Tofu Shapes

Every once in a while I have an unusually satisfying success. Yesterday afternoon was one of those times.

I am always hoping to find more foods are both nutritious and easy to eat, especially if they don't involve bread or cheese. I also like recipes that are easy to make and to clean up afterward.

Several years ago, I stumbled across the Vegan Lunch Box, a blog written by a Washington mom with lots of great ideas. (I also have her first cookbook and am hoping to soon purchase her second.) She has a recipe for Tofu Fish Sticks that always interested me, and now I have a child old enough to eat them.

However, I myself hated fish sticks as a child, so I wasn't interested in making anything that tasted remotely fishy. I also have a daughter who doesn't like strong flavors right now, so I needed to make a plainer version than what Jennifer has on her blog. I ended up designing my own recipe, and it worked very well!

1/2 cup cornmeal
1/4 cup nutritional yeast flakes (read here if you don't know what these are)
2 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp salt
2 T sesame seeds
1/2 cup plain unsweetened soymilk
1 lb firm tofu

1. Preheat the oven to 400. Prepare a cookie sheet. (I like to use a Silpat.)
2. Mix the dry ingredients together in a cereal bowl or pie pan.
3. Pour the soymilk into a shallow bowl.
4. Cut the tofu into slices about 1/2-inch thick. Then use a cookie cutter or knife to create your desired shapes. You'll probably have leftover scraps -- they can be used, too!
5. One at a time, dip each piece of tofu into the soymilk and then the cornmeal mixture and cover both sides. Place on the cookie sheet.
6. Bake in the oven for 15 minutes on each side.
7. Let cool before serving, depending on the age of your child.

Nora didn't like these when I served them at 2pm, but when I served them again at 3:30, she ate three of the heart shapes! Robert ate about ten of the scraps, and I ate a few myself, dipped in ketchup and mustard.

It is somewhat time-consuming to do all the dipping in the two bowls, but I was able to complete most of it while Nora sat in her booster seat having a snack. Then she napped while they cooked in the oven.

Worth Remembering

Today, my finicky toddler reminded me once again as long as I keep providing her with a variety of nutritious foods, she will choose from among them a well-rounded diet. Not within each day, perhaps, but probably within each week.

I have ascribed to this philosphy since the beginning of her solid food consumption, but on those days when she refuses to eat anything other than bread and cheese I do feel a sense of growing frustration and even worry. How could she possibly getting all the Vitamin A, the iron, the magnesium, etc., that she needs?

Then comes a day like today, when she turns aside her pita bread and pizza in favor of broccoli, and sweet potato, as well as banana and peas. Apparently, her own little self realized she needed an infusion of something other than complex carbohydrates and cheese. I'll have to remember this the next time I despair of her seemingly endless appetite for bread!

Pizza Dippers

It's a nice idea, but ...

Shown in the photo is my "pizza dippers" toddler meal. I microwave a Trader Joe's whole wheat pita with a slice of mozzarella cheese on top for about 45 seconds, then let it cool slightly and cut it into strips. They can be dipped into a bowl of organic spaghetti sauce. Another bowl of fruits and/or vegetables is served on the side (broccoli and squash, in this case).

The meal has been served four times so far, and every time she has happily devoured most or all of the cheese strips, but left the sauce mostly untouched. So much for the "dip"! Since she loves regular pizza, I don't really understand what's going on. Oh well!

Picky Picky

Oh, the days when she would eat anything are long gone!

I have a very, very picky toddler. Of course, I was a picky child myself, and I remember it well, so I should not be too surprised. I ate no vegetables besides carrots, squash, and corn until I was in high school. Really, compared to me, she's got an amazing palate.

But lately it seems like each day my child crosses another previously-enjoyed food off of her list. She will happily eat eggs, cheese, tofu, bread in any form, plain beans, avocado, green peas, applesauce, and bananas. After that it gets sketchy. That's really not a long list of foods I can count on!

I'm learning to separate her foods from ours; for example, tonight I made an amazingly delicious polenta-bean casserole that Robert and I enjoyed. Nora ate plain beans, plain tortillas, broccoli, and avocado. I'm also using my heart- and bear-shaped cookie cutters whenever possible. In the past two weeks we've had "heart falafel," "bear [pan]cakes", and blueberry bear- and heart-biscuits. I think I'll be getting more creative with patty-style foods over the next couple of months. If it can be shaped like a bear or a heart, I will try it!

In the photo, she's carefully navigating a well-rounded falafel meal. She dipped pita in olive oil, dipped falafel in yogurt, and gently chewed (but did not swallow) some cucumber. The tomato and tahini were completely ignored.