Bean recipe that your baby/toddler liked?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My sister-in-law came to visit for a long weekend when our twins were 1 year old and we were exhausted. She helped out by doing a lot of cooking (including a little stocking of our freezer). She made this which one of my toddlers loves and the other is lukewarm on. I also love it. I usually make a double batch and freeze half. It freezes well. I also get 2-3 medium red peppers and cut up myself instead of the bagged pepper strips. Sometimes instead of fresh red peppers, I'll get a large jar of roasted red peppers, also works and adds a nice flavor to the stew. I also move the corn from the second part to the first part so that you have roasted corn. I find that it brings out a better flavor from the corn. The barley has a good bit of protein, so this should help.

LENTIL BARLEY STEW
Single batch:
1/4 cup olive oil
1 onion, chopped
celery - several stalks - chopped
1 bag pepper strips (Trader Joe’s has)

Heat olive oil in large pan and brown onions, celery and pepper strips until soft.

Then add:
1 large jar crushed or stewed tomatoes (approx.2.5 cups)
2 cups water
½ cup lentils
1/3 cup barley
4-6 carrots, peeled and cut into “coins”
1 bag frozen corn

Let stew for 1-2 hours on low. It’s worth making a double batch. Double all ingredients except for pepper strips and corn.

This sounds good (and easy).
Do you freeze it in a plastic tupperware type container and just microwave it when you want to eat it?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:
This sounds good (and easy).
Do you freeze it in a plastic tupperware type container and just microwave it when you want to eat it?

It is very easy. Occasionally if I want to up the oomph in flavor, I will add a few tablespoons of tomato paste to the recipe. If I do so, I'll put it in at the start right after the corn is roasted and let it go a minute or two to carmelize the tomato paste before putting the other ingredients in.

Yes, I use regular plastic freezer/microwave safe tupperware. A couple of tips on microwaving. If you take it from the freezer, put it through a defrost cycle before you put it on high. Putting frozen items into the microwave on high generally ends up with a completely uneven consistency. You'll have the parts on the outside that will either get overcooked or micro-burnt while the inside is still partially frozen. Or things like stew, the outside will get mushy and start breaking down before the inside is reheated. I find that defrosting, stirring with a spoon and then reheating to work better, especially with stewed items. Also, if you find that it is getting a little dried or thick in the reheating, then add a little bit of stock/chicken broth/vegetable broth, stir and continue heating.