Barley and squash "faux"sotto
Swapping barley for the arborio rice adds a nuttier taste that stands up to the hearty squash and sage while reducing the amount of stirring.
Friends, can we talk about toddlers refusing to eat (and the blinding rage that sometimes results!)? Despite my best efforts, this happens all the time (mostly the hunger strikes; sometimes the rage). I work HARD not to take it personally because I know it's developmentally appropriate (oral stage, exerting control, changing taste buds, yadda yadda yadda). One thing I can say with certainty is that it always passes. This is our basic game plan, which I’m writing down mostly as a reminder to myself when the going gets tough:
1) If he's not eating, maybe he’s just not that hungry? Most of the time, we let M determine how much he wants. We encourage him a little if he says "all done" after two bites because sometimes he's referring to the high chair and not the food. I'm not particularly good at recognizing my own hunger/satiety cues, so I want to help M be more attuned to his body.
2) Push the veggies and protein when he’s the hungriest. M is a morning eater and tends to gobble up whatever we put in front of him before 11 am, so I pack that meal with as much goodness as possible. I offer the fruit/veg, protein, and fat in all of his meals, but if he only eats the strawberries for lunch...so be it.
3) Don't "hide" veggies, cook with them. Find the happy medium with more nutritious food. I agree with folks like Amy Palanjian from Yummy Toddler Food about not "hiding" veggies. It undermines their trust if you offer a “pancake” and they discover a bit of green or a funny taste and realize that they’ve been duped! But that doesn't mean you have to serve your kids a head of steamed broccoli and call it a day. If you're making a grilled cheese, throw in some spinach and tell them that it's in there.
4) Offer a “safe” food. I’m not suggesting you make an entirely different meal for your kids, though we’ve definitely done that. If we’re offering something new or that I’m not sure will be a hit, I include something on the table that I KNOW M will like. Sometimes he refuses to eat because he's tired or too hungry and a few bites of something familiar can help him calm down and eat the other food too. And sometimes the “safe” food is all he eats and that’s okay too!
All of that to say, the first few times I made this "risotto" M loved it, until last night when he acted like it was RANCID. I assure you, this dish is delicious and though there are a few steps, they can be done simultaneously, so it's less effort than most risotto dishes. And there's barely any stirring!
I used Kabocha squash, which has a creamier consistency when roasted than butternut or delicata squashes and a thicker texture than the pumpkin or acorn varieties. But feel free to swap in any squash you can find in your store or have on hand. Also swap in spinach or any other greens for the kale, and/or turkey, chicken, or beef for the pork sausage. I wouldn't recommend adding fish to this guy, but serving a veggie version alongside a piece of fish would be great. Last note: I used hulled barley instead of pearled barley, which is the browner of the two in the bulk bins of your Whole Foods. It takes longer to cook, but is more nutritious if you don't mind the extra cooking time.
Barley and squash “faux”sotto
Time: about 60-75 minutes, mostly active
Yield: About 8 servings, ¾ cup each
3 cups water
1 cup hulled barley
2 cups chicken stock
½-1 bunch kale, stems removed and chopped into pieces
1 cup roasted Kombucha squash, about half of a small squash
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
8 oz pork sausage, de-cased
2 medium shallot
1-2 large cloves garlic
10 fresh sage leaves or ½ tsp dried sage
Combine barley and water in a large pot and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer, covered, over low heat until water is absorbed, about 45-60 minutes.
Meanwhile, cut squash in half and place cut side down on a parchment-covered baking sheet. Roast at 400 degrees for 30- 45 minutes or until the flesh is easily pierced with a fork. Let cool slightly and scoop out 1 cup of the cooked squash and set aside.
In a separate pan, brown the sausage. When fully cooked, remove and drain on a paper towel and add the shallots and garlic to the pan with the leftover pork fat and saute until translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the sage and cook until aromatic.
When barley is done, add chicken stock and bring back to a boil. Add chopped kale and cook until wilted, about 5 minutes. Reduce heat and add squash, parmesan, salt, and pepper. If the barley seems too wet, let simmer for a few minutes until enough liquid has evaporated, but remember that the grains will firm up as they cool. (Basically, you want the mixture to be oozy, but you shouldn’t see any excess liquid.) When ready, add the sausage, sage, onion, and garlic mixture and let heat through. Serve with a sprinkle of parmesan cheese on top.
Need ideas for using the leftover squash? Try these grain-free waffles but swap in squash for the sweet potato.
Strawberry and cherry granola bars
Say hello to the Frankenbar: Part granola bar, part oatmeal cookie, and part Rice Krispie treat.
These beauties are free of gluten, nuts, and can be dairy-free if you swap out the chocolate-covered sunflower seeds with a vegan chocolate. The brown rice syrup takes a little getting used to—for me, it has a slightly funky flavor on its own. But the syrup is far stickier than honey or maple syrup, so it's a better binder, and you don't taste it in final product.
