People often ask me why I make so many vegan recipes. There are actually tons of reasons, one being that I have several vegan friends, so I frequently cook for them.
But the second reason is that so many kids today have allergies to a variety of foods, many specifically to dairy and eggs. Since vegans don’t eat any animal products or foods made by animals such as honey, these dishes are good for some kids with specific allergies.
I made these pancakes for a bunch of friends who aren’t vegan and they didn’t know that they were dairy and egg free until they had cleaned their plates . Light as feathers, but with tons of depth of flavor and added texture from the spelt or buckwheat, these pancakes are a real treat. I actually served them for dessert later that night and the kids had a blast eating them with their hands and dipping them in syrup. See, pancakes really can be enjoyed morning, noon and night!

Vegan Pumpkin Pancakes (Makes 18 Pancakes)

1 Cup White Flour
1/2 Cup Buckwheat or Spelt Flour (I tested both versions and they were equally delicious)
2 Tsp Baking Powder
1 Tsp Baking Soda
1/2 Tsp Cinnamon
1/2 Tsp Salt
1 1/4 Cup Rice Milk (you could also use soy or almond milk)
1 Tbsp Maple Syrup, plus extra for serving with pancakes
1 Tbsp Vegetable Oil, plus extra for greasing the pan
1/2 Cup Pumpkin Puree, canned

1. Mix the dry ingredients in a bowl.
2. Mix the wet ingredients in a separate bowl.
3. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and whisk to combine (don’t over mix, some lumps are fine).
4. Heat a griddle or large saute pan over medium heat and lightly
grease with oil.
5. Ladle as many pancakes as possible (about 2 tbsp of batter for each one) on the griddle and cook 2 minutes or until bubbles start forming on the surface and the bottom is golden brown.
6. Flip the pancakes and cook another 2 minutes.
7. Repeat the process until you run out of batter (you can hold the finished pancakes in a 250 degree oven while you finish making the pancakes).
7. Serve with maple syrup and enjoy.

I’ve rarely met a kid (or an adult for that matter) that doesn’t like carrots. I couldn’t resist buying these adorable miniature stumpy carrots I found at the farmers’ market. You can use any type of carrot you find for this recipe, but I just thought these were so funny looking and had to try them.
Carrots are packed with fiber and beta-carotene which the body converts into vitamin A, necessary for healthy skin and vision. When the carrots are sauted with the sweet orange juice in this recipe, they become coated with a delicious, sweet glaze and no sugar is needed. These
are perfect for a quick and easy holiday dish or any time of the year for that matter.

Orange Glazed Carrots (Makes 6 Big Kid Servings)

1 Tbsp Vegetable Oil
1 Lb Carrots, peeled and chopped
3/4 Cup Orange Juice
1/2 Tsp Orange Zest
1 Inch Piece Ginger, grated
Sea or Kosher Salt, to taste

1. Heat oil in a saute pan over medium heat. Add the carrots and cook for 3 minutes.
2. Add the orange juice, orange zest and ginger.
3. Bring mixture to a boil, cover and reduce heat to a simmer for 15 minutes.
4. Cook until carrots are tender and orange juice mixture becomes a glaze.
5. Serve.

I remember the first time I encountered seitan. It was at a vegetarian restaurant in New York City. So many of the ingredients on the menu were completely foreign to me and I felt like I was butchering their names. Seitan for example. Was it, “see-ten”, “s-e-i-ten”….oh, whatever!! Finally, the waiter came to my aid and told me that it was pronounced “say-tan”.
Anyway, seitan isn’t exactly a common ingredient in American kitchens — but luckily most health food stores carry it. Seitan is a great alternative to meat and its versatile texture is perfect for absorbing the full flavor of sauces and has a texture similar to chicken, although a bit spongier. Although it seems like and odd choice, this was my total craving when I was pregnant with Kenya. I wanted seitan for breakfast, lunch and dinner. That’s probably the reason Kenya loves it so much. I think he consumed pounds of it in utero.
Seitan, also know as wheat gluten or “wheat meat”, is made by rinsing away the starch in wheat, leaving a high-protein gluten behind. Seitan is popular in vegetarian cuisine because of its unique ability to replicate the texture and flavor of meat. It’s also easier for little ones to chew then beef.
When I made this dish, I had so much fun telling people it was chicken stir fry. Everyone got that it wasn’t chicken, but couldn’t figure out what it was. They were shocked at how delicious it tasted and couldn’t believe they hadn’t tried seitan before.
This dish only take minutes to prepare which is an added bonus. I like to make plenty to have leftovers for at least a day or two. Of all the people that tried it, though, Kenya seemed to enjoy it the most!

