Recipe: Mashed Sweets and Beets

This pretty autumn mash of sweet potatoes and beets is as delicious as it is healthy.  Full of vitamins, minerals, fiber and antioxidants, it’s the perfect answer to this sudden surge of cold weather and the impending colds that go along with it.  I made it for Audrey last week and she gobbled it up…though I’m sure the naturally sweet taste and the beautiful bright pink color were in my favor.

If possible, choose baby beets, they are a little sweeter and softer than larger beets.

Mashed Sweets and Beets

9 months + up

Makes 2 cups mash

• 4 small red beets, cooked, peeled, and chopped*
• 1 large sweet potato, cooked, peeled, and chopped*
• 1/3 cup full fat greek yogurt
• 1/4 teaspoon each salt and pepper

Puree all ingredients together in a food processor until desired consistency.  Refrigerate in an airtight container for up to 3 days or freeze in baby-food freezer containers for up to 3 months.

* Beets: You can either buy cooked, peeled beets or prepare them yourself.  To do so, either steam or roast.  To roast, place washed and scrubbed beets in a small baking dish and add water to come 1/2 inch up the sides of the beets. Cover with aluminum foil and place in a 375 degree oven.  Bake until very tender, 45 to 60 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool.  
Peel the beets and roughly chop, discarding the skins.  To steam, peel and wash the beets.  Cut into chunks and steam on the stovetop until tender.

* Sweet Potatoes: You can either bake, steam or microwave the sweet potatoes.  To bake, wash the potato, poke a few holes in the skin and wrap in foil.  Place in a 400 degree oven and cook 45 minutes.    Let cool and peel off the skin.  To steam, simply peel the potato, cut into chunks and steam on the stovetop until tender.  The easiest and perhaps fastest way is to microwave the sweet potato.  Wash the potato, keeping slightly wet.  Wrap in saran wrap and cook in microwave 6-8 minutes. Let cool and peel skin off.