# Bean recipes for toddlers



## gigglesgalore (Aug 1, 2003)

My dd is 14 months. She's a great eater, but I haven't really gotten her to eat many beans. Unfortunately, DH and I don't eat them much either, mostly because DH cooks dinners and doesn't go for the beans, but I'd like to change that. I love 'em! Any good recipes that all of us will enjoy? TIA


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## Arwen (Dec 23, 2003)

My daughter loves black cuban beans over rice. They are tangy and full of flavor, but not overly so, as most kids don't like that. Sometimes I make them homemade, sometimes I'm swamped for time and use canned ones (trader joes, if in your area, has some great ones). She also loves baked beans (with vegi dog slices), vegetarian chili, and spicy pinto beans with peppers. All of these can be either bought in cans, or homemade, which is very easy. Beans also freeze well, so you could make big batches and freeze them (I freeze them in muffin pans for individual servings, then pop them out once frozen and store in freezer bags.)


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## Marlena (Jul 19, 2002)

In addition to the above, which all sound great, you can also make a mild lentil curry (sautee finely-minced onion and garlic till fragrant and softening, add rinsed green or brown lentils and an appropriate quantity of stock or water, bring to boil, then reduce to simmer for 45minutes or so; then, in another pan, heat some oil and fry some fenugreek seeds, cumin, corriander, garam masala and, if you like, a hint of cayenne until fragrant, and add to the lentils. Stir and let simmer for another 10 minutes or so, until the lentils are tender and ready to eat. Add salt and lemon juice to taste, and serve with rice.

Bean chili is also good - there are many recipes out there for it. You can also make small green lentils (French lentils) with sauteed aromatics (onions, shallots, garlic) and fresh herbs (thyme, oregano and rosemary, in particular), with a dash of red wine vinegar or even balsamic vinegar to temper it.


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## sandrajoon (Oct 2, 2003)

Edamame is a great snack and is fun to eat. Just boil the young soybean pods in salted water a few minutes, drain and then add butter. My DD loves to eat these.

We also use small amounts of beans in different dishes and that seems to go over much better than a whole whack of one type of bean. For instance, I make a simple rice pilaf with basmati in my pressure cooker:

Saute onion and garlic in oil in the pressure cooker or other regular pot. Add some tumeric and salt. Add whatever veggies you like (I like roasted eggplant all chopped up), the rice and water, beans (I used chickpeas the other night) and some dried dill. Stir. Put the lid on and, presto, 7 minutes later (in the pressure cooker) you'll have an awesome pilaf! You could also add some nuts like cashews or almonds to this to jazz it up. And you can do this with brown rice, too, just takes about 20-25 minutes instead of 7.

Or how about some marinated beans added to rice or pasta salad? Or grind up some chickpeas that have been soaked over night with some wheat berries that have also been soaked over night, and cook them up together. This will make a porridge that is delicious! Serve with some oil or butter, cinnamon, maple sugar. Yum. Its called haleem, from the middle east. Also, falafel is a good bean dish... How about adding some beans to soups?

this is a stream of consciousness reply...'scuze the disjointedness!


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## VikingKvinna (Dec 31, 2003)

Corn-and-black-bean salad? That's colorful and yummy, and would be fun finger food.

Or just plain ol' refried beans spread on a tortilla...if you want to get fancy (and make this for the whole family, not just your DD) add some yellow rice and monterey jack, or salsa, or veggies. (These also freeze really well. They were my default meal when I was pregnant!)

Falafel sounds good. You could make them small for finger food. Actually, all of these sound good!

~Nick


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