Tastefully Childish

If you have a toddler, I’m sure you’ve seen Yo Gabba Gabba. My girls became OBSESSED a little over a year ago when my parents took them to a show. I never thought that Yo Gabba Gabba would encourage them to eat. Our favorite song, which gets sung at almost every meal because my daughter is so quick to say “I don’t like that”, is “try it, you’ll like it…”. Any time we try something new we sing it.  Another great song for getting my girls to eat is “Party in my Tummy”.

Last week I made Pumpkin Lentil Soup.  When I put it in front of my four-year old I received the typical response “I’m not eating that, its gross, I don’t like pumpkin”. My response: “have you tried pumpkin? Did you try the soup? Haven’t you liked all the other new foods you have tried?”. We then reverted back to Yo Gabba Gabba and started singing the Yo Gabba Gabba’s “Try It, you’ll like it”. Of course she ate the entire bowl and asked for it again a few days later.

Pumpkin Lentil Soup Recipe (adapted from Slow Cooker Pumpkin,Chickpea and Lentil Stew)

*It is a stew but my girls like calling it soup.

• 1 pound pie pumpkin or winter squash,
• 1 15-ounce can chickpeas (garbanzo beans)
• 3 medium carrots ( I used baby carrots since we had them)
• 1 cup chopped onion (1 large)
• 1 cup red lentils, rinsed and drained
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste
• 1/4 tsp ground ginger
• 1 tablespoon lime juice
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 3 1/2  cups vegetable broth
• 1/2 cup pumpkin beer (I used Dogfish Punk Beer)

Directions:

1. Peel, seed, and cut the pumpkin into 1 inch cubes.
2. Rinse and drain the beans.
3. Cut the carrots into 1/2 in thick slices.
4. In a 3 1/2 to 4 quart slow cooker combine pumpkin, chickpeas, carrots, onion, lentils, tomato paste, ginger, lime juice, cumin, salt, and pepper.
5. Pour vegetable broth and beer all over ingredients in slow cooker.
6. Cover and cook on low-heat setting for 8-10 hours or on high-heat setting for 4-5 hours.

I did not do this but it would be cute to use a pumpkin shaped cookie cutter and cut a pumpkin shape on a slice of cheddar or yellow american cheese to place on top of the stew when served.

Tags: food, lentil soup recipe, lentils, Pumpkin, pumpkin soup, red lentils, Soup, vegetarian, yo gabba gabba