Healthy Eater

I try to feed ButterBean nutritious, organic food whenever possible and have tossed around the idea of not feeding him meat. To test it out, a few weeks ago I made him some "tofu fingers" minus the cayenne pepper the recipe called for.

I was ButterBean was so hungry that I didn't snap a picture of the tofu fingers until our second helping. He gobbled them up so fast I hardly got a bite during our first round! Since this time he has also surprised me with his willingness to eat cooked kale! He has always like cooked spinach, especially with eggs, but I was expecting a gag or two when I gave him kale. I made this African Kale Stew, which sounded weird, but was good! I added black beans to up the protein factor for ButterBean. He passed up a banana (a tried and true favorite) for more kale! I've been blessed with a very NOT picky eater. He's just not a big fan of plain cheese. Other than that every texture, flavor, spice, and food group is fair game for him. I attribute some of this to my own diverse eating habits both while he was in the womb and while I was breast feeding him. And like his mama, he won't turn down dark chocolate!

African-Style Stewed Kale
adapated from Bon Appetit

Heat 2 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil in a large saute pan. Add 1 chopped onion and 3 minced garlic cloves and saute until soft. Stir in 1 Tbsp. ground cumin and 1 Tbsp. ground coriander, then 1 28-oz. can of crushed tomatoes and chopped stemmed leaves from 2 heads of kale. Cover and cook until kale is just tender, about 15 minutes. Add one can of black beans. Stir in 1/2 cup peanut butter and 1/2 cup fresh cilantro leaves or 3-4 cubes of frozen Dorot cilantro and simmer for 10 minutes; season with hot pepper sauce, if desired. Serve plain or over couscous.