Baby Bean Bites — Melinda Lamarche

Feeding little ones is a great joy but can also be a challenge. When I started my three older kids on solids (I have one more who has yet to get to this point) there was always that moment when they were no longer interested in eating something that I was offering from a spoon. They would prefer to be independent and left to poke, squash and throw whatever they could get their hands on. Much of their meals and snacks would end up on the floor or in their lap. I came up with these baby bean bites so baby can be completely independent with feeding (of course, not being left alone to eat but able to grasp food and bring it to their mouth). They are great for baby led weaning. These bean bites are small and soft enough that baby can handle feeding themselves and they are full of great and nutritious ingredients.

These bites are very customizable, you can toss in a variety of different vegetables and still have the same end result. For this version, I decided to use a few of my favourite ingredients, sweet potato, green peas and cannellini beans. However, a roasted and mashed carrot, squash or potato could work in place of the sweet potato. Edamame, broccoli, corn or lima beans in place of the green peas and chickpeas or black beans instead of the beans used here. The beans were cooked from dry but canned would work out fine as well, just look for those that have no salt added and are packaged in a BPA free can. Don’t forget to drain and rinse the beans before using.

These bean bites are small but pack a ton of nutrition, for starters they are a great source of fibre. The beans, peas and quinoa also provide protein and are sources of iron. These plant based sources of iron are not as easily absorbed as the iron that comes from animal sources like meat and chicken. Including an ingredient that is high in vitamin C (such as peppers, broccoli, cauliflower and sweet potato) in the bean bites or on the side can help the iron to be absorbed. Serving these bean bites with some tomato sauce on the side for dipping would be also be a great way to incorporate some vitamin C.

These bean bites are great for introducing solid foods to baby. So far, all my kiddos have enjoyed them and I hope yours do too!

Baby Bean Bites

Makes 20 bean bites

Ingredients

1 cup cannellini beans (drained and rinsed if canned)

½ medium sweet potato, cubed and cooked (steamed or roasted)

¼ cup quinoa, cooked

¼ cup green peas, cooked

1 tbsp tahini

¼ cup whole wheat bread crumbs

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350°and line a baking sheet with parchment paper
Combine all ingredients in a food processor
Pulse ingredients until combined and the mixture starts to stick together, be careful not to over do it, pureeing the ingredients will make them hard to work with
Using a small spoon, measure out 1 tbsp of the mixture and roll into a ball.
Place on the baking tray and press down lightly to form a patty
Bake for approx. 10-15 minutes or until the bottom side is golden brown. Flip the bites and bake for another 10 minutes
Allow bites to cool before serving