Soren's Purple Plate

Babies, kids, and parents eat together. Simple, healthy food ideas.

RED LENTIL STEW WITH SWEET POTATOES AND Peppers

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BLW appropriate from 6 months! It is an ideal dish for beginners.

If I were to pick one dish that I make the most, that my son likes the most and that is one of the quickest and healthiest meals prepared in 30 minutes, it would be this one.

I change it up every time adding different spices and vegetables.

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❗️TIP: if you have the following ingredients in your kitchen at all times, you will always be able to prepare a healthy and yummy meal:

?Celery (for stews, sautés, soups, smoothies)
?Carrots (for steaming, stews, sautés, soups)
?Onions (for stews, sautés, soups and meatballs)
?Sweet potatoes (for steaming, stews, sautés)
?Parsley || for everything
?Cilantro || for everything

 

INGREDIENTS:

1 medium yellow onion
2-3 carrots
4 celery stalks
1 large sweet potato
1.5 cup red lentils
1 red pepper
1/2 cup of chopped parsley
1/3 tsp Turmeric
1/3 tsp Curry

 

METHOD:

1. Chop the onion, celery and cut carrots in circles. Cube sweet potato into 1/2 inch cubes. Rinse red lentils.

2. Heat up 1 tbsp of coconut oil (or oil of choice) in a deep pot. Sauté the onion, carrots and celery for 10 minutes stirring occasionally.

2. Add sweet potato and lentils. Pour enough water so that all the vegetables are covered by a 1/4 inch=pinky width (not more bc the dish will become too soupy). Lower the heat and cook for 10 minutes.

3. Add chopped red pepper and parsley. Season with salt and pepper, turmeric and curry. Cook for 10 minutes.

NOTE: red lentils fall apart very quickly and become creamy. They are perfect for a stew like this and definitely not good for adding to a salad.

 

 

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LENTIL STEW WITH SWEET POTATOES AND RED PEPPERS
 
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This is an ideal dish for the beginners of Baby Led Weaning. It's soft and creamy yet has texture. Sweet potatoes guarantee that your baby will like it.
Author:
Recipe type: lunch, dinner, lentils
Ingredients
  • 1 medium yellow onion
  • 2-3 carrots
  • 4 celery stalks
  • 1 large sweet potato
  • 1.5 cup red lentils
  • 1 red pepper
  • ½ cup of chopped parsley
  • ⅓ tsp Turmeric
  • ⅓ tsp Curry
Instructions
  1. Chop the onion, celery and cut carrots in circles. Cube sweet potato into ½ inch cubes. Rinse red lentils.
  2. Heat up 1 tbsp of coconut oil (or oil of choice) in a deep pot. Sauté the onion, carrots and celery for 10 minutes stirring occasionally.
  3. Add sweet potato and lentils. Pour enough water so that all the vegetables are covered by a ¼ inch=pinky width (not more bc the dish will become too soupy). Lower the heat and cook for 10 minutes.
  4. Add chopped red pepper and parsley. Season with salt and pepper, turmeric and curry. Cook for 10 minutes.
  5. NOTE: red lentils fall apart very quickly and become creamy. They are perfect for a stew like this and definitely not good for adding to a salad. Keep that in mind.

 

Red Quinoa with Cucumbers and Peaches

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What are they serving in New York today? Apparently, red royal quinoa with shredded fresh cucumber and peaches.

We decided to go out last minute and I put together this 30 second dinner to take with us for Soren. I always have some kind of grain ready in the fridge (quinoa, millet, rice, oatmeal, etc.). Today it was quinoa. I just added some shredded cucumber and chopped peaches. Pure improvisation but it worked really well. We will be repeating this combination for sure and not only for the baby; it could actually be a nice side dish for adults.

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Quinoa is something that I cook on a weekly basis. I add it to our salads and the baby has it in many different variations: with veggies, fruit, meat, fish, you name it. It’s a better sources of protein and vitamins and minerals than other grains.

