Squeeze Me? Soup for Toddlers?: Red Lentil Soup with Lemon Recipe

Meal Monday

It comes as no surprise to readers of this blog that it is a challenge to get my triple crew to eat their veggies. That's one of the reasons mealtime is my least favorite part of the day. I'm lucky if I can squeeze in a spinach pancake here, some caramelized carrots there. My most successful infiltrations are zucchini, carrot, and pumpkin muffins.

Recently I was at the store and noticed something new (to me, at least) in the baby food aisle: pureed vegetables in squeezable pouches. I was intrigued.

Turns out, the trips were too. They now love "squeezies." As soon as they see them, I am serenaded by a loud chorus of "mmmmmmmm." They even slurp them for dessert.

While I am basking in the success of this experiment, I am kind of ashamed that I have resorted to feeding my almost two-year-olds baby food. But desperate times call for desperate measures.

With pureed food on my brain and falling leaves outside, I knew what I needed to make: soup. Granted, soup isn't the best food for 22-month-olds to eat themselves. Especially mine, who sport full war paint after feeding themselves pudding. But I figured it was worth a try.

I made some lentil soup.  My husband and I loved it.  We each had two bowls. Never mind that we slurped them on the couch while watching Tina Fey in Date Night, a gentle reminder of how having kids can impact your social life.

But would the popularity of squeezies among my little trio translate into a love for soup? I gave Bitty a spoonful. She ate it, looked at me, and shrieked, "no!" Zeke, in his typical fashion, covered his eyes, turned his head, and screamed.

It wasn't looking good as I moved on to Dude, who is generally my harshest critic. He looked at me and looked at the bowl. He allowed me to put the spoon in his mouth. Then he asked for more. And more. And more.

Mommy squeezed out a small victory.

 

Red Lentil Soup with Lemon
From Orangette, who adapted it slightly from In the Kitchen with a Good Appetite by Melissa Clark

Ingredients:

4 Tbsp olive oil
2 large yellow onions
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 Tbsp tomato paste
2 tsp ground cumin
½ tsp kosher salt, or more to taste
A few grinds of freshly ground black pepper
Pinch of cayenne pepper, or more to taste
2 quarts chicken or vegetable broth
2 cups water
2 cups red lentils, picked through for stones and debris
2 large carrots, peeled and diced
Juice of 1 lemon, or more to taste
1/3 cup chopped fresh cilantro

Preparation:

In a large pot, warm the oil over medium-high heat until hot and shimmering. Add the onions and garlic and cook until golden, about 4 minutes. Stir in the tomato paste, cumin, salt, pepper, and cayenne, and cook for 2 minutes longer. Add the broth, 2 cups water, the lentils, and the carrots. Bring to a simmer, then partially cover the pot and reduce the heat to maintain a gentle simmer. Continue to cook until the lentils are soft, about 30 minutes. Taste, and add more salt if necessary.

Using an immersion or regular blender, puree about half of the soup. It should still be somewhat chunky, not completely smooth. Reheat if necessary, then stir in the lemon juice and cilantro. If desired, serve the soup drizzled with good olive oil and dusted lightly with cayenne.

This blog post is part of the All About Parenting Blog Carnival on kids in the kitchen. Please check out the other entries!

Comments

[stacy]

This recipe sounds great and I'm planning on making it soon. I love the image of you squeezing out your small victory. And I'm not above looking for the squeezies for my four and seven-year-old kids.

[Lentil Soup]

Good for you. Having feed toddlers is a great task. My son is a picky eater. I disguise most of the healthy stuffs with their favorite stuffs.. Thanks for this idea. Will give it a try.