These bars are also completely adaptable based on preferences and allergy concerns. Can't find dried strawberries or cherries? Use other dried fruits. Don't have any nut allergies? Use almonds or peanuts and their respective nut butters instead of the sunflower seeds and seed butter. Can't find chocolate covered sunflower seeds? Swap in the aforementioned vegan chocolate to make the bars dairy-free or use chocolate chunks or M&Ms.
This recipe is also a great way to use up sunflower seed butter if you have some left over. Again, one of those ingredients that can taste kind of funky on its own (unless you make this homemade version which is GREAT), but adds a nice nuttyness when combined with all of the other ingredients.
Strawberry and cherry granola bars
Time: 45 minutes, mostly active
Yield: about 18 large bars
1 1/2 cup quick rolled oats
1 1/2 cup puffed rice cereal (brown or white is fine)
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
2/3 cup chocolate covered sunflower seeds
2/3 cup dried cherries, roughly chopped
2/3 cup dried strawberries, roughly chopped
1/3 cup freeze-dried cherries
1/3 cup freeze-dried strawberries
6 Tbsp melted coconut oil
1/3 cup + 2 Tbsp sunflower seed butter (1/3 cup works, but the bars are slightly crumbly)
1/3 cup + 2 Tbsp brown rice syrup
Preheat the oven to 350. Line an 8x8 baking pan with parchment and lightly grease. Set aside.
Combine the dry ingredients in a large bowl.
In a smaller bowl, melt the coconut oil. Whisk in the sunflower seed butter and the brown rice syrup. If not coming together, microwave the wet ingredients for 10 seconds at a time and try whisking as the ingredients warm.
Pour the wet ingredients over the dry ones. Using a spatula or your hands (I always use my hands), stir well to combine.
Dump the mixture into the parchment-lined baking pan and pack down.
Bake in the oven for 25 minutes or just until the edges begin to brown.
Let cool completely before serving. The bars stay crunchy for one week in a sealed bag at room temperature, but go ahead and freeze some or all if you won't eat within a week.
Green curry fish stew
Soup and stew are famously my favorite things. Well, this one is a Thai-inspired curry soup/stew that is both rich and light, familiar and new.
For me, one of the things I like about having a child is that his needs are so immediate that caring for him forces me to be in the moment much more than I ever was pre-parenthood. That required compartmentalizing has gotten me through the past few days. I feel this way about cooking too. It's an activity that forces me to pay attention and helps me to block out the worry that can sometimes drag me into its vortex.
So, Green Curry Fish Stew! It's a very delicious vehicle for vegetables and while not technically "hiding" them, the vegetables become part of a whole and don't taste like themselves necessarily. When M was a baby, one of his favorite purees from Baby Foode was chicken, carrots, mango, and Thai red curry paste, so he's always liked these flavors.
My version of a Thai-inspired curry is not at all traditional and is also technically more of a soup than a stew because there's a lot of sauce. But to me, that's the best part, so I'm not complaining.
And don't be scared of kohlrabi. If you can't find it, cabbage or broccoli stalks are the closest substitutes and also the closest in taste. You can eat kohlrabi raw, sauteed, boiled, or roasted and it's available in most grocery stores and farmer's markets. Here is a great description of what kohlrabi is and some suggestions about what to do with it.
Green curry fish stew
½ large onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 Tbsp olive oil
2 cup fish stock (or chicken/vegetable stock)
1 can full-fat coconut milk
5-7 Tbsp Thai green curry paste (or just go ahead and use the entire little bottle)
1 pint mushrooms, chopped
1 bunch baby broccoli (if using regular broccoli, use 6 oz or about 2 cups)
1 medium kohlrabi bulb, chopped (or just use the broccoli stalks if you can’t find kohlrabi)
2 cups raw baby spinach (1 cup frozen)
1 lb white fish (thawed or frozen)
2 Tbsp fish sauce
Cilantro for garnish
Heat oil over a medium flame and add onion and garlic, cooking until the onions are opaque, about 3 minutes.
Add the chopped mushrooms and cook until they start to wilt a bit, about 5 more minutes.
Add the baby broccoli and cook for one minute.
Add the coconut milk and the fish stock and bring to a boil.
Add the spinach, kohlrabi, and fish and bring back to a boil (this only takes a minute). Push the fish down to make sure it's covered by the cooking liquid.
When the pot is back to a boil, reduce heat all the way to low, cover, and let simmer until the fish is flaky, about 8-10 minutes depending on the thickness of your fish and if you start with frozen or thawed filets.
Once the fish is cooked, stir in the fish sauce and sprinkle with cilantro.
Makes 7-8 cups, which was about 4 adult servings and 2 toddler servings
