Quinoa - Recipes for babies and young children (2024)

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The ancient Incas, called quinoa "the mother grain" for a reason.

This "whole" food was thought to promote healthy pregnancy, contribute to a healthy baby and enhance a mother's milk. Quinoa, a nutritious food, is rich in the amino acid histadine, which is considered an essential amino acid in children because it is necessary for human development.

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Quinoa - Recipes for babies and young children

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Why it is especially good for your baby.

South American in origin, quinoa has been consumed for thousands of years and has long been revered for its health-giving properties. The Incans, in fact, believed that it increased the stamina of their warriors!

Quinoa contains calcium, phosphorus, magnesium, vitamins E and B, fibre and iron.

It is gluten free, so it's suitable for babies who need to avoid gluten in their diet.

Quinoa also has a higher protein content than any grain and actually contains ALL the essential amino acids. This is very unusual for a plant food and makes quinoa an excellent source of complete protein for vegetarian babies.

And if all these benefits weren't impressive enough, quinoa is VERY easy to digest!

What more could a baby ask for?

It is just too difficult and probably unnecessary to use he/her and his/hers so I will be using "he" in this article. Please do not take offense.

It is advisable not to be in a hurry to start your new baby on solid food. Your milk is all he needs for the first few months of his life. He doesn't even need water, since the milk he receives will take care of his need for fluids.

Most baby-food containers now carry the advice that weaning foods are not usually needed before the age of four to six months. This allows the infant time for adjustment of its metabolism to the correct level.

Generally your baby will let you know when it is time to start feeding him solids. He will do this by suddenly increasing his demand for food. If you have tried increasing your number of nursings over a period of about five days and this doesn't satisfy his ravenous appetite, then the baby is telling you that he's ready for solid food. Start solids one at a time, and slowly. In this way if he develops a rash, or any allergic reactions, you will be able to tell which food is the culprit.

Quinoa is not a common allergen and can be introduced to your baby from 6 months of age (with your doctor's consent, of course).

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Many mothers are being persuaded to feed their babies on pre-bottled foods available at the market. Often, they can ill afford such an expense. I feel that the best food for the growing baby is food prepared by mother's loving hands. Balance and reasonableness can be beneficial and can save money.

I began taking food from our table and grinding it up enough for our daughter to assimilate it when she was five months old. She began eating solids at the age of six months. When solids were started I found that she was able to sit up and handle the new experience very well. I wish that I had known about quinoa then.

Here are some quinoa recipes that are tried and tested and I know that your baby and young children will love them.

It's important that your baby has a healthy meal to start the day.

• 1 apple (peeled cored and diced)
• 1 ripe pear (peeled cored and diced)
• 1 drop of vanilla
• 1 oz (1/4 cup) cooked quinoa

1. ~Steam the apple and pear,
2. ~Puree with the vanilla in a blender.
3. ~Reduce the heat and simmer gently, covered, for 5 mins.
4. ~Mix the fruit puree with the yogurt, then stir in the quinoa and serve.

4 stars from 3 ratings of Quinoa Breakfast

Combining fruit with cereal .. your baby will love it!

• 2 oz (1/4 cup) quinoa
• 4 fl oz (1/2 cup) water
• 1 small apple (peeled cored and finely diced)
• 1 tbsp raisins
• 1/2 ripe banana (mashed)
• pinch cinnamon

1. ~Bring the water to a boil in a small saucepan
2. ~Stir in the quinoa and bring back to the boil.
3. ~Reduce the heat and simmer gently, covered, for 5 mins.
4. ~Add the apple and raisins and simmer for a further 5 to 10 mins, until the water is absorbed.
5. ~Stir in the mashed banana and cinnamon, then either puree in a blender. (You may want to add a little milk or serve just as it is!)

Variations: Add a little chopped dried fruit at the start of the cooking time - apricots taste great!

• 4 oz (1/2 cup) cooked quinoa
• 1/2 ripe banana
• 4 fl oz (1/2 cup) milk (you can use breast milk .. formula or whole milk)

1. ~Blend the milk with the banana and pour into a small saucepan.
2. ~Add the quinoa and simmer gently for 5 to 10 mins, until thickened.
3. ~Puree as desired.

Beets (beetroots) are good for the baby.

• 1 medium beet (peeled and diced)
• 1 small apple (peeled and diced)
• 4 oz (1/2 cup) cooked quinoa

1. ~Steam the beet cubes and apple until tender.
2. ~Puree together in a food processor.
3. ~Stir in the cooked quinoa and serve.

This is quite a textured dish, ideal for young ones who are already chewing.

• 8 oz (1 cup) quinoa (cooked in vegetable broth)
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 2 tbsp diced zucchini/courgette
• 1 small sweet potato (peeled and diced)
• 1 spring onion/green onion/scallion (chopped)
• 1 tbsp raisins
• 1 tbsp dried apricots (chopped)

1. ~Soak the raisins and dried apricots in warm water to soften them.
2. ~Heat the olive oil in a frying pan/skillet.
3. ~Saute the zucchini and sweet potato with the onion until golden.
4. ~Stir in the cooked quinoa, raisins and dried apricots.
5. ~Serve warm - mmm!

