As I’ve written here many times before, we love hummus. Actually, I find most kids really enjoy the smooth creaminess of hummus as a spread on sandwiches, as a dip for veggies or just on it’s own. Traditional hummus is made from garbanzo beans, tahini, olive oil and lemon juice, but there’s no reason that you can’t get creative and come up with an array of new hummus flavors using different types of beans or nuts.

For this recipe, I wanted to do a Mexican inspired hummus with flavors I know my family likes, so I chose pepitas (pumpkin seeds), black beans, cumin and cilantro. And just to keep everything homemade, instead of buying fried chips at the store, I decided to make my own healthy, crispy ones. Both dishes are easy to make and kids have fun breaking up the tortillas into chips themselves.

Whether you’re inviting friends over for a party, want a protein-packed school lunch box snack for your little one or just need something healthy and delicious to nibble on throughout the day, this Mexican hummus delivers. Olé!

Black Bean Hummus with Toasted Corn Tortillas

1/3 Cup Pepitas (pumpkin seeds)
1 Small Garlic Clove
1 15 Oz Can Black Beans, rinsed and drained
3 Tbsp Olive Oil
2 Tbsp Water
Juice of 1/2 a Lemon
1/2 Tsp Cumin
1/4 Tsp Salt
1/4 Cup Cilantro, chopped (you can use the stems — they have tons of flavor)

1. Place the pepitas in a dry sauté pan and toast over low heat for 5 minutes, stirring halfway through, or until the pepitas start to turn golden.
2. Place the pepitas and garlic clove in a food processor and pulse for 1 minute.
3. Add the remaining ingredients and puree until smooth.
4. Serve.

Toasted Corn Tortillas

1 Package Whole Corn Tortillas (about 12)

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Place corn tortillas directly on oven racks and toast for 15-20 minutes or until crisp and golden.
3. Serve whole or broken into chips.

First, before you say anything, I know “healthy” and “refried” are a contradiction in terms.

When I was growing up we rarely went out to dinner, but when we did it was to either Chi Chi’s or Tumbleweeds, two Mexican restaurants in Louisville, KY that both served delicious refried beans (at least to my 10 year-old palette they were delicious). Refried beans are one of those particularly yummy Mexican inventions that are great on their own, in a burrito, served with rice and the list goes on. Yet they are anything but healthy.

Most refried bean recipes consist of a smooth puree of pinto beans mixed with tons of lard to made them creamy. Just the thought of lard makes me want to gag, but I do love the taste of those creamy beans. I came up with this healthier version so Kenya and Chloe don’t have to miss out entirely on my great food memory. This twist on refried beans retain the soft and creamy texture of the original and are also a perfect puree for babies. And toddlers, big kids, Mommy and Daddy, too!

Healthy Refried Beans (Serves 4)

2 Tbsp Olive oil
1 Small Onion, diced
1 Garlic Cloves, chopped
1 14 Oz Can Pinto Beans, drained and rinsed
1 Tsp Salt
2 Tbsp Hot Water
Accompaniments: Cheese for sprinkling on top

1. Heat olive oil in a small heavy bottomed pot.
2. Saute the onions for 5 minutes or until translucent. Add the garlic and cook another minute.
3. Add the pinto beans and salt to the onions and mash with a potato masher or fork.
4. Add water, stir and cook until heat through.
5. Serve.

*Allow to cool, place in appropriate tupperware or ziploc bag and freeze up to 4 months. When ready, defrost in a pot up under low-medium heat until heated through or defrost in fridge for 24 hours.

Yummy! I have no other words to describe this dish. We love breakfast burritos in our home because they’re so quick to prepare and are the perfect protein-packed breakfast after a long night’s sleep (if we’re lucky enough to get one these days). I love watching Kenya’s little hands grabbing the tortilla-wrapped egg, bean and salsa filling as it drips out onto his plate. I can’t say this is the neatest meal to consume, but it sure is delicious and, trust me, every bite will ultimately wind up in your little ones mouth!

P.S. My husband thinks the picture above looks more like a taco then a burrito. Picky, picky! I wanted everyone to see all the yummy filling!

