Avocados are one of the most nutritious foods you can offer to your baby – and black beans have been found to be as rich in antioxidants as cranberries and grapes. So just imagine how wonderfully healthy this simple avocado and black bean spread is for your baby!
This recipe – suitable from around 9 months if served ‘chunky’ as suggested, or a little earlier if completely pureed – can be used in many ways…
- As a topping for bread, toast, bagels etc
- As a dip to serve with cooked veggies
- As a sandwich filling
- As a delicious topping for a baked potato
Here we’ve served it on Melba Toast – a delightfully light, melt in your mouth type of toast that our little ones have always loved.
We show you how to make Melba Toast here
You can use canned, sodium free black beans in this recipe, but we prefer to cook them ourselves – it’s easy to do and they’re so much cheaper when you buy them uncooked!
Simply place some beans in a saucepan, cover them with water and bring to the boil. Turn off the heat and leave them to soak for an hour. Then bring them to the boil once more, reduce the heat to a simmer and cook for 1 1/2 to 2 hours, until tender.
You can store cooked beans in the freezer, so it’s easy to cook up a nice big batch that will last you for a month.
To Make a Wholesome Avocado and Black Bean Spread for Baby You Will Need…
1 tbsp finely chopped onion
1 small garlic clove, crushed
olive oil
1 tbsp cooked black beans
1/2 small avocado
2 tsp cream cheese
1 tsp natural yogurt
pinch cumin
Heat the olive oil in a frying pan and gently cook the onion and garlic until tender. Cool.
Mash the black beans with a fork. This produces a chunky spread – if it’s too chunky for your baby, puree the beans in a food processor with a little of the cooking water.
Mash the avocado, then stir in the beans, cream cheese, cooked onions and garlic, yogurt and the cumin. Mix well.
Best served immediately.
Why not try some more yummy ideas using the amazing avocado…?