Olive Tapenade

Babies like Olives? Who knew! This Wee Tapenade is so easy to make and everyone from the baby to the grandparents will love it.

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I try to shy away from creating recipes for weelicious that may come across as being too gourmet or adult (for lack of a better word) for kids. Part of the reason for that is because a lot of parents I know don’t think their kids will like foods that seem too “grown up” and so they don’t even bother trying to see how their kids will like them. I’m not talking about having a go at getting your kids to eat buffalo for dinner, but the occasional recipe outside of their comfort zone can be really fun, refreshingly delicious, and, who knows, maybe a new family favorite.

I’m always a bit shocked when I encounter kids who love olives, but when you think about it, what’s not to love? Their lightly salty, briny flavor can be addictive for some people and when the pits are removed, they’re perfect for packing into a school lunch or making into a spread (or tapenade) like this one. There are tons of variations on tapenade that I’ve tried throughout the years, but I added some grated parmesan to this one knowing that the addition of cheese will sell almost anything edible to my son. As per usual, I let Kenya help me measure out the ingredients, whiz them together in the blender and then spread it on bread with cream cheese for his school lunch. But the real surprise was what a big hit it was with my wee one. I couldn’t believe how much Chloe loved this recipe from her first bite. In fact, you can watch her introductory taste here.

Whether you’re serving this to adults on toast points for a get together, to your big kid as a spread on a sandwich or to your one year old as baby food, I find it’s an uncommon treat that everyone will love.