Raising Vegetarian Kids

Indian fried rice using leftovers

noreply@blogger.com (Grateful Mom) — Wed, 19 May 2010 17:53:12 PDT

I've been busy lately and felt like eating some Indian food and also felt the need for some comfort food. I also wanted to use up some leftovers at the same time. I had some leftover rice and some cooked potatoes that were a recent breakfast side dish. I decided to make some improvised Indian fried rice.

I started with a little asafoetida, some cumin and diced red onion that I sauteed in a little sunflower oil. I added some mustard seeds, a little turmeric, mango powder and maybe some coriander. Sometimes my powdered spices look a little similar and I just go around in my steel spice holder getting about a quarter tsp of each using my tiny spice spoon that sits in the container. The kitchen was starting to smell wonderful with the Indian spices cooking, a scent that is very familiar, comforting and appetizing to me.

I added a can of washed kidney beans, the potatoes and then the rice, adding some water to get the consistency I wanted. I added some salt, garam masala, and a little Brewer's Yeast for added nutrition.

I heated some saag I made previously and had the rice mix with that. However, having it by itself with a little pickle and yogurt would have been just fine as well. I topped the Indian fried rice with a little diced red onion I had set aside. Yumm! I was done just in time for my daughter to wake up, who shared it with me.

After finishing my meal, I discovered some left-over broccoli that I could have used. I just added it to the leftover fried rice for next time.

Potato, tofu, & spinach mix

noreply@blogger.com (Grateful Mom) — Fri, 09 Apr 2010 15:25:28 PDT

I made this the other night with one hand, while my fractured left hand heals. I haven't been cooking much since my fall that caused my fracture a few weeks a go. There has been a bunch of groceries sitting around so I decided to use up some red potatoes and tofu.

My toddler had the dish as a finger food, feeding herself pieces of tofu (which she enjoys) and potato. My preteen had it as a wrap, wrapped in a wheat tortilla.

This is a versatile dish. Play around with which vegetables you want to use and the quantity of ingredients.

Ingredients

Approx 10 small red potatoes, cut up in chunks
1 onion (my preteen chopped this for me)
8 oz tofu, diced
1 tblsp brewer's yeast
1 cup spinach
1 tomato, diced (optional)
1/2 cup vegetable stock
1/2 tsp lemon
1/2 tsp turmeric
1/4 tsp garam masala
1-2 tblsp olive oil
2 tblsps plain yogurt
cilantro (optional)
salt to taste

I precooked the potatoes in the microwave on my handy potato setting. You can cook it on the stove if you prefer. I added that to sauteed onions and tofu in greased skillet (I used some spray oil). Add other ingredients and sautee on medium. Add garam masala and cilantro last. Plain yogurt can add a creamier, "curried taste."

Vegetarian Pot Pie

noreply@blogger.com (Grateful Mom) — Sun, 28 Mar 2010 19:11:39 PDT

I recently fractured my left hand in a fall and am now typing with one hand. A reader of the site, Jennifer, from Canada, has graciously offered the following guest post while my hand heals. Thanks, Jennifer! I'm looking forward to trying this recipe - it sounds great! I had been thinking of trying to make a pot pie and didn't get around to it. I think everyone in my family would enjoy this.

"I've been an ovo-lacto vegetarian for 20 years and married to a confirmed meat-lover for the past 17. We usually cook vegetarian meals, with my husband grilling something for himself to go on the side or making a meaty version of the meal.

Our 10 year-old son and 6 year-old daughter both started life as vegetarians. At about age 3, they were each told that if they ever wanted to try meat with their dad, that they could...but happily they have both chosen to stay veggie :-)

Less happily, both children are fairly picky eaters and so mealtimes tend to be a challenge. We have ongoing chats about proper nutrition and balanced diets: if you are going to be picky, you need to be aware of getting enough plants, protein, carbs and fats in your day.

We try to get the children in the kitchen when possible., and found the following recipe easy to make with young helpers, comforting on a chilly evening, and even better...enjoyed by all!"

Vegetarian Pot Pie

Adapted from "Kids Can Cook: Vegetarian Recipes" by Dorothy R. Bates

Makes 2 9-inch pies - one for now, one for the freezer

Step 1: Prepare the filling
3 medium potatoes - cut into chunks
3 carrots - thinly sliced

Bring 4 cups of water to a boil in a medium saucepan. Add the potatoes and cook for 10 minutes. Add the carrots and cook until potatoes are tender. Drain, saving the liquid.

Step 2: Gravy
1/4 cup oil
1 large onion, chopped
1 stalk celery, chopped
Favorite veggies, chopped - zucchini, spinach - whatever you like.
2 cloves garlic, minced
1lb tofu, cut into bite-sized cubes OR 1 can chickpeas OR 1 can favorite beans
1 tbsp soy sauce
1/3 cup whole wheat flour
About 1 cup vegetable stock
1 tsp oregano + 1 tsp thyme + 1 tsp pepper

You will also need 2 ready-made pie shells or make the equilivant amount of your favourite pastry recipe.

