Harvest Meal with Soymilk

Fall is such a great season for vegetarian cooking, with all the squash and other harvest-y foods. A couple of weeks ago I made wild rice casserole (complete with low-sodium cream of mushroom soup), which was a big hit.

She ate it with squash and applesauce. The applesauce, not usually served at dinner, was very popular. (Incidentally, I usually add wheat germ to applesauce to boost its nutrition content.)

Off to the left you can see her straw cup with soymilk. While I cook with cow's milk, I don't serve it for drinking. N. has only ever had soymilk to drink and she assumes it's the norm. When she sees a picture of someone drinking milk, she calls it "so-milk!" It took a while for her to like drinking it, and even now she doesn't drink very much - maybe an ounce or two at best. But since we're still nursing twice a day, my pediatrician says we don't need to worry.

First Mini-Donuts

I really don't let my daughter eat junk food. She's had ice cream a few times, and cake a few times, but that's about it. Since she doesn't eat much to begin with, I don't want her to fill up on nutritionally-empty foods.

That said, we had a family trip to the pumpkin patch last week (our third!) and it was COLD. When I saw that there were mini-donuts and hot cider for sale, I said, "It's time for her first donuts." We bought a bag and sat on a bench, munching away. She was pretty impressed by the whole experience, and ate two! But she wouldn't consent to even a small taste of the cider.

Healthy Vegetarian Toddler

We had the 18-month check-up earlier this week, and N. is officially a healthy toddler. She measured in at 90th percentile for height and 40th for weight, so she is tall and thin like her dad! She easily passed her milestones and enjoyed coloring with crayons on the exam table.

I asked the pediatrician if we should be concerned about iron, given the vegetarian diet, and she expressed her opinion that N.'s healthy pink color and obvious energy level gave her no concerns about iron deficiency. (I do give a half-milligram of iron supplement a couple of times per week, in addition to trying to serve iron-rich foods on a regular basis.)

Although I believe that a vegetarian diet is perfectly healthy, it's still always nice to have it confirmed by an actual M.D.

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.

More on Frozens

On my work days, I don't often have time to put together a nice meal unless much of it is prepared in advance. Some days, I don't even have time to prepare in advance. Then the frozen options come in handy.

Two weeks ago, when I had some time, I chopped a double-quantity of pizza toppings (onion, green pepper, and mushroom). I put half on a pizza that evening and the other half in a tupperware in the freezer.

At 5pm today, I took the tupperware out of the freezer, emptied it into a bowl (shown), microwaved the contents for one minute, and then spread them on this evening's pizza. Quick & easy dinner! All I needed to do was press out the Trader Joe's whole wheat crust, grate the cheese, and open a jar of sauce. (Since the oven was already going, I also tossed some frozen green beans in a pie pan with cooking spray and roasted them alongside the pizza for a well-rounded meal.)

Ode to Frozen Vegetables

Frozen vegetables, oh so cold

Frozen vegetables rarely get old

So easy, so simple, throw them in the pot

Quick, nutritious, and delicious, tedious they are not!

Organic? Yes! Diverse? Of course! I really cannot say...

Enough about these vegetables -- so great in every way!

************

As you can see, my freezer is overflowing as usual with a variety of tasty frozen vegetables. Frozen vegetables are actually said to have more nutrition than fresh, because they are immediately packed into bags after processing, while fresh vegetables can leak out vitamins and minerals during transport to market. I like them because they are so easy -- no need to spend time chopping! I usually buy them at Trader Joe's, which has great prices for organics.

Some common ways I use them include:

-- add thawed blueberries to oatmeal (Nora eats this nearly every morning, with banana mashed in as well)
-- add thawed strawberries or raspberries to plain yogurt
-- add chopped spinach to spaghetti sauce or Mexican-style casseroles
-- add green beans, sliced bell peppers, or broccoli to stir-fry*
-- add any of these same, plus peas, to Thai-style green or red curries*
-- add peas or peas & carrots to macaroni & cheese
-- add thawed and sliced artichoke hearts to pizzas**
-- Serve as a side dish! I microwave broccoli, asparagus, green beans, or peas for 3-4 minutes if my main dish is cooking on the stove. If I'm already using the oven, I might throw green beans or asparagus in a pie pan with some cooking spray and roast them for 20 minutes or so right alongside the main dish.

