Lentils belong to the legumes family.  They are great source of protein, iron, folate and zinc which make them a great food source to your baby.  I normally use either red or yellow lentils as they tend to fall apart when cooked which makes them perfect to puree or as a thickening element to your dish.  I prepare a simple vegetarian lentil puree as my key element which can be combined with other ingredients.

Red Lentils Puree

Preparation time 5 minutes, Cooking time: 20 minutes

Ingredients:

1 TBS coconut oil

1 x onion, peeled and finely chopped

2 x carrot, peeled, roughly chopped

1 x zucchini, peeled, roughly chopped

1 x celery, chopped

1/2 cup red lentils

1 x garlic clove, peeled and chopped

1/2 TSP cumin

1 TBS reduced salt tomato paste

1 1/2 cup water

Optional: 100 g Chicken

Methods:

1. Heat oil in a saucepan, sauté the onion, carrot and celery for 5 minutes.
2. Add the tomato paste, garlic and cook until soft.  If using chicken – add chicken and sauté until sealed
3. Add lentils and water.  Bring to boil, cover, reduce heat and simmer for 12 minutes until vegetables are all soft and lentils (chicken if using) are cooked. Add a little more water if the mixture starts to dry out
4. Add zucchini, cover and simmer for another 8 minutes until vegetables are all soft (and chicken is cooked through)
5. Remove from heat and blend with handheld blender to desire consistency

Storage:

Set aside the desired amount and freeze the soup into individual portions

Good combinations to the Red Lentil Puree

• Sweet potato puree
• Hard pasteurised cheese such as parmesan & cheddar
• Spinach:  before reheating the cold red lentil puree, add the chopped frozen spinach