In this post, I’m sharing a tahini-based sauce that munchkin loved. Loved so much that she ended up drinking it from her sauce bowl followed by a “nyum nyum” and a big smile. I originally made this sauce for collard wraps but figured it’ll go well in lots of dishes. (In the below photo, I used it for noodles.) It’s similar to Thai peanut sauce, which was my inspiration. I used tahini (sesame seed paste) instead of peanut butter to make it nut-free, and I got a sauce that is not only safe for school lunches but also more to my liking. Tahini, while still nutty and creamy, has a more subtle flavor than peanut butter, and therefore does not overwhelm the dish. Oh, and inside the collard wraps? It’s the leftover Japchae from here.
The recipe is at the bottom of this post, in case you want to skip my ramblings about toddler pickiness.
Now on to picky eating…
This is how munchkin ate the collard wraps: Deconstructed. I thought it was due to the big size of the rolls. But today, I realized that she’s refusing to eat anything that is mixed up; mixed up to a point where she can’t pick things apart. She refused to eat (or even taste) the omelet I made for breakfast and asked for shredded cheese and a banana. I didn’t give her what she wanted, and tears welled up in her eyes. I could see that she was frightened because she didn’t understand why I wasn’t giving her what she wanted. “Does mommy not love me anymore?” 😂 Her eyes seemed to convey that. For dinner, I made chile relleno (stuffed pepper) with black beans and cheese. Now, black beans and cheese are munchkin’s preferred food, but the heat melted the cheese combining the two into one mass. She tried to pick it apart, but when she realized that it was impossible, she refused to eat it.
Munchkin used to be a champion eater until a couple of months ago. There was food she wouldn’t eat, but she ate a variety of fruits, veggies, meat, legumes, and grains. She would almost always try all food on her plate before deciding her likes and dislikes. Now she’s not even trying. She stopped eating most of the veggies and now she won’t eat mixed food. So how do I steer her back to an adventurous eater without force-feeding every meal? That’s the new challenge.
Back to this delicious tahini sauce…
Multi-Purpose Tahini-Soy Sauce
Creamy and savory tahini-based sauce. Nut-free, dairy-free, vegan. Toddler approved
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup tahini
- 3 tbsp low sodium soy sauce
- 3 tbsp maple syrup
- 1 tsp ginger minced
- 2 limes juice
- 2-3 tbsp water
Instructions
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Blend all ingredients in a blender
