In my ongoing quest to find foods that are both healthy and easy for toddlers 
to hold themselves, I decided to make falafels for Kenya. The only 
trick to this dish is to make them suitable for his little taste-buds without having to fry them in gallons of oil like most falafel recipes call for.
Falafels are made with a base of garbanzo beans, a legume also known as 
chickpeas. Have you ever looked closely at a chickpea? Some say they 
look like a chick’s beak, hence the name. Beak or no beak, they’re a powerhouse of 
fiber. Fiber is an important part of a little one’s diet because it tends to fill them up longer then other foods, giving them energy to run around and 
play. Garbanzo beans are an excellent vegetarian source of protein and are 
high in calcium, magnesium and folate.
I also added a little yogurt dipping sauce alongside this recipe which boosts the nutritional content of the meal even more and adds a little fun for the kids. Now, if I can only 
get my husband out of Kenya’s food, which is slowly becoming “their” food. My husband figures that if what Kenya’s eating is super healthy, he wants to eat it too. Like father, like son. Or should I say, like son, like father?!

Falafel (Make 14 Mini Falafel)

1 1/2 Cup Chick Peas, cooked
1 Garlic Clove
1/4 Cup Onion, chopped
1/4 Cup Cilantro, chopped
3 Tbsp Flour (I used whole wheat, but you could also use white flour)
1 Tsp Baking Powder
1/2 Tsp Cumin
Olive Oil

1. Place the first 7 ingredients in a food processor and puree. Make sure the mixture is throughly combined. Scrape down the sides of the mixture as needed.
2. With moist hands (so the mixture doesn’t stick to your hands) form patties with about 1 tablespoon of the mixture and place on a plate while you form the remaining patties.
3. In a medium saute pan, heat around 2 tablespoons of oil over medium heat. You want the pan to have a thin coating of oil.
4. Add half of the patties to the pan and saute for 4 minutes on each side or until golden (you may have to add a little more oil if your pan get too dry).
5. Remove the patties from the pan and place on a paper towel lined plate (to absorb any extra oil).
6. Cook the remaining patties.
7. Cool and serve with yogurt sauce.

Yogurt Tahini Sauce (Makes a little over 1/2 Cup)

1/2 Yogurt
1 Tbsp Lemon
1 Tbsp Tahini (if your little one has a nut allergy, you could leave this out)

1. Place all the ingredients in a bowl and stir to combine.

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Several years ago I went to Chile. What a magical country. The food 
was so complex and interesting, yet simple and delicate. I was really 
fascinated to find that many of their dishes are inspired by Peruvian cuisine. 
I try to expand my horizons (and my son’s palette) by researching what other cultures feed their babies and toddlers. 
There’s a peruvian dish called Espesado de Lunes and it uses some of 
the ingredients listed below. The sweet from the corn and squash mixed 
with the earthy flavors of the cilantro, garlic and onion create a truly unique flavor. I’ve fed 
Kenya this dish two days in a row alongside a piece of white fish that 
I sprinkle with herbs and steam. I’m dying to try a version of this for my adult friends as well. Wouldn’t this be a gorgeous dinner 
party entree with a light piece of grilled fish on top? For now, Kenya gets to have his own baby version of a private Peruvian dinner.

Peruvian Puree (8 Baby Servings)

1/2 Butternut Squash (about 1 1/2 Cups), peeled and chopped
1/3 Cup Corn, fresh or frozen
1 Tbsp Onion, chopped
1 Garlic Clove
1 Tbsp Cilantro, leaves only

1. Place butternut squash in a steamer pot over boiling water for 4
minutes.
2. Add corn, onion and garlic and continue to cook another 4 minutes
or until vegetables are fork tender.
3. Place all the ingredients in a food processor and puree until smooth.
4. Cool and serve.

It’s been so much fun getting feedback from parents about weelicious. One of the comments I get most often is, “why all the purees? Why aren’t there more healthy recipes that have solids?!” My original concerns about babyfood originated about what to feed my own son when he turned 6 months old. I didn’t want to give him commercial baby food out of a jar, so I came up with my own puree recipes. Now weelicious is about to hit its second phase of recipes, to reflect my own son’s changing palette and will hopefully offer more variety to all of you out there.
As always, I post an original recipe daily and very soon will make Fridays “video day”, where Kenya and I will demonstrate a new recipe for you. So, look forward to tons of new recipes that are geared to your baby as well as your toddler.
The idea from these cilantr “O” s came from a trip to the farmers
market. The smell of cilantro was everywhere and I couldn’t resist buying bunches. But, what to do with it all once I got it home? I love the idea of spaghetti O’s, but really don’t want to feed Kenya mushy pasta from a can. I came up with this healthy version of the canned classic. This dish is fragrant and instead of adding salt I put a big scoop of cottage cheese in to give extra flavor, protein and tang.
I made Cilantr “O”s this weekend and Kenya loved them.