HOW TO COOK IT:

Pour a tablespoon of olive oil in the pan, add 1 cup of quinoa (very well rinsed to prevent bitterness). Stir well to coat quinoa in oil and toast it stirring frequently for about 2-3 minutes. Add 2 cups of water. Simmer on low heat for 20 minutes. If cooking just for adults, you can add any spices into the water. Or you can cook it in a stock to add more flavor. I usually just cook it in water and without any salt to be able to use it for Soren.

Green Smoothie with peanut butter

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Green smoothie: one for mama, one for papa and a few frozen pops for Soren. A pop like that (minus the peanut butter) was Soren’s first food when we started baby led weaning at 5.5 months. Babies learn very fast how to hold things and direct them towards their mouths purposefully. It’s a great first food and a self-feeding tool. I used Nuby Garden Fresh Fruitsicle Frozen Pop Tray , which can be purchased on Amazon.

Contrary to the old belief of having to wait until one to introduce nuts, these days it is believed that the earlier you introduce them, the better (if you don’t have nut allergies in family). I felt nervous giving peanut butter to Soren around 7 months and watched him closely every time he had it. Sometimes allergies show up after several times of having a certain food. He was fine though and liked it a lot.

Ingredients:

1 heart of romaine
2 celery stocks
1 apple with skin (make sure to buy organic. Apple is on the top of the “dirty foods” according to The Environmental Working Group or EWG)
1 banana
1 cup frozen peaches
1 tbsp ground flex seeds
1 tbsp peanut butter
A little water or even better coconut water

 

Method:

Place all the ingredients in a blender: soft and light ingredients on the bottom and heavy and hard on the top.   Blend until smooth. I use Vitamix because it really makes a difference. It’s an expensive piece of equipment but I think it’s invaluable in the kitchen.

 

Green Smoothie with peanut butter
 
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Author:
Recipe type: smoothies, snack
Ingredients
  • Ingredients:
  • 1 heart of romaine
  • 2 celery stocks
  • 1 apple with skin (make sure to buy organic. Apple is on the top of the "dirty foods" according to The Environmental Working Group or EWG)
  • 1 banana
  • 1 cup frozen peaches
  • 1 tbsp ground flex seeds
  • 1 tbsp peanut butter
  • A little water or even better coconut water
Instructions
  1. Place all the ingredients in a blender: soft and light ingredients on the bottom and heavy and hard on the top. Blend until smooth. Pour the smoothie into the
  2. I use Vitamix because it really makes a difference. It's an expensive piece of equipment but I think it's invaluable in the kitchen.

 

 

Simple Tofu dinner

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Tofu. A controversial topic. I read both good and bad things about it. Since we don’t have any soy allergies in the family, Soren is already 11 months and eats well, and I believe anything and everything in moderation is good, I decided that today’s lunch and dinner will be tofu.

I bought organic extra firm tofu. Used paper towels to soak extra moisture. Sprinkled some coriander and turmeric on both sides and pan fried it in olive oil. When I say pan fry, I mean I warmed up tofu on a pan on medium heat flipping it a couple of times. Anything fried is not good for babies or toddlers, plus olive oil should not be heated to a frying temperature.

Result: Soren loved it so we might stick to eating tofu once in a while. 4 oz of tofu has 13 gm of protein.

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Lentil Stew with Beet Greens

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Healthy Lentil Stew

Lentils are a perfect meal. They are full of protein and flavor. Unlike many other vegan dishes, lentils are very satisfying on their own: no sauce or anything else needed. The dish I made today is full of nutrients because I used beet greens in it. Don’t ever discard beet greens. They are one of the healthiest greens out there, they contain even more healthy goodness than the beetroot itself: plenty of calcium, magnesium, vitamin B6, folate among others. You can eat it raw or cooked like in this recipe.

