Family-Friendly Vegetarian Recipes: Calabecitas

by Cheryl Tallman on July 6, 2010

Photo by iLoveButter)Vegetarian Kid Recipes: Calabecitas

Vegetarian Kid Recipes: Calabecitas

This is a family-friendly recipe that includes a puree for babies in Stages Two and Three.

Ingredients:

  • 3-4 medium-sized zucchini, diced
  • 1 large onion, diced
  • 3 ears fresh sweet corn or 1-1/2 cups of frozen corn or canned corn, rinsed & drained
  • 1 can black beans
  • 2 Tbsp olive oil
  • Shredded cheddar cheese
  • Sprinkle of chili powder, optional
  • Salt and fresh pepper, to taste

Directions: Pour black beans in colander and rinse for 1 minute under cold water. Remove husks from corn and cut kernels off the cobs. In a large sauté pan, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add onions, corn and zucchini and sauté until zucchini and onion is softened, about 5-6 minutes. Reduce heat to low and gently stir in black beans and continue cooking to heat the black beans about 1-2 minutes. Remove a portion of the mixture from the pan to puree for your baby (see below). To the remaining mixture (for the rest of the family), add salt and pepper to taste; sprinkle lightly with chili powder and spread cheddar cheese evenly over the top. Cover pan to melt cheese about 1 minute. Serve immediately and can be frozen into small portions for future meals.

Using the set aside mixture for toddlers/babies: The ingredients in this recipe are diced, so it’s a great finger food for a toddler. It can also be blended to a lumpy (stage 3) or smooth texture (stage 2) depending on the type of the foods your baby is eating. Simply add water to develop the appropriate texture. Note: the set-aside mixture for Baby does not include cheese, chili powder or salt and pepper.

**Stage 2: mixed food purees (2 or 3 food purees mixed together); Stage 3: A combo of pureed foods and textured foods such a mashed rice, pastina, meats (ground or shredded, etc…).

About the author: Cheryl Tallman is the co-founder of Fresh Baby, creators of the award-winning So Easy Baby Food Kit, and author of the So Easy Baby Food Basics: Homemade Baby Food in Less Than 30 Minutes Per Week and So Easy Toddler Food: Survival Tips and Simple Recipes for the Toddler Years. Visit Cheryl online at www.FreshBaby.com for more delicious tips.

{ 4 comments… read them below or add one }

Nav July 12, 2010 at 10:55 pm

Interesting that two of the ingredients call for ‘canned’ when almost all canned food is chock-full of BPA..

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Jennifer Lance July 13, 2010 at 6:56 am

Good point Nav! As always, fresh, organic ingredients are best!

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Penny July 13, 2010 at 9:38 am

This recipe was great! I made it for my baby and he loved it! I did throw a little extra something in there though – chickpeas. I bought a bag of pre-seasoned, ready-made chickpeas from the brand Tasty Bite, and they were great. I tried the puree myself and the extra flavor was great. I trust the brand because their products are preservative-free, all natural, low salt/fat/calorie, and use very simple ingredients. I eat a lot of their products and puree a lot of their food for my baby, which he loves. Thanks for the great recipe and bon appetit!

Reply

Cheryl Tallman October 21, 2010 at 2:12 pm

Nav, Great point about my use of the word “canned”. To avoid BP-A and still get the quick convenience of ready-made, look for the ingredient foods available in jars.

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