Purple Cabbage with Sweet Potato and Carrot Baby Food Recipe
Mommy is always experimenting with different colors, flavors, and textures in her recipes. This week we’re trying purple cabbage with sweet potato and carrot baby food. The vibrant purple color of the cabbage makes this dish visually appealing, and the sweetness of the sweet potato and carrot balances out the slight tartness of the cabbage. The different flavors and textures create a well-rounded dish that is both nutritious and delicious.
This recipe creates a puree with a bit more texture. It is suitable for big girls like me and babies who have a bit of experience with solid foods. Mommy always says that it’s important to introduce a variety of foods to help develop our taste buds and ensure we’re getting a wide range of nutrients. I can’t wait to see what colorful creations she comes up with next!
Purple Cabbage with Sweet Potato and Carrot Baby Food
Purple cabbage, sweet potatoes, and carrots are excellent choices for baby food due to their rich nutritional profiles. Incorporating these vegetables into your baby’s diet can provide essential nutrients and promote healthy development. When blended together, these ingredients create a vibrant and flavorful puree.
Purple cabbage is high in vitamins C, K, and B6, antioxidants, and fiber, which help protect against cellular damage and support digestion. Sweet potatoes are packed with beta-carotene, vitamins C and B complex, and potassium, which promote healthy vision, immune function, and overall growth. Carrots are also rich in beta-carotene, vitamins C, K, and B6, and antioxidants, supporting eye health and protecting against oxidative stress.
Not only are these ingredients packed with vitamins and minerals, but they also offer a variety of textures and flavors that can help expand your baby’s palate. By introducing a diverse range of foods early on, you’re setting the foundation for a lifetime of healthy eating habits. This can reduce the likelihood of picky eating habits and help your baby develop a taste for nutritious foods later in life.
This baby food is not suitable for beginners, but it is perfect for babies who are ready for new textures. This is a great transitional meal. Bridging the gap between smooth purees and more solid foods, textured purees like this one can help your baby transition to a more varied diet.
Purple cabbage is very healthy, but it can cause staining. Clean up messes quickly and wash hands often to prevent stains on clothing or furniture. Let’s get started with this easy purple cabbage with sweet potato and carrot baby food recipe.
Ingredients:
1 small purple cabbage
2 sweet potatoes
4 carrots
Preparation:
Preheat the steamer on high heat.
Remove a couple of the outside layers of the cabbage leaves by cutting them at the base and pealing them away. What remains should be clean, smooth, and undamaged cabbage leaves. Rinse well in water and pat dry.
Purple cabbage changes color depending on the pH of the soil it’s grown in. It can appear more red or blue!
Put the cabbage on a cutting board with the core facing up. Place the knife right next to the core and slice down all the way through. This will allow you to clearly see the core. Cut the rest of the cabbage away from the core by making two more slices.
You should end up with three pieces of cabbage and a core. Discard the core and inspect the cabbage to make sure that there are no tough chunks of core remaining. Slice the cabbage into one-inch pieces.
Carrots come in various colors, including purple, red, yellow, and white, each with unique nutrients. The first cultivated carrots were purple, not orange! The orange variety was developed in the Netherlands.
Wash the carrots and sweet potatoes in warm water. Peel them and give them a good rinse. Cut them into cubes about an inch thick. Put carrot and sweet potato cubes in the steamer and put the cabbage on top. Cover and reduce the heat to medium.
Despite the name, sweet potatoes are not related to regular potatoes. They belong to the Morning Glory family.
Steam for about 20 minutes or until everything is nice and tender. The carrots and sweet potatoes should be soft but holding their shape when pierced with a fork. The purple cabbage will be bright in color and slightly wilted. If the vegetables are still tough, steam for another 5 minutes and check again. Repeat until desired tenderness is reached.
Remove the cabbage, sweet potato, and carrot from the steamer and place on a platter to cool. When the vegetables are at room temperature or slightly warm, put them into a food processor and run the machine on high until everything is thoroughly blended. The puree will be somewhat textured but should not be chunky. If it’s too thick to blend, you can add a little water, formula, or breast milk to reach your desired consistency.
This purple cabbage with sweet potato and carrot baby food recipe makes several meals because we use the whole cabbage. We prefer to store our leftovers in the freezer in meal-sized portions for up to 3 months. You can make smaller batches if you prefer to not freeze your baby food.
This puree is somewhat hardy, and it will keep in the fridge in an airtight container for up to 3 days. When storing in the fridge, it’s a good idea to keep the carrots, potatoes, and purple cabbage in pieces and only puree what you need. This will help maintain the freshness and retain more of the nutritional value.