First Birthday Cake

I made this cake for Maya's 1st birthday.  She ate some, but I probably liked it more.  I was impressed that it was all natural, had no sugar and tasted good.  I liked it warm with whipped cream.  The recipe is from "What to Expect the First Year" and is recommended as a first cake for baby/toddler when eggs are allowed, and if you are allowing eggs - I would think you could use an egg alternative if desired.  I am keeping leftovers in the freezer for snacking and future desserts.

Makes 1 double-layer 9-inch-square cake

2 1/2 cups thinly sliced carrots
2 1/2 cups apple juice concentrate (you will use slightly less than this)
1 1/2 cups raisins
Vegetable cooking spray
2 cups whole-wheat flour
1/2 cup wheat germ
2 tblsps low-sodium baking powder
1 tblsp ground cinnamon
1/4 cup vegetable oil
2 whole eggs
4 egg whites
1 tblsp vanilla extract
3/4 cup unsweetened applesauce

1.  Combine the carrots with 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons of the juice concentrate in a medium-size saucepan.  Bring to a boil, then lower the heat and simmer, covered, until carrots are tender, 15 to 20 minutes.  Puree in a blender or food processor until smooth.  Add the raisins and process until finely chopped.  Let mixture cool.
2.  Preheat the oven to 350.  Line 2 9-inch-square cake pans with waxed paper and spray the paper with vegetable cooking spray.
3.  Combine the flour, wheat germ, baking powder, and cinnamon in a large mixing bowl.  Add 1 1/4 cups juice concentrate, the oil, eggs, egg whites, and vanilla; beat just until well mixed.  Fold in the carrot puree and applesauce.  Pour the batter into the prepared cake pans.
4.  Bake until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean, 35 to 40 minutes.  Cool briefly in the pans, then turn out onto wire racks to cool completely.

Chickpea Cutlets

My daughter Maya (who just turned 1) loved these.  Of course, I broke a cutlet into a manageable pieces for her - great finger food!  She seemed to like the chewy texture and probably the flavor as well.  I was glad to be getting a new protein source into her.

Ingredients
1 cup cooked chickpeas
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 cup vital wheat gluten
1/2 cup plain breadcrumbs
1/4 cup vegetable broth or water
2 tablespoons soy sauce
2 cloves garlic, pressed or grated with a Microplane grater
1/2 teaspoon lemon zest
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1/2 teaspoon Hungarian paprika
1/4 teaspoon dried rubbed sage
Olive oil for pan frying

Directions
1- In a mixing bowl, mash the chickpeas together with the oil until no chickpeas are left. Add the remaining ingredients and knead together for about 3 minutes, until strings of gluten have formed.
2- Preheat a large heavy-bottomed nonstick or cast iron skillet over medium heat. Meanwhile, divide the cutlet dough into 4 equal pieces. To form cutlets, knead each piece in your hand for a few moments and then flatten and stretch each one into a roughly 6 by 4 inch rectangular cutlet shape. The easiest way to do this is to form a rectangle shape in your hands and then place the cutlets on a clean surface to flatten and stretch them.
3- Add a moderately thin layer of olive oil to the bottom of the pan. Place the cutlets in the pan and cook on each side for 6 to 7 minutes. Add more oil, if needed, when you flip the cutlets. They are ready when lightly browned and firm to the touch.

Number of Servings: 4



From the Veganomicon cookbook

Rice & Vegetables with Saag

 

A great Indian comfort food that is very nutritious, tasty, and that the whole family will enjoy is a rice & vegetable mix with Saag, which is an Indian dish normally made with spinach.  My preteen enjoys this with a side of plain yogurt.  I also like it with a little Indian pickle.  My 11 month-old baby enjoyed this mashed up a little with some plain kefir on the side.  

First, start your rice (I use Basmati) in a rice cooker and add frozen mixed vegetables toward the end.  The vegetables get steam-cooked with the rice.  I also added some cooked potato that I wanted to use up.  

While that is cooking, make your saag.  Start by sauteing spices of your choice.  I used a little asaefotida and added a ginger/garlic paste, along with turmeric.  Add diced tofu and cook till golden.  Add spinach.  I used some fresh spinach and added some frozen.  I also added some roasted garlic that I had on hand and wanted to use up.  Salt to taste as you go along - the salt gets soaked in better this way.  At the end, I added some garam masala (which you can get from the Indian store), or you could just try some black pepper. I added some cooked potato, which is optional.  I also added some corn meal flour as a thickener.  

I had started cooking fresh spinach in the slow cooker and added the remaining ingredients.  You can prepare it on the stove or put all your ingredients in the slow cooker to enjoy later.  You may want to saute the tofu separately to add towards the end.  This dish combination is completely vegan.  Traditional saag in India utilizes paneer, which is basically compressed ricotta cheese.  You can obtain this from the Indian store.  The dish would then be vegetarian.

Sauteed Tofu and Vegetables

Sauteed Tofu and Vegetables

A very easy and healthy dish is to saute diced tofu and add any vegetable(s) of your choice. To this one can add noodles or serve over rice. It can be embellished with any seasonings of your choice or sauce, such as soy sauce or a different oriental sauce.  Many flavors are available.

Resources That Provide Support for Raising Veggie Kids

I would like to include on this site resources related to raising vegetarian children.

The attached link from Kids' Health provides some useful information on vegetarianism and nutrition. 

The Vegetarian Resource Group has an active yahoo group for parents raising their kids vegetarian.  They have a great, useful page of links.

Feel free to send me resources you would like to see included that you think would help others.

Creative Options for Baby

I've had to consider some creative vegetarian feeding options for my now 8 month-old.  Sometimes, I only need to add some things to things she doesn't care for and suddenly, it's a whole new food she can live with.  Sometimes, that means I add a little multi-grain baby cereal to the unpopular green beans, or yogurt to something else.  I've also started adding ground almonds to her morning cereal along with a little wheat germ and flax meal. 

There are also ready-made options for protein if time is an issue, such as natural hummus.  It is of course easy to make from chickpeas when there is more time.  Having quick feeding options helps when we are busy and want to have a life of our own!

Sauteed Diced Tofu

A simple tofu dish that my pre-teen son Colin has liked is sauteed diced tofu with a little hot sauce.  He eats it warm by itself as a snack.

Approximate ingredients:

tub of tofu, firm or extra firm
1 tblsp oil or butter
1 tsp hot sauce like Texas Pete (something with a little tang)
salt to taste or Bragg's Amino
1 tsp Brewer's yeast (optional)

Drain the tofu and press as much moisture out as you can.  Dice the tofu and place in a heated saucepan on medium.  I like to saute the tofu a little without grease to let the moisture evaporate. Add oil or butter to stir-fry the tofu until golden.  Add salt and the hot sauce.  Cook a little more until the hot sauce is absorbed.

Brewer's yeast can be sprinkled on top for added nutrition.  Reduce salt accordingly. This tofu preparation can also be used in salads or other meals.