This recipe is ideal from around 10 months of age.

• 4 oz (1/2 cup) cooked quinoa
• 1 small onion
• olive oil
• 1 clove garlic
• 1 tsp fresh ginger (crushed)
• 6 oz (3/4 cup) cannellini beans
• 1/2 tsp curry powder
• 6 oz (3/4 cup) canned tomatoes (chopped)

1. ~Heat the oil in a frying pan/skillet and saute the onion for 2 mins.
2. ~Add the garlic and ginger and saute for 2 mins more.
3. ~Stir in the cannellini beans and the curry powder.
4. ~Add the tomatoes and cooked quinoa, then lower the heat.
5. ~Simmer for 10 mins, then mash well and serve.

A wonderfully nutritious finger food for older babies!

If you want to prepare some of these in advance for future use, then freeze the patties BEFORE cooking them!

• 8 oz (1 cup) ground chicken
• 1/2 sweet potato
• 1 medium apple
• 1 garlic clove
• 1/2 small onion
• 1 egg yolk (beaten)
• 2 oz (1/4 cup) cooked quinoa
• pinch dried thyme

1. ~Peel the sweet potato, apple, garlic and onion and grate them together into a bowl.
2. ~Stir in the ground chicken, beaten egg yolk, quinoa and thyme and mix thoroughly.
3. ~Divide the mixture into balls, then press with your hands into 1/2 inch thick patties.
4. ~Cook under the grill/broiler for 10 mins each side, until cooked through.

Another great finger food idea!

• 1/2 lb lean ground beef
• 4 oz (1/2 cup) cooked quinoa
• 2 oz (1/2 cup) grated carrot
• 1 egg yolk (beaten)
• 2 tbsp applesauce
• pinch dried thyme

1. ~Preheat the oven to 400 deg F (200 deg C).
2. ~Mix all the ingredients together and form into 1 inch meatballs with your hands.
3. ~Cook for around 15 mins, unitl the meat is done.
4. ~Serve warm, storing excess meatballs in the freezer.

Quinoa for your baby? You'll find plenty of useful advice, backed by experience, to help cook these recipes using quinoa.

Or maybe you have a "baby food connoisseur" on your hands - already enjoying solids and ready to experience a wider range of flavors and textures? You will find pages with inspiring meal ideas, using both "every day" ingredients ... and some rather exotic ones too!

There was a time when you could only find quinoa in health food stores - but now it's appearing more frequently in regular grocery stores. If you can't find it available in any stores in your area, you'll find it available from many companies online. (You can even find it on Amazon!)

Quinoa is sometimes sold in bulk bins. (Often the most economical option.)

More often, though, you'll find quinoa sold pre-packed, particularly in leading supermarkets where it tends to be displayed along with rice and other grains.

Quinoa has a reasonably high oil content. Although it can be stored in an area which is merely cool and dry, it will last longer (up to 6 months) if you keep it in the refrigerator in an air-tight container.

RINSING

In their natural state, quinoa seeds have a bitter coating called saponin. Pre-packed quinoa has usually been thoroughly rinsed to remove this coating, but it is still a good idea to rinse the seeds again before using them (in fact, the instructions on the packaging will often tell you to do so).

You can rinse them by placing them in a very fine-mesh strainer and running cold water over them - or do what I do and rinse them in a coffee filter!

with recipe

You may puree cooked quinoa with milk or water to serve to your baby. By the time you feed it to your little one, 6 months of age, he probably won't object to a little texture. In fact, I think that the teeny-tiny cooked quinoa seeds, stirred into a puree, make a great stepping stone between smooth and lumpy textures, bridging the gap quite nicely!

If, however, your little one flatly refuses to eat anything with texture, you can grind your quinoa to a powder in a food processor, grain grinder or coffee grinder.

To make quinoa puree...

~ Bring 8 fl oz (1 cup) of water to a boil.

~ Add 1 to 2 oz (1/4 cup) powdered quinoa, stirring constantly.

~ Lower the heat and simmer - still stirring - for 5 mins.

~ Adjust the texture by using more/less liquid as desired.

~ Add a cinnamon stick to the water when cooking quinoa for a unique and tempting flavor.

~ Cook quinoa in a 50/50 mixture of milk and water to make a sweet dish, or for breakfast. Alternatively, use apple juice or even coconut water - delicious!

~ Cook quinoa in homemade or low sodium broth for a delightful savoury flavour.

~ Add uncooked quinoa to stews, soups and casseroles 15 minutes before the end of the cooking time (add a little extra liquid too, if necessary).

~ Use cooked quinoa as a substitute for fresh breadcrumbs when used as a binder (in patties, for example, or meatballs).

~ Add cooked quinoa to a puree of banana and blueberries.

Just try it .. you'll like it!

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I hope that you have found this information interesting and have discovered some quinoa recipes that you can use.

Please leave a comment and like if you have enjoyed this lens. :D

Thank you,

LaraineRose