Warm oil in a large saucepan. Add onion and cook over low heat until softened. Add celery and other veggies and cook a few minutes more. Stir in tofu. Stir in soy sauce. Stir in flour and mix well.

Measure the potato liquid and add enough vegetable stock to make 4 cups. Pour into the pan and mix well. Mixture will be very liquidy at this stage. Stir in spices.

Bring mixture to a boil then reduce to a simmer. Simmer uncovered for 10 minutes, then add potatoes & carrots. Taste and adjust seasonings if needed.

Step 3: Assembly & Baking
Divide mixture between 2 9-inch pie dishes. Top with a pie shell, trying your best to seal the pastry around the edge of the dish.

Bake on a cookie sheet (in case the pie bubbles over) at 350F for 30 minutes or until top is lightly browned.

Filling will be blistering hot and somewhat liquidy when this comes out of the oven. Cool 10 minutes to allow filling to firm up before serving.

The photo is of the kids and I yesterday on a nature walk. It's an interesting place - it's an old quarry right in the middle of our city that has been reclaimed and transformed into a wetlands/nature preserve. As you can imagine, the boundaries of the preserve are very steep. Picture was taken after we had scrambled our way up to a lookout point at the top of one of the old quarry walls. Takes a strong kid to make the climb :)
Jennifer
Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Coconut Rice Pudding With Mango

noreply@blogger.com (Grateful Mom) — Sun, 21 Mar 2010 18:05:20 PDT

My son had been wanting me to make this old Redbook recipe he saw from my vast collection. I finally made it recently and we all liked it, including my 1 year-old. The only thing I would do different is cook the rice extra and consider adding slivered almonds.

Coconut Rice Pudding With Mango
Prep time: 10 min. Cooking time: 30 to 35 min.

1/2 cup uncooked white rice (not converted) - I used Basmati
1 can (14 oz.) low-fat coconut milk
1 1/4 cups low-fat milk
1/4 cup sugar
1/8 tsp. salt
1 cup diced mango
1/4 cup sweetened flaked coconut, toasted

Combine rice, coconut milk, milk, sugar, and salt in a 3-quart saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium heat, then reduce heat to low and simmer 25 to 30 minutes, until rice is cooked and pudding is thick.
Transfer to serving bowl, stir in diced mango, and cover with plastic wrap. Refrigerate until cool.
Serve sprinkled with toasted flaked coconut. Makes 4 servings; 4 cups. Per serving: 312 cals. (33% from fat); 11g fat.

Raising Kids Vegetarian When Your Mate is Not

noreply@blogger.com (Grateful Mom) — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 16:29:18 PST

In my family, I have always been vegetarian, but my husband is not. My son's biological father is also non-vegetarian. When we were together, he became veg. But past divorce, went back to meat. He has continued to feed our son veg when he's with him though. My son is used to his Dad eating meat and even his step dad. I hope this teaches him to respect all and for his preference to be more ingrained since it is tested.

What is the situation in your family? Do you have support from your family for your dietary choice or do you go it alone? I think it is significant for a child to have even one vegetarian parental role model.

Breakfast Option: French Toast

noreply@blogger.com (Grateful Mom) — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 15:44:22 PST

French Toast - my preteen son's favorite breakfast food and my one year-old is discovering it. Make a mixture of beaten eggs, milk, orange juice (optional), cinnamon, agave sugar or organic sugar or just powder later as in this photo. Soak bread in liquid. I used cut-up French bread in this. Baguettes work well. Place in heated, buttered griddle and heat for a few minutes on each side. Use fruit and or a little maple syrup drizzled on top.

Kichadi - rice and lentil stew

noreply@blogger.com (Grateful Mom) — Wed, 03 Mar 2010 10:10:54 PST

First Birthday Cake

noreply@blogger.com (Grateful Mom) — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 16:14:01 PST

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

noreply@blogger.com (Grateful Mom) — Tue, 16 Feb 2010 15:03:52 PST

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

noreply@blogger.com (Grateful Mom) — Fri, 29 Jan 2010 15:15:57 PST

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

noreply@blogger.com (Grateful Mom) — Wed, 06 Jan 2010 16:20:57 PST

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

noreply@blogger.com (Grateful Mom) — Wed, 16 Dec 2009 07:10:42 PST

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

noreply@blogger.com (Grateful Mom) — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 16:23:38 PDT

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

noreply@blogger.com (Grateful Mom) — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 16:28:32 PDT

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.

Recipe: Baby "Rice & Beans"

noreply@blogger.com (Grateful Mom) — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 16:31:58 PDT

To make simple "rice &beans" for my almost 7-month-old, I mix cooked and pureed beans with baby cereal. The liquid to get the consistency you want can be breast-milk or formula. This gives my baby grains and protein. I add a little flax meal for more nutrition. It should also help her if she is constipated. To complete the meal, I feed her some pureed vegetable and pureed fruit for "dessert."

My vegetarian pre-teen

noreply@blogger.com (Grateful Mom) — Mon, 31 Aug 2009 13:32:16 PDT

My 11 year-old son, Colin, has been vegetarian since birth. I had a vegetarian pregnancy and he was born weighing 8lbs 1 oz., 21" when I was 30. On my vegetarian feeding adventure with him, I experimented with different veggie choices to feed him. At one point, when he was an older baby, I came up with a concoction that was a mixture of baby cereal, tofu, yogurt, and flax oil. He loved it! I suppose he didn't quite know better. :-) By about the age of 2, he was done with this.

A challenge I experienced as I went back to work was his diet at day care. As a 2 and 3 year-old, he was getting enticed by what he would see around him and a yogurt mixture was just not going to cut it! The alternatives they had for him sometimes consisted of two pieces of bread and cheese - not grilled or toasted and no condiments. ***sigh***I've been relieved to see that his school has included more and more vegetarian options the past few years. These include bean burritos, pizza, vegetables and fruit. At one point, his choice consisted just of a pb&J sandwich.

I'm also relieved to see that there are increasingly more vegetarian choices in general every year. The market is growing and the increasing competition helps us consumers. It's never been easier to feed kids a vegetarian diet. An easy favorite of even Colin's non-vegetarian friends is veggie dogs or smart dogs. They are certainly a healthier choice for anyone. The stand-by of veggie burgers are always popular and the varieties available keep increasing.

My pre-teen son certainly has more vegetarian choices than my infant daughter, but she doesn't notice yet. I look forward to seeing what veggie choices will be available to her when she is Colin's age.

Making Vegetarian Baby Food

noreply@blogger.com (Grateful Mom) — Thu, 27 Aug 2009 18:47:08 PDT

My daughter, Maya, turned 6 months recently, on 8/8/09 to be exact. This was a big turning point for me, as it meant the world of food options would open up "big time." I had been feeding her baby cereal since she was a little over 4 months, and could now feed her protein and other choices of vegetables, fruits, and grains.

What I have realized in the past few weeks of my feeding adventure is that there are not a lot of choices of vegetarian baby food with protein, as alternatives to meat baby food. As a native of India, I have been able to rely on my heritage for food choices that I can modify for her. For instance, instead of making regular dal out of lentils, I took some cooked lentil out for her before adding the spices to make dal. I put some in several baby food jars and later added some to baby cereal and breast milk or formula to make a healthy protein rich food for her in addition to vegetables and fruit. This is also vegan. For now, I am raising her vegetarian and include dairy - just yogurt for now. She has loved kefir - plain and peach.

I have also used a little silken tofu mixed with cereal and formula or breast milk. Although, there seems to be a little controversy with tofu so I lean more towards other choices for protein. Maya is in the 97% for height and about 70% for weight. I can not attribute her size to her diet, but at least I won't be accused of hampering her growth with her diet!

ON RAISING A VEGETARIAN CHILD….

noreply@blogger.com (Grateful Mom) — Mon, 31 Aug 2009 19:28:34 PDT

Several decades ago, in about the fourth grade, I was clobbered to the ground by a peer who was offended that I would not eat her chicken. It really started bugging her that I normally ate peanut butter-and-jelley sandwiches.

A while back, during a lunch break, a coworker and I were confronted by a dogmatic roadside evangelist prostituting his current religion. I calmly expressed my preference for privacy and moved on. He yelled something about worshipping blue gods, when my co-worker leaned over to me and asked, “Is that why you’re a vegetarian?” I looked at her a little puzzled, when she continued, a little uneasy. “You know, because you worship cows.” I laughed at the oversimplification of my faith, but went on to explain that my choice to be vegetarian was due to more reasons than being a default from the culture I grew up with in India.

I know that my son, being raised as a vegetarian, may have to endure names like “Grass Grazer” and the dreaded “Twig Boy.” Fortunately, I have seen great strides in views towards vegetarians which will benefit my son’s journey through vegetarianism. An evidence of progress, I have noticed, is that I have been asked the question, “so what do you eat, lettuce?” (along with whether I lived in a teepee as an “Indian.”) less and less over the years.

Of course there is not much I can do about the probability that he will end up with beef burritos instead of bean at Taco Bell. He will learn the important lesson of checking his food in the drive-through and avoiding restaurants that never seem to get it right. Or better yet, maybe he will be saavy enough to sue and get a trip to India out of it at least. A mother can only dream…

Raising a vegetarian baby sounds synonymous to child abuse to some people born and raised to value the protein of only slaughtered animals. To me, it was an assumption that I would raise my child as I was living. If vegetarianism is important to my way of life, then why wouldn’t I consider it for the most important person in my life? There is no greater blessing than good health, and what more could one want for their child? Vegetarianism is a daily gift I give to my son. At the very least, I have given him a character builder as he handles kids calling him names on the playground. Or possibly I have made a future psychiatrist rich when my son someday struggles to overcome the stereotype of being “Twig Boy.”