* This will result in a slightly mushy stir-fry or curry, which might bother some people, but I still find that the easiness of it outweighs the mushiness.
** Trader Joe's has frozen artichoke hearts!

Birthday Girl

I'm far behind in updating this blog, and my vegetarian baby is no longer a baby! She had her first birthday at the end of March, and is now walking all over. She is an active, busy, social girl!

For her birthday, I made her a broccoli pizza on an English muffin. She will sometimes eat multiple pieces of pizza, and sometimes eat none. That night she loved it!

Because she now eats most of the same food we do, I'm trying to find more meals that all three of us can eat and enjoy together. A few successes have included spicy bean hot pot, split pea soup, Trader Joe's black bean chipotle soup in a box, and anything with curry flavor. I'll try to post some more recipes soon!

Nora Eats Spicy Tibetan Noodles

We try to have family meals together at least three nights per week. This means preparing food that everyone can eat, at least in some form. I also try to make a new recipe at least once every week or two.

A couple of weeks ago, I chose a recipe for Tibetan-style noodle curry from my Passionate Vegetarian cookbook. It has noodles, chopped vegetables, tofu . . . lots of Nora's favorites. During the cooking process, I must have thrown in a little too much cayenne powder because it turned out spicier than I intended. But having worked hard to get everything together for a nice Sunday dinner, I figured we might as well try it anyway.

To my surprise, Nora loved it. She not only loved it for dinner that night, but she loved it for lunch for the next two days. She just kept shoveling it in. And I thought it was pretty good myself.

Mac & Cheese & Peas!

Yes... my daughter eats macaroni & cheese. I made it by accident one day, decided it was actually quite healthy, and now it's one of her favorite meals!

I boil some whole grain pasta for about ten minutes. After draining it, I add some grated organic cheddar cheese and stir it over low heat. I then throw in some cooked peas, mix it up well, and serve it to her with the pasta cut into small pieces and the peas smashed just a little. She loves it!

Now that we think she isn't allergic to wheat after all, I alternate between whole wheat pasta and quinoa-corn pasta. It also works well with brown rice pasta, but that's less nutritious. The cheese is Trader Joe's Organic New Zealand White Cheddar -- surprisingly affordable. And organic frozen peas are very easy to cook - I just simmer them in a few spoonfuls of water for about five minutes. You can also toss them into the pasta during the last few minutes of its boiling time, but then you risk losing some of the nutrients when you drain the water. It would also be easy to change up the vegetables -- use broccoli, carrots, green beans, or something else.

I often make a triple-batch (which is still pretty small), then divide it into BPA-free tupperware and serve it for three days in a row.

Baby Stir-Fry

In search of a combination of finger food, vegetables, protein, and grains? Try a baby stir-fry. Easy and nutritious!

For protein, I have used cubed tofu and halved black beans. I think other beans would work as well.

For grains, I have used brown rice, brown rice spaghetti, and assorted quinoa pasta shapes. Her hands-down favorite is the brown rice spaghetti, despite its nutritional deficiency as compared to the quinoa pasta. I think she likes it because it clumps together nicely and she can actually get it into her mouth.

For vegetables, I like carrots, broccoli, green peas, onions, and green beans. Last night she had a bit of red bell pepper and mushroom. I keep the vegetables at an adult bite-size for the cooking, but cut them smaller before I put them on her tray.

I found a wheat-free tamari sauce (San-J brand) at Safeway. Of course, not wanting her to have too much sodium, I try to keep the tamari to a minimum. But she seems to really like it, especially on the tofu.