As always I made a big batch for my husband and me and a small, salt-free portion for the baby (he is still under one). You are chopping stuff up anyway, why not cook for everyone at once! I even froze a small portion for those empty-fridge days.  You can control the softness of the vegetables and the lentils by the amount of cooking time. If offering to the very small babies, add more water and cook for longer until the vegetables are very soft.

This stew is a wonderful meal to practice self-feeding skills right from 6 months. I used a 2-spoon-method with Soren: load one spoonful, offer it to the baby and while he is eating, prepare the second spoon. They learn so fast how to grab the spoon and direct it towards their mouths. It’s fascinating to watch.

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INGREDIENTS:

Put as many various vegetables as you like. I used:

3 celery sticks
3 broccoli stems-optional (I never discard them. I remove the rough outer layer and use in many dishes)
4 carrots
1 yellow onion
a bunch of beet greens
1 cup of french lentils (darker in color and smaller)
1-1.5 cup of regular green lentils
3 cloves of garlic
olive oil
turmeric
rosemary (I used dried)
Salt and pepper (for adults)

METHOD:

1. In a big pot, sauté chopped onions, carrots, celery and garlic for 5-8 minutes.

2. Add chopped beet greens and broccoli stems. Sauté for 3 minutes.

3. Add throughly washed lentils. Stir well. Pour water to cover lentils by an inch and a half. Season. Simmer for 25 minutes or until desired consistency.

4. Add more water if you like the stew to be soupy. Top with parsley or dill. I didn’t have any today but it still came out delicious.

 

Lentil Stew with Beet Greens
 
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Author:
Recipe type: Lentils, lunch, dinner, vegan
Cuisine: vegan
Ingredients
  • 3 celery sticks
  • 3 broccoli stems-optional (I never discard them. I remove the rough outer layer and use in many dishes)
  • 4 carrots
  • 1 yellow onion
  • a bunch of beet greens
  • 1 cup of french lentils (darker in color and smaller)
  • 1-1.5 cup of regular green lentils
  • 3 cloves of garlic
  • olive oil
  • ½ tsp of turmeric
  • rosemary (I used dried)
  • Salt and pepper (for adults)
Instructions
  1. In a big pot, sauté chopped onions, carrots, celery and garlic for 5-8 minutes.
  2. Add chopped beet greens and broccoli stems. Sauté for 3 minutes.
  3. Add throughly washed lentils. Stir well. Pour water to cover lentils by an inch and a half. Season with salt, pepper, turmeric, rosemary. Simmer for 25 minutes or until desired consistency.
  4. Add more water if you like the stew to be soupy. Top with parsley or dill. I didn't have any today but it still came out delicious.

 

Healthy Banana Apple Muffins

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Banana Apple Muffins

These muffins are absolutely guilt-free. I wouldn’t hesitate a second giving them to my son. There is no added sugar or other sweeteners; the mildly sweet taste comes from bananas and apples.  Babies and adults love them. Super easy recipe! I tried it a dozen times and it works every time. I usually bake half batch in a mini muffin mold then add chocolate and nuts for the adult muffins.

IMG_8251 IMG_8252Ingredients:

1/3 cup melted coconut oil (if you don’t have it, the recipe works just fine without it)
2 eggs
3 ripe bananas (mashed)
2 small apples, grated (with or without skin works. More fiber with skin)
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp cinnamon (put more if you love it)
1/2 cup wholewheat flour
3/4 cup instant oats
Optional: raisins, nuts, chocolate

Method:

Preheat oven to 325F. Hand beat eggs with coconut oil in a bowl. Add mashed bananas, baking powder, vanilla and cinnamon. Mix. Add apples. Mix. Add flour and oats. Stir well. Pour half a batch in a lightly greased muffin mold for babies. Then add raisins, chocolate and any other goodness you like to the adult batch. Bake for 25 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool off.

I hope you like it.

This recipe was adapted from Cookie & Kate recipe.