Seitan Stir fry (6 Toddler Servings)

1 Garlic Clove, minced
1 Tsp Ginger, minced
1 Tbsp Olive Oil
1 Cup Broccoli, chopped
1/2 Red Bell Pepper, chopped
1 Cup Shitake Mushrooms, julienned
1 Cup Seitan, chopped
2 Tbsp Braggs (or low sodium soy sauce)
1 Tbsp Toasted Sesame Oil

1. Heat a wok or saute pan over medium heat with olive oil. Saute the onion and garlic for one minute.
2. Add the broccoli, bell pepper and mushrooms. Continue to cook for 3 minutes. Add the seitan and the remaining ingredients and stirfry for 2 minutes or until vegetables are tender.
3. Cool and serve.

Several years ago I went through a major “bar phase”. No, I wasn’t getting 
smashed all over town, I was consuming Luna, Lara and other similar types of 
protein bars at a rapid rate. It became such an obsession that two of my girlfriends and I actually set out to form our own bar company — just imagine getting to cook one of your 
favorite foods all day, every day. We had a name, a mission statement, and developed recipes for every flavor of bar under the sun and 
they were delicious (I think). But unlike the majority of bars on the market that 
are jam packed with additives and sugar, our goal was to make something 
completely organic, packed with protein, devoid of sugar, and full of flavor. The bigger goal was to do all this using as few ingredients per bar as 
possible. The bar business became a casualty of our busy lives, but I still produce them for my friends and family.
Which got me thinking. Breakfast can be a real challenge when you’re trying to get your 
entire family out the door and sending your little one to school with 
a healthy snack can be just as hard. This bar recipe is a treat that everyone 
(over the age on 1 and no history of nut allergies) in the family will love and since the recipe makes 16 bars and they stay fresh for weeks. Your set!

Protein Bars (Makes 16 Bars)
1 Cup Cashews, raw and unsalted
1 Cup Almonds, raw and unsalted
1/2 Cup Dried Cranberries
2 1/4 Cup Dates (about 20)
3/4 Cup Rolled Oats
1 Tbsp Vanilla
1 Tbsp Agave

1. Preheat oven to 170 degrees (or put your oven on it’s lowest setting and adjust the cooking time).
2. Place the nuts in a bowl and cover with COOL water and soak for 1 hour.
3. Cover the dates with HOT water and soak for 30 minutes. After soaking, drain off the water and pit the dates.
4. Place the oats in a food processor and grind to a powder. Place in a separate large bowl.
5. Drain the water off the nuts, place on a towel to remove excess water. Place the nuts in a food processor with the dried cranberries and pulse until nuts are in small pieces (the nuts will be uneven pieces which is fine. Just make sure they are all chopped.
6. Place the nuts in the bowl with the oats.
7. Place the dates, vanilla and agave in food processor and pulse until it makes a puree.
8. Place the date mixture with the oat mixture and thoroughly combine all the ingredients (mixture will be thick and sticky).
9. Place the date nut mixture on a silpat on a cookie sheet. Spread out using a spatula or even your hands.
10. Shape into a long log resembling a long rectangle. Make sure the rectangle is flat and even.
11. Bake for 5 hours or until the log is firm, but not hard (If the lowest setting on your oven is 200 degrees, cook for 4 hours).
12. Cool, cut into bars and wrap individually.

Eggplants are all over the farmer’s market right now. Purple, black, white, lilac, white….the list goes on. I’m not sure why they get such a tough rap, but eggplants are one of those vegetables that seem too daunting to cook with at first glance. They’re beautiful, but what do you do with these big orbs?
Well, I could eat eggplant until I’m blue in the face. I love it in any form. Grilled, sauteed, roasted and, especially, pureed in baba ghanoosh, a dip popular in middle eastern cuisine. By modifying the traditional recipe slightly for a little one’s palate it’s a perfect choice to serve as a puree on its own for babies or as a dip with vegetables or baked pita chips for toddlers.
Eggplant can block the formation of free radicals, help control cholesterol levels and is also a wonderful source of folic acid and potassium.
This isn’t a typical baby/toddler food, but I think you’ll be shocked to see how much your little one will love it!

