If you’ve been following this blog and my Instagram, you know that I’ve been modifying our table food for our baby (now young toddler) since the start of solids. It’s become clear to me that if kids are used to certain flavors, textures, and colors of food from an early age, they’re more likely to enjoy those foods later on. This means we decided to expose her to just about everything, including garlic, onions, black pepper, meat, grains, and vegetable stews. Whether you’re looking to expand your child’s palate or cook food from your heritage, here are my favorite Middle Eastern meals for babies and toddlers and tips on how I serve them.
*As a general rule of thumb, in regards to sodium consumption, during months 6-12, I removed a portion for our baby before salting our food, omitting the salt unless we ate out. After 12m, I’m less strict about it, mostly because I love to salt during the cooking process, and I want her to eat what we’re eating. I just remove a portion for her before adjusting for salt.
**Another rule of thumb: if a recipe contains some of the 9 common allergens (i.e. nuts, peanuts, wheat, dairy, egg, soy, sesame, fish, shellfish), introduce one at a time before cooking the dish. Also, don’t serve whole nuts since they’re a choking hazard, but nut/seed butters (like tahini) are fine.
If you’re in the beginning of your weaning journey and want some general tips, you can find that here.
Mujaddara (Syrian Bulgur Wheat, Lentil and Browned Onion Pilaf)
Mujaddara is delicious, super nutritious, packed with fiber and plant-based protein, and exposes your child to the wonderful flavor of onions early. To modify it, you can mash it with yogurt to make it easily scoopable. Or, you can leave the bulgur and lentils as is, chop the onions finely, and mix with Greek yogurt. 6m+
Stewed Spinach with Ground Meat and Rice (Sabanekh ou Ruz)
Vegetable refusal during the toddler years is SO common. Want to know a not-so-hacky hack to get my kid to eat her greens? I serve it the Arabic way of mixing with meat, spices, onions, and sometimes garlic. Plain, sautéed spinach? She says no thank you. But Sabanekh ou Ruz, she loves.
This dish is packed with iron and other nutrients your baby needs. I serve with rice or bulgur and mix with yogurt for scoopability. 6m+
P.S. Have other traditional dishes you want to serve? Bamiyeh? Fosolia? I modify largely the same, and they’re always a hit.
Falafel Burgers
These falafel burgers are so flavorful with onions, garlic, parsley, cilantro, cumin, and coriander. They’re super nutritious, protein-rich, and iron-packed. They’re a great way to introduce your child to green things, especially if you love the idea of serving falafel but are trying to stay away from deep-fried food.
If your child has developed their pincer grasp, cut the patties in bite-size pieces and serve on top of the cucumber mint yogurt. It’s safe from 6m if cut into strips the size of 2 adult fingers, but you might see a lot of gagging. If it makes you more comfortable, 9m+.
20 Min Oven Roasted Chicken Shawarma
This dish is such a wonderful way to introduce your baby to traditional flavors of Middle Eastern cooking. For young babies, give a whole piece of thigh with the smaller piece cut off. They’ll probably just gnaw at it. Or, shred it and mix it with mascarpone cheese to make a sort of chicken salad, and spread it on top of thin rice cake. For older babies and toddlers, shred it and serve it next to quartered tomatoes. 6m+
Kousa Mehshi (Stuffed Baby Zucchini)
Mahashi (stuffed veggies) are so great for babies and young kids. They’re soft, easy to eat, and super nutritious and flavorful. The kousa (baby zucchini) is the perfect size for self-feeding 6-9m. If your child has developed the pincer grasp, you can cut it into bite-size pieces. Serve it with yogurt in a bowl to encourage dipping. Or, serve it with the yogurt sauce in this recipe and pre-load a spoon. 6m+
The Smoothest Hummus
This is a no brainer. Hummus is delicious, nutritious, and packed with protein. It also helps expose your babe to a common allergen early: sesame from the tahini. Serve it on top of thin rice cake or toast with a quartered tomato or cooked red bell peppers to increase iron absorption. Just leave out those whole chickpeas, or smash them flat. 6m+
Eggplant Mutabal (Smoked Eggplant Dip)
It’s so yummy and tasty, your child is sure to love it. It’s totally fine for your baby to eat garlic, but it may be hard on the tummy, so introduce slowly. A great way to do that is to make a quick garlic oil with sautéed garlic. You’ll find further details in the post. Serve on top of thin rice cake or toast. 6m+
Beet Mutabal (Roasted Beet Dip)
Beware of the mess! That beautiful purple color is about to get everywhere. And it’s so irresistible to babies. Similarly to the eggplant mutabal, I keep out the raw garlic and use sautéed garlic oil for babies. Serve on top of thin rice cake or toast with a side of cucumber (in spears for 6m, thinly sliced for 9m+). 6m+
Excited to offer these to your baby? I’d love to see! You can send me a video of your baby or tag me on social media at @omayah.atassi or #omayahcooks on Instagram, @omayahatassiphoto on Facebook, and @omayah on Pinterest.
Also, let everyone know in the comments of this post how it worked out for your little!
*The content on this site is meant for informational purposes only, and is not meant to replace direct medical advice from your doctor, healthcare professional, nutritionist, allergist, or expert in pediatric feeding or eating.