Baby and toddler recipes
🥙 Quinoa, roast veg and hummus bowl
Fluffy quinoa with soft roasted courgette, pepper and sweet potato, finished with a swirl of homemade hummus. Quinoa and chickpeas bring iron and protein, and the peppers add vitamin C.
Makes 2 baby portions plus 2 adult portions
Ingredients
- 100g Quinoa (rinsed)
- 1 small Sweet potato (cut into wedges)
- 1 Courgette (cut into batons)
- 1 Red pepper (cut into strips)
- 1 x 400g tin Chickpeas (no added salt, drained)
- 1 tbsp Tahini
- juice of 1/2 Lemon
- 1/2 clove Garlic
- 2 tbsp Olive oil
- a pinch Cumin
Method
- Heat the oven to 200C (180C fan). Toss the sweet potato, courgette and pepper in 1 tbsp oil and roast for 25 to 30 minutes until very soft.
- Simmer the quinoa in twice its volume of water for 15 minutes, then cover and leave to steam.
- Blend the chickpeas, tahini, lemon, garlic, cumin and remaining oil with a splash of water until smooth. Add no salt.
- Fluff the quinoa and stir a spoon of hummus through baby's portion so it clumps.
- Serve the quinoa with the soft veg and extra hummus for dipping.
Serving it to your baby
At 9 months press the hummus-coated quinoa into small balls baby can pick up, and serve the soft veg as fingers. From 12 months let toddlers spoon it themselves. For a 6-month-old, offer the roast veg as large fingers and the hummus on a preloaded spoon.
For the rest of the family
Season the adult bowls with salt, chilli flakes and a drizzle of olive oil, and add feta, olives and herbs.
Storing and reheating
Keep the hummus covered in the fridge for up to 3 days and the quinoa and veg for up to 2 days. Cool cooked grains quickly. Reheat the veg until steaming, then cool. This is best not frozen.
Weaning with OBubba
Plan meals and log what your baby loved.
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Questions parents ask
Is quinoa good for babies?
Yes. Quinoa is soft when cooked well, offers protein and iron, and clumps nicely when mixed with something sticky like hummus.
Is shop-bought hummus OK for babies?
Many are quite salty. Homemade hummus without salt is best, or choose a lower-salt one and offer it in small amounts.
OBubba gives general information based on UK guidance. It is not medical advice and does not diagnose anything. Every baby is different. If your baby has a known allergy, severe eczema or a medical condition, speak to your doctor or health visitor before starting solids. Learn baby first aid, and in an emergency call your local emergency number (999 in the UK).