Baba Ghanoosh (Makes 4-6 Toddler Servings)

1 Eggplant
1 Tbsp Tahini (available at most groceries)
1/2 Tsp Lemon Juice
1 Small Garlic Clove
2 Tbsp Plain Yogurt

1. Place the eggplant directly on a burner of your stove top. Turn the flame of the burner to medium and place the whole eggplant on the burner.
2. Cook the eggplant turning every few minutes for 20 minutes or until the eggplant skin is blistered and slightly charred.
3. Place the eggplant in a zip lock bag, seal and let steam for 10 minutes.
4. Cool and peel all the charred skin off the eggplant.
5. Cut the pulp into chunks and place in a food processor with remaining ingredients.
6. Puree and serve.

Wheat berries. Are they wheat? Are they berries? Well, as the name implies, they’re kind of both. Wheat berries are a delicious member of the grain family.
You rarely see them in restaurants or at the market, but health food stores carry them and they’re great for kids. They’re so easy to prepare and really delicious. I love feeding Kenya different types of grains and I have to say that these are one of his favorites.

Wheat berries, also called groats, are whole wheat kernels that have not been milled, polished, or heat treated. They’re brown, nearly round in appearance and have a robust, nutlike flavor. They usually take over an hour to cook, but you can reduce that time if they are presoaked.

When you mix them with the dried fruits and celery in this recipe, it takes on a sweet crunchy texture which in my experience, babies love. He’s not the only one in our family, though. I usually grab a cup when I’m exhausted and need an energy boost. See, this is a great recipe for everyone!

Wheat berry Salad (Makes 6-8 Toddler Servings)

1/2 Cup Wheat berries, soaked for 8 hours or overnight if possible
1/2 Cup Apple, peeled and chopped
1/3 Cup Raisins
1/2 Cup Celery, chopped
1 Tbsp Orange Juice
1 Tbsp Olive Oil

1. Bring 4 Cups of water to a boil in a large pot. Add the wheat berries, cover and reduce the heat to a simmer.
2. Cook for 1 hour or until wheat berries are tender to the bite (it make take over an hour, so just keep testing them).
3. Place all the ingredients in a food processor and pulse until fine pieces remain.
4. In a bowl, throughly mix the wheat berries with the apple/raisin mixture.
5. Serve.

I have been waiting since LAST summer to make this 
recipe. Gazpacho is one of my husband’s favorite foods (he begs me to make it even 
in the depth of winter but the thought of making it when tomatoes are not in season goes against everything I stand for!) and it is the quintessential summer soup — totally cool, light and refreshing. I was hoping and praying that 
it would be one of Kenya’s too. Well, I just made some and thank goodness he loves it.
The thing about gazpacho is that you really only want to make it when tomatoes are at their peak — fresh and ripe they taste sweet, beautifully acidic, tangy and juicy. To me, planning to make gazpacho is exactly what makes the farmers’ market so great: vegetables at their peak of perfection at a fraction of the cost of 
grocery store produce. I bought 25 heirloom tomatoes for $5! Yes, they 
were seconds, meaning they were extremely ripe with the occasional 
bruise, but when you’re making gazpacho, who cares!? The taste is as remarkable as you can imagine a tomato right off the vine would be 25 for $5!!!
This soup is a bounty of nutrition. Tomatoes are packed with beta-
carotene, vitamin C and E and lycopene, which research suggests can 
prevent certain types of cancer. With so many vegetables in this 
colorful puree, it’s like eating a big ol’ bowl of health. I filled a little cup for Kenya to hold himself. He sat in his high chair slurping away and in between every bite he looked up at me and smiled.

Gazpacho (10-12 Toddler Servings-freeze 1/2)

4 Tomatoes (make sure they’re ripe)
1 Large Garlic Clove
1 Cucumber, peeled, seeded and chopped
2 Celery Stalks, chopped
1/4 Red or Maui Onion, chopped
1/2 Bell Pepper, red, yellow or orange
1/2 Cup Tomato Juice (I use R.W. Knudsen Organic Juice)
2 Tbsp Red Wine Vinegar
1 Tsp Lemon Juice
1 Tbsp Olive Oil

1. Place all the ingredients in a food processor and puree until smooth (you want tiny pieces of vegetables to remain, but small enough for little ones to swallow).
2. Serve (it’s delicious served chilled too).