Cilantr “O” s (4-6 Baby Servings)

1 Cup of O Shaped Pasta
1 Cup Cilantro, leaves and stems
2 Tablespoons Olive Oil, or more if needed
2 Tbsp Whole Milk Cottage Cheese

1. Cook pasta until tender in boiling water according to package
directions.
2. Drain pasta and let cool.
3. Place cilantro and olive oil in a food processor and puree until
smooth.
4. Place all the ingredients in a bowl to combine.
5. Serve.

Since Kenya started eating solids, whenever he sees an avocado he lets out a little squeal of joy. I can just say the word “avocado” and he will look up at me excited. Even when he’s got a cold or just feels under the weather, few foods sound or look appealing to him, but the avocado is his comfort food.
My husband could happily eat a huge bowl of guacamole breakfast, lunch and dinner and be satisfied. I figured that the apple wouldn’t fall to far from the tree and it didn’t. Both of my boys love this “guac” recipe.
This fruit, yes, avocado is actually a fruit, is an excellent source of unsaturated fatty acids and has a higher proportion of good fat than any other food except olives. Avocados contribute nearly 20 vitamins, minerals and phytonutrients, including 4% of the recommended Daily Value (DV) for vitamin E, 4% vitamin C, 8% folate, 4% fiber, 2% iron, 4% potassium, with 81 micrograms of lutein and 19 micrograms of beta-carotene. All important nutritional building blocks for your baby. Also, did you know that avocados have 60% more potassium then bananas and they’re fiber content is higher than any other fruit? This recipe will be a total winner with your baby.

Baby Guacamole (4 Baby Servings)

1 Avocado
1/2 Tsp Lemon Juice
1/4 of a Tomato, seeded and chopped
1 Tsp Cilantro, chopped

1. Cut the avocado in half. Use a chefs knife to pull the pit out.
2. Scoop the flesh out and place all the ingredients in a food processor and puree.
3. Serve.

This recipe was thrown together by default. There were very few ingredients in the fridge and Kenya had to eat.
I always recommend that you keep a little garden of herbs growing (if your weather permits) so you can trim a few pieces off at times like this to jazz up a recipe, even if it’s just for baby. Or maybe I should say, especially if it’s for your baby. I feel like we don’t give kids enough credit when it comes to flavors they will enjoy. In this recipe, I used the leaves and stems. When steamed, cilantro loses some of its potency, which is nice in order to mellow it out for babies new palate. The chicken’s flavor, mixed with the sweetness of the corn and spiciness of the cilantro made this a winner with Kenya.

Chicken and Corn with Cilantro (12 Baby Servings)

1 Chicken Breast
1 Cup Chicken Broth or Water
2 Tbsp Onion, sliced
1 Garlic Clove
2 Tbsp Cilantro, stem and leaves
1/4 Cup Corn, fresh or frozen
1/2 Cups Brown Rice, Steamed

1. Place all the ingredients, except the rice and corn, in a saucepan.
2. Bring to a boil and reduce to a simmer, cover.
3. Steam ingredients for 5 minutes.
4. Add the corn and continue to steam for 3 more minutes or until chicken is cooked through.
5. Place all the ingredients in a food processor and puree. Add broth as needed to make puree smooth.
6. Cool and Serve.

Who doesn’t like Mexican? Its simple food, but somehow the flavors are so vibrant and delicious. I was also shocked at how gorgeous the finished product looked.
This is a beginner version for using peppers which have tons of beta carotene and vitamin C. With the remaining bell pepper, I cut it into cubes for Kenya to eat as finger food. You could add a little chili powder to add spice, but I didn’t want it to over power the other flavors, so instead I added the fresh cilantro.
I let Kenya press the button on the food processor and he was chatting away, begging to scoop it out and let him try a bite. This one is a total hit with babies.

Mexican Chicken (8 Baby Servings, freeze 1/2)

1 Chicken Breast
1/4 Bell Pepper, any color, cut in chunks
2 Tbsp Cheese
1 Tomato, fresh or organic canned
1 Tbsp Fresh Cilantro, leaves only
1/4 Cup Brown Rice, cooked

1. Place chicken in a steamer pot over boiling water. Let steam for 4 minutes.
2. Add the bell add continue to steam another 4 minutes or until chicken is cooked through.
3. Place all ingredients in a food processor and puree. You can use some of the chicken stock from the steamer pan or the juice from the canned tomatoes to make it smooth.
4. Cool and serve.