How do I cook beetroot, sweet potato and spinach??

[sassismum]

Just collected box of veggies and in true ready steady cook style - pondered on how I could turn these sad looking root veggies into a cordon bleu feast fit for a 6 month old!! I have sweet potato, spinach and beetroot but not quite sure what to do with it all.

I'm trying really hard to cook good food for my baby daughter so she gets off to a good start but am completely pants at cooking!!Any recipes much appreciated!

spinach - wash, cut off any big stalks, put in a pan with no extra water (still damp from the washing), put lid on, leave for about 3-4 minutes, turn occasionally with tongs so it all gets done. You will be AMAZED at how much it reduces in size. Take it out after about 4 minutes, squeeze out all the excess water (with hands is easiest or can put it in a sieve and press down with something). I would usually add something creamy or cheesy at this point, plus some nutmeg, but I guess dairy is still a no-go?

Beetroot - wash, cut up, veg/sunflower oil, roast for about an hour. For adults, plenty of salt and you can make a good dipping sauce with horseradish and creme fraiche.

God it's so hard cooking for little babies - fear that this is not much use.

Sweet potato is gorgeous just boiled & mashed but also roasted so you could roast chunks of it with beetroot. You'll get odd poo though - I gorged on beetroot the other day then the next day nearly died of fright when I thought my poo was full of blood when it was just the beetroot colour .

I would cube and roast the beetroot with fresh thyme and (mild) onion wedges. Bit of olive oil. 20ish mins at 180ish.

I would mash the sweet potato with butter and milk. Or make chips and roast them. Or bake them actually - lovely. Serve with cream cheese.

For minimum hassle I would make a really simple spinach and marscapone (or sour cream or cream cheese - whatever's in the fridge) pasta sauce with frozen peas and mint.

If I was feeling more motivated I'd make a lentil and spinach pasta bake thing. With ricotta maybe. And lentils. Maybe.

Hmmm... I would do them separately tbh - you could make a soup with it all together but it would be a bit odd.

Sweet potato - classic baby food. Peel, slice and boil in a saucepan full of water for about 20-25 mions or until nice and soft. Then mash well with a bit of butter and cool - ready for baby.

Spinach - wash well, chop up small and cook in a covered saucepan on a low heat with about a tablespoon of water for few minutes, stirring every so often. It will shrink a lot and come out like a wet mass, but babies often love it. You can mix it with creamy cheese like philadelphia, or with baked or mashed potato and butter, or try on its own.

Beetroot - wash them, put in a saucepan full of water, lid on, boil for an hour or so until soft. Then cool and peel once cold. You could mash them up for DD, but beware if it goes anywhere other than in her mouth - it will stain. Cooked beet also goes well with cheese sauce.

Mayb roast with a little olive oil then mash? That would retain the lovely sweet flavours.

You could mash a bit of sweet potato and beetroot together for your dd: it will be funny colour, but she won't mind that. My dd loves both. Beetroot mixed with mashed potato is good, too, if you don't mind pink food. Beetroot cut into cubes and boiled is great with feta cheese and tomato (though maybe not for dd)

With spinach, I usually soften a chopped onion in a little olive oil, add half a teaspoon of nutmeg, then throw in the spinach still wet from washing, it may need a little more water to stop it all sticking, put the lid on and cook it all for a couple of minutes.

If you're boiling the beetroot, do not cut into the flesh but leave a short stalk & stem on. Otherwise the colour, and a lot of the flavour, will bleed out into the water.

liath, I know exactly what you mean!

So do you boil the beetroot whole, Duchess?

Yes, boil it whole. Then let it cool down, peel and chop. I can eat tons of it just like that.

I usually get vast beetroots from the garden and they take about 20 minutes to cook through. Little ones wouldn't take nearly so long.

When DCs were little I served cooked beetroot and raw apple chunks with yoghurt for a dressing.

Now they are older they have it with vinaigrette.

Hi there,

My little girl loves beetroot. I mash it up with sweet potato, as sometimes beetroot can be quite a strong taste, so the sweet potato balanaces it out a bit.

She also likes other root vegetables like parsnip and carrot. I mix them with tomato puree and some cinnamon or ginger and a little bit of baby milk and cheese.

I'm sure she'll turn into a cheese monster when she gets older

I like sweet potatoes baked with a savoury filling, but you could also use it like a yam and do a weet. Add dark sugar and vanilla plus yoghurt (I use soy) and mash. Very tasty!

Pickling the beets is good. I love them with malt vinegar.

Spinach is great wilted and added to most dishes like soups and stews. You can also season and garlic it and blitz with stock for a yummy soup.

Wow!!! I am really grateful to you all! You have been wonderful. I ended up boiling and mashing with the sweet potato and it went down a treat - maybe it was because it turned pink!! Thank you - I have learnt something and feel I have now conquered beetroot :0) Lots of love to you all x x x