Healthy Banana Apple Muffins
 
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These healthy muffins can be enjoyed by babies and adults. There is no added sweeteners and sugar. The mildly sweet taste comes from apples and bananas. Baby Led Weaning appropriate from 6 months.
Author:
Recipe type: breakfast, treat, muffins
Ingredients
  • ⅓ cup melted coconut oil (if you don't have it, the recipe works just fine without it)
  • 2 eggs
  • 3 ripe bananas (mashed)
  • 2 small apples, grated (with or without skin works. More fiber with skin)
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • ½ tsp cinnamon (put more if you love it)
  • ½ cup wholewheat flour
  • ¾ cup instant oats
  • Optional: raisins, nuts, chocolate
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 325F.
  2. Hand beat eggs with coconut oil in a bowl. Add mashed bananas, baking powder, vanilla and cinnamon. Mix. Add apples. Mix. Add flour and oats. Stir well.
  3. Pour half a batch in a lightly greased muffin mold for babies. Then add raisins, chocolate and any other goodness you like to the adult batch. Bake for 25 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool off.
  4. Enjoy.

 

Carrot Side Salad

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carrot side salad

 

carrot salad

 

This is a 1 minute side salad that I made with leftover steamed carrots. It’s so simple I can’t even call it a recipe. But I decided to post it anyway because it was tasty and I, personally, always need ideas on what to make from leftovers.

The key is the dressing. I used my traditional salad dressing but you can play around and add whatever you like. I also really like spring onions. They add an extra something to this little salad. If I had chives, I would have preferred them but oh well, spring onions work well too.

Carrot Side Salad
 
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This is an example of a 1 minute salad or side dish you can put together from leftover steamed carrots (if you have a baby, you always have some leftover steamed veggies). Dress it nicely with white balsamic vinegar and olive oil and you are good to go (see dressing recipe below).
Author:
Recipe type: Salad, side dish
Cuisine: Vegan, vegetarian, side dish
Ingredients
  • Steamed carrots
  • Spring onions or chives
  • Parsley
  • White balsamic vinegar
  • Olive oil
  • 1 small garlic
  • Salt and pepper
Instructions
  1. Steam carrots for 8-10 minutes. I use stainless steel collapsible steamer all the time ($8 on Amazon).
  2. Chop spring onions or chives and parsley.
  3. Dressing: combine ½ cup of olive oil, ¼ cup of white balsamic vinegar, 1 or ½ small garlic clove (minced), salt, pepper.
  4. Combine all the ingredients in a bowl.

 

My Green Sauce

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Ok, this is my new obsession. I made this sauce on a whim to accompany our Christmas Branzino (European Seabass) and it turned out so delicious that my guests poured it over the vegetables, mashed potatoes, fish and dipped bread in it too. I mean, it’s no invention. I’m sure this sauce or its variations have been made for centuries. It must have existed a 1000 years ago; people then were so much more in tune with nature and its best flavors.

It is made with parsley, cilantro, basil, garlic, olive oil, lime juice and salt. Can’t go wrong, right! It’s full of vitamins. It adds so much flavor to any dish. I think it’s the kind of sauce that will turn carnivores into vegetarians if they add it to the vegetables, which a lot of people find bland.

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One of the reasons I will always make this sauce is because it uses the leftover coarse stems from parsley and cilantro, which I often discarded. Now- no more waste of vitamins.

PARSLEY is rich in many vital vitamins, including Vitamin C, B 12, K and A. This means parsley keeps your immune system strong, tones your bones and heals the nervous system, too. It helps flush out excess fluid from the body, thus supporting kidney function.

