Toddler Friendly Vegetarian Recipes?

[Ravenseye]

Anyone got any good ones? It seems like half the time my daughter is eating Macaroni and Cheese and I want to mix it up a bit. Any good websites out there for kid/toddler friendly vegetarian recepies?

Ie...stuff that you can use your hands with, or able to work with a small toddler plastic fork easily. Soups, no. Stuff that's too loose, no.

Also preferably light on soy. She LOVES tofu, so soy is easy, just marinate some tofu and cook it in cubes and she'll stuff herself till she's sick...So preferably stuff that doesn't contain soy, but some other type of protein.

Eggs, Milk are fine, just no meat.

Anyone?

[eyesroll]

1. veganlunchbox.blogspot.com has some good ideas

Go back to September 2005 and just go through the archives.
The food is intended for a school-age kid, but many are appropriate for toddlers too. (Not everything has a recipe, but it will give you ideas.)

I think vegetarian sushi rolls might be fun, if your toddler isn't in a picky phase.

And, if you're looking for something beyond tofu, try seitan. It's wheat gluten (so if you've got allergy issues, be careful) but it's been snuck past me (I'm an omnivore) a couple of times.

[Ravenseye]

2. Sushi is an awesome idea

I have a bamboo roll thing. We've made it in the past. I bet she'd love that. The main thing I'd wonder though is what to put inside the rolls besides vegetables. One of my main concerns is making sure she gets enough good protein and not just cheese and carbs. She eats so many carbs already, I want to balance it out with a well rounded variety of proteins.

I think we've had Seitan before. I'll keep my eye out for it. Is it generally avaialble in grocery stores? What kind of consistency do you get with it?

I'll check out that site too. Thanks.

[eyesroll]

3. You can make your own seitan.

I've never tried it and I don't have a recipe -- but if you look in the Veg group I'm sure they can help you out. It may be available in a big grocery store in a market that'll support it; it's certainly available at organic stores. (I live a mile from a co-op, so I'm a bit spoiled in that respect.

As for protein, how about tomagoyaki? That's the japanese omlet that's sometimes used as a sushi topping -- I bet you could put it in a roll.

http://japanesefood.about.com/od/egg/r/tamagoyaki.htm

(Dashi is a fish stock; vegan version here: http://www.vrg.org/journal/vj2000jan/2000janmiso.htm)

Cream cheese is another possible roll filling. You could also try making the sushi with brown rice. There are a lot of recipes available online for that.

Another thing I thought of is dal (lentils). You can cook them so they'll stick to a toddler spoon (the type that has the little holes to grip applesauce and other goopy things). Here's one I found (I'd omit the pepper for a small child):

http://www.moscowfood.coop/archive/indianfood.html
Red Lentils with Onion and Ginger
(adapted from Betty Crocker’s Indian Home Cooking, by Raghavan Iyer – don’t laugh, it’s a really good cookbook!)
Makes 4 servings

1 cup dried red lentils (masoor dal)
2 cups water
1/4 tsp. ground turmeric
1 Tbsp. oil
1 medium red onion, thinly sliced
1/2 tsp. whole cumin seed
1 Tbsp. minced gingerroot
1 fresh Thai, serrano or cayenne chili pepper, crushed (optional)
1/2 tsp. salt
1 Tbsp. chopped fresh cilantro leaves

Place lentils, water and turmeric in a 3-quart saucepan. Heat to boiling, then reduce heat. Simmer uncovered 15 or 20 minutes, until the lentils are starting to soften and most of the water is absorbed. Remove from heat.

While the lentils are cooking, heat oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion and stir-fry until onion is starting to brown. The longer you cook the onion, the sweeter it gets – so it is up to you. After the onion is cooked to your satisfaction, add cumin seeds, gingerroot and optional chili pepper, and cook for 30 seconds. Be careful not to burn these delicate spices.

Stir onion mixture and salt into lentils. Simmer uncovered for an additional 10 to 15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until lentils are tender. Sprinkle with cilantro.
Note: This dish freezes really well, so consider making a double recipe and save yourself some time!

[Ravenseye]

10. Mmm

thanks for the tamago link. I wasn't sure how to make that (i'm not good with eggs generally) so I'll have to try that. If I can make it work I think we'll see some tamago rolls in our future.

And that red lentil recipe looks good as well. As long as it's sticky and will stay on a fork I'll be happy. My daughter still isn't 100% with cutlery and if it's not sticky enough it'll go on the floor. ;)

[Avalux]

4. Try Morningstar Farms products.

I'll make these for my kids in a pinch and eat them myself - bake 'em in the oven.

http://www.morningstarfarms.com/cgi-bin/brandpages/fileBlob.pl?md5=fb3c43a79d6aa742c68f01ce4f3bcb6f

Their website is a good resource, with recipes:

http://www.morningstarfarms.com/

[Ravenseye]

8. we do use those alot

the thing I worry about is that they're mostly soy aren't they? My main concern is getting a variety of proteins, and she gets mostly soy at this point. I want to mix it up.

but yeah...love the morningstar farms.

[Avalux]

26. I understand your point.

My daughter couldn't get enough of chick-peas when she was a toddler. Used to open a can and dump them on her high chair. Legume are usually good eaten cold, my kids have always liked them. :hi:

[Ravenseye]

29. Chick Peas

Love em..though they give me, and my daughter, the weirdest smelling gas...it's very odd...I was the same when I was younger. I would just gobble up cold plain chick peas.

Anyway...cold chickpeas, and hummus are now on the menu I think...

[Whoa_Nelly]

5. My son loved oatmeal with shaved carrots and a splash of maple syrup in it

when he was little. I always used rolled oats cooked the old-fashioned way on top of the stove :D

Also check out this link:
http://www.recipezaar.com/r/347/169

[Ravenseye]

9. good link

some of the stuff on there looks interesting.

Are rolled oats different than like standard oatmeal?

[Whoa_Nelly]

22. Read at this link to understand the differences in types of oats

http://www.foodsubs.com/GrainOats.html

[ScreamingMeemie]

6. There is a book out there called "One Bite Won't Kill You"... I swear

by it.

It has a lot of really good Veggie recipes in it.

http://www.cooking.com/products/shprodde.asp?SKU=285193



there is a baked spinach in there ( I do it without the bacon) that my kids will kill for. :hi:

[Ravenseye]

15. that looks familiar....

the art on the cover looks really familiar.

why does everything have bacon in it? :) We'll be watching the food channel and like a recipe and then for no reason they add bacon or something...There needs to be a vegetarian cooking show on the food channel.

thanks for the link.

[ScreamingMeemie]

17. I don't know... but it drives me nuts.

My mother in law makes a wilted lettuce salad (:puke:) and gets mad when we won't eat it.

When my daughter was in 2nd grade they had to write a poem about something they didn't like. Hers started out:

Brown, yicky, squiggly things...

That make me want to puke...


I used to have it on the fridge.


Funny thing about the drawings. They seem familiar to me as well, but I've never been able to place it.

[SmokingJacket]

7. How about sweet potato fries?

I think they're the greatest, though my own kids don't like them. I just bought a book called "Better than Peanut Butter and Jelly" which has vegetarian kid's recipes, and it looks good though I haven't tried any yet. I might try "grilled cheese with apple slices"...

We're a "meat-light" family, but I don't have much in the way of recipes because they involve mixing food together... which is the cardinal cooking sin as far as my guys are concerned. They survive on bagels with cream cheese, crackers with cream cheese, bread and butter, hard-boiled eggs, raw vegetables, and sliced up fruit. (and Annie's mac and cheese!)

One kid will eat peanut butter, but the other kid won't. They only recently started to like milk and yogurt.

They ate tofu dogs for a little while, but they're actually kinda gross.

In spite of their limited diet, my kids are very healthy. I think as long as you have a fruit and/or a vegetable at every meal (one of each at lunch), along with some kind of protein and a starch to fill up on, you don't have to worry too much.

[Ravenseye]

13. sweet potato fries are great

They were one of her early staples. Then she went off them. It's been awhile. Maybe we'll try bringing them back. Very good for her.

I'm not TOO worried about her diet, I just want her to get a good variety. I hate that her meals pretty much consist of starch, cheese, and a vegetable. At least on daycare days. Dinner's vary more and we're expanding our repetoire...I just want to be sure she's healthy, getting everything she needs for her development, particularly her mental development (omega's etc) and the like. I know it's totally possible to do it without meat, I just don't want it to all be soy ya know?

I'll check out that book. Thanks.

[SmokingJacket]

18. Yeah, we've mostly stopped eating soy.

Partly because my husband doesn't like cooking it, and partly because I'm a little concerned about estrogens.

If it weren't for my husband, I'd probably be a vegetarian (was for years) but it's too hard to manage at the moment.

I bet your kid's doing great!

[Ravenseye]

23. I think the estrogen thing is overblown

but I don't feel like taking that chance. Everything I've read basically says that the best vegetarian diet is to really vary it up. Eating the same stuff over and over (read: Soy) just isn't good for you, no matter what it is...

Then the whole estrogen thing...I don't know how valid it is, but I'd rather her eat a fairly diverse diet, that way no one thing is going to hurt her.

She is doing great over all, thanks! I'm just trying to stay on top of things...She can't really yet....she's not even 2. ;)

[LeftyMom]

16. I think it's normal and healthy for toddlers to be picky

My suspicion is it's an adaptation to prevent them from wandering away from the group and eating something spoiled or poisonous.

That said, here are some of the things that leftykid likes best:

pasta with a little olive oil (but no sauce- he's weird)
baked potatoes
bread products in nearly any form
amy's roasted veggie pizza
faux chicken, veggie burgers, etc
soymilk by itself or as a smoothie base
mangoes
fruit leather (these are 3/$1.00 at Trader Joe's and make a great on-the-go snack)

Some other things LeftyKid doesn't eat right now but that I'd recommend trying:
raw veggies cut into small peices (kids seem to find big chunks intimidating) with a dip (salsa, hummus, bean dip, etc)
pasta sauces are a great place to hide extra veggies- just toss in some shredded zucchini, spinach cut up really small or whatever)

[Arugula Latte]

11. How about bean dip?

It's so easy to puree a can of beans in a food processor -- or even w/ a fork (I like the white beans like Great Northern). You can add seasoning to your toddler's taste, like a little garlic powder, a little pepper, whatever. Or just leave it bland. You can spread it on crackers or veggies if she's able to eat raw carrots, celery, etc.

[Ravenseye]

14. good idea

particularly a thick bean dip. Like near refried beans level. I don't know why I never thought of that. Something like that you could cook all sorts of different beans and mashe em up and either eat the paste, or put them in a tortilla or something.

She likes to 'dip' too so using veggies with it is a great idea.

[malta blue]

12. mix some tufu with brown rice, some tamari and garlic,

and make little "meatball" out of it. Then bake and serve with ... ketchup.

Little MB loved that as a toddler, plus I would make a bunch and keep them in the freezer and heat up as needed.

[The empressof all]

19. When my daughter was young she loved

Peanut Butter, Applesauce and raisins on mini Whole Wheat Pita breads

Humus and Veggies on Tortillas....Particularly if it was rolled "pinwheel" style.

Large Curd Cottage Cheese with blueberries and a little cinnamon

When she was in her high chair I'd give her garbanzo beans, peas and well cooked carrots to pick up. (The frozen peas and carrots are just the right size for little fingers) She also liked eating sticks and trees....Asparagus and broccoli. I'd steam them on the soft side for her. She'd dip them in hummus or yogurt----Kids love dipping!

[Ravenseye]

24. Yeah she love hummus

I've made it a couple times recently and she really dug it...We need a bigger food processor though. We only have a really tiny one which makes making larger batches a pain.

I have no idea how my ancestors made hummous without a food processor...I'll have to ask my grandmother...

[myrna minx]

20. I really enjoy Quorn products.

http://www.quorn.us/

Their products are more on the expensive side, but I've noticed that they go on sale all of the time...

They have a recipe area:
http://www.quorn.us//cmpage.aspx?section=Recipes

and their products are made with mycoprotein:

http://www.quorn.us/cmpage.aspx?pageid=488

I swear by these products. I've ben a veg for 17 years and these meat substitutes really taste great. :hi:

[Ravenseye]

25. I've had Quorn stuff before

I though it was soy like the others. I had no idea there was a fungus that had protein. I thought all fungus were just fillers with no real nutritional value...I guess I was wrong.

I'll have to add some of these into the rotation. I think we had their meatballs before for a spaghetti that were pretty good.

[Chan790]

21. Some ideas.

I wouldn't be too concerned about the soy. While she should eat a variety of proteins, for reasons of developing a broad palate of tastes, at least soy is a complete protein. Most vegetative proteins are incomplete proteins, meaning you have to eat a variety to meet your basic nutritional needs. Actually most things people eat contain incomplete proteins including many vegetables and virtually all whole-grains and complex carbohydrates. Most people get too much, not too little, protein daily.

PeTA has some good resources on their website and in the "vegetarian starter kit" about raising meat-free children.

Some other ideas (I tend to be a childlike eater myself.):

Mexican pizzas - cut a whole-wheat flatbread (or english muffin) in half so that you have two rounds, spread each with vegetarian refried beans, cover with cheese, other nacho toppings of your choosing (I like pico de gallo, tortilla chips and sliced avocado. Probably not good for kids.) Cook on a lightly-oiled baking sheet or directly on oven rack (put a sheet of foil underneath to catch falling debris and drips) at 350'F until cheese melts (about 5 minutes.) Cut with a pizza wheel and allow to cool to kid-friendly temps.

Spread a mild hummus inside a pita pocket (I like to add some leftover salad when I have it). All the mess is contained inside a nice clean holdable surface.

Nuts are your friend, in moderation. As a stand alone finger food, add to salads, or things she already eats. Weird as it sounds, walnuts tossed into the mix at the last minute add a satisfying crunch to boxed mac and cheese. I love peanut sauce on chilled pasta (or as a hot dish) stirred into raw veggies. It is a unique joy. It also makes a good dip for veggie sticks.

There is also the old standby of peanut butter and fruit sandwiches. (I avoid commercially-produced jelly...it has no nutritive value.)

[Ravenseye]

28. I guess my worry about soy

is the whole estrogen thing. I don't know how valid it is, and I don't want to stir the pot...I just figure a more rounded intake of different products is probably for the best anyway.

Believe me, my daughter would have no problem just eating tofu every night. "Foe-Foo" makes her literally squeel with delight and she stuffs her mouth with it faster than she can eat it... ;)

I also worry about how much fat she gets. She's really active, but thanks to me she's a big girl...not fat just big. big boned, big feet, 90th-95th percentile...she's going to hate me when she's older when she can't buy cute shoes...Anyway I just want to make sure she eats right now, start it early, sensible amounts, good well balanced meals...so that she has a lower likelyhood of weight problems in the future...

I'm just being paranoid. I want the world for her, and I don't want to screw her up along the way by being lackadaisical.

[Why Syzygy]

27. Omletes, various styles.

Italian, Mexican, Denver, all kinds of choices. Quiche. If she like tofu, eggs must be a winner too.

Interesting salads. Just buy what is in season. I usually top with chicken, but eggs and cheese will work too.

Rice and bean dishes. Wrap in a whole wheat tortilla. She is making me hungry!

[Ravenseye]

30. We do Quiche maybe once or twice a month

I can't bake for crap so my wife has to do it, and it's not her favorite thing.

Neither one of us is good at omlets and I have a mental block about eating omlets for dinner. hehe.

Still...A salad night or lucnh might work. Bunch of varietys of veggies and greens topped with cubed cheese and hard boiled eggs...I think that's another winner.

[Why Syzygy]

32. The best quiche is made from

hash brown crust. You can buy prepackaged wheat crusts, but making a homemade hash brown is simple and yummy! I can't find my recipe right now, but its 3 cups of frozen hash browns, one or two eggs, 1/4 cup Parmesan, dash of garlic. Smash that all around the pie dish and cook @ 450 for about 30 mins, until toasty color, then fill with four eggs and an assortment of cheese and vegies (spinach or zucchini, green pepper, whatever you like).. usually saute them first in olive oil and garlic. You'll cook that about 45 mins, so the vegies will be done whether you steam or saute first or not.
That isn't what I consider baking. YMMV. :D

[politicat]

31. Devilled eggs, rice balls, bean dips, cream cheeses, nut butters

Hard boiled eggs are easy for anyone (just use the Georgia Egg council recipe - the fiddly one with the 17 minute cook time at www.recipesource.com) and they're a neat, small person sized food. I make traditional ones with a little celery salt, mustard, mayo and dill pickles, but there are tons of recipes.

Rice balls are something I only recently tried, but they're great and my nephew liked them (he's just turned five). Mix cold, cooked rice (I use brown, short or medium, but apparently long grain works, too) with a beaten egg until it's pliable and sticks together. Cut string cheese or mozzarella into bite sized pieces (or you could use any protein) and form a ball of rice around the cheese. Roll in flavored bread crumbs and bake or put in the toaster oven until they're golden. They can be deepfried, too, but that's a lot of fat. Alternately, use a cheese and flavor appropriately - almost any semi-soft to firm cheese will work.

Bean dips come in a brazillion flavors; one of my favorites right now uses cooked white beans, onion, parsley and basil; we eat it with flatbreads. Refried beans and corn chips or tostadas are easy; bean and cheese burritos are quick and tasty, and you can sub cooked beans into almost any recipe that calls for ground beef or ground turkey. (I find that beanie-joes are really tasty with a spot of potato salad and fresh melon.)

Cream cheese sandwiches are a good toddler food; my grandmother made them for me all the time. She flavored cream cheese with hundreds of different things (strawberry jam, stronger cheeses, tomatoes and diced cucumber, sweet pickles, carrots and raisins, among other things - individually, not all at once) and smeared them on crackers, toast, or made little fancy sandwiches for me. One of the tastiest ones I remember used dried chipped beef and green onions; I don't know if there's a reasonable substitute for that salty, umami taste (perhaps some vegemite or aminos?) but green onions and red bell peppers and vegemite would probably taste pretty good.

And there are always nut butters. One of my favorites from childhood was a Lent butter, when my grandparents would take all of the sugared nuts they made for parties during Christmas (nuts, cinnamon, a little brown sugar - very much like the ones sold at Renn faire) and grind them into a mixed nut butter that we would eat during Lent.

Go look for old cookbooks with a lot of appetizer recipes. Most of those entertaining foods are great for little hands, and we don't really use those recipes much anymore, so cookbooks don't carry as many anymore.