Baby and toddler recipes
🫘 Toddler black bean feijoada with greens
A vegetarian twist on Brazil's beloved feijoada, with black beans, sweet potato and smoky paprika, served with soft rice, greens and orange slices. Iron rich, with a classic vitamin C pairing.
Makes 3 toddler portions plus 2 adult portions
Ingredients
- 2 x 400g tins Black beans (no added salt, drained and rinsed)
- 1 Sweet potato (peeled and diced)
- 1 Onion (chopped)
- 3 cloves Garlic (crushed)
- 1 Red pepper (diced)
- 1 tsp smoked (mild) Paprika
- 1/2 tsp Cumin
- 1 Bay leaf
- 2 Tomato (chopped)
- 2 handfuls Kale (shredded)
- 1 Orange (peeled and segmented, to serve)
- 2 tbsp Olive oil
- 400ml Water
- to serve Rice
Method
- Soften the onion and pepper in 1 tbsp oil for 8 minutes.
- Add garlic, paprika and cumin for a minute.
- Add the tomatoes, sweet potato, bay leaf, beans and water. Simmer for 30 minutes until thick, mashing a few beans to thicken.
- Remove the bay leaf.
- Fry the kale in the remaining oil with a splash of water until very soft.
- Serve with rice, kale and orange segments.
Serving it to your baby
From 12 months lightly mash the beans or squash them, chop the kale very finely, and cut the orange segments into small pieces with membranes removed. For babies from 7 months, blend or mash well and leave out the smoked paprika.
For the rest of the family
Season the adults' feijoada with salt, add a splash of hot sauce and serve with toasted farofa.
Storing and reheating
Cool quickly (within an hour), then keep covered in the fridge for up to 2 days. Freeze in small portions for up to 3 months and defrost overnight in the fridge. Reheat until steaming hot all the way through, stir, then let it cool before serving. Never reheat more than once. Always remove the bay leaf before serving. Rice needs extra care: cool within an hour, keep in the fridge for no more than 1 day, and reheat only once until steaming hot.
Weaning with OBubba
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Questions parents ask
Why serve feijoada with orange?
It is traditional in Brazil, and it is clever: the vitamin C in orange helps the body absorb the plant iron in beans and kale.
Is smoked paprika too strong?
A mild smoked paprika in small amounts is fine for toddlers. Avoid hot versions and skip it for young babies.
OBubba gives general information based on UK guidance. It is not medical advice and does not diagnose anything. Every baby is different. If your baby has a known allergy, severe eczema or a medical condition, speak to your doctor or health visitor before starting solids. Learn baby first aid, and in an emergency call your local emergency number (999 in the UK).