CILANTRO is most often cited as being effective for toxic metal cleansing and rightfully so, this herb is a powerful, natural cleansing agent. It is rich with an unusual array of healing phytonutrients and antioxidants. It is anti-septic, analgesic, aphrodisiac, helps with digestion, fungicidal and a natural stimulant. And, of course, it’s most powerful in its raw state or juiced form. It is a very good source of vitamins A, C, K and traces of the B vitamins. In the minerals department, it provides high amount of calcium and potassium. In addition, cilantro is rich in iron, manganese and sodium. Remember, especially these days, how important it is to keep the body rich in minerals. Basically a superfood.

GARLIC has too many benefits to list here for a busy mom like me. I will just say that, I grew up in Belarus and I don’t think I lived a day without garlic growing up. It was used for all kinds of ailments and added to all foods, raw and cooked.

So all that praise aside, this is how you make it.

My Green Sauce
 
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This nutritious sauce is made with parsley, cilantro, basil, garlic, olive oil, lime juice and salt. Can't go wrong, right! It's full of vitamins. It adds so much flavor to any dish. I think it's the kind of sauce that will turn carnivores into vegetarians if they add it to the vegetables, which a lot of people find bland. Besides the flavor, I will always make this sauce is because it uses the leftover coarse stems from parsley and cilantro, which I often discard. Now- no more waste of vitamins.
Author:
Recipe type: sauce
Cuisine: mediterranean
Ingredients
  • a large bunch of parsely with stems
  • a large bunch of cilanto with stems
  • ⅓ cup of basil
  • 1 large garlic clove (minced)
  • juice of half of lime
  • ½ cup of olive oil
  • salt
Instructions
  1. Place all the ingredients in a blender or a small food-processor and blend/pulse until smooth. When I use my Vitamix blender, the sauce comes out silky smooth (like in the photo). When I use my Cuisinart mini-prep food processor, the sauce is lumpier but also delicious. I even prefer it a bit more textured. Adjust salt to your liking. I put ⅓ of a teaspoon.

 

 

 

Red Lentils with Vegetables

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And we are back to our weekly staple –  lentils. When I am really pressed in time, I resort to red lentils because they are guaranteed to be cooked within 15-20 minutes. Also, unlike other types, red lentils don’t need to be soaked. If you would like to use them in a salad, then you would need to take them off the heat after just 10 minutes. Otherwise, keep them for 15-20 minutes to turn them into a puree or 25 minutes to make them really mushy. I personally love the mushy texture especially in contrast to the firmer vegetables  in a stew.

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Lentils was one of the very first foods I introduced to Soren when he was about 6.5 months old. My personal favorites are French lentils but I started with red ones because of its soft consistency and shortly after introduced all other kinds.

Lentils are really a powerhouse of nutrition. To learn more about this amazing food, why we like it and how we eat it read here.

FOR PREGNANCY: When I was pregnant with Soren, I ate a lot of beans and lentils. Besides high quantities of protein, they contain a lot of folate, which we need  for cellular growth and regeneration and to prevent fetal deformities.  Doctors always prescribe folic acid to pregnant women. Folic acid is a vitamin B9, a synthetic version of naturally occurring folate. While I still took prenatal vitamins, I tried to get the most vitamins from food.

On the topic of pregnancy and what we pass on to our unborn babies during that time, Annie Murphy Paul gives a wonderful presentation of a scientific study What We Learn Before We Are Born. Watch it; it’s really fascinating.

It could be just that Soren inherited my taste for lentils (being influenced in the womb) or it might be because they were on his plate that early (6.5 months); whatever the reason, they are his favorite food. I am lucky because it’s so easy to pack a lentil stew with all kinds of vegetables and spices. You are basically delivering a nutritious multi-vitamin-multi-mineral in a spoonful.

To take it to another level, I served it with my new Green Sauce made with parsley, cilantro and basil. It deserves a special post – Click here to view.

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And how easy and quick it is to make! In this particular stew, I used rainbow carrots but you can use any carrots you like. And in general, you can substitute and add as much as you want with my recipes (except for baking). They are not really recipes, they are soft instructions which you can modify.

Red Lentils with Vegetables
 
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Recipe type: stew, lunch, dinner, family meal
Ingredients
  • 1.5-2 cups red lentils
  • A bunch of spring onions (or ½ yellow onion)
  • 3 celery stalks
  • 4 carrots (I used rainbow carrots)
  • 2 cups of chopped green beans
  • 2 small potatoes
  • 1 large garlic clove
Instructions
  1. Wash and prepare all the vegetables: finely chop the onions, celery, cut carrots in large circles, chop green beans into 1 inch pieces, cube potatoes, mince the garlic.
  2. In a large pot, warm up 3 tbsp of olive oil and sauté all the vegetables together for 8 minutes stirring frequently. If using a steel pot without a non-stick surface, add a bit of water to prevent from sticking too much.
  3. Wash the lentils in a colander, add them to the vegetables. Toast them stirring frequently for 3-5 minutes. Add enough water to cover the lentils by 1 inch. Season with salt and pepper. Reduce heat, cover with lid and cook for 15-20 minutes until the lentils are soft and mushy. These guys always fall apart and make a nice creamy stew.
  4. Right before turning off the heat, it's nice to add some turmeric. It's an amazing anti-inflamatory spice without any flavor, which adds golden color to dishes.
  5. TIP: turmeric stains pretty badly especially before it's cooked in a dish so handle with care.

 

 

 

Classic Whole Wheat Crepes

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Whole Wheat Crepes

The day after Christmas. Sad or happy? With a typical sense of relief after a mad race to wrap all the presents in time, not to burn your Christmas dinner and not to forget to feed your kid, comes a bit of a melancholy and a sense of loss. I find that anticipation, the journey, the process is more enjoyable that the destination, the reaching of the goal. That’s not to say that I didn’t enjoy my lazy Christmas Day. I did. Very much. Time suddenly stops and the holiday gently wraps itself around you. Ahhh… But this morning all three of us (I’m speaking for Soren here) felt the need to experience the pleasure that doesn’t expire in any season, holiday or age. Something that doesn’t fade after the noise of the holidays… Ta-da! All this intro for a couple of warm crepes! Kinda crazy, I know.

Anyway, this morning I gave the stage of Soren’s Purple Plate to my renowned sous chef- my husband Farhad. He is the master of crepes so I could just relax and quietly watch the kitchen being destroyed ?. But all worth it – these crepes always come out delicious. We topped them up with sour cream (Russian style), Nutella (World style) and date molasses (hippy style). It’s a simple recipe. Double or triple the proportions if making for more people. The below serves 2 and a toddler.

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A word on date molasses: it’s my new obsession. Ever since my pregnancy I am a prisoner to sweet things. There are so few that are unprocessed (like whole fresh fruits) and even fewer that are mildly processed (like maple syrup, coconut and date sugar). Usually sweeteners are highly processed and contain all kinds of preservatives and ingredients no one can pronounce. I recently discovered date molasses. I buy the brand that contains nothing other than dates. It’s so delicious, natural, unrefined and vegan. Read more here if you are interested in learning more. And since we are on the topic of sugary stuff, read this article to see which sugar is the best for you.

 

Classic Whole Wheat Crepes
 
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These whole wheat crepes are a classic easy breakfast. Enjoy them savory with smoked salmon and cream cheese, chicken with vegetables or plain (they are not sweet) or with jam, sour cream, nutella or fruit. So simple yet always feels special.
Author:
Recipe type: breakfast
Cuisine: world
Ingredients
  • 2 eggs
  • ½ cup of whole wheat flour
  • 7 oz of milk
  • 5 tbsp of water
  • Pinch of salt
  • a knob of melted butter
Instructions
  1. Combine all the ingredients together either by whisking by hand, using a hand-held blender or a regular stand alone blender. Blend until smooth.
  2. Drop 3-4 tbsp of batter into a heated and greased pan (with coconut oil or butter) and pan fry flipping once.