds less calories.
If you give this a try let me know what you think. i find yellow squash and carrots are the ones I use the most. (Might be a good starting point)