Category: Recipes

Lemon-Glazed Sugar Cookies

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It’s not Christmas until you’ve made cut-out sugar cookies! This recipe was more of a mommy project, not a kid recipe like some others in our kitchen this holiday season, but kids will love helping to decorate the cookies in the final step.

Ingredients:

For the cookies:

  • 2 and 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
  • 3/4 teaspoon salt
  • 3/4 cup Earth Balance butter, softened
  • 2/3 cup sugar
  • 1 tablespoon ground flaxseed
  • 3 tablespoons water
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

For the glaze:

  • 2 cups powdered sugar
  • 2 tablespoons + 2 teaspoons lemon juice
  • 1 teaspoon grated lemon zest

To decorate:

  • Chopped pistachios
  • Sprinkles
  1. To prepare the dough, combine the flour, baking powder, and salt in a bowl. Set aside.
  2. In a stand mixer, beat the butter and sugar until fluffy, about 2 minutes. Whisk the flaxseed into the water to make 1 flax egg. Add to the stand mixer, along with the vanilla, and beat until combined.
  3. Beat in the flour mixture at low speed until a dough forms.
  4. Shape the dough into a disk and roll between two sheets of parchment paper to 1/4-inch thick. Use holiday cookie cutters to cut out shapes of your choice. Transfer to 2 parchment-paper lined baking sheets.Lemon Sugar Cookies (1)
  5. Chill the cookies for 15 to 20 minutes, then bake at 350 degrees F for 11 minutes. Let cool on the baking sheets.
  6. To prepare the glaze, whisk together the powdered sugar, lemon juice, and zest. Spread over the cookies and return to the baking sheet. Immediately sprinkle with desired toppings.

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Let dry completely, and then it’s time for pretty packaging! To gift the cookies, transfer them to wax paper bags and fold over the top. Add a holiday cupcake liner. Use a hole punch to punch through all the layers, then secure with a brad.

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Of course don’t forget to save some for your family… And a few for Santa!

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Apple-Roasted Carrots

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A little apple juice adds just the right hint of sweetness to these carrots, perfect for toddlers.

Ingredients:

  • 4 carrots
  • 1/4 cup apple juice
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  1. Peel and thinly slice the carrots, and toss with the apple juice in a large bowl. Transfer to a baking sheet coated with the olive oil.
  2. Bake at 450 degrees F for 15 minutes, until very tender.

Lentil Stew

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Thicker than a traditional lentil soup, this recipe is great for babies practicing with a spoon, so they don’t spill too much broth!

Ingredients:

  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1 minced garlic clove
  • 1 small diced onion
  • 2 cups water
  • 1 vegetable bouillon cube
  • 1 cup chopped carrot
  • 1/2 cup chopped celery
  • 1/2 cup lentils
  • 1 (14.5-ounce) can diced tomatoes
  1. Heat the olive oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the garlic and onion; saute for 5 minutes.
  2. Add the water, bouillon, carrots, celery, lentils, and tomatoes. Cover and simmer for about 35 minutes. Uncover and simmer a final 10 minutes. Let cool slightly before serving.

Mashed Sweet Potatoes

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Mashed Sweet Potatoes

Chances are that sweet potatoes were one of your baby’s first foods, eagerly gobbled up with no embellishments. If your budding toddler is becoming a bit pickier about vegetables, this buttery update should land sweet potatoes back on the menu!

Ingredients:

  • 2 large sweet potatoes
  • 2 tablespoons Earth Balance butter
  1. Peel and chop the sweet potatoes and place in a saucepan. Cover with water and bring to a boil. Continue to cook or for 25 minutes, until very tender.
  2. Drain and return to the pan, along with the butter. Mash to desired consistency.

Whole Wheat Shells with Marinara Sauce

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Shells with Marinara (2)

This super-simple marinara recipe has just a touch of sweetness. In other words, perfect for babies eating pasta with tomato-based sauce for the first time!

Ingredients:

  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1 minced garlic clove
  • 1 (28-ounce) can diced tomatoes
  • 6 tablespoons tomato paste
  • 1 teaspoon agave nectar
  • 1 tablespoon chopped fresh basil
  • 1 teaspoon dried oregano
  • Cooked whole wheat pasta shells
  1. Heat the olive oil in a saucepan over medium heat. Add the garlic and cook for 2 minutes.
  2. Add the diced tomatoes, tomato paste, agave, basil, and oregano. Reduce heat and simmer for 1 hour, as the sauce thickens.
  3. Serve over cooked pasta shells of choice! We like the very small cavatelli that are just the right size for little fingers.

