Easy-to-make hummus for babies and kids – four different ways

Hummus has been one of my little one's favourite lunches since he was only six months old.

It's smooth and creamy, full of delicious flavour and the best part is that you can pack in lots of nutritious extras such as spinach, kale, roasted peppers and beetroot. This recipe is a great way to introduce colourful and super healthy veggies into your baby or toddler's diet. I find, when my own little baby is having one of those fussy days, that I can get him to pick the colour hummus he would like to eat, and he helps throw the veggies into the food processor (with my help of course). It really works because he is more than happy to try something he’s made himself... and who am I to argue when he is licking beetroot hummus from his tiny little hands? We normally serve this recipe with some softly roasted carrots or spread on veggie bread, then cut into little soldiers for a yummy lunch. It keeps in an airtight jar in the fridge for about four to five days but can also be frozen. What goes in... 400g Cooked Chickpeas (1 tin, drained) 6 Cloves garlic, skin on 4 Tablespoons tahini 4 Tablespoons water 4 Tablespoons olive oil 1 Lemon juiced Pinch paprika Optional 1 Cup tightly packed with spinach 2 Red bell peppers cut into quarters and roasted 2 Small beetroot, peeled and roasted until soft How to: Basic Hummus

1. Pre-heat oven to 180º
2. Wrap the garlic cloves in some tinfoil and bake for about 20 minutes. It's important to do this for baby hummus as raw garlic is hard to digest. When cooked, remove the skin.
3. Add all of the ingredients to your blender and blend until your hummus is smooth. You can add more water if your hummus is too thick. Add a tablespoon at a time.
4. Sprinkle the paprika on top and serve with some soft pitta bread or vegetables. Also makes a great spread for toast.

Grilled Red Pepper Hummus

1. Cut the red bell peppers into four pieces, rub a little olive oil on them and place them skin side up under the grill on full heat.
2. Grill until the skin has started to turn dark almost burnt looking and starting to bubble. Turn over and cook the other side for about 3 minutes.
3. Place the hot peppers into a zip lock bag or if you don’t have one handy you can also wrap the hot peppers in tin foil. Its important not to let any steam out.
4. Leave for about 20 minutes or until they have cooled. The skin should peel off easily.
5. Place into the blender with your basic hummus and blend until completely smooth and fully combined.

Beetroot Hummus

1. Peel the beetroot and cut into small chunks. Cover with a little olive oil and roast for about 50 mins until the beetroot is nice and soft.
2. Add the beetroot to your basic hummus and blend until fully combined and a beautiful pink colour.

Spinach Hummus Add a tightly packed cup full of spinach to the basic hummus and blend until the hummus changes to a super hero green colour and is fully combined. Aileen Cox Blundell is a mother of three who runs her own graphic and web design company, sweet! Aileen’s passion for healthy, nutritious and sugar-free foods led her to create her own recipes for her family at babyledfeeding.com. Aileen is also an advocate of baby-led feeding, which allows babies and young children to take control of their eating by encouraging them to self-regulate and be more experimental with different types of food.  In February 2017, Aileen’s book ‘Baby Led Feeding’ was published by Gill Books. Find her on Facebook and on Instagram or Twitter.