Kenya is a great eater. In fact, he eats just about everything I put in front of him. Having said that, he is a toddler and of course there are days when he requires a little (or a lot of) nudging.

On those occasions, I make a game of it. I love to take broccoli, asparagus and especially green beans and get Kenya to pretend our teeth are little chewing machines. We “turn on our motors” and chew up our food, watching it all disappear (maybe we’ll do a visual demonstration for one of the Friday videos).

For the holidays, I knew this dish would be a huge hit for our “machines” to chew. Green beans are plentiful at the farmers market right now. Just by sautéing a bit of bacon and adding a dash of honey and Worcestershire sauce to green beans, you can turn a simple side dish into something special that everyone will love — no nudging needed.

Green Bean & Bacon Saute (Serves 4)

2 Slices Bacon, diced
1 Lb. Green Beans, trimmed
1/2 Tsp Salt
1 Tbsp Honey
2 Tsp Worcestershire Sauce

1. Cook bacon in a large saute pan over medium heat for 5 minutes or until beginning to crisp.
2. Add the green beans, salt and stir to coat.
3. Cover the beans and cook for 8-10 minutes or until tender.
4. Add the honey and Worcestershire sauce, stir and cook for an additional 2 minutes.
5. Serve.

Every summer I celebrate the return of my “peach ladies” to our local Farmer’s Market as if it were Christmas and they were the biggest present under the tree. The peach ladies, as I call them, are the owners of Tenerreli Orchards and the peaches and nectarines they bring every week to the market are so gorgeous, sweet and juicy, it makes me want to cry. I usually buy a flat of peaches for $20 (tip: it would be $30 if I bought them by the pound so buy in bulk to save $$) and use them to make the most delicious peach gelato, peach crumble, baked peaches with honey and yogurt sauce and these scrumptious chicken, peach and bell pepper skewers. They only take minutes to prepare and Kenya loves getting to hold his own skewer and eating each ingredients off, bite by bite.

Buying in bulk at your own local farmer’s market is a great way to save money and enjoy seasonal produce in the months to come — I freeze this summer’s peaches for the winter so I’ll be able to enjoy them all year round.

Chicken, Peach & Bell Pepper Skewers (Serves 4)

2 Tbsp Dijon Mustard
2 Tbsp Honey
2 Tbsp Cider Vinegar
2 Tbsp Olive Oil
1 Tsp Salt
1 1/2 Lbs Chicken Breasts, cut into 1 1/2 inch pieces
2 Peaches (firm, but ripe), cut into 1 inch pieces
1 Bell Peppers, cut into 1 inch pieces

1. Place the first 5 ingredients in a large bowl and whisk to combine.
2. Preheat oven broiler or grill to high heat.
3. Add the chicken, peaches and bell pepper pieces to the marinade and toss to coat.
4. Marinate covered in the refrigerator up to 2 hours.
5. Cook skewers under the broiler or on the grill for 6 minutes, turning halfway through.
6. Serve.

Strawberry Preserves Recipe

We’ve been buying preserves from Harry’s Berries at the Hollywood Farmer’s Market for years, but my husband always complains that there’s too much sugar in them for him. Harry’s consistently has the most incredible strawberries I have ever tasted, hands down, so my husband can’t comprehend why they feel the need to use so much sugar in their preserves. I tasted several brands of strawberry jam and preserves from our local grocery and they too all had a really sugary aftertaste.

I love preserves that taste like pure strawberries with just a touch of added sweetness, so I decided to come up with my own recipe substituting agave for sugar. The real trick, though, to this recipe is using the best berries you can find, and no one beats Harry’s (I’ve made preserves using berries from the grocery and they’re also delicious. Just go with what you like)! Every morning we’ve been eating these vitamin C packed, gooey, chunky preserves. No matter whether you spread them on a rice cake with a little cream cheese, place a dollop on top of yogurt or a spoonful served on top of oatmeal or pancakes, it’s pure heaven in every bite.

Strawberry Preserves (makes 1 1/2 Cup)

2 Pints Strawberries (about 5 cups), stemmed and halved
Juice of 1 Lemon
1/4 Cup Agave Nectar

1. Place all the ingredients in a saucepan and bring to a boil.
2. Reduce heat to medium/high and cook uncovered for 50-60 minutes, stirring occasionally until most of the liquid has evaporated (you want the preserves to have little chunks of strawberries).
3. Cool and serve.

Right from the time Kenya first started solids, two of his favorite foods have always been squash and apples. Steamed, baked, pureed, whatever…he loves them. Now that winter ingredients have returned in abundance at the farmer’s markets, I was really excited to try out this soup. You would be shocked at how much kids love soup, especially pureed versions that they can drink from a cup or bowl. It really lets them experience control over their dining experience. Kenya truly slurps this recipe up like it’s a smoothie. Even better, my husband who’s been trying to “lose a few” ate bowl after bowl in an attempt to eat more vegetables. This is a fantastic recipe because it’s super healthy, fast to prepare and cook and so easy to make!