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Blueberry Syrup

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Blueberry Syrup (1)

Veronika’s favorite finger-food for breakfast these days is mini waffles. Add a little bit of this homemade blueberry syrup on the side and your toddler will love it!

Ingredients:

  • 2 cups frozen blueberries
  • 1/3 cup apple juice
  • 1 tablespoon cornstarch
  • 2 tablespoons water
  1. Combine the blueberries and apple juice in a saucepan; cook over medium heat for about 10 minutes.
  2. Meanwhile, whisk the cornstarch into the water. Add the cornstarch mixture to the blueberry mixture and cook for a final 1 to 2 minutes, until thickened.

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Easy Chili

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Turkey Chili

This hearty chili has just enough spice to appeal to toddlers and grown-ups both, making it a true family meal!

Ingredients:

  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 chopped red onion
  • 1 minced garlic clove
  • 1 (12-ounce) package Lightlife meatless crumbles
  • 2 cups chopped butternut squash
  • 1/2 cup water
  • 2 (14.5-ounce) cans diced tomatoes
  • 1 (15-ounce) can black beans, undrained
  • 1 (15-ounce can corn, drained
  • 1 (8-ounce) can tomato sauce
  • 2 teaspoons chili powder
  • 1 tablespoon cumin
  • 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
  • Plain non-dairy yogurt (optional)
  1. Heat the olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add the onion and garlic; cook for 3 minutes
  2. Add the Lightlife crumbles to the pan and cook for about 2 minutes, until heated.
  3. Add the squash, water, diced tomatoes, black beans, corn, tomato sauce, chili powder, cumin, and cinnamon. Bring to a simmer, then cover, reduce heat to medium-low and simmer for 20 minutes.
  4. Serve with the yogurt, if desired!

Strawberry Banana Yogurt

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This easy yogurt mixture is perfect for babies to spoon up themselves. Or serve it the way we like best – spooned over pancakes!

Ingredients:

  • 1 cup vanilla non-dairy yogurt
  • 1/2 cup chopped strawberries
  • 1/2 cup sliced banana
  • 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
  1. Combine all the ingredients in a bowl, and stir to combine.

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Spinach-Artichoke Dip

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Get your Thanksgiving off to a warm note with this creamy dip!

Ingredients:

  • 12 ounces silken tofu
  • 2 (14-ounce) cans artichoke hearts, drained
  • 10 ounces frozen spinach, thawed
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 yellow onion, chopped
  • 3 garlic cloves, minced
  • 8 ounces non-dairy cream cheese
  1. Combine the tofu, artichokes, and spinach in a blender; process until smooth.
  2. Meanwhile, heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onion and garlic and cook for 4 minutes. Stir in the artichoke mixture and the cream cheese, cooking until the cream cheese melts.
  3. Spoon the mixture into a 2-quart baking dish and bake at 350 degrees F for 20 minutes.
  4. Serve with your favorite crackers!

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This one was even toddler-approved!

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Mashed Potatoes & Parsnips with Easy Gravy

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Mashed Po Gravy (2)

This will be Veronika’s first Thanksgiving eating solid food (last year she was only 1 month old!). This easy mashed potato recipe will be perfect for her holiday table; it’s mild enough for toddlers, but yummy enough to please older kids or grown-ups, too.

Ingredients:

For the potatoes:

  • 4 yellow potatoes
  • 2 parsnips
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt

For the gravy:

  • 1 cup + 2 tablespoons hot water, divided
  • 1 vegetable bouillon cube
  • 2 teaspoons soy sauce
  • 1/4 teaspoon poultry seasoning
  • 1 tablespoon cornstarch
  1. To prepare the potatoes, peel and chop the potatoes and parsnips and place in a saucepan. Cover with water and bring to a boil; continue to cook for 15 minutes, until tender.
  2. Drain, reserving the cooking liquid, and return to the pan. Add the olive oil and salt and mash with a potato masher to desired consistency, adding enough reserved cooking liquid as desired for the consistency your toddler likes.
  3. Meanwhile, prepare the gravy: dissolve the bouillon cube in 1 cup hot water. Whisk in the soy sauce and poultry seasoning.
  4. In a small bowl, whisk together the cornstarch and remaining 2 tablespoons water. Add the cornstarch mixture to the broth mixture, whisking until combined and thickened.
  5. Serve the gravy over the mashed potatoes, and wherever else it would be yummy at your holiday table!

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