A blog follower told me about a recipe where baby food was used for the pureed squash, in a recipe. So, curious for more recipes, I borrowed the book from the local library - Deceptively Delicious, by Jessica Seinfeld.
If you freeze your squash, pumpkin, beets, carrots, cauliflower, or any other vegetable, you may like this cookbook. Almost every recipe includes some type of pureed vegetable (or fruit) in it. Not specifically baby food, just pureed.However, I did take up the challenge to try out a recipe using baby food - pureed squash. I needed the jars anyway, so why not?
I dug out my ramekins and got busy. The recipe I baked was called "Baked Egg Puffs."
Baked Egg Puffs
-non-stick cooking spray
2 large eggs
4 large egg whites
1/2 cup yellow squash or butternut squash puree
2 tablespoons shredded reduced-fat Cheddar cheese
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
Preheat the oven to 400°F. Coat 4 (1/2-cup) ramekins or coffee cups (oven proof) with cooking spray and set on a baking sheet.
In a large bowl, whisk the eggs, egg whites, squash puree, cheese, flour, baking powder, and salt until combined. Divide the mixture among the ramekins or cups and bake until the tops are puffed up and the eggs are no longer runny in the center when pierced with the tip of a knife, 13-15 minutes. Serve immediately.
(Her book is basically dedicated to secretly getting kids to eat good food)
I had these ready for the kids, when they got off the school bus, so they were the taste testers for this recipe. The results?
They loved it! They rated this recipe a 7 on a scale of 1-10. It's not a "knock you off your seat" good, but it's pretty good. It basically tastes just like baked eggs, and you do not taste the squash.
Oh, and our egg puffs were made with our farm fresh eggs, so the color may differ slightly with store bought eggs.
I delivered some of my dried herbs to my 19 year-old, so I am now completely out of baby food jars. I guess I better find more recipes. The kids are enjoying this anyway.
Comments
I'm thinking if you put the egg whites in a separate bowl and beat them high, beat the other ingredients in another bowl until well mixed, then fold in the egg whites, you'd end up with a souffle pretty easily - certainly more easily than usual souffle recipes anyway.
God bless.
RB
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