Butternut Squash and Apple Soup (6-8 Servings)

1 Tbsp Oil, Butter or Margarine
1 Small Onion, chopped
1/2 Tsp Salt
1 Butternut Squash, peeled and chopped
2 Apples, peeled, cored and chopped (I like to use a sweet apple like Fuji or gala).
1 Tsp Nutmeg or Curry
32 Oz Vegetable Stock

1. Saute the onion in the olive oil over medium heat for 3-4 minutes or until translucent.
2. Add the butternut squash, apple, spice and stock to a boil, cover, reduce to a simmer and cook for 15 minutes or until vegetables are tender.
3. Puree soup in a blender (make sure not to fill your blender more then 3/4 full at one time).
4. Serve.

I’m like a kid in a candy store this time of year at the farmer’s market. Last weekend it was in the high 50’s (that’s cold for LA) when I got to the market at 8 am, and it finally felt like fall had arrived. Just looking around at the produce you could see all sorts of new fresh new fruits and veggies debuting in different stalls. Sweet persimmons, different varieties of squash, pumpkins and one of my favorites, multi-colored baby carrots. I couldn’t resist buying a bag full!
Whenever I make these for my father-in-law, no matter how many pounds I make, they always disappear completely. He says he could eat just the carrots for dinner and be happy. Interesting how Kenya kept devouring them one after the other just like “Bop Pop” (as Kenya calls him).
Carrots are rich in beta-carotene and fiber so they’re especially good for little ones healthy vision and skin. I bought 2 pounds of these carrots, roasted them and kept them for all of us to munch on throughout the week. The skins on baby carrot are so thin, you just have to give them a good scrub and rinse. The touch of maple syrup this recipe calls for adds an extra bit of caramelization and gives them that sweet, nutty flavor that takes them from great to amazing!

Roast Baby Carrots (4 Big Kid Servings)

1/2 Lb Baby Carrots (you could also large peeled carrots cut into stick shapes)
1 Tbsp Maple Syrup
1 Tbsp Olive Oil
Kosher or Sea Salt, to taste
Olive or Vegetable spray

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
2. In a bowl, mix the carrots with the maple syrup, oil and salt.
3. Lightly coat a cookie sheet with spray.
4. Place the carrots on the cookie sheet.
5. Bake for 45 minutes or until tender and golden.
6. Serve.

Everyday I try to visit different message boards on the web to see what moms are talking about. Lately, I can’t get over the one common obsession that moms are asking about everywhere: How to cook a pumpkin! For a country obsessed with Halloween and pumpkins, it’s kind of ironic that we rarely cook with them, unless its using pumpkin out of a can on Thanksgiving.
Now, I admit it’s something of a mantra at weelicious that I don’t like using canned foods in general, but canned pumpkin is an exception to the rule. I once read Martha Stewart say that you shouldn’t waste your time cooking fresh pumpkin when making pumpkin desserts (because it’s very hard to get the exact flavor you want) and I believe she’s correct, but roast pumpkin on its own with a touch of cinnamon and maple syrup is heavenly.
When I was living in Australia years ago, I ate pumpkin every few days. Pumpkin is as common to cook there as sweet potatoes are in the States. The pumpkin down under was so sweet and creamy, I wanted to try and replicate the flavors that I remembered. There are several types of pumpkins this time of year at my farmer’s market, so it’s kind of hard to tell which one to buy, but I’ve found you can’t really go wrong no matter what you choose. I bought several varieties last weekend such as “autumn gold” and “sugar”, which are both high in vitamin A. The cooking time will vary a bit depending on the size of the pumpkin you buy, but whatever you get, with this recipe it will be tender and delicious.

Roast Pumpkin & Toasted Pumpkin Seeds

1 Pumpkin
1 Tbsp Maple Syrup
1/8 Tsp Cinnamon
Vegetable Oil Spray
Sea Salt to taste

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
2. Carefully cut a hole in the top of the pumpkin using a knife, about 2 in x 2 in. Remove the “top”.
3. Using you hands or a spoon, remove the seeds and rinse with water in a colander. Remove any of the stringy pulp pieces that stick to the seeds.
4. Lay the seeds on a towel to let dry.
5. Pour the maple syrup into the pumpkin and swirl it around coating flesh.
6. Sprinkle cinnamon inside.
7. Place on a cookie sheet and bake for 40 minutes.
8. Place the top on the pumpkin and continue to cook for additional 20
minutes or until tender (the cooking time will vary depending on the
size of the pumpkin. Take a fork and pierces the inside to the flesh every 10 minutes towards the end of the cooking
time to see if it’s tender). Uncover the pumpkin and cool.
9. Spray another cookie sheet with a think coating of vegetable oil and evenly place the pumpkin seeds on the sheet. Lightly sprinkle pumpkin seeds with salt.
10. Bake the seeds 20-30 minutes or until the start to turn a golden color.
11. Cool and serve.
*If you’re making baby food puree, you can leave out the maple syrup