One Ingredient Foods – Recipes

When I first got married, I felt like I had to use a recipe and create some fancy elaborate food. (And most of the time it probably wasn’t even that great.) I could never find just a good way to cook fresh spinach – it was always some fancy recipe with 5 steps. But when I became a mom that all changed & I became fond of foods that were super-easy to prepare. Here are a few of my favorite ways to cook fruits & veggies. Just call for the main ingredient + something to spice it up…By the way, they are all good foods for little toddlers.

Steamed Spinach – 1 pound fresh spinach, stems removed, rinsed well but not dried. Place spinach in large pot. Cover tightly & cook over high heat until spinach begins to wilt, about 2 min. Toss with oil, season with salt & pepper.

Liz’s Applesauce – For a very large crowd, use 1 bag each of in-season apples (total of 3 bags). Golden Delicious, Jonathan & McIntosh make a good combination. Peel, core & quarter apples & place in a pot with about 1 inch water. Steam until soft (apprx 20 minutes) and then puree. For a smaller amount, add 2-3 apples into the bottom of a smaller pot. Then puree. Add cinnamon. Also, you can add sugar, but I never think it needs it.

Steamed Broccoli – Cut up broccoli & place in steamer basket. Steamer basket goes into a small pot filled about ½ inch with water. Bring to boil, lower heat & cover. Steam until it’s as tender as you like it. (10 minutes?). Ethan & I like it with a little salt & few drops of lemon juice. Lance likes it with ranch dressing.

Squash and/or Zucchini – Saute squash and/or zucchini in about 1 tbsp. olive oil over medium heat. Too much olive oil & it gets soggy. I usually do 2 squash & 1 zucchini for our little family. Flip occasionally until golden brown. Sprinkle in your favorite herbs, spices, garlic, or onion. I like garlic salt & onion powder.

Corn off the cob – Cut corn off the cob. (1 ear per person) Then sauté over medium heat in olive oil (or butter,) salt & pepper.

Ethan’s Sweet Potatoes – Poke holes with fork & cover with aluminum foil. Place it in a preheated 425 degree oven for about an hour, or until soft. Add a little OJ & coconut on top for your kiddo. Yumm….