DIP-and-EAT with us!
Dipping pieces of veggies or fruits in yummy sauce has been our kids favorite lately. I usually serve it at a snack time, while playing in the afternoon, pre dinner but sometimes it is their dinner on a fully raw day.
“PINK TOMATO SAUCE” – named by Travis is their number one at the moment, but I promise to prepare a few other dip recipes, so you can use a variety of them.
Our kids don’t like all the vegetables yet, so I rotate pretty much cucumbers, carrots, apples (like on the picture, but sometimes I give them just one kind with a sauce). My kids favorite right now are: carrots, apples or pears, cucumbers. There are plenty other fruit/veggies for dipping like: radish, daikon, peppers, pears, sweet peas, all kinds of lettuce (iceberg and romaine hearts are great), kohlrabi, celery (rare to find in Phrao). Maybe some else, write it down in the comments please.
I love to see them play and snack this way, because I know it’s nourishing their bodies. Travis had a bit of difficulty to eat other things beside cucumbers, but he is trying a piece or two of other things and loves carrots, tomatoes and apples the most. DIP helps to find more pleasure in eating plain vegetables as well as makes a fun experience.
Travis is drinking a lot of green smoothies, getting his double or triple portion of leafy greens daily, so I let him skip lettuce at the DIP-and-EAT time. But Maya is a whole fruit eater mostly and she needs to eat her greens since it would be not enough just from one salad in the evening. She loves to create wraps with lettuce and dip it in the sauce, everyone is happy. Troy is looking, asking, touching, but he sticks with his carrots or cucumber only. No dipping yet. I started dipping a bit to late for him and it is too new. Best idea is to prepare this and eat together with a baby, lets him play and dip his fingers, taste it, even if the baby will not eat much, most important is to get to know this. For babies I would suggest dips with avocado or coconut meat instead – I promise some recipes next week – just because it seems a bit more gentle on the digestion. But some babies eat tomatoes early, so it’s up to you, try and watch what happens and if there is a reaction or not. But after 1 year old, they should be fine with presoaked seeds and stronger flavors.
This one is Travis’s favorite flavor. He seems to favor red over green sauces so far, but I am working on it. He is totally enjoying it, but it did not come that easily at first. You need to remember to be patient and don’t give up too quickly, even if you hear no. First few times I prepared a platter like this when they were a bit hungry, as an appetizer, and that works best. I knew they like cucumbers, so it was a safe choice. Just a matter of getting them to try the sauce. I told them that is made out of tomatoes and sunflower seeds, that both of them love – it was enough to convince them to try. They quietly started eating and it was a bit of a moment I was thinking – oh, no, they hate it! – but I went back to the kitchen and just listened to what they were talking about. Maya suggested to Travis to sprinkle cucumber with more sunflower seeds after dipping, he agreed, tried and liked it. They were talking about vegetables and Maya explained why it is so good for them. He was hooked on. Now when I say – do you want DIP-and-EAT ? They are excited like I would be offering donuts in the past.
I almost forgot, here is a recipe for the sauce, which is very simple, you can adjust the kind of seeds that you want to use. I would love using walnuts, but I am kind of suspicious still that they are too heavy to digest. Best is to presoak seeds or nuts for few hours prior to blending.
PINK TOMATO sauce for DIPPING:
1) 3-4 small tomatoes or 1 cup cherry tomatoes
2) 1 small zucchini peeled (I use 1/2 small napa cabbage, because zucchini is very rare to find in here), it tastes better with zucchini, but this is not bad either.
3) 1 slice of small garlic clove (just a tiny piece, to flavor, but it’s optional)
4) 1/2 cup sunflower seeds (or less) – presoaked
5) optionally 1 tbsp of pumpkin seeds – presoaked
6) 1tsp of flax seeds (sauce is less watery as well as it’s addition of omega 3) – presoaked
7) juice of 1/2 lime or lemon
8) 1/4 tsp of himalayan salt (optional)
9) 1tbs chopped sun-dried tomatoes (unsalted) – presoaked 1 hr
10) if you like it a bit sweet – 1tsp of coconut sugar or agave syrup (I skip that)
11) if you stay away from garlic yet – you can use a small piece of scallion, white part, kicks the flavor up but watch it for the kids, don’t make it too strong.
12) I can’t buy this in Phrao, but adding 1-2 celery sticks is amazing for dips and will replace the salt for those who only want it slightly salty
Blend it well. I blend it till it’s a bit warm, because that’s how my kids like it. You will find your own way. You can add 1 ice cube to a blender and make it cold. You can replace seeds with nuts or different seeds. You can use less seeds for an adult, to make it low fat. I create many versions, and will post some more soon!
DIP and EAT with us!
Prepare your platter, take a photo and post on our Facebook in the comments!
We want to see your creativity!
Yours,
ULLENKA
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