1) Cook rice or pasta according to package directions.

2) Chop all ingredients to desired size. (For stir-frys, a thin slice or dice is appropriate.)

3) Heat canola oil over medium or high heat. Fry tofu (if using) until golden. Spoon out and set aside.

4) Fry vegetables. Start with the hardest (e.g. carrots) and add additional vegetables every minute or two. End with the softest.

5) Mix all ingredients together. Let cool before serving to baby.

Lentil Balls

We're still not 100% sure Nora has a wheat allergy, but a nurse at our pediatrician's office told us to hold off on giving her any more wheat until we have more info. So, I'm now on a quest to find ways of offering the kinds of foods I'd like to see her eating -- things she can pick up, bite chew on, pull apart, etc -- without using any wheat. It's a challenge.

Last night I made a tray of "lentil balls." I put organic instant oats (no salt or sugar added -- just straight up oats from the bulk food bin at Whole Foods) in my mini-blender and ground them to a powder, as I often did when making her porridge. I then mashed it together with some cooked lentils, a little salt, and sauteed onion and carrot. I baked the lentil balls for 20 minutes. She loved them! She enjoyed being able to control the food by herself, though she did drop a lot down the sides of her chair. I gave her another this evening and it was a hit again.

The amounts below are approximate as I didn't do a good job of measuring, but I think different proportions could work as well.

2 cups lentils, cooked
2 cups instant organic rolled oats (before grinding), ground into a coarse powder
1 small onion, diced
1 carrot, diced
1/2 tsp salt
olive oil for sauteing

1. Saute the vegetables in the olive oil for about 5 minutes, until softened.
2. Leaving aside about 1/2 cup of the oatmeal powder, mix the remaining oatmeal, lentils, vegetables, and salt together in a large bowl.
3. Form the mixure into balls about 1 1/2 inch in diameter. Roll each ball in the leftover powdered oatmeal before laying it on a cookie sheet.
4. Bake the lentil balls at 350 for 20 minutes.

They can be frozen after cooking -- I would guess they'd keep well for 2-3 months.

Mama's Girl

My grandfather (my father's father) ate pasta with marinara sauce every night for the last couple decades of his life. I inherited his love for it. Given the choice, I'd eat spaghetti nearly every day. Breakfast, lunch, dinner, whatever! Anytime is fine.

Nora has decided that it's near the top of her list, too. We suspect a possible wheat allergy, because Robert had one as a child and because after her first wheat last week she developed red cheeks and a rash. More to come on that when we have more info, but in the meantime she's enjoying quinoa-corn pasta. A bit pricy, but what can you do? I dust it with rice cereal to make it a little easier to pick up. She gobbles it down every time!

Tip: When I used part of a jar of organic spaghetti sauce to make pizza for Robert and myself over the weekend, I froze the remainder in my baby ice cube tray and now have a bag of baby-size pasta sauce portions, ready to heat and serve.

Porridge!

Life has been very busy lately, with little time for blogging. But I will try to do some more baby food entries before Nora becomes a toddler! She's now a very busy 9 1/2-month-old. Crawling, climbing, and dancing are some of her favorite activities!

There have been many new foods over the past couple of months, and a daily staple is "porridge." Porridge takes many forms, but always includes one or two grains*, a protein, and at least one fruit or vegetable. I mix it all together and serve it warm, and she usually loves it.

Some common combos include:

oatmeal - egg yolk - squash
oatmeal - egg yolk - banana
barley - tofu - broccoli - squash
millet - tofu - pumpkin
barley - tofu - broccoli - sweet potato
millet - garbanzo bean - green bean - peach (yes, really, she ate it!)
barley - lentil - green pea
barley - lentil - carrot

As long as you've got the basic ingredients on hand, you can make a quick, healthy meal in a short amount of time!

* I usually sprinkle a tablespoon or two of Earth's Best organic iron-fortified cereal into the porridge to increase its iron content.