"Olive You" Puree

Anyone besides me remember back in elementary school when you first figured out that if you mouthed the words “olive juice” it looked just like you were saying “I love you”????  I’m not sure exactly why we thought this was so cool... “oh no I wasn’t saying I love you, just olive juice”...because you know olive juice comes up in conversation all the time:)  Well here is a bebe puree to get you talking about olives and their juice.  I recommend this recipe for bebes ages 7 months and up.  It does include dairy but this could be excluded or replaced with a dairy-free cheese product.

Olive-You Puree  - 7 Months+

1/2 cup Kalamata olives (un-salted)

1/4 cup finely chopped figs

2 tbsp capers

1/4 cup fresh natural feta cheese

1 tsp finely chopped fresh rosemary 

Puree all ingredients together, adding water if needed to reach desired consistency.   Throw in 1/2 cup of chopped walnuts and some red wine vinegar and make a wonderful tapenade.  (remember to check with your pediatrician about when to introduce nuts, most say between ages 1-2 yrs) This recipe will keep for up to 3 days in the fridge and up to 3 months in the freezer.  It will fill about 1 ice cube tray (5-10 servings) Also makes an awesome snack for toddlers and preschooler spread on toast or as a dip for pretzels.

This recipe is vegetarian and gluten-free.

Some of the amazing healthy benefits of “Olive-U”:

Figs contain good levels of potassium, calcium, magnesium, iron, copper and manganese. Dried figs contain an impressive 250mg of calcium per 100g, compared to whole milk with only 118mg.

Olives are full of the “good fats” that can help prevent illness and disease, they are an excellent source of oleic acid (omega-9 monounsaturated fatty acid) and are a good source of vitamin E.  

Capers may be tiny but they are a big source of antioxidants.