Simple Spreads for a 1-Year-Old

Replace plain cheese and deli meat sandwiches with nutritious homemade spreads. Here are simple spreads with legumes, meat, fish, cheese, and sweet ingredients, retaining all ingredient details.

Legume Pastes

Legumes such as beans, peas, chickpeas, and lentils are rich in protein, fiber, vitamins (especially B vitamins), and minerals like calcium, phosphorus, iron, copper, zinc, and iodine. Suitable for children over 12 months, as they can cause bloating in younger infants.

Lard-Style Bean Paste

Ingredients: 1 cup cooked beans, small onion, apple, marjoram, oil, optional salt and pepper. Soak beans overnight and cook until tender. Sauté diced onion and apple, adding water if necessary. Blend beans, then add onion and apple, blending until smooth or slightly chunky. Mix with marjoram and optional seasonings. Serve cold.

Red Lentil Paste

Ingredients: 1 cup lentils, onion, 1 tbsp olive oil, salt and pepper, tomato paste (optional). Rinse lentils, sauté onion, add lentils and 1.5 cups boiling water. Simmer for 15 minutes, adding more water if too thick. Add tomato paste and season to taste. Hummus: made from chickpeas, easy to prepare at home.

Meat and Fish Pastes

Homemade meat pastes are healthier than store-bought ones. Chicken Paste Ingredients: 200g cooked or roasted chicken, a handful of walnuts and cranberries (optional), small onion, thick plain yogurt or mayonnaise, lemon juice, oil, optional salt and pepper.

Sauté chopped onion, mix with chicken. Add finely chopped or blended dried fruit for extra sweetness. Add yogurt, lemon, and season to taste. Avoid nuts before one year of age, or introduce in very small quantities.

Fish Paste Ingredients: 1 can of sardines or sprats in oil, 250g cottage cheese, chives, a few spoons of plain yogurt, optional gherkin, salt and pepper. Drain fish, mash with cottage cheese, add yogurt for a smoother consistency. Mix with chives and optional vegetables. Carefully check for bones.

Cheese Pastes

Green Paste

Ingredients: 200g cottage cheese or cream cheese, pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, flax seeds, chopped parsley, basil or dill, sprouts, avocado, plain yogurt (optional), salt, pepper, lemon juice.

Chop or blend seeds and herbs. Add cheese and avocado. Incorporate yogurt for consistency and season with olive oil, lemon, salt, and pepper. Garnish with sprouts if desired.

Winter Paste

Ingredients: Cream cheese or cottage cheese with plain yogurt, a handful of raisins, cranberries or dates, cinnamon, honey, orange segments. Soak dried fruit in boiling water, blend with orange, mix with cheese. Add cinnamon and honey. Optional: grated ginger or lemon zest.

Sweet Pastes

Chocolate Chickpea Paste

Ingredients: 1 cup cooked chickpeas, dark cocoa, sugar, a little water.

Blend chickpeas and mix with cocoa, sugar, and water until smooth.

Date Paste

Ingredients: Dried dates, nuts/almonds/seeds/raisins/cranberries, optional cocoa, water or coconut/olive oil. Soak dates and blend with chosen ingredients. Add water or oil to achieve desired consistency.