Solids With Beaba Babycook

My son will turn 6 months old tomorrow- time flies. He signaled a while ago that he was ready for solids, and who am I to deny a hungry little boy? With the help of the Beaba Babycook, we delved into the unknown with ease (thanks Aunt Pat, Kathy and Grandma for giving us everything we needed, and I never knew I wanted, to get started). This compact gadget steams, purees and reheats with lightning speed and minimal effort, not to mention- the clean-up is a cinch. The Beaba Babycook, and living in close proximity to fresh veggies at the Union Square Greenmarket, has helped my budding gourmand get loads of vitamins and nutrients from apples, carrots, green beans, sweet potatoes, and zucchini. To say he likes food is an understatement...and we've only just begun.

Apple airplane coming in for a landing

 Going after one bowl of carrots while I fill another

 A little green bean action

 Surprisingly reserved with sweet potatoes

 Licking zucchini off his fingers

 

Market Mondays: Spring Pasta Salad

For this latest edition of Market Mondays, I made an easy pasta salad with some of spring's best veggies. I sauteed cherry tomatoes, asparagus and spinach in the same pan, added it to cooked pasta (I love stubby mezzi rigatoni for dishes like this), and topped it with fresh chiffonaded basil. A dash of salt and pepper finished off the healthy, market-driven meal.

Plump cherry tomatoes- with summer right around the corner they can only get better

Gorgeous bunches of asparagus 

Spinach leaves- $6 per pound

Mini pots of basil

The finished dish- simple, but packed with flavor