In an effort to get my kid to eat fruit other than grapes and blueberries, I thought it would be fun to stew some apple and rhubarb to make it soft enough for her to eat. I know apple pieces are a choking hazard at this age, and seeing her tender, raw gums I can’t imagine she’d enjoy chewing the hard little bits, so steaming or stewing seem to be the obvious option.
Having said that, every time we go shopping, she HAS to carry around a whole apple, or she’ll scream. She gnaws at it until she breaks the skin, then mauls it for a bit before throwing it into the cart behind us. I watch her like a hawk, but she really just seems to like licking the juice and nibbling like a rabbit.
So with that in mind, and some gorgeous rhubarb from the markets in hand, I made this for her. It was also a good basis to get some spoon/fork practice in, and I left the apple pieces reasonably large so she could grab them out with her fingers if she wanted. And she did. She absolutely loved this combination, especially mixed with organic yogurt, and she had it three nights in a row for dinner.
It’s so handy to have on hand, and freezes well. You can eat it plain, have on cereal or porridge, mix with yogurt, put into cakes or muffins… it’s just so versatile. And delicious! I may or may not have put a little scoop into some puff pastry and baked it. Yum.
Stewed cinnamon apple and rhubarb
Ingredients
- 1 bunch rhubarb, stalks only, trimmed and chopped into pieces
2 granny smith apples, peeled cored and roughly chopped
1/4 cup water
1/4 cup sugar (I used a combination of rapadura and brown sugar, but the rhubarb needs a little sweetening, so go with your preferences)
1 cinnamon stick
1 pinch cloves
1/2 tsp vanilla
Directions
- Place everything in a pot over low heat and let simmer for 30-60 minutes until all is soft. Your house will smell amazing. Remove the cinnamon stick before eating.
thegorgiegirl says
May 23, 2012 at 9:29 pmYum I love rhubarb, never tried freezing it though must give that a go. 🙂
Jade says
May 23, 2012 at 11:57 pmYum that sounds way tastier than my way of just stewing it in water and then mushing it down (although now she'll eat it cut in chunks and just lightly steamed so it's softer for her). I think if I made this, my daughter would LOVE me (hopefully she already does though haha) xx
sarah says
May 24, 2012 at 2:55 amok lady i feel a bit weird that this is the second recipe that i've made the day you post it. but i had some pears and apples just kind sitting there. and it is delicious! might even share some with the small folk. 😉 Sarah. (sorry about the uncomfortable stalking situation.)
Veggie Mama says
May 24, 2012 at 3:08 amSo, so handy! I feel like I need a bigger freezer these days, though!
Veggie Mama says
May 24, 2012 at 3:09 amHAHA this just made my day! I know how you feel, I have a bowl of apples glaring at me, begging to be stewed. probs will have to share with the little one though, seeing as she likes it so much!
🙂
ANB of Suburban Sonnet says
May 24, 2012 at 10:45 amYum! E (2 years) has only recently begun to enjoy a whole apple. She points at the fruit bowl and says “want to BITE it, want to BITE it!” Previously though she would eat them peeled and sliced. Maybe you could try A on pieces of raw, peeled, very ripe pear? Or you can cut pears in half and cook them in the oven with a bit of cinnamon/nutmeg and butter, then chop it into bits and give it to her with plain yoghurt.
Veggie Mama says
May 24, 2012 at 11:58 amOh my gosh, that's cute! I love the way toddlers talk. And mine just won't come at pear. We even cut and shaped them to look like grapes… she wasn't having it!
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Filesidaly says
December 4, 2017 at 6:42 amI think that cinnamon does not let the insulin spike so we should use it