Feeding your Baby

Here is a super "au natural" soup for anyday of the week. It works for babies of any age. For infants, puree it, toddlers can use the cooked veggies and beans as finger foods, and older kids and adults love it, too. The best part is I just grabbed whatever I had in my fridge and spice rack. I didn't go to the store to make this one and didn't even use chicken broth- just water. The olive oil and seasonings gave it so much more taste than lots of more complicated soups I've made. It was so easy I couldn't believe it turned out so well. Even my husband thought it was fantastic. The picture is of Hazel getting ready to put the lime juice in at the end last night. She gobbled it down. Accompany this soup with any kind of cracker or bread. We used rolls.

Au Natural Vegetable Soup

2 tablespoons Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1/4 Onion
4 cloves garlic
4 - 6 cups water
1/2 cup rice
1 Carrot sliced and chopped
1 Tomatoe, chopped in chunks
1/2 frozen or fresh peas
1 can Kidney Beans
Kale, broken up into little pieces
Salt to taste
Pepper 1/2 tsp.
Paprika 1/2 tsp.
Garlic Powder 1/2 tsp.
Oregano 1/2 tsp.
Italian Seasoning 1/2 tsp.
Goya Seasoning 1/2 tsp.
1 Bay Leaf
Dash of Cumin (This totally made the soup for me. Too much can make it too spicy for kids though, so be carefu
Cilantro and lime (optional)

Directions: Sautee the onion and garlic in the olive oil. Then I poured in the water, rice, carrot and tomatoe. Let that come to a boil, then turn down to medium low and cook for ten minutes. Then add the peas and kidney beans and the rest of the seasonings and cook for another ten. Add the kale and cook for a few minutes to soften. Season to taste and garnish with cilantro and lime.

You can substitute almost anything in this type of soup: pasta instead of rice, corn instead of kidney beans, celery instead of carrots, fresh thyme or rosemary instead of cilantro, etc. Use whatever you have in your kitchen! The best part is all the ingredients are fresh and packed with nutrition!