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Home › Articles › Toddler Nutrition › Spicy Tots for Tots?

Spicy Tots for Tots?

Can Flavorful Foods Help Your Child Become a Better Eater?

By Renee Roberson

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Try and Try Again
Don't be discouraged if your tot isn't exactly a fan the first time you offer a new food. Koff says that toddlers typically require repeat exposure to a new food, often 10 or more tries, before they make their final call on whether they like it or not. "We know that 'final' is only temporary, as kids' taste buds are continually changing," she says.

Leite is grateful that the members of his family never stopped offering him the cuisine of his heritage, even when he went through that typical childhood phase of just wanting macaroni and cheese and hot dogs. "If it weren't for the larger-than-life women in my life, who huddled around stoves and ovens throughout my childhood, I don't think I would've ended up in a career in food," he says. "Looking back, it seems like an inevitable choice, but at the time I had no idea all those aromas, tastes and textures were being imprinted on my memory and would be the motivation to travel to Portugal looking for dishes to satisfy my appetite for more food and for a clearer sense of who I am."

So whether you want to try offering your child a sampling of their cultural heritage or just try someone else's, don't think of it as depriving them of the food they really want. By giving them a taste out of the ordinary, you just may open their taste buds up to a world of endless possibilities.

Portuguese Beans
David Leite shares this flavorful, toddler-friendly recipe.

1 pound dried navy, small California white or great Northern beans, washed and sorted
1/2 pound bacon
1 large yellow onion, chopped
3 garlic cloves, minced
4 cups water
1 can (6 ounces) tomato paste
1 pound Spanish chorizo, cut into 1/4-inch slices
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes, or more to taste
1 tablespoon paprika
Salt and pepper, to taste

Soak the beans overnight in enough cold water to cover by several inches. Drain the beans and set aside.

In a large stockpot or Dutch oven, fry the bacon until crisp. Drain on paper towels and set aside.

Pour off all but 2 or 3 tablespoons of the bacon fat, add the onions and saut矵ntil a dark golden brown. Add the garlic and cook until it just begins to color. Add the beans, water, tomato paste, chorizo, red pepper flakes and paprika. Cover and let simmer for one and a half to two hours, or until the beans are tender, stirring occasionally to prevent scorching. Crumble the bacon into the beans and season with salt and pepper. Cook 10 minutes more, then serve immediately.

Note: If the beans threaten to dry out, add water; if they're watery, remove the cover for the last half hour of cooking.

Three Amigos Chili

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 small onion, chopped
1 pound ground turkey
1 small can tomato sauce
1 can diced tomatoes with peppers
3 cans beans, drained (1 each of kidney beans, black beans and garbanzos)
1 can (14 ounces) chicken broth
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon cumin
1/8 teaspoon cinnamon
Hot sauce, to taste

In a deep pot, heat the oil and saute the onion. Add the turkey and brown. Add the tomatoes, tomato sauce, beans, broth and spices. Stir and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 20 minutes or until it starts to thicken.


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