Peas and Carrots

I have a love-hate relationship with peas and carrots. I love that the girl loves them, and I love how easy it is to make a carrot puree... peas, on the other hand, are not my favorite.

Carrots are easy.

I just grab a bag of organic carrots (not terribly expensive), cut the stems off, peel them with my vegetable peeler, and stick them in my steamer pot. I like using a steamer rather than just boiling, but I think it'd be fine to boil them. Whenever they're very tender and a fork easily slips in and out, I stick them in my food processor and they puree very nicely.

One important note on carrots is that if you're going to thin the puree, it is best to use something other than the water you used to steam them. A lot of times (with apples, for instance) it is nice to use that water to thin because it has a bit of the flavor of what you're cooking - almost like a broth. Because carrots have a high nitrate content, it is best to use either breast milk, formula, or plain water.

I don't typically thin - especially before freezing. If you wait to thin, it allows you to customize the food for the particular time you're feeding it. I did thin with the carrots a little though, just to add weight for a better puree.

Peas. Total fail.

I've made two batches of peas and am unhappy with how both worked out. The first part is easy. I take a bag of frozen organic peas (thank you Cascadian Farms for making the cooking portion so easy), and stick them in a pot with about a cup of water and boil for 4-5 minutes. At this point, I always feel good about how things are going... and then they take a turn for the worse.

Peas (like green beans apparently, but I haven't tried yet) have skins that make it hard to get a smooth puree. My girl is old enough that some texture wouldn't hurt her and probably wouldn't bother her, but I'm stubborn and want to find a good way to do this. Both times I have stuck the peas in the food processor and then tried to strain them. At one point I tried using a sifter... don't. It's so not worth it. Anyway, I mashed the peas through a mesh colander. I got some out - I think about 8 oz (last time I managed 10... clearly I'm not improving).

I'm getting closer and closer to just saying forget it to the perfect puree, but I'd love any ideas or suggestions on this one... yikes.

Anyway, my girl has some more of her favorite veggies - she LOVES peas and carrots mixed together. Wish I could say the same for her parents...