Breakfast Burritos (Serves 4)

4 Eggs
2 Tbsp Milk
3/4 Cup Pinto Beans, cooked, rinsed and drained
1/2 Cup Salsa
Canola Oil Spray, Oil or Butter for pan
2 Corn Tortillas, warmed if desired
Sour Cream, Cheese or Avocado, optional

1. Whisk the eggs, milk, and salt in a bowl.
2. Heat a nonstick pan over low to medium heat and spray or grease with oil or butter.
3. Pour in the egg mixture and stir until almost scrambled, about 2 minutes.
4. Add the beans and salsa and cook for 2 minutes or until ingredients are heated through.
5. Place scrambled egg mixture and other optional ingredients into tortillas and roll or fold in half.
6. Serve.

One of my favorite things about my son is that he will happily eat just about anything. But one of the challenges during meal time is that if there are trains, toys or anything else fun and exciting within his view (no matter what I hide before dinner there is always bound to be something in his line of site that are more exciting than eating!), he wants to be playing with them instead. For that reason, I usually have 5-10 minutes to get him to eat a nutritious, balanced dinner before he is focused on something else. I’ve also noticed that if he eats something pureed or soft and easy to chew, I can maximize the amount of food he gets down in that period of time. If I give him a dish that he loves, but takes a while for him to chew and break down, he gets tired of it and sometimes doesn’t eat nearly as much. For that reason, I love making him this soft flavorful dish.

Red lentils cook quickly and become really soft which is perfect for little mouths. By adding vegetables and spices to them, they become a vitamin-packed, delicious, Indian inspired meal. If you serve it with brown rice, it makes a complete protein which is perfect for times when you don’t want to spend extra money on meat or fish, but you want your little one to be building muscles!

Red Lentil Curry (serves 4-6)

1 Tbsp Oil
1 Small Onion, diced
1 Large Carrot, peeled and cut into a small dice
1 Garlic Clove
1 Tsp Fresh Ginger, minced
2 Tsp Curry Powder
1 Tsp Cumin
1 Tsp Turmeric
2 Cups Water
2 Tsp Salt
1 14 oz Can Tomato Puree
1 Cups Red Lentils, rinsed well
Brown or White Basmati RIce

1. Heat the oil in a large saucepan over medium heat.
2. Saute the onions and carrots for 4 minutes.
3. Add the garlic, ginger, curry, cumin and turmeric and cook for 2 minutes.
4. Add the lentils, water, salt and tomato puree and bring to a boil.
5. Stir, cover, reduce heat to a simmer and cook for 35 minutes or until creamy and tender.
6. Serve with basmati rice.

*Allow to cool, store in appropriate container or ziploc bag, label and freeze up to 4 months. When ready, defrost in fridge for 24 hours or place in pot and bring to heat over low-medium heat.

This dish reminds me of something you would have on a cool night in Tuscany. Cannelini beans, also known as white beans have a smooth texture and a nutty flavor. Combined with the brown rice, you have a 
complete protein. I’ve been making the adult version of this dish for years. When you 
make this for babies it becomes a creamy puree that — I’ve found — they can’t stop eating. This is one of those dishes that I crave when I think about 
it. This baby version of it is so quick, inexpensive and easy.
 Whether I soak my own beans or open a can of organic ones, I always put aside a few for Kenya to pick up and feed himself. Since they’re nice 
and mushy, it’s easy for babies, even with few teeth, to munch on.

Tuscan White Beans (10 Baby Servings)

1 Cup Kale or Green of your choice
1 Garlic Clove
1 Tbsp Onion, chopped
1/8 Tsp Oregano
1/2 Cup Brown Rice, cooked
1 Cup White Beans, cooked
1/2 Cup Tomato, fresh or canned, chopped

1. Place the kale in a steamer pot over boiling water and cook for 4 minutes.
2. Add the garlic and onion and continue cooking for 6 more minutes.
3. Place all the ingredients in a food processor and puree until smooth.
4. Cool and serve.

*Place in Baby Cubes and freeze.

We used these to make this recipe:

Cuisinart DLC-2 Mini Prep Plus Food Processor