Pumpkin Spinach soup

Pumpkin/Butternut squash is packed with so many vitamins that it becomes a must-have in any child's food plan. The sweetish taste, the bright colour and the smooth texture makes it ideal for baby food. When a child starts solid food at around 6 months, you could just puree the steamed squash and add a dash of cinnamon for flavor. As the child grows and needs more complex textures and tastes, you could do try different methods of preparing squash. One such method that I use is given below, where you could sneak in any other less appealing vegetable like french beans, lima beans, broccoli,etc. I sometimes add spinach which given separately is a definite no from my daughter.

Ingredients

1 cup                    - peeled and cubed pumpkin/butternut squash

1 med                   - onion chopped fine

1 cup                    - warm milk

1 cup                    - spinach leaves (the stem might be hard for the child) or any other veggie

1/2 tsp                  - fresh or dried oregano, basil (any other herb your child is partial to)

1 pinch                 - cinnamon

1/4 cup                 - fresh coriander

2 - 3 strands         - saffron

1 tsp                     - olive oil (or sunflower oil)

                               salt as reqd

Method

1.   First add the saffron strands to the cup of warm milk and keep it aside(this is so that it gets infused). Then in a hot soup pot/pan add the olive oil and the chopped onion

2.  Once the onion turns pink, add the spinach leaves and stir until they wilt

3.  Add the cubed squash pieces and add some water

4.  Cover the pan and cook till the squash pieces are soft

5.  Add the herbs, cinnamon and the coriander and stir

6.  Add 1/2 cup of the saffron infused warm milk and cook covered for 2 more minutes before switching off the stove.

7.  Cool 1/2 of this mixture and then grind it along with the rest of the milk to get reqd soup consistency

8.   Now add the rest of the mixture to the soup and add salt as required

9.   Heat it on the stove for 1 or 2 min taking care that the milk  doesn't curdle

10. Serve warm

Instead of making this chunky soup you could grind the entire mixture to get a smooth soup. You could also add a dash of pepper if required and Voila! you have got a warm and nutritively rich soup that your child will love!