Recipes for the whole family
April 11, 2011 4:30 PM
What are some vegetarian meals that all of us can enjoy -- two adults and a baby?
My son is 10 months old, and I want to start moving him beyond jarred baby food. He doesn't have any teeth yet, but he's started eating "chunkier" foods like cut up pasta, puffs, cut-up banana, etc.
I'm looking for recipes that we can all eat -- preferably something that can be made ahead of time and refrigerated or frozen. It can't be too hard to chew, but some texture is perfectly fine.
Conditions: We don't have a slow cooker/crockpot, we don't have tons of time for cooking, and recipes should be vegetarian (lacto-ovo) and not too spicy. I'd prefer recipes that don't require a broiler. My son can eat almost anything, except the doctor said no peanut butter or citrus until 1 year. Eggs are fine; soy is fine. Should be somewhat healthy.
My son is 10 months old, and I want to start moving him beyond jarred baby food. He doesn't have any teeth yet, but he's started eating "chunkier" foods like cut up pasta, puffs, cut-up banana, etc.
I'm looking for recipes that we can all eat -- preferably something that can be made ahead of time and refrigerated or frozen. It can't be too hard to chew, but some texture is perfectly fine.
Conditions: We don't have a slow cooker/crockpot, we don't have tons of time for cooking, and recipes should be vegetarian (lacto-ovo) and not too spicy. I'd prefer recipes that don't require a broiler. My son can eat almost anything, except the doctor said no peanut butter or citrus until 1 year. Eggs are fine; soy is fine. Should be somewhat healthy.
I cannot recommend Feeding the Whole Family by Cynthia Lair enough. She provides recipes with variations and additions/subtractions for kids of various ages, making it really easy to accomodate everyone. It's not a vegetarian book, but there are only ~5 or fewer recipes that involve meat or fish. At minimum it's worth a browse at the bookstore/library.
posted by hansbrough at 4:47 PM on April 11, 2011
posted by hansbrough at 4:47 PM on April 11, 2011
I like weelicious.com as a resource for quick, tasty meal ideas that are toddler-friendly. Most of her recipes are vegetarian.
posted by Spinneret at 5:01 PM on April 11, 2011
posted by Spinneret at 5:01 PM on April 11, 2011
Mexican! Guacamole, refried beans, mild salsa, huevos rancheros, quesadilla cut up into tiny pieces, then watermelon or cantaloupe for dessert.
Italian! You're already doing pasta, but polenta was a hit with my under-1s too, esp. if chilled and cut into tiny squares. Also, risotto.
posted by apparently at 6:25 PM on April 11, 2011
Italian! You're already doing pasta, but polenta was a hit with my under-1s too, esp. if chilled and cut into tiny squares. Also, risotto.
posted by apparently at 6:25 PM on April 11, 2011
Sounds like North Indian saag (mustard greens, really, but usually spinach in the US) dishes would be a great dish. You can even cook it with paneer and leave that out if it's too solid for the baby.
posted by threeants at 9:16 PM on April 11, 2011
posted by threeants at 9:16 PM on April 11, 2011
how about Daal? Yummy Indian lentil stew. A lot of versions aren't spicy, if it's okay for the baby to eat flavouring spices (as opposed to chilli hot). Served up with some rice.
Good recipe here at Smitten Kitchen.
I make a vegetarian version of Shepherd's Pie that has a lentil base with mashed potatoes on top, a bit like this recipe.
Couscous with bits in is nice in the summer, you can make a salad with cut up tomatoes, lots of chopped parsley and coriander, and some avocado (avocado is very good for babies, as everyone knows)
posted by Encipher at 8:45 AM on April 12, 2011
Good recipe here at Smitten Kitchen.
I make a vegetarian version of Shepherd's Pie that has a lentil base with mashed potatoes on top, a bit like this recipe.
Couscous with bits in is nice in the summer, you can make a salad with cut up tomatoes, lots of chopped parsley and coriander, and some avocado (avocado is very good for babies, as everyone knows)
posted by Encipher at 8:45 AM on April 12, 2011
My daughter is 15 mos & we're a lacto-ovo household as well. Things she liked at that age:
- anything eggy -- scrambled eggs with cheese, quiche (esp asparagus or broccoli b/c the veggies get very soft), frittatas (same only with no crust, basically), huevos rancheros (the half-assed edition: refried beans, sour cream, salsa, & cheesy eggs in a tortilla)
- breakfast for dinner (pancakes, waffles, french toast)
- cheese/hummus/peanut butter on crackers/toast (as long as the crackers are melt-in-yr-mouth variety!)
- manicotti, baked ziti, stuffed shells
posted by oh really at 1:56 PM on April 12, 2011
- anything eggy -- scrambled eggs with cheese, quiche (esp asparagus or broccoli b/c the veggies get very soft), frittatas (same only with no crust, basically), huevos rancheros (the half-assed edition: refried beans, sour cream, salsa, & cheesy eggs in a tortilla)
- breakfast for dinner (pancakes, waffles, french toast)
- cheese/hummus/peanut butter on crackers/toast (as long as the crackers are melt-in-yr-mouth variety!)
- manicotti, baked ziti, stuffed shells
posted by oh really at 1:56 PM on April 12, 2011
Sounds great! Thanks, all. I could have marked all of these as best answer.
posted by trillian at 6:50 AM on April 14, 2011
posted by trillian at 6:50 AM on April 14, 2011
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posted by kjs4 at 4:45